To think a 40 minute walk to school nursery is manageable?

[Heckythump1]

We are looking at pre-schools for September for an almost 4 year old. (We've just found out we have to move in a few weeks) we have a few choices but our favourite on paper is a school nursery 40 minutes walk away. Neither of us drive so we will have to walk whatever the weather, although there are buses for some of the journey.
We are visiting all options in the next week or so.
Am I being daft wanting to send them to a better place further away or should I send her to a closer one that I don't like as much?

"Get a car and learn to drive. Your DC will thank you for it!"

oh yes, the very cheap option that everyone is capable of...

I think it's too far - and remember you will have to walk back again. So it's 2x 40 mins twice a day for you.
It's all well and good when it's a nice day but day in and out when the weather is shit, DC is tired after a long day. One or both of you is feeling under the weather.

If you are intending to learn to drive then as a short term measure maybe - but what if you take ages to learn to drive, can't afford to run a car etc?
Would you get into the school anyway? You would be out of catchment.

Honestly, I wouldn't do it. I used to walk 30 minutes every day to work and that was ok but I wouldn't have liked to have to drag a small child along and on wet, cold, dark evenings it was just so miserable.

It would have to be a pretty amazing nursery for me to want to walk 80 minutes a day with a 4 yr old. Then I am assuming you have to walk home and back in between times?

You do what you have to do, you'll manage I'm sure, but it doesn't sound like fun to me.

Only you know though what your child is like walking, what the journey is like, roads, traffic etc. That makes a difference. Mine would cycle 20 miles without complaint but would be moaning after having to walk up a hill for 10 minutes.

I think that’s ridiculous. It’s only a bloody nursery. I’d just send them to one down the road and be done with it.

I wouldn't. A full day at nursery is exhausting for a four-year-old, especially if they don't nap. It's constant stimulation, negotiating people, learning numbers and letters etc. Mine does 10-5, and he very often falls asleep on the back of the bike on the way home. He'd be fine scooting 40 minutes there, but he wouldn't be able to do it coming back. And it wouldn't be fair to ask. And I agree - you want to be as close as possible for playdates etc, especially if you don't drive. What you want is for your kid to have friends in the same street, a few streets along etc.
Electric bike is a good idea.

Most people here have cars.

But I remember when we didn't. It was definitely a 12-15 minute bus journey. My DS started walking it to nursery at nearly 4 (even after we had a car). We've never walked it but I'd suggest it was well over 40 minutes at child''s pace (or mine). We made it work from Baby to pre-school. Because it was the best for us. Check out the school you may find you don't actually like it anyway.

I think it’s too far, and we don’t have a car and our children walked everywhere.

Factor in that starting nursery, and especially starting school means they tend to get every germ going at the start and get really really tired... my Y1 kid is absolutely wiped at this point in the term and she's been at preschool since age 2 on various sessions!

I have a friend who does a similar walk for the school run every day and it's really getting her down now by this point in the term as she feels all she does with life is slog up and down the hill to school.

A 40 min walk each way, twice a day? so 2 hours 40 mins a day spent waking to and from the pre-school?

This sounds a bit mad.

I presume it is a private school / nursery?

Can you not move closer?

I think it’s fine. My 3 yo DN walks 45mins each way to his nursery and because he is used to it he doesn’t complain about it in the way kids not used to exercise would. As you don’t have a car you’ll be walking anyway so you might as well get the best nursery possible!

Nursery was 0.9 miles from our house according to a quick Google and school is 1.6 miles. I used to walk a three year old to nursery with no problem, but it took a while as he was a dawdler. We did the school walk a few times when we had to, but it is not something I would want to do every day with a little one (remember you will be doing it four times a day). I can't drive so used to cycle them in with a trailer, or if necessary take the bus (it is only one bus) -but luckily DH drives so he takes them now.

Could you take one bus and then walk the rest of the way?

It isn't an issue for us with "friends on doorstep" - one friend lives just round the corner anyway and many are spread out. But do consider how you will pick up if child is ill, when they have after school clubs, when they are doing nativity play and it doesn't finish until seven and their bedtime is seven, how it will be when they are settling in and do that "come for an hour then go home, come for two hours then go home etc" thing.

We are just over 2 miles from DS (7) school, it takes him just under 40 minutes to walk, 30 minutes on his scooter.

He has been doing it for nearly a year now, so is getting faster. We have to do it in all weathers as the bus is £10 a day and we can't afford that or a car.

It takes myself and my partner 20 minutes on bikes. It is doable, but I am not sure I would do it if he was 4, even DS is tired after a full day of school.

It takes roughly 2 hours out of our day if only one of us can do the drop off and pick up and if I have done the drop off, the last thing I want to do is another hour round journey in under 6 hours times, but needs must.

Too much - move closer or change schools- you will end up hating it

I would also consider eventualities like sickness. What will you do if the nursery calls and wants her picked up immediately? How will you deal with her vomiting on the way home? Its unlikely a taxi would take her in that state.

Also consider what happens if you're unwell or break a leg for example. How will you get her there then?

Yep. My dd’s nursery and primary school was about the same distance and it would have been a nightmare had I not been able to drive. My work was in the opposite direction too. I don’t regret choosing the school because our only other primary school is atrocious but I could drive and had a car.

I gradually became more and more disabled while dd was at primary school and ended up needing a wheelchair - none of which was expected or planned! so a walk or wheel that distance would have been impossible.

Visit them all and then decide but take all eventualities into account.

The op will be doing that walk 4 times a day.Once going to school,coming home.Going back to school,coming home.

Its not going to leave you a lot of time for anything else.Plus what happens when they get ill in school.Or you had to get there in a hurry.Its too much. And half of it is uphill.Not a chance would i inflict that on a small child

It's a bit much. We walk when we can (1.3 miles, 25 minutes for me, 45 or so for my 5 year old) but it's not totally realistic to walk that daily, to be honest. Tiredness, sore knees, weather, time pressures ... might be worth looking into bikes, my partner takes the kids on seat/tag along, but I'm too scared busy to do that daily. Otherwise, buses. And lots of other parents seem to take taxis, though I don't know how they afford it.

If you can afford it, this could be a great addition to the bike. You wouldn’t have to worry about balancing the bike and if you bring a couple of empty rucksacks, you can use the for your shopping and clip them onto the seat, on the way back.

missioncycles.co.uk/product/piggyback/

On the half day you'd do a 1 hour 20 minute round trip, have a couple of hours at home (at best) then another 80 minute minimum round trip.

No way would I do that. I hated the ten minute walk in the pissing rain with tired pre-schoolers, 40 minutes is likely to take about an hour of whinging and moaning, getting soaked, etc.

Fine in summer when it's warm and dry. Rubbish in November when it's freezing, with horizontal rain.

So you’d spend 2 hours 40 minutes doing school runs. Every school day for 7 years. Imagine everything else you could do with that time!

Like having driving lessons...

If you go for it, you will probably both be a lot fitter...

I wouldn't count it out - see what you think after you visit.

I have a walk to primary school of just under a mile, which takes me between 17 and 22 minutes four times a day.

Mine are a lot older than yours and manage it ok, but it’s worth considering what you would do when it’s very very hot, very cold or wet. What about if you are injured or ill? Even a sprained ankle or a mild cold makes it miserable to walk that distance.

I didn’t have a car when mine were little and they walked everywhere from a very early age. They still needed lots of breaks and encouragement at 4 to walk a couple of miles a day, plus I regularly had to carry one home asleep on my shoulder.

Don’t underestimate the convenience of a closer nursery or school, its good to be part of the community and it makes getting them there much less stressful.

At our school they provide a taxi if you live the required distance away.
Maybe you could apply?
Not sure if it's the same for all schools, but might be worth asking about.

There are even better ones, if you look at the link for the ‘special needs’ you can upgrade the seat, so your child is safer.

missioncycles.co.uk/product-category/accessories/saddles-backrests/

I may be getting carried away. 😁

If learning to drive is on the cards anyway, and you can afford to buy a cheap runaround, what about one of those intensive driving courses over the summer? Nothing stopping you still walking on nice days.

It's absolutely fine.