Effective Use of the Rain Shade on Your Stroller

Most strollers you can buy these days come equipped with a rain shade. What a great concept that is! When it is pouring rain outside and you have to travel with your child in the stroller … we strap on the rain shade so our kids are in a cocoon & kept nice and dry while we brave it in the driving rain. I have a vivid memory from the summer of strolling the loop in Central Park with another dad. The sky appeared dark & gloomy, but we plowed along hoping it would blow over. Dead wrong!

The sky opened up with an intense thunderstorm. When I finally made it home (water-logged shoes squishing with each step & the shirt on my back plastered to my body), I peeled away the stroller rain shade only to find that my son was completely dry!

Pictured above, you will see my very content son under the rain shade of his stroller. I know it is not raining. Consequently, most parents have discovered another resourceful way to use their stroller’s rain shade. In winter weather, it can be used as a wind chill and cold protector. We needed to go to a playdate while NYC’s temperatures were hovering in the teens yesterday. Strolling on the New York City streets in the middle of the day, about 50% of the strollers I observed, also had the children covered under the protective rain shade. If your child refuses to wear gloves or mittens, this is a great option for you to still get out of the house in the freezing cold.

I have seen families using their rain shade as a tarp for a picnic in the park during the fall. I wonder if there are dozens of other ways to maximize the usage of your rain shade?