To ask my 2yo to walk 4-5 miles a day?

[fannyanddick]

She's 3 end of November. School run 1mile times 4 plus extra bits during the day. Eg another 0.2 to her nursery x2. Shopping etc. Not to mention running around at home, park, soft play etc. She does it fine but is slowing down on some legs and is definitely more tired for it. Should I use buggy for one leg or is she too old?

My eldest hasn't been in a buggy since he was not quite 2 and a half (he refused to go in a buggy or on a buggy board at the point where his little brother was born), but I do remember the preschool run being hell for the first couple of terms and resorting to driving quite a lot.

We used to have a long (2 mile) walk up hill after nursery when dd was 3, the pushchair was necessary, until she went to school actually

"Don't see why carrying the toddler is better than pushing her in a buggy?

Probably depends on your build and your buggy but I found it much more comfortable, and liked having my hands free."

Also, carrying, I can take the shortcut up the steps and footbridge rather than having to go the long way around with the buggy. Pushing buggies up long steep hills is very uncomfortable, and coming down again isn't much easier either!

Re ending up just carrying bikes/scooters, this is where I see the advantage of scooter over bike when they are still little. On the one hand, the scooter is easy to carry. Get a strap and you can hang it off your shoulder. On the other hand, again with a strap, you can pull tired/demotivated kids along. And if part of your school run is along a busy road, you can - yet again with the strap - basically take them on the lead.

When it's rainy/wet, scooters are a bit of an accident waiting to happen. That's when we prefer the wellies and waterproofs. Takes us half as much more time and includes lots of jumping in puddles. Bikes if we are in a hurry.

I would use a buggy. My DD is 2.5 and I don't drive so we do walk pretty much everywhere, her nursery is 1 mile away and 9 times out of 10 we use a buggy for drop offs and pick up

If you walk a lot, a buggy should be considered a kind of petrol-free car. It is a place to dump stuff, give a tired kid a break from walking, get places quicker.

I suggest having a buggy and just gradually increasing her walking times until she is using it only for crashing into on long days when she is tired. But sometimes you need to get to places quickly!

MN posters are obsessed with recommending scooters for tiny tots. Sorry, but if a child is too young to walk independently for long periods of time then I would not trust them with a scooter at SPEED along a pavement. They can shoot off the edge of the curb into the traffic before you can say knife, plus you will wind up carrying the fucking scooter as soon as they get sick of it. They will also crash into people's legs. Scooters are for the park and garden at that age.

@Londoncheapo dw and I are dreading the day dd is old enough to pester us for a scooter. Dw and my best friend were both knocked over as children and my heart skips a beat every time I see a child hurtling towards a kerb only to brake at the last minute.

What is wrong with walking?

Fgs it's the best exercise aside from swimming and it's what our humans bodies are built for.

When I saw the thread title, I thought it was going to be walking alone and back to nursery.

I was like 'I am all for kids being independent, but fuck me, that's harsh!'

Anyway, 4-5 miles of walking about sounds a lot for a 2 year old. Try less maybe to start with?

How long is she actually walking for?
It sounds as though an awful lot of her day is taken up doing the school run. Does she nap as well during the day? Is there time to do anything else?!
I would have thought that either the morning or the afternoon would be OK, but not both.

We did this sort of distance for two years. Get a scooter - two wheels front, one rear, steering by leaning - and some stout string. Do NOT use the lead that Micro sell - it's too long. Tie the string round the T where the upright and horizontal bars meet, make a loop about 30-50cm from it that you can put your hand through. With that you can pull your nipper, steer and stop the scooter (as it's short enough) and - importantly - if the thing tips forward you can pull it upwards before it gets near to toppling. Because of the loop you dont have to grip it all the time but can catch it when it goes taut.
Problem.
Solved.

100% yes, way to much

Are young children like puppies?
I know you're not supposed to take puppies for long walks because their bones are still soft and pliable and don't get strong until they're older.
If you over walk them when they're too young they end up with joint and bone problems in later life.
Could the same thing apply to toddlers?

Apologies for comparing toddlers to puppies

Mine did it at that age (I couldn't carry him, and didn't want to buy a new buggy when he got to big for the old one), and it was fine. I had him on a micro scooter sometimes, but never anywhere near a road.

They get used to it, and it creates really good habits!

My dcs were doing similar at that age and took it in their stride (excuse the pun). We didn't have a car so there was no choice but the beauty of it was they were naturally fit, were tired at bedtime and even now would still choose to walk rather than get on a bus.

Dcs are teens now but I really cherish those times we spent together just walking and talking. If the weather was terrible I would take a buggy as a back up (useful for bags too) - perhaps you could do that on horrible days this winter.

I thought this was a wind up at first. It's far too much and I'll explain why because of course walking is healthy, but this particular route is going to get very dull after a few days. It will leave her no energy for exploring more exciting things and playing etc. 4-5 miles a day? Jesus! My DD is the same age (3 in December) and she walked 1.5 miles to the station last weekend for the first time. She gets plenty of exercise but not all in one go like that! Not all long walks to and from places. I actually think it's very unfair to expect that with such little legs! ONE mile is a lot on a daily basis, 4-5 miles is ridiculous sorry! I'd be using the buggy for at least one run if not all tbh. What are you going to do when she decides she's had enough? Carry her? You might regret this!

I'm not a big fan of 'older children' in buggies (SN aside obvs). But, she's quite little yet OP. I'd compromise a wee bit, it might not even last longer than another 4 months (or less). Maybe the last pick up from school, take the buggy (she's not 3 yet, that was my cut off point - it failed many a time).

Mine does 3 miles walking for school runs on days I'm not working. I think she could probably manage a bit more, maybe another half mile or so, but I'm not yet confident enough to do it without the buggy as she will occasionally ask to go in there. I'd do the walk with the buggy for at least some legs and put her in reins that you then tether to the pram. There is no chance whatsoever I'd allow either a bike or scooter.

I put a pedometer on my DS when he was that age and he EASILY managed 5 miles in a day, just pottering about. So, no, it's not too far, BUT, honestly, I would use a pushchair at that age, and move onto a scooter after 6 months or so.

Mine did at that age- walk to train station; train station to bus stop; then to sister in laws work house (nanny). Then scooter to school and back then whatever sister in law did with her and then I would collect her and we'd do the journey home again.

I put a pedometer on my DS when he was that age and he EASILY managed 5 miles in a day, just pottering about.

That illustrates my point perfectly. It would mean there would be less time for more enjoyable pottering because the kid would already be knackered.

My 2 year old does about this much with school runs etc but he does it on a micro scooter - much less tiring for them. He refused the buggy!

as long as she's willing to do it, then go for it but maybe take along a buggy just in case she decides she's had enough and you still have a way to go.
DD is almost 3 and refuses point blank to walk anywhere.

My son is nearly 4 and wouldn't cope with that on foot. I'd suggest a micro scooter like some others, and we also have a strap off eBay to pull along if he's tired.

That sounds a lot to me, there is no way my dd would have managed it and she would have had a tiredness melt down at some point, but then she was still napping every day until she was nearly 4yo (mostly in her buggy )

mine were fine with that sort of walking spread over the day

Do you really need to ask ? Buggy.