Steps

[Erne]

Why will my Surge not count my steps when I'm walking and pushing a stroller or store buggy

[SteveH]

In essence, if your arms are not moving normally as they do when walking, then your fitbit is not tracking normally as it does when walking. There's more info on this in this help article:

http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1136/

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Erne , in order to count steps all Fitbits need to detect vibrations transferred from your feet/body and along your arm, as well as forward motion.  It is definitely NOT true (even if people tell you that it is) that the Fitbit is simply counting arm swings.  However, if you are holding on to a stroller or shopping cart/trolley the stroller or shopping cart may be absorbing some of the vibrations, meaning it is difficult for the tracker to detect your steps.  This is also the reason why holding on to the sides of a treadmill means steps are not accurately counted.  

There is no perfect solution to this, but here are some work arounds that have helped others.

1. Slip your Fitbit into your pocket or your bra when you are pushing a stroller or shopping cart.  The tracker will detect your forward motion and vibrations from your body.  Your steps may not be perfectly accurate, but they should be fairly close.

2. Wear it on your ankle or tucked into a sock.  Fitbit do not recommend this, as they feel it will probsbly overcount your steps and be less accurate than slipping it into your pocket or bra, but some people say it works for them.

3. Manually log your steps for these periods.  Instructions here.  But note that manually logged steps will not count for challenges or your friends' leaderboard.

4. Try pushing one handed as much as possible, leaving your Fitbit hand hanging loose.  There is no need to swing your arms exaggeratedly.

Hopefully one of these suggestions will get the Surge more accurate for you... Welcome to the Community!