If you have 3 DC's under 4/5 how do you walk anywhere?!

[Kt8791]

I am due with DC3 in 7 weeks, dc1 will be nearly 4 (starts school in sept) and dc2 will be 2.9. I am not one for staying in the house! I have a phil and ted but recently have been using a buggy with a buggy board, however my eldest isn't really keen on walking!

Any ideas?

Thank you.

[cruxible]

Mine are slightly old now but when they were 3 , 3 and 4 (or smaller)it was hard going. Constant rotation in the buggy and carrying and bribes and motivation and psyching myself up to even go round the corner some days. Sometimes we would all end up in tears! Mostly the effort of getting from a to b would be worth it though.

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

I had similar age gaps to you except that the last baby was twins. The four year old was fine with walking but the two year old wasn't (late walker who really resented having to walk to take his older brother to school and back). Until he built up stamina, I put the lighter twin in a sling and the heavier twin in the double buggy with the two year old.

When your eldest starts all-day school, I would suggest giving him a small snack to help with the walk home from school. Mine needed this until the end of Y2.

[Beatrixpotty]

I've got the same problem,mine are 3.5,nearly 2 & 1 week but my eldest quite likes walking.I am thinking,short distance baby in a sling(just got new one with back support) DS2 in single buggy ,DS1 walking.Or further :DS3& DS2side by side in double buggy (got 360 nipper from last time) with DS1 walking and sling underneath so if DS1 gets really tired can sit in buggy and I can carry baby. But I am more likely to rely on bribing DS1 with a treat to keep walking and just accepting may take time to get anywhere.But..I haven't even left the house yet after my c-section so no idea if this works!

[Kt8791]

Thank u. Will try and make my eldest do a bit more walking now, to get him use to it and then be ready with the bribes!

[mooglet]

DS1 was 3.5 and DD was 2 when my youngest was born, and I had a Bibi Strolli. It's a bit like a bike seat + wheel that attaches to the side of your pram or pushchair. I found it much easier than a buggy board (I got back ache from being at a funny angle) and both DS1 and DD loved riding on it. I tended to have DD on it, and then DS1 would ride his bike, but if we were going further I could attach it to the side of the double pushchair.

I don't know if they still make them new, but they come up on ebay quite frequently - in fact I've just checked and there's one there now! I think mine cost about £40, but it's definitely one of my best purchases ever.

I am expecting DC4 now, so will have to get ours out of the attic and dust it off!

[firawla]

I had 3.2 and 19 months when my youngest was born, I just kept the p&t I had used for the older two and shifted the older one out and put the newborn in, but my oldest wasn't too bad with walking. He basically had no choice as there was no space in the buggy. You can get tripple buggy though, but i felt it will be really heavy to push!
I think at nearly 4 your dc should be alright? unless they have any sn issues which makes it more difficult, but if not then just get them keep practising as much as possible eventually it will come the norm for them and they just get on with it. With mine I found when the back seat of p&t was empty then he would wanna jump in as he knows he is tired but when the baby is there, then there is no option so they just get on with it - albeit with a bit of moaning if we are going really far

[AGreenie]

When my youngest was born, my elder 2 were 5 (just) and 3 and we had to walk to and from school everyday , we are quite lucky in that half the walk was through the park, and for the rest of the walk, the pavements are quite wide, although the roads were still busy - the elder 2 used scooters and I only let them go the next lamppost .... It gets easier though whilst the youngest will stay in the buggy most of the time, but she's going to want to start walking all the way soon !

[imip]

I had a 3.2 and 20 month when dd3 was born. As others have mentioned, a sling for the baby and a double buggy. As your oldest is 4, would a scooter or balance bike help you. Dd3 is turning three next week and I usually put dd4 in the single buggy and give dd3 the option of buggy owed or scooter.

Ime, there is no perfect combination, just a lot of different combinations. For a couple of years yet you'll be pulling someone along on a scooter, sling, buggy board or buggy. It's my regular workout!

[GoingToBedfordshire]

At first, I had dd1 (4) on the buggy board when tired, dd2 (2.9) in the pushchair and dd3 (newborn) in the sling. Over the next year, dd1 started walking everywhere, dd2 used the buggy board and dd3 in the pushchair. Ditched the buggy board completely when dd2 was about 4, so the eldest two walked everywhere and the youngest was in the pushchair.

Now I can frequently be seen with all 3 walking and an empty pushchair - dd3 (nearly 2) not quite ready to manage without it just yet, but does like walking a lot. Will be good in many ways to lose it, although am wondering where I am going to put all of their shit when I don't have it?!

Good luck OP, you will find a way!

[Fresh01]

Distractions whilst walking work well, getting them to look out for a lorry, a bus, dog poo (this is a favourite for DS!), house numbers. When really tiring get them to race you for a bit, they always seem to like winning! For the final stretch giving then door keys and letting them be the ones to put the keys in the door when you get home can spark interest in tired kids!

I have a 7, 5, 3 and 1 year old so done various combinations. Once they start to enjoy the freedom of walking they can build distances and stamina quite quickly. DH took the 3 oldest for a 1.5hr walk yest and DS is only 3.2 only rode on his shoulders for 10 mins but this is a very recent development.

Micro scooters are worth the money.

And on the walks where it all goes pear shaped just keep remembering the saying "this too shall pass" : )

[mathanxiety]

Oldest used to walk, second in buggy and third in front carrier and then later in back carrier. Oldest got a scooter at some point before she was 6 and that made things easier in some ways and more of a challenge in others.

[BendyBusBuggy]

I first had a three-in-a-row buggy (with a steering wheel), then a double side by side with a side car www.buggypod.com/ and in the end my oldest one sat on the roof of the double buggy -he even sometimes went to sleep up there. I had the XTS twin twister...roof was very sturdy .

[BendyBusBuggy]

Forgot to say the point of the buggy pod is it folds up so you can still get through doors.

[sillyoldfool]

get a scooter for the oldest one, that got my DD1 moving further and faster.

[nextphase]

Balance bike for the oldest, and maybe the 2.9 - depends on size.
We got one for DS1 as his 3rd birthday present (very small for age), and he will go miles on it - as in when the car needed servicing, we walked/cycled back from the garage, and then he wanted to go to the park. We also biked to pick the car up that afternoon - so he did about 6 miles, and ran around in the park aged 3y3mth.

[Kt8791]

Thanks for the replies. Have never heard/seen a buggy pod. Will have a look now. They both have micro scooters so think we will have to try and go out in those a bit more in the next few weeks to get them use to it. The more they get use to not being in the buggy, the easier it will be.

[ifIsaynodontjustaskdad]

We have dd1, just 4, hates walking, dd2, just 2 loves walking but stubborn as all hell and lies down and screams when not getting her own way, and dd3, 7 months.

We have an out n about 360 double buggy, a McLaren single with a buggy board and a macpac backpack and a sling.

If its just me as and its a short run where time isn't critical we take single buggy / macpac and the fabric sling. Dd1 is old enough to understand a you will walk because I tell you to directive, but sometimes dd2 needs carried also so I have been known to have dd3 in sling, dd2 in macpac/buggy and dd1 on buggy board. To contextulalise they weigh 22kg, 12kg and almost 9kg. I weigh 58 (the eldest and youngest got dads height).

Most of the time I take the double buggy with dd3 in and if everyone else needs pushed put dd2 in other seat and let dd3 sit on the footboard. This is why we got it, you can get 3 did around on it.

[mrsmarzipan]

Mini micro scooters for the older two and use the wrist strap on the phil and ted to attach to youngers scooter to keep more control! It worked really well for us and you can easily hook the scooters over the handle bar when they don't wang to scoot.

[AmberSocks]

I have a 5 yr old,a 4 yr old,a 3 yr old and a 6 month old.I have baby i pushchair,2 middle oes on buggy board,an eldest walks.you can get two kids on a buggy board maxi.just make sure the pushchair its attatched to is sturdy.

[AmberSocks]

i second scooters,my eldest uses his to and from school everyday.

[tostaky]

Phil and ted and when things gets too hard then eldest at the very front of the P&T (mind his legs!), between the legs of DC2. and then baby in the coccoon.
that was then.
Now DC3 is 10 months and eldest is 4.5, i dont do that anymore!

we've lost two scooters too, but they are very useful!!