Stroller Handle Extensions

It's an unpleasant fact of parenting when you're close to 6 feet tall: stroller handles are too short. Walks become painful, tiring, hunchbacked ordeals.

So, if you have an umbrella-style stroller and you find it painful to push, make some extensions!

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Step 1: Lay out the new handles

Last year's church garage sale included a broken umbrella stroller of similar design to ours. You can likely find one at the Goodwill or local garage sales. (Haggle. We got ours for free because it was broken.)

I used a dremel tool to cut the rivets that held the handle on, but you could just as easily use a hacksaw to cut the tubes off if you sand or tape the cut ends.

Lay the new handles alongside the existing ones. In this image, the new handles are the dark blue ones on the inside.

porcupinemamma says: Jul 2, 2009. 9:15 PM

Where oh where have you been? This is a super fantastic brilliant instructable. The umbrella stroller I bought for my grand daughter barely gets used because the handles are so low and my back hurts when I push the stroller. I'm only 5'2". It must be even yukier for taller people. Way to go!!! I had even thought of attaching hockey sticks to the handles, but your idea is way better :0)

static says: Sep 19, 2007. 2:21 PM

At 6" + I understand how things built for the "average" can be back breakers. Do the handle extensions get in the way of a person who would find the lower handles more comfortable to use? Not a problem if the taller person is going to be the exclusive power source for the buggy, but it rarely works out that way.

mrpages (author) in reply to staticOct 3, 2007. 9:53 AM

My kids push the stroller all the time, and it doesn't seem to bother them. I'm not sure about a smaller adult, we've never tried it. :)

mrpages (author) in reply to staticSep 30, 2007. 8:08 PM

Our younger, shorter children use the lower handles without any problems.

jethrow815 says: Sep 20, 2007. 4:25 PM

sadly its not just strollers. having a bad back I find things like this annoying. Size 16+ shoes are always on the bottom shelf at the store. Pants 42+ inseams-bottom shelf. I found the best strollers are the ones you pull behind a bicycle that convert into a hand push stroller. Walmart around $100.

robbtoberfest says: Sep 20, 2007. 11:14 AM

This is nice. For easier one-handed steering I modded my stroller by putting the front wheels back and back to front. I'll probably add these extensions to make it perfecto.

jethrow815 says: Sep 19, 2007. 3:43 PM

I'm 6' 5" with 3 children. I wish I would of found this 5 years ago. Great instructable!

redlikerubies says: Sep 19, 2007. 10:34 AM

How smart! You would think with all of the crazy stroller add ons like cup holders and baby play center thingies, companies would automatically include extendable handles. You thought of a smart way around it, though, and it still looks nice(i.e. no duct tape!)