Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Is a mile too long...

71 replies

FedUpWithItAllWeep · 17/09/2020 09:14

For an August born y1 (so only just 5) to walk to and from school?

We are finding the school run a bit of a nightmare to be honest. I'm usually on foot and my husband on a bike, we also have a 2yo DC. Last year we used a double bike trailer, I would use it as a pram and DH would tow it back. But DC1 is too big for it now as he's already as tall as a six year old!

I could get the bus partway down so DC is only doing the walk once but a) want to avoid the bus at the mo, b) DC seems OK on the walk down but more tired on the way back and I tend to do drop off. DH cannot get on the bus with his bike either..

DC does seem very tired at the mo, but we haven't done a full week of school yet (thank you crappy covid testing) so we have only done this a couple of times!

So, do we think that DC will just get used to a mile walk there and back or am I a cruel cruel mum?

OP posts:

TheMandalorian · 17/09/2020 09:31

Presumably you have a pushchair for the 2yo. Get a buggy board or a scooter. My two can do a 6-10km hike in the peak district quite easily, but get tired doing our 2km school run twice a day. The school day can be quite full on for them.

00100001 · 17/09/2020 09:32

A mile is fine.

Get the lad a scooter or bike if it helps speeds things along

SBTLove · 17/09/2020 09:32

A mike is fine, you’ve said he’s a big lad not a tiny tot.
Can you jolly him along with chat and games; things he’s got to see and find on way home, keep him busy and he’ll be home before you know it.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Families

onemorecupofcoffeefortheroad · 17/09/2020 09:33

I used to walk mine that distance to and from nursery/school and same age gap as yours.

Found the exercise woke them up in the mornings so all good. On the return trip I brought healthy snacks for them to eat on the way home.

That really helped - snacks gave them a bit of energy then they were happy and the walk back gave them time to decompress, time for us to chat, after being inside school all day. Miss those days so much they're both over 6ft now 😂

The scooter idea is a good one too.

borntohula · 17/09/2020 09:33

Nah a mile is nothing. Good exercise as well.

queenofelves · 17/09/2020 09:34

A mile isn't far, my DD (4) walks 2 miles home from school most nights. I bring snacks for if she's hungry and we play games if she's tired to stop her moaning

However, every child is different. I've been picking up my friends child (also 4) from school the past few days and I've had to drive as I know he isn't good with walking.

You know your child's limits

nugget18 · 17/09/2020 09:34

1 mile I absolutely fine to walk to school. It should only take 20 -30 mins. No need for bikes and trailers if not practical. Scooter if you want to speed it up a little.

movingonup20 · 17/09/2020 09:36

A mile is nothing, we were 1.5 miles and didn't drive, some kids walked 2 + miles from the neighbouring village through fields because their parents didn't want them taking the school bus. In rural areas kids are used to walking I suppose, my DD's were hiking trails from 3, as in 5+ miles (lived overseas then) but I kept my pushchair so used that in emergency as the village was over 2 miles long and kids get tired, Dd1 would sit and Dd2 stand on the axel or sit on her sister (health and safety nightmare I admit)

GameSetMatch · 17/09/2020 09:36

Why doesn’t he fit in the bike trailer? My six year old still fits, yes it’s a squeeze with his brother in too but it’s only for a short distance? The other option could be a scooter, the baby in the pram your son on the scooter and then you can carry the scooter back home on the pram?

Mintjulia · 17/09/2020 09:36

He should be fine.

All my family did it from 4 and the only negative thing I remember is being cold, so as long as appropriate coat/ footwear, it's actually a very healthy thing to do.

steppemum · 17/09/2020 09:38

@Mintjulia

He should be fine.

All my family did it from 4 and the only negative thing I remember is being cold, so as long as appropriate coat/ footwear, it's actually a very healthy thing to do.

and wet.

Invest in waterproof trousers for really wet days, so he doesn't sit all day in wet clothes.

Sally872 · 17/09/2020 09:39

I think it is reasonable and similar to what my 4 year old does. If you find he is struggling look for other options, but if there aren't any he will soon get used to it.

raddledoldmisanthropist · 17/09/2020 09:40

My 4 yo has mobility difficulties and regularly does 3+ miles. I can't see how a mile would be too far.

I'd drive or bus in miserable weather.

TillyTheTiger · 17/09/2020 09:40

My son is in Reception and scoots to school and back, it's 1.3 miles so a 2.6 mile round trip for him. I was worried it would be too tiring for him as he's summer born but he loves it and it's become my favourite part of the day

ChanklyBore · 17/09/2020 09:40

They are all tiered after school. You are asking nothing unreasonable, a mile is not a long walk, a twenty minute slow walk at a child’s pace before and after school is absolutely fine. Yes, the DC are an annoying drag when they are tired but that applies to anything. If you lived across the road and popped home in seconds they’d probably whinge for twenty minutes then instead. Think of it as decompressing.

RB68 · 17/09/2020 09:41

a mile is less than a 20 minute walk of course its not too far but you might want a plan b if the weather is utterly miserable

VickySunshine · 17/09/2020 09:41

It is a fair way to walk at that age but I did it , beacuse I had no choice. And from the age of 7 I was doing it on my own , in all weathers. My Secondary school was even further and I only caught the bus when I got a part-time job so I could pay the fare myself. Sorry if that's too much " Yorkshire Miners Sketch " for you jomaIone

spottygymbag · 17/09/2020 09:44

This is about the distance for our "school" run. We do it five days and have 3.5yo a 5mo.
We use a mountain buggy for DS but it has the added bonus that DD can go in it if things get desperate and it can take her school bag etc.
DD usually goes on her bike (currently balance bike but about to upgrade to pedal bike) but often I end up putting the bike on top of the mountain buggy for the trip home.
Getting home is hard because she's so tired but now I make sure I have everything ready for a quick tea/bath/bed. And its a fine line between constant jostling to keep her moving homewards and letting her do it her way so we don't end up with a meltdown from tiredness.
So physically the distance is fine to walk but the tiredness can drag it out.

Raggletagglegypsy · 17/09/2020 09:46

Not too long at all - it will have positive health benefits (I think it is terrible that school age children are made to be so sedentary through the day). My children all walked long distances regularly - which has resulted in, for example, my 11 year old daughter being able to walk 23 miles no bother.

InDubiousBattle · 17/09/2020 09:50

My dd is just going into year 1 (July birthday)and we walk a mile each way to school and it's absolutely fine. It's less than she did for a year before she started school when she often did there and back with me to drop ds (year 2) off! We walk a lot as a family though so they're just used to it.

MrsMariaReynolds · 17/09/2020 10:51

My DS did a mile-long walk to school every day, from Reception age onward. He used his scooter up until nearly the end of Y4 when it was no longer cool Not a big deal. It's about 20 minutes of walking, tops. Rainy days were sometimes annoying, but that's life.

WooMaWang · 17/09/2020 11:08

With DS1 I used to do a 1.5 mile walk to school every day, and often a 2.5 mile walk home (because the after school club was based in a different school). He was perfectly capable of doing it even in P1. It took longer than walking on my own would (as we had to walk at a pace suitable for someone much shorter than me) but it was totally fine.

Kids get used to walking if you do it with them regularly. Stamina comes with practice in any human.

OTOH DSD wouldn’t walk anywhere at 5. Literally she’d insist on being carried walking from the park to the car park. It wasn’t that she was more frail or inherently incapable of walking than DS1 was at the same age. She’s just never been expected to walk anywhere so she hadn’t developed any stamina (or inclination towards walking).

Obviouspretzel · 17/09/2020 11:14

I have been walking with my 3 year old to nursery there and back each day. It's around 0.8 mile each way. He is getting tired , especially after a full day, but I have been encouraging him to do it as I want him to be a fit and active child.

I used to do the same as a kid but now this thread has been slightly worried it might be a bit too much for him ? Sometimes he runs the whole way and sometimes he says he has to go slow.

Caterina99 · 17/09/2020 13:15

Our school is 0.8 miles away and 5 year old DS walks that far no problem and has for at least a year.

I do take the buggy for DD, who is nearly 3. She could walk that far if it was one way, but she’d have to walk there and back which I don’t think she’d manage easily.

INeedNewShoes · 17/09/2020 13:25

He could scoot there and on the way back you could rest the scooter on the pushchair (some scooters fold down or come into two bits which helps).

But I don't think you should worry about a mile being too long to walk. DD(3) regularly walks a mile or more and unless she's coming down with something it doesn't seem too much at all.

On the way home from school, if tired, a snack and lots of distraction may be in order.

When I was an au pair, abroad, I used to walk to school while the child scooted and then I'd ride the scooter home (obviously only works once the child is old enough to have a scooter that will take an adult). So once your DC2 has learned to scoot, you could do this and you ride DC1 scooter.

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread