A friend has suggested this week’s post. She said that she has noticed that many parents seem to want to keep their children in a buggy or pushchair for their convenience and wonders at what age a child should be expected or encouraged to walk rather than ride.
My answer is that as all children are individuals and develop at different rates: some will walk earlier than others.
When I was working as a child minder, I would often be seen in my neighbourhood pushing a child in a buggy, or even a double buggy with 2 children. I always made sure that they were safely strapped in using reins or the buggy straps. One child in particular had to be fastened in quite tightly because she was tiny in stature and would wriggle herself out of the straps; her mum told me that on one occasion she did this while they were waiting at a pelican crossing to go across a road ( luckily her mum had been quick enough to grab her and prevent an accident).
I remember once when I was pushing my heavy double buggy up a small incline; I suggested to a boy that he could walk for a while, he told me ” I can’t walk because I have a bad knee.”
Later when his mum collected him and I asked about his knee she told me “There’s nothing wrong, he just too lazy to walk.”
Another parent asked if I could persuade her son to walk as she felt it was time that he did, she said that they had told him that his buggy was broken ( hoping that would make him walk) he just replied, ” That’s okay we can wait for dad to fix it!”
I let the children that I thought were capable of walking walk beside me by holding onto the buggy walking on the inside away from the road read about road safety here
I liked the children to walk for a while in the park or on a safe footpath as more children are becoming overweight..
When my son’s were young if they were well behaved in town I would take them into The Early learning centre shop where they had toys that they could play with as a reward. My youngest was around a year and was a nightmare to get back in the buggy; my 3 year old had to help as his brother would make his body go stiff so I couldn’t bend him to a sitting position!
A buggy board is a useful tool for using if children like to walk and then become tired.
So are parents guilty of keeping their children in a buggy? Pleas share any thoughts and experiences.
I have written an e book about more of my child minding experiences buy it here
As always questions and comments are welcome.
Until next time.
Karen
x
I agree children develop at different stages. I had my two youngest girls in a double buggy and my eldest daughter always walked holding on to the buggy..I can’t remember any problems but it was a long time ago. An interesting blog Karen
Depends on the child but I would say about two years
Thanks, Shirley
My little girl was out of the buggy at 2 and walking everywhere because I was pregnant I encouraged her. My little boy is about to turn 2 and he is a different kettle of fish. He will sit on the pavement and refuse to move so I take the buggy with me, encourage him to walk and then if he refuses he can get back in. I have a little boy who I mind who is 19 months and a great Walker. So on the school run he walks to school (5 minute walk for adults, 15 for little legs) and then my son walks back and they share the buggy. One of my ex mindees would walk to school for me from the age of 2 but mum says he refuses to walk and is still in a buggy with her on the school run at 30 months. I agree all children are different, and sometimes it is about convenience.
Thanks for sharing, Kirsty
We stopped using the buggy reliably when my now 3yo was 18mo but still used it from time to time, especially when speed was needed. By 2yo she was walking pretty much everywhere apart from very long journeys or when tired. I started using it more when I was heavily pregnant with severe pgp, couldn’t walk far and she would bolt. By the time I had recovered postnataly she was walking everywhere apart from day trips when she might want a nap. I have a tandem buggy that I use for childminding and she’s now 3 and at nursery so doesn’t use it at all. However being new to nursery and shattered, today, she went in the back of it for the walk home. This morning i had to wake her after she slept in. She was tired and didn’t want to get up. She struggled with breakfast and walking to school, so I was happy to put her in the buggy for 5 mins on the way home, during which she fell asleep. She hasn’t napped for months. There is a time and a place for a buggy.
Thanks for stopping by, Liz
I am a childminder and have some children walking most places at 2 years old but others at nearly 3 that sometimes tire easily or find the routine and rules of walking near the road overwhelming and occasionally need the buggy. It does, however, in my opinion, also depend on distances and timing of journeys as well as the child’s physical development. Our school run is right after nap time and sometimes children are not in the right place to be tackling the journey.
There is no right or wrong answer
Thanks for sharing your experience, Vikki
My son was a slow starter and didn’t learn to walk until he was 2 yrs, so he was in his buggy for a good while longer than his siblings. I loved the buggy board for my olde daughter, she always complained her knees hurt, and was later diagnosed with a condition that causes pain in her knees, so a buggy board was a good way of giving her a rest.
Thanks for stopping by and confirming that every child is different
My little one walked to school at 18months of not before. He was fully walking at 8months. He is now 23months and goes on a board most of time just for convenience as he likes to stop and look at things so takes to long to get to school but if weather is fine and he isn’t tired he will get off and happily walk
Some interesting thoughts here. My children were both early walkers and determined to walk everywhere but we did have a buggy for when we knew we were be going to do lots of walking. #KCACOLS
OMG, I cannot remember that far back, but am pretty sure they were both walking and ‘buggieless’ by three. I seem to remember being sick of having to take the buggy everywhere and the youngest obviously wanted to walk like her big sister.
#globalblogging
What a great source of information! Thank you! #kidsandkrearivity
Posts like this keep hitting me emotionally now my 18 year old has lleft home and overseas – I may well ask if he wants to come home and be put in a buggy as very much suffering from empty nest syndrome #BloggerClubUK
I got mine out as fast I could. My eldest had problems but we preserved. I am glad I did as I struggle with spacial awareness and moving around with a buggy X #kcacols
Revisiting via #StayClassyMama
I think we stopped at about 2. We tried to build up the distances our LO walked too, and as soon as she could walk to nursery we started putting reins on as we walk by a main road. As you say, every child is different, but great tips #KCACOLS
We probably stopped using a buggy for my eldest when she was almost 3. Now she’s almost 5 and she’s always desperate to jump in the buggy when her little brother gets out to walk! #Stayclassymama
With my older two, they had to leave the buggy when their sibling came along. My youngest is 3 and refuses to walk anywhere, even short distances. If he doesn’t go in the buggy, he screams and demands to be carried: I simply don’t have time to deal with that on the school run whilst carrying all the bags so he goes in the buggy. Thanks for linking up with #globalblogging
Buggies can be really useful when you’re going for a big walk (especially an all terrain one). Little one can explore, then jump back in, then go exploring again. We started to find the the buggy was being used more and more for carrying bags, rather than the boy. I imagine every child and situation is different though, and people do what works for them.
#AdventureCalling
I’ve seen friends that get their child to walk a lot further than mine would and wonder if I just needed to push him harder to walk. I was always at risk of him being too tired or refusing and wanting to be carried that I wasn’t capable of so I kept in the pushchair. I think it’s like with a lot of things. You do what suits you and your child and there’s not necessarily a wrong. Thanks for linking up to #KCACOLS
I think there comes an age where whether or not I let mine walk was somewhat determined by where we were. If there wasn’t a ton of people and we weren’t in a rush, feel free to wander around. Busy place or busy daddy, sit your little butt down #thatfridaylinky
I’ll be honest, I use the buggy for convenience only these days with my toddler, either when we are in a rush or I genuinely know that she is tired. But apart from that I let her walk because she loves it. I also have the buggy board and it was a fantastic investment #KCACOLS
Buggy boards are great, but I kept stepping on it, I think I was taking extra large strides
We have 2 buggies, both on their last legs but Zach isn’t ready to give them up yet! Thanks for linking up with #stayclassymama
It’s tough as all children are difficult, but I know from our experience that we tried to make Finn walk as much as possible. We started small and built up slowly, but he still often wanted to ride in the buggy! Now he walks half a mile to school every day and loves it! Thanks for sharing #AdventureCalling
I have two very differnet children. 1 that would stay in the buggy if she could, and the other the minute he could walk he wanted to. Thanks again for linking up to #KidsandKreativity x