To ask for a woop woop on the day I got my first buggy shaming?

[toomuchtooold]

I've waited so long for this day to arrive - my kids are really growing up! I was picking blackberries with my 3y3m old twins in a quiet pedestrianised lane near our house and a woman cycled past us, stopped, looked back, shook her head, said "those children are too old to need a buggy" and cycled off.

Dear cycling lady, I've no doubt that at 3 and a bit your wonderful children were doing 6 mile hikes through the Schwarzwald (we live at the Swiss/German border), but I also suspect that if they were tired you gave them the odd sneaky carry. Which I cannot do with 2 15kg kids, not at the same time. Also, when we are waiting for the tram it really helps to only have to keep my eye on one stationary object instead of two that move randomly in different directions.

Anyway, it's cool, it's just funny. Loads of people on here have posted about getting judged when they went out with a buggy and a tall two year old and I was like . I get it now!

[Notso]

Salty DS2 was the same, I just persevered with him in the buggy kicking, screaming etc and developed a thick skin to the inevitable tuts and stares. He has always been a brilliant walker but only on his terms, a ten minute walk through the park can take 40 minutes with him. I used to have to fasten the straps really tight, lie it back and push the buggy on it's back wheels only to stop him climbing out.
When I had to pick DS1 up from school it was a case of shrieking child manhandled into the buggy or poor DS1 picked up late again.

[Mrsfrumble]

Salty DD went through a phase of that when she'd just turned 2. She'd scream "I NOT A BABY! LET ME OUT!", but then refuse to walk and insist on being carried. Fabulous toddler logic! We got one of these which she very happy to ride on. I don't know if they sell them in the UK, but there might be something similar.

She's 2.9 now and once again happy to ride in the pushchair for long distances.

[toomuchtooold]

Salty mine are now allowed to come and go as they please from the buggy and that seems to suit them. They did hate it for a while and would ask to be carried but with two of them I could only insist that they walked or took the buggy. They still take the piss at the weekend when DH is around and they can cadge a carry off of each of us...

[Aridane]

What's a 'woop woop'?

[SaltySeaBird]

Thanks Notso, MrsFfrumble and toomuchtooold

We do have a trike but it's not good on rough terrain and she is always getting on and off it. We also have a scooter which is a bit better but I'm not keen on using it on narrow pavements alongside the road.

I think we need to try again as she is too heavy to carry (and early days but DC2 on the way). She won't like it though and she seems to have the capacity to scream for a long time!

[Spindelina]

I don't use a buggy - never really have (mainly because of the large number of steps between my front door and the pavement). But I get sling shamed quite a lot (DD is just 3). Mostly not from strangers, though. I don't own a car; we do long distances; yada yada as above but with a sling instead of a buggy.

I often ask whether they would say the same if I were using a buggy. From this thread, it sounds like actually they might! Oh well. I'd still rather have DD in a sling than on my shoulders / in my arms / being dragged by the arm.

[YeOldeTrout]

That comment doesn't sound in the slightest bit rude or shaming to me, Frusso. Maybe you left out the bit where he sneered it at you.

[toomuchtooold]

Let me be 'that' person who says my dc3 is 3 years 3 months and it's a year since we used a buggy for her. And I don't drive. And she walked four miles without complaining a couple of weeks ago. She's not especially advanced for her age, small physically and has a hole in her heart.

johnny props to your daughter, but why does her ability to walk 4 miles mean that I shouldn't take my buggy out when I take my girls out for a day out? Why should I negotate two three year olds, a massive changing bag, a picnic and a blanket through the supermarket, via the park, to the post office and then to the zoo (that's what we did on Monday) when I can instead take the buggy, shove all the crap underneath, and let the girls hop in and out when they want and when we have to wait at e.g. the busy tram stop? Different days out, different family structure, different circumstances - so there is a wide variation in what's appropriate, and your daughter walking 4 miles is fine, and me taking the buggy out is also fine.

[MostlyCake]

Saltyseabird same here my just turned 2 ds will not use the buggy but also won't walk very far. No matter how far we walk he has to be carried at least halfway there and all the way home on our shoulders and he weighs a TON. No solution but I feel your pain