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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to worry about seeing older and older children in buggies?

281 replies

mariebl · 05/09/2011 22:16

In the last couple of years I've really started to notice many more children in buggies, some of them must be almost school age.
I also very often see them looking unhappy and bored and trying to get out and being told off for being "naughty".

I'm beginning to think it must be my age as not too many years back there didn't really seem to BE any buggies for older children, babies went in prams, when they started toddling they had reins and when they got tired people picked them up and carried them for a bit.

I appreciate that there are children with conditions where having that transport is helpful and necessary but I also believe that having older and older children in buggies is a recent trend which is in danger of becoming the norm. We are also told we have a child obesity crisis and are told that children do not get enough exercise.
Am I being judgemental to say is this kind of trend a part of it?

OP posts:
StrandedBear · 05/09/2011 22:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BimboNo5 · 05/09/2011 22:19

You worry about it?

glitterkitten · 05/09/2011 22:20

YANBU. The whole double buggy thing is, to the best of my knowledge ( child of the 80's!) a phenomenon which appears to have mushroomed over the last decade. I think it's certainly promoting laziness.

DecapitatedLegoman · 05/09/2011 22:20

This will kick off

DecapitatedLegoman · 05/09/2011 22:21

Although I would add that I quite agree Grin

BlingLoving · 05/09/2011 22:22

I do wonder about this too. Although not sure I worry much Wink. It seems strange to see children who look older being wheeled from the car park through my local centre as I did today. But I figure it works for them?!

glitterkitten · 05/09/2011 22:23

In that case can I just say that I will most likely be more qualified to comment on the matter when my (15m) DD is actually walking rather than walking two paces then dropping and crawling..... I am aware it's easy to comment and that I might be on the total opposite side of the fence in a few months time.

Pedicuri · 05/09/2011 22:25

I would agree with you in some respects, but not all. I think there are a lot of cases where the child could be walking, it is just more 'convenient' for the parent to use a stroller, rightly or wrongly.
Both my DCs are tall for their age - my DC at 18mnths looks like a 3yr old in size when in a stroller.
The same DC hates being in a stroller, and I prefer to have her up and walking around, but with older DC1 in tow, and shopping or parcels, I have tried to squeeze her in just to be able to carry everything I need to. She also is hit and miss with reins as she occasionally has a sit down protest - not convenient! She also can walk with us to school, but tires on the way back.
But, I wouldn't put her in there otherwise. Love walking with her!

kickingking · 05/09/2011 22:25

I didn't drive until my DS was 3. You might have seen me pushing him round town at 3.5 and not realised that we had walked 1.5 miles to get there and were going to walk 1.5 miles back. There is no way he could have walked that far. I'm 5'1" and weigh about seven stone, I couldn't have carried him far either!

PPPop · 05/09/2011 22:27

My mum assures me I used to share the pram with my older sister when I was younger, when we were perfectly capable of walking (whether in a straight line, or at any speed is debatable though) so I don't think it's that much of a modern phenomenon.

I would rather walk everywhere with my children and give them the choice of hopping in the buggy for a bit if they fancy it, than get them used to going everywhere by car.

I'll miss my buggy when my children finally outgrow it. I will actually have to carry my shopping bags again Shock

kickingking · 05/09/2011 22:27

I am a bit Hmm when I see children being wheeled from the car park into Argos and then straight back out to the car again though.

Original poster
mariebl · 05/09/2011 22:28

I probably should have said I wonder about it rather than worry. It does make me sound a bit middle aged! :)

OP posts:
onepieceofcremeegg · 05/09/2011 22:28

Neither of my children walked until almost 2 years. Thankfully they are short for their age so I was spared any comments from members of the public if they were in the pushchair at 2.5 years or 3 (i.e. 6 months-a year after they had first learnt to walk)

Pushchair is still used occasionally now. School is a 1.3 mile walk. I think that 2.6 miles in an hour is a challenge for a tired 3 year old.That's just imo of course.

nickschick · 05/09/2011 22:28

My ds was 7 and frequently walking the short distance home from school he was so exhausted I would let the almost 2 year old walk and put ds in the buggy.

A man once told me 'a good hiding would stop him crying'Angry

happygilmore · 05/09/2011 22:29

this one isn't going to end well

RitaMorgan · 05/09/2011 22:29

I think a lot depends on whether you have a car - if you are driving to the shops, doing some shopping, coming home then it is easy to have a 2 year old on reins and carry them when they are tired. If you have to walk a couple of miles there and then carry your shopping home then it isn't practical.

I don't think it's a new thing btw - in the 80s when my little sister was in a pram, my almost 3 year old brother had a toddler seat on top.

onepieceofcremeegg · 05/09/2011 22:29

Good point Pop. The choice for us re school run was to drive there and back, or part walk/part pushchair.

Driving = very little judginess.

Quick ride in the buggy = apparently a bad thing!

soverylucky · 05/09/2011 22:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

rushofbloodtothefeet · 05/09/2011 22:30

You'd love this website the OP

FreudianSlipper · 05/09/2011 22:30

ds is 4 later this month and we walk alot i do not drive him about all the time and he can walk for miles but i often take the buggy if we are out all day as he will get a little tired and it gets us home quicker or if i am picking him up from nursery as is nearly a 2 mile walk and his is tired after being there all day

but worry away i know he walks far more than many children do

onepieceofcremeegg · 05/09/2011 22:31

snout out - that's a great phrase. Grin

BimboNo5 · 05/09/2011 22:31

I can just hear the cries of 'hidden disability/ignorant/walk a mile in their shoes (or dont as the case may be!)'

orangehead · 05/09/2011 22:32

In normal circumstances I would agree, but I suppose you dont always know the circumstances. When ds1 was 5 and had been ill fo a couple a days then took a turn for the worst at 5am in the morning. I was so glad I had struck the buggy under the bed, kept meaning to ebay it. I got it out put him in and pushed him over to the local a and e, 5 mins walk which is quicker to walk than drive due to silly one way systems. He had pnuemonia and was in hospital for a week. After he came out of hospital he was very weak for a good few weeks after. As a single mum at the time I had no choice but to take him with me to do everyday things like shopping. He had to go in the buggy for those weeks as he was just to weak to walk.

nickschick · 05/09/2011 22:35

onepieceofcremeegg....Grin she was a classy mird my Mum lol.

Dannythedragon · 05/09/2011 22:35

You must have seen me out at the weekend Grin DS is just 3 but looks older - wears age 4 - 5 clothes. He most certainly would have looked unhappy and been trying to get out but he was only put in the buggy as he was being naughty. If you'd just seen me you might have thought what is that older child doing in the buggy. What you wouldn't have known is that the buggy was brought for dd (7 months) who was being carried by Dad who had gone to a couple of different shops at the end of our trip to the mall. Ds was only in the buggy as he was being a sod awkward.

You can't always tell the full story.