Mothers with enormous toddlers in slings...

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AIBU to wonder how the feck they manage?

My neighbour has just walked past my window with her son dangling in front of her like a bloody giant in a harness!

He's almost 4! No SEN and very sturdy/capable.

We live in a tiny town/village and she can drive etc....she's probably just going to the shop down the road.

Why??

I am not making stuff up when I talk about the risk to this area.

Pregnancy and birth are pretty risky to this area. a well structured padded toddler back sling is netter than having to carry a 4 year old on occasion. As said at 4 years mine could swim a few lengths unaided, cycle and scoot and also got rides in the back sling when we went for long lovely country walks. Mine never used a dummy though and dummies are pretty shit for NT toddlers as it hinders their speech but again each to their own.

I definitely agree with those saying if you hat a toddler sling so much, ditch your car please and the TV. The car because your toddler should walk and apparently if you have one mode of transport all other modes are unavailable to you and the TV because you are preventing your child from running around as they are sedentary and mesmerised by shit on the screen.

"It's bizarre. Let them be free and run and burn off some steam!"
It's bizarre that you think they can't do both, why should they not be able to do both? This thread is so puzzling, such b&w thinking and judging of something harmless and innocuous, it's quite bonkers.

I bet most people who hate the toddler sling take their car to the local park and those who use slings (and their dc) are actually more physically active. Just a guess. I have two athletic daaaaaarlings and they wer both carried in slings as toddlers when we went for long walks as art of our very outdoorsy and active lifestyle. Dh is a bike nut and was keen for both dc to learn to cycle which they both mastered at 4. They were not deprived of physical exercise, on the contrary. Worked really well for us.

mathanxiety, you should come to my neighbourhood, we slingers are ten a penny here! My mum also used to sling me in the 70's along with her friend's. That's not her in the photo, but I enjoyed your argument there... People didn't use to buy and sell them as 'slings' as they just used a length of fabric and wrapped. Pretty sure fabric was available in Dublin then but I guess child wearing wasn't a 'thing' in that region back then. Bet you'd have seen more of it in a less affluent area though and less shiny silvercross.
My child can walk (and swim, ride a 2 wheeler pedal bike, climb... yet to try ice hockey but he was skating last weekend!) But he can't walk as far and fast as me or as far and fast as I want to. He's FOUR!
We also go trampolining together once a week. I can confirm my pelvic floor thus far is grand. I clench regularly too 😁. I weigh 50kgs. My son is circa 16kg and I carry him maybe 2 times a week for a few miles. If I weighed 66kg, a not unreasonable weight, would put me at a size 12, and carried that 66kg wherever I moved, is that also a terrible risk to my pelvic floor?

pastlegonow quite - compared to his peers DS gets more exercise for sure and is also far better at being independent as he's super secure. I prefer to sling him to the park so he's not taking out pedestrians on his bike (and we can get there without inspecting every spider web en route for hours) and let him run free when we're there, then sling him home when he's exhausted. If I took him to the park or woods in a buggy I wouldn't be able to run around after him myself as I'd be stuck with a buggy.

Is this a joke? I can barely carry my four year old for more than 10 mns without my arms aching let alone get him in a sling to go shopping. My child would kick and create merry hell if I tried this sort of public humiliation on him

You may be weak as a kitten with a very naughty child, but what has that got to do with people who are strong enough to easily carry children and the children who are happy to be carried.

Mollycoddling? A mother holding her THREE YEAR OLD? Do you hear yourself?

I agree. It’s weird and a bit ‘culty’ round our way. It breeds women with terrible backs and lazy kids. It might be coincidence but everyone I know that does this has terrible back problems. Surely it’s not normal for a child beyond 2 years to want to be carried around instead of walk?! My 2 yo walks for miles!

Do people really class 4 year olds as toddlers. While My DD was a late walker she definitely still passed the toddler phase by 3. Just recently at 4 we’ve been able to ditch the scooter as a necessity, which it used to be for longer journeys when we were in a hurry. She can keep up with me no problem now and mostly runs ahead.

Do people really class 4 year olds as toddlers.

A lot seem to. Judging by the number of children who start school while still in nappies.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/children-potty-trained-nappies-toilet-huge-primary-school-parents-a7224976.html

I slung my very nearly 3yo today. He was ill and tired and fell asleep. I'm short but have broad shoulders and a strong back and good posture so it's not bothersome or painful in any way. Loved the cuddly closeness. He normally walks, sorry tears, everywhere, so it was lovely.

My 4 year old is quite tall and would not fit in a sling. I wish I still had mine so I could try for a laugh.

It might be coincidence but everyone I know that does this has terrible back problems.

It’s coincidence (or badly-fitting slings). One of the best things you can do to keep from getting a bad back is strengthen your core muscles with exercise. You don’t keep muscles healthy by not using them!

I had physio for back problems a long time ago, pre-DC, and I can always tell when I need to do more strength exercises because my back starts getting niggly aches and pains again.

Do people really class 4 year olds as toddlers

The child in the OP is 3. People keep saying 4 because they think it justifies their judging better.

It might be coincidence but everyone I know that does this has terrible back problems.
OR thye are using a sling because they have problem with their back in the first place and this is the best way for them to carry a child (rather than taking them in their arms etc...)

It certainly was the case for me. A sling was a life saver in that respect.

It breeds women with terrible backs and lazy kids.

🙄 😖

Do they all have grey roots, fat arses and wear skirts too?

FML, this thread has generated some offensive, generalised shite.

DrRanj and I should book our chiropractor/gynae appointments now, and get our DCs' names down for fat-camp sharpish. Apparently.

Of course it doesn't breed fat kids, we have to keep them skinny so we can carry them, duh!

My 4 year old is quite tall and would not fit in a sling. I wish I still had mine so I could try for a laugh

She might not fit in your sling, but she would fit in a sling. I once tested one with a 10 year old!

EVERYWHERE curry because we EXPRESSLY FORBID them from walking. I prefer to keep mine skinny on tofu-almond milkshakes. You?

I only feed them raw kale and dust.

I might try that to give them a bit of variety. Cheers.

😂😂

I know them well enough to know that their back problems have only started since they’ve been ‘wearing’ their kids. Incidentally on our local toddler group park walk the kids that have been carried all the time are the only ones who refuse to walk round the whole (short) route, whilst the others run round free and happy. So IME yes it does cause back problems and lazy kids. I didn’t say fat. I just don’t see it’s too healthy a habit for anyone. Obviously carrying small babies is different.

It feels the same to me as the threads where people say "wtf are you breastfeeding a toddler for? They're perfectly capable of eating real food"

Newsflash: bf a toddler is not like a newborn where they depend on it.

And similarly a carried big toddler/ preschooler will walk probably 95% of the time.

Jings.

Elphaba is your description of women with grey roots and fat arses because I used the word ‘culty’? If so I think that is the most offensive and generalising description on this thread!