Are all Pre schools anti pushchairs ?

[Notsureaboutpreschool]

Ds (3.5yr) goes to a pre school (for ages 3-5) . They are regularly telling us and also sending in emails that children shouldn’t be in pushchairs anymore ?

Twice this week already ds keyworker has said to me ‘we don’t advise the use of pushchairs it hinders development we need to encourage walking and independence!’ And I’ve made it clear on multiple occasions that we dont drive and it’s a long walk to and from pre school so need a pushchair and ds gets tired !!

Is this a new thing ? If I get one more email with a picture of a pushchair with a big Red Cross by it I think I’ll scream !!

Nursery 1: staff never said anything but 2 arsehole mums commented on 2.7-3.5 child in push chair, also had a walk. They drove their kids to nursery.
Nursery 2: arsehole nursery manager made snarky comments.

I did say to the mums that I didn't drive if I did DC would be sat all the way door to door.

I don't like scooters or bikes for very young children, pavements are uneven and it caused injury. It's also very scary with cars and crossings. Small children aren't as visible either and go really fast on scooters. I think they are very dangerous.

My DS is 5. He can’t ride a scooter or a bike (at least not well enough to use as a method of transport). Not for lack of trying, he just doesn’t have the co-ordination and is very fearful of getting hurt. He can’t be the only one! Surely this is unrealistic for plenty of preschoolers.

(As it is, we’re about 2 miles from school across fields, not very well maintained footpaths through farms, over styles and gates etc. so until he’s settled in better at school and is less tired, I don’t have a hope in hell of not driving!)

Presumably you also feel the same about parents who drive their children home?

It's been years since I had a 3 year old in a pushchair, but this has brought my rage back! I didn't drive until my kids were older and so they walked everywhere. I used the pushchair for them to have a quick rest after they'd walked for a decent stretch. I can't tell you how many of the people who openly judged me drove their kids two minutes down the road every single day. Ignore them OP - they should quite literally walk a mile or two in your shoes before judging you.

I don't think drivers truly comprehend how wearying not driving can be, either. When you can just chuck them in the car and go wherever, it's hard to understand the energy output involved in walking everywhere, including often quite inaccessible places, carrying everything rather than just sticking it in the boot and chivvying reluctant kids along as well. Children of non-drivers often have to be very patient and resilient already compared to kids who are just stuck in a comfortable car and driven straight home.

I’m not sure about the drive argument. If you’re driving to pre school then you’ve probably got a significant distance to travel, not unlike OP. 40 minutes is about 2 miles, doable, but not easy especially with a small person or time constraints. Most sane people would choose to drive or use a pushchair for such distances. Or are people arguing that people drive for what would be a 3 minute walk? Is that a thing?

OP, ignore. Of course you should use a buggy.

At pre school age many parents won’t yet know their children are neurodivergent yet.

when Ds was 3 I rushed him out of the pram mainly because of worries about judgement of others. At 13 he is now a part time wheelchair user which explains so much about the battles we had when not using the pram! In hindsight I should have gone sign what was right for us rather than worry about other peoples judgement.

I would either complain or just ignore, what can they do if you continue to use it? If they make a verbal comment on it I would reply with 'can I please have your formal complaints procedure' but ignore the buggy with a cross rubbish

Or are people arguing that people drive for what would be a 3 minute walk? Is that a thing?

Of course it's a a thing. Honestly many people who drive are very lazy and in my experience the vast majority of journeys are actually short trips which could be done by foot but people use the car because it's quicker and easier.

My preschoolers used to come off the pushchair for part of the journey. It made coming home more peaceful for all of us.

Children develop at different rates. Some cope with walking earlier than others. It's insane to think they'll never build up strength. We used buggies for all sorts of reasons- distance, tiredness, speed and convenience sometimes.
All my children are active, energetic and enjoy hiking in the hills now as adults.

@mummy21blueeyed you might want to do some research into hypermobility before commenting further. It is often genetic. It is quite possible that OP is also hypermobile and whilst you are able to carry your 22 month old quite happily short distances, she would be unable to carry her 4 year old child.

At least with a pushchair the dc can hop in and out along the way, walking a bit then riding a bit. With a car the OP can't let him hop out and walk part of the way then hop in again. Walking 40mins must be the equivalent scaled up in terms of steps of an adult walking about 5 miles each way. I would ask to have a chat with the manager, highlighting the need to have more disability awareness. It is important for hypermobile children to get regular exercise and build up strength whilst realising that it is perhaps unrealistic to be expecting that twice a day every day.

Our pushchair broke when DS2 was 2.5. I decided not to buy a new one because he was needing it less and less. We had a five minute walk between his nursery and DS1's school. I was late to pick up DS1 every day because DS2 just would not walk. We tried scooters and bikes, but he refused to use them. I can still remember standing on the pavement with him on his bike saying "you need to pedal", and my poor little boy sitting with his head on the handle bars. I ended up carrying him while he screamed and tried to hit me. I should have bought a new buggy.

Hahaha my preschool just told me to put my child in a buggy for a rest. It's almost like all kids are individuals.

Mine is over 4 by the way.

I used a pushchair until my eldest was 4.5. I love walking. The park / museums / town etc were all 2 miles away. Like you I just looked at it as a car alternative.

I had loads of mums criticise me but it turned out their child they claimed could walk anywhere could walk around the park / shops etc once driven there!

I take my three year old to nursery in a pushchair as it’s a fifteen minute walk up a very steep hill and I’d be late for work if I tried to get her to walk it. Same reason most parents probably drive! They are running around at nursery all day anyway.

Seems like massive overstepping to me. File under "none of their business".

I'm actually really cross about this. Seems nurseries and schools are overstepping so much! We've now got this society where parents are run ragged working, bringing up kids, desperately trying to hold things together in a cost of living crisis.
Every one of them is doing their best by their families and yet being told what they can and can't feed them, expected to send them to wrap around care and clubs, criticism whether you work or don't work, and now trying to stop them from making life a little easier by using a pushchair. Who knows what disabilities these kids or their parents have, what is going on in their lives, whether they are trying to do school runs in opposite diections without using the car due to not having one, struggling with fuel bills or good old concern about climate change. And that's all before expecting any small child to walk a distance where perhaps there is busy traffic and potentially a tiny narrow pavement ( as it is round my way, where there are new build estates with the nearest school 2 miles away, 3 buses a day and not around pick up times)

It's absolutely unreasonable to make assumptions about anybody's life and why they might choose to use a buggy instead of walk, especially, as so many have pointed out, lots drive. As well they might, if they are doing a drop off before travelling to work (and again, round my way, a big new estate in a semi-rural area where there are not enough jobs to sustain everyone, so of course they have to commute)

This makes me so mad! Kids are really bad at walking in straight lines to a destination. They get tired, stop, get distracted, etc, etc. Using a buggy is a lovely way to allow kids to walk at least part of the way without the pressure.

I don't like scooters or bikes for very young children, pavements are uneven and it caused injury. It's also very scary with cars and crossings. Small children aren't as visible either and go really fast on scooters. I think they are very dangerous.

I loathe scooters at all ages tbh. When I’m collecting my own child from primary school I actually stiffen when a child bombs past me on a scooter at speed, because I’m afraid they’ll crash and they so often do. Over the years I have witnessed SO many kids lose control because they’re going too fast, because they hit a pebble, or hit a drain cover. I’ve watched kids launch themselves over the handlebars more times than I can count.

I actually can’t believe preschools are taking the moral high ground on buggies! They need to stay in their lane and worry about what the children are up to whilst in their care, not before or after quite frankly. For all the Mumsnetters who have kids who hiked for five miles at the age of 18 months, there are 3-4 year olds who get tired and need a buggy.

I'm torn on this.

I was sort of involved in my neighbour's grandchildren going in to care. One of the children couldn't walk properly because he spent most of his day in his push chair.

That's not the same though is it?

@sashh there’s a difference between a child being strapped in all day and another being in a pushchair for 20 mins.

we went to the zoo last week. We used the pushchair for the journey there- 2 buses and a 20 min walk. - it was folded up on the buses but he sat in for the walk there and back. Whilst we were there- the pushchair was a glorified coat rack. He fell asleep on the way back- no way would I have been able to carry him.

It’s a bit of a reach to equate actual child neglect with using a buggy to and from preschool, let’s be real here.

It sounds like the child in question was restrained in the buggy all day, indoors and out, for the parent’s convenience?