New York, NY – It’s the perfect accessory for the BlackBerry-meets-Bugaboo crowd.
A gizmo called Texthook lets parents strap phones to the bars of their strollers so they can text and e-mail without missing a step.
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The company that makes them said about 100 of the $30 devices have been bought since they went on sale last week.
Some parents out with their tots Tuesday worried that it was a hazard – to other pedestrians and to Junior being pushed down the street.
“It is a stupid idea,” said Aniya Wolanska, 35, pushing her infant daughter on Skillman Ave. in Sunnyside, Queens.
“Too many people spend too much time texting. It’s crazy. You should watch your kid. Not your phone.”
Tribeca lawyer Christine Magdo, 36, agreed.
“We don’t need to encourage texting while pushing the stroller,” she said as she strollered with her 18-month-old son on Greenwich St.
The Texthook box features a warning that tells buyers that “using your phone to talk/text/e-mail while in motion can result in injury.”
Texting while driving is against the law, but using your smartphone while walking is perfectly legal.
Texthook’s creator is Leslie Perlman, 35, an upper East Side lawyer turned stay-at-home mom of three.
She came up with the idea in February after her brother-in-law Seth Goldberg, 30, complained he couldn’t use his BlackBerry while walking with his new son’s Bugaboo Cameleon.
“We were just parents who saw a need for this,” Perlman said. “We are clear: Don’t do this while in motion.”
Texthook is available in three city stores and at Thetexthook.com.
Babesta baby boutique on Warren St. in Tribeca sold eight in a week, and owner Jennifer Cattaui expects it to be a must-have soon.
Financial District mom Lorraine Sabalja, out with her $759 Bugaboo Frog and 2-year-old son, Luca, predicts Texthooks will be popular at her sandbox.
“This is urban living,” she said. “You are always out, always with the stroller.”
I hope it doesn’t get popular in bp where its a shrek already to drive when mothers talk on their phone pushing out the carriage before looking if a car is coming hashem yerachem uleinu vaal buneini
I hope it doesn’t get popular in bp where its a shrek already to drive when mothers talk on their phone pushing out the carriage before looking if a car is coming hashem yerachem uleinu vaal buneini
people should be talking to their children, not their phones. even if the child is an infant and doesn’t understand you, talking to them makes them feel loved and is good for their development.
great idea, i bought one for my daughter in law.
People should b crowsing at the light instead of walking on don’t walk then u don’t have a problem with talking on the phone while walking. Spending a few min on the phone is not ignoring ur baby even if it is an infant and u can talk to the rest of the day
i hate bugaboos and the snobs that drive them
Children should not distract parents from their Blackberries.
if u r not suppoed to use it while the stroller is in motion then why buy it?
when u r sitting or standing still u can jsut pick up ur phone and text without a holder.
What happened to go old talking to your child while you stroll around the block. Language development is so important especially early on. This is pathetic. Quality time with your child/(ren) is important.Paying attention to your child’s needs are important.
Good news for speech therapists. There will be increased of speech and language cases now since parents are so involved with their needs and making sure they take every call and text that their child/(ren) won’t learn language skills. Nebach!
Now you can use your Blackberry and the same time wheeling your baby around. Just the upside around what accomplishment..
Next idea will be enter on a Blackberry the destination and will get your baby to a babysitter or just around the block and the same time do some shopping..
Thats right! Any one texting while pushing a carriage (nay, eevn if not a bugaboo) is a meshugana, and is endangering their life and of their baby. They should be locked up, and the kids taken away from them.
TRUE – the same goes for those idiots driving while talking and texting on their cellphones.
Hashem Yerachem
To all u haters out there swallow your pride and accept the fact that you can’t afford something that your neighbor has. When someone is driving a Lexus no one says boo. Come on don’t be so jealous you sound like little kids!
There is another invention coming out where a shopper can take his head off and place it at the front desk and do their shopping and when checking out go pick it up again.
This is the new multi tasking and nobody can beat this invention.
I think that this is mamish a nutty invention…this is mamish an accident waiting to happen…if you bring this new toy to flatbush, boro park, williamsburg, I think its spells TROUBLE…people don’t pay attention anymore…and personally, I don’t own a cellular phone, and I am glad that I dont… I hope that Rabbonim assur this…
Don’t like this idea one bit they can be so involved in the texting and walk into a moving car.