Walk or pushchair ?

[Denmark]

How old was your child when you for the first time when for a walk and your little one walk instead of sitting in the pushschair.

My daughter is 17 mth and has been walking for 5 months now and she is always sitting in the pushchair when we are going for a walk.

I have a 8 week old baby and therefor have a tandem pushschair. I would like to let her walk next to the pushchair but am afraid that she is going to "run away". She walks from our car to the house and come when we are calling her name. But sometimes she is a bit of a "cheeky monkey". And I am scared that she is going to run in front of a car etc...

I do not like the idea of putting my daughter in a "leash", I reminds me of "walking the dog". Just want to apologize because I know that there are a lot who uses and string around the wrist, I do not want to offend anyone this is just an opion which me and my family has.

[NomDePlume]

Denmark, you can buy reins which are a harness which goes around the body with a strap that you can hold onto, less 'leash-like' than the wrist ones IMO.

[Denmark]

Thank you for your advise but I am also "against that". Maybe because I was brought up with "you hold my hand or the pushchair" otherwise you sit in the pushchair. I am from the country though (Denmark). My sister has two kids and she does not know of anyone using a harness or "leash" everyone in my danish and french family (my partner is french) thinks this is very strange.

[WigWamBam]

Reins don't restrict or restrain a child, they liberate them from the restraint of always having to hold your hand, and they liberate you from the worry that they might run out in front of a car. For me, that was more important than whether she looked as if I was walking her like a dog. Leads on dogs are to keep them and others safe; children need to be kept safe too, and it's much easier to do that with reins than to simply hope that the child won't run out in front of a car.

[zubb]

if you don't like reins then the only choice is to make her hold your hand or the pushchair as you say and teach her not to run away - they all try to at this age IMO just to get a reaction. Ds2 is 19 months and will walk really well up to the car, stop look at me and at the car and then try to run away laughing, so I just have to make sure that as soon as we are getting near the car I have a firm hold of him.

[NomDePlume]

I agree with zubb

[LittleStarsweeper]

I think shes too young to be walking whilst you have a pushchair. The danger is too great. i didnt find reins all that either, he use to dangle from them when he wanted his own way (that was most of time). Dont rush the out of pushchair thing.

[saadia]

Agree with littlestar..., I think 17mths is a tad young to be walking everywhere. My ds was at least 2 before he started walking outdoors.

[Nemo1977]

my ds is 20mths and he will walk to car etc but if we walk to shops then he will try his luck at running away...what i would do is let her walk holding pram/hand and if she does a runner then tell her she cant run away and put her in pram for 5mins then try again..only way she will learn to walk with u is if u try

[zubb]

I don't think it's too young. Ds2 will walk some of the way into town / to the park etc with us and then when he gets tired he'll get in the pushchair, and he's done that since 17 months at least. We do have him in training though as ds3 will arrive when he is 22 months and there won't be a double buggy option for him. Ds1 was out of pushchairs at the same age - when he got tired he had to balance on the front of the 3-wheeler that we have.
I did try reins with ds1 but didn't really need them as he held onto the pushchair well, and haven't tried them with ds2 yet.

[Denmark]

Thank you for your advise guess I will keep her in the pushchair for a while and let her "free" when my partner is walking with us then we are two to keep an eye on her