This is just going to be a rant but it's really starting to get on my tits.
My cousin is a lovely woman, educated, kind, intelligent but since she had children she's so damn judgemental!! We live far apart but text often, usually things like 'you'll never guess what DS did today' you know the sort of thing.
I decided to pick her brains about double buggies as DS will be just two when DD comes along and she has a similar age gap between hers. Well. This is obviously a subject she feels rather strongly about...... No, she didn't get a double buggy. She made her DS walk. Fair enough, but she then went on to say that she often sees parents pushing toddlers about and she thinks they're daft and 'making their children lazy'. I did point out tactfully that perhaps some people's circumstances were different, perhaps they needed to push their kids about? She sort of conceded and we left it there. But now I'm getting the brunt of her judginess. Everytime I mention something even vaguely related to walking (eg. buying DS some wellies) I get a message back with an anecdote about the latest child she's seen who is 'too old' to be in a buggy.
Now, the irony is that she drives! And she lives in a suburb with nothing nearby so she drives everywhere. So although her DS walks, he doesn't have to walk very far, nor does he ever have to walk from A to B in a time limit. I don't drive. If I need to be somewhere on time and can't dawdle it's the buggy. If it's pissing rain and howling a gale, the next best thing to driving is to bundle DS up in a buggy with a footmuff and rain cover (he's not even 2 yet BTW). If I have shopping to pick up it's much easier and safer to load the buggy with shopping bags and DS than to try and lug it all home and hang on to a toddler with no road sense.
Her latest text was about a school age child she'd seen in a buggy and uniform on. Apprently said child 'didn't look disabled'. But they might have been, mightn't they? Or maybe they are a pre-schooler with a 5 mile walk home. I find it amusing that she's doing all this judging from her nice toasty warm car, and probably wouldn't bat an eyelid if the same child was driven half a mile home.
Well done for getting this far.... 
The more she goes on, the more I start to doubt myself. AI really BU to think that it might be appropriate to our circumstances to get a double buggy???!
AIBU?
Judginess at toddlers in buggies...
flootshoot · 11/11/2010 14:36
I get the looks when pushing my 19month old around in a buggy.
He's tall so looks at least 2 1/2.
He can walk yes, but I don't drive either so the poor bugger would be shattered if I made him walk the hour in to town and back etc.
Just smile and nod, smile and nod.
I do understand her judginess to some extent, but also your situation (I don't drive either!).
I remember my mother (a primary teacher) had a girl in her year 1 class who was being pushed around in a buggy. She judged. I can see why.
Realistically, when I have a second child, I will have a double buggy and, even if I do ever pass the sodding driving test (fourth one due soon 
), I imagine that I will have an older toddler in a pushchair a fair bit as I will still walk for a long, long time.
However, I do feel a bit bad about it. I know my mother didn't have us in buggies much after we could walk and I do wonder about the impact on physical development. She didn't have to commute long distances or have far to go to local amenities, though..
I think if you don't drive, your circumstances do dictate that a double buggy is a necessity but I wonder will our children walk less because of it? I know from my POV that if I manage to get to a shopping centre, I would probably have ds strapped in more than out and about and toddling as it's quite hard on your own to manage a toddler and an unwieldy buggy. I can't make it to places like soft play either, so I do have concerns about whether in this day and age, not having a car will limit his physical development.
She is BU though, not you. Just sharing my random thoughts as am in a similar situation.
In all honesty, her dc probably walks less than most buggy riders. Fit yours and hers with pedometers
Pshaw. Ignore her. I had a double buggy for DDs 1 and 2 (2 years between them, give or take a week). I still had it when DD3 was born (2.5 years between her and DD2) but didn't use it much as
a) the extra 0.5 of a year made a big difference to DD2's walking ability and
b) it was summer so I didn't mind taking longer to get places with toddling DD2.
I got rid of the double buggy very quickly after DD3 was born, as I didn't use it much and it took up room. I did have a buggy board for my big single pram, which I used a great deal with DDs 2 and 3, and on occasion (like the day DD2 was very poorly but I still had to collect DD1 from school), had DD2 in the big buggy and DD3 in a sling.
If you do decide to go for a double buggy, keep an eye out for second-hand ones, as lots of people are like me and their doubles have had minimal use. I bought mine second-hand, then sold it on and still see it on the school run sometimes 
I find people who are judgy about bottles, dummies, toddlers in buggies etc complete bores. And if they push the point, I'll tell them exactly that
Get a double buggy and tell your cousin to get stuffed. I push my 3 year old in hers after nursery as I don't see why I should have to half, half carry her home or round the shops especially when she weighs 2 and a half stone and I'm pregnant. I also refuse to be embarrassed. Your cousin is bloody lucky her DC are willing to walk everywhere and don't sit down in the middle of the pavement and refuse to budge when they get tired.
Sorry for rant 
had my fair share of judgeyness aimed at last day or so....
Mine are two and three - they have a fab double buggy, i wouldnt nbe without it, my ds often walk along next to it, but hop in and out as needed/wanted. Why the hell not! i have no intention of making my life harder for no reason or benefit, bugger that.
Obaby zoom if anybody is interested - Its fabulous
Tell her to fuckall of the way off, if i didn't put DS2 in a buggy (he is just 4) then he would kill himself running into roads and no i can't just hand onto him i have HMS and my wrists dislocate when he is trying to get away from me. She is a twat.
I'd ignore her (or if you're brave make random comments about how sad it is that some children are driven everywhere). I used a pushchair for my son until he was over 3 and he's big for his age. We walked everywhere and usually it was just there for when he got tired after a couple of miles or up one of the very big hills round here. I'd much rather use it than a car and it was very useful for carrying shopping.
I hadn't realised people were so judgemental about using a pushchair. It seems rather an off thing to worry about.
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