What Your Baby Stroller Says About You

During 1733, parents needed a way to transport their kids. The solution, designed by an architect for the Duke of Devonshire was a “shell-shaped basket on wheels.” Sometimes drawn by a goat, the basket had a red silk canopy, a plush velvet seat, and the Duke’s family crest.

More than a way to move a baby, the basket proclaimed the wealth of its owners.

Now, in some ways, we are back to where we started.

Pricey Baby Strollers

However, first we need to make a long story very short.

Baby transport evolved from a goat led basket to a device that could be pushed. Soon it had a brake and a handy place for your parasol. Perhaps though the first turning point was the reversable bassinet. Shown below, it could face the person pushing it.

The year was 1889:

But, as a mom, I can say that the MacLaren umbrella stroller (1965) was most amazing. Light, strong, and sufficiently small (when folded) to fit in an overhead airplane bin, the umbrella stroller was an affordable necessity.

The one problem (for some) was that everyone had it.

And that takes us to Thorstein Veblen and pricey baby strollers,

Our Bottom Line: Conspicuous Consumption

Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) was a rather eccentric economic thinker. I once read that he let his dirty dishes accumulate until none remained. Then he sprayed them with a hose and started all over again.

This is Veblen:

We remember Veblen for the conspicuous consumption that he described in his Theory of the Leisure Class (1899). Telling us that the affluent pursue useless activities like excessive shopping to convey their power and wealth, he explained how servants and employees help the affluent do less while their money lets them signal their status by buying more.

With a universally available cheap umbrella stroller, one that is $3,000 or more shouts conspicuous consumption.

My sources and more: Thanks to my Quartz email for inspiring today’s post on pricey strollers. From there, for my detail, I discovered this New Yorker Magazine article and baby stroller history. Finally, for more on Thorstein Veblen, my go-to bio site is econlib. And, please note that part of the Veblen section of today’s post was in a past econlife.