To get the double buggy back out for my 7 and 3 yr olds

[Kuio]

No size issue, they are usually petite, and not bothered by the buggy. They probably miss it if anything

My main fitness was walking, long distance and speedy rather than pottering around. It’s so hard with kids, they aren’t bad walkers for their age but can’t really stride fast enough or cover distance in a way that will make a proper dent on my fitness levels.

I’ve still got my double, I live in a hilly area. My husband works long hours and I just don’t have time otherwise. I’m thinking of each afternoon popping them in the buggy for a really brisk hilly 3-4 mile walk. With the double it’s not easy. I do other things, like cycle, but this is a super easy no prep way of actually sticking to something for fitness tat works.

I’m getting flabby, odd? If you saw me regularly would you think it was odd...? We do walk together, but as I said it’s just not going to keep me fit staying at their pace

I think you should think about their fitness too! Is there any reason your 7 year old can't cycle? At 7 thry should be able to learn pretty quick if you spent a couple of weeks practising. At 3 mine were also zooming everywhere on a balance bike. I think the 7 year old would feel babied being put in a pushchair and would much rather be running/cycling along with you.

Oh just do it! Mumsnet is so weird about kids in buggies. She's getting fresh air and chatting with you, better than sticking her in front of the iPad and working out in your home you could argue?

You really don't have to explain yourself to anyone but I'm a huge believer in exercise is good for the mind and the body.

Please just do it!

Is your 7yo at school? Why can’t you run with the 3 yo in the buggy while the older one is at school?

She can't run with the 3 year old when the 7 year old is at school as she works during the school day.

*Stomping out

DO you cycle OP? Could you cycle with the two of them in a trailer behind, or with DD7 on a pull along and 3 yr old in front?

Imagine the teasing when everyone at school finds out .
Why would you do that to a 7 yr old

Oh I'd do it. Yanbu. Your health is essential. The dc's can get out and play at a park halfway maybe.

I'm a LP and hated losing the buggy and having to walk at child speed. I'm also the stroppy mum who dragged her dc's around adult parkrun from a young age as I was so desperate to try and run.

Kuio - would a bike with front and back seats offer you the amount of exercise you want? Is that even feasible with traffic and road surfaces ? Would you actually need to do less time because the strength level needed for two kids on a bike balances against the the pushing of two in buggy ? Just a thought. If not - go with the buggy idea. Those people who want to judge should find something to do with their lives.

I think you should do it.

If the kids are happy don't beat yourself up.

I would see you running/marching along with a double buggy and think absolutely nothing (apart from jealousy that you were fitter than me).

I wouldn't go down buggy board route....fucking back killing things.

Oh just do it! Mumsnet is so weird about kids in buggies

I would normally agree, but this is a SEVEN year old! That's ok to be weird about. All this 'it's good for OP health' etc through the thread. What about the 7 year old? What about their health? It's not normal or healthy for a 7 year old to 'sit and watch the world go by' in a buggy.

If your kids are happy with it I see no problem at all. I certainly wouldn't judge.

OP:

I'd recommend downloading a free Youtube fitness video
e.g. Shred, Taebo, Zumba - you can swap around for variety

That would really get your heart rate up and burn calories

Some like Shred are only 20 -30 minutes, so you could save time too,
also saves the palaver of getting coats on & kids loaded and then the hassle if it starts raining

Hey there OP I had same problem as you. I would take my kids to local park/field. Leave one in buggy and other near and jog round all the while so I could see them. You could take the older ones to play on the park with the you get ones and you're nearby to supervise. Hope that helps :)

In the school holidays I get my exercise in at stupid o'clock (am or pm), by going to the park armed with scooters/ bikes (my dyspraxic child favours the scooter despite being able to ride a bike as he lacks confidence) and running rings around playgrounds or doing shuttle runs on the driveway. We also do parkruns (juniors & 5k)

I pushed mine in prams for the sake of pace until they were around 4. By that stage they were quite heavy to push even though they were small, light children. To push a child older than that needs a well-chosen buggy. A double with relatively older children would be tough going.

How did you manage with the others? A seven year old should be able to run a couple of miles with an adult going at a reasonable walking pace.
Ridiculous to put them in a buggy. I’m wondering if you are being serious.

A seven year old should be able to run a couple of miles with an adult going at a reasonable walking pace.

The OP has explained that her dd has some mobility issues.

Does no one read the thread? I’m not the OP and the repetition of ‘oh your 7 year old can run/bike/scoot’ or ‘do it whilst she’s at school’ are annoying the fuck out of me so must be worse for the op.

Rtft or at least the OP’s posts. Her 7 year old has mobility issues, she works and can’t leave work at lunch time, her husband works long hours too and she’s understandably exhausted

@Kuio if there is no chance of friends seeing her then I would do it. It’s quality time with you and her sister without the others and the chaos of siblings. I’d just be worried about her being teased. Also I’d worry my 3 year old would nap and then wouldn’t sleep at night but that’s probably just mine!

Do it

Have you considered a 3 wheel scooter or a tricycle for her?
TRX is good for home exercise
A mini stepper you can keep under a desk or chair
A static bike or one of those stand you can put your normal bike on.

Just exercise at home. It's selfish and unfair to bung a 7 year old in a buggy.

Well as most of the comments have been about the poor 7 yr old, rather than me looking stupid, I decided to ask her at bedtime.

She got really excited at the idea. Has a plan of which blanket she wants, a few routes to follow and activities so it seems a win win. She wants to mushroom spot one day, climb a hill with a good view another and feed the ducks another. She’s also asked if we can do a really long one and stop for a break at the weekend to paint outside. She was clapping her hands together about sunsets etc.

And, for me that’s really important. So we are going to give it a whirl. She is young for her age I know. It’s unusual. But maybe not just me being happier, there’s her too. She spends all day as the kid that can’t read yet (and yes we work together every day on this!) or follow most lessons or work out playground interactions fast enough. Maybe a bit of babying will do her mental health good too. Maybe not, but I’m up for trying. She’ll walk as much as she can I’m sure, she’s an enthusiastic kid.

If you see a flabby middled mum out with a double buggy jogging with older kids, it won’t wreck your day and you’ll get over it.

Thanks if you were decent, whether you agreed or disagreed.

This thread is annoying the hell out of me! The OP’s 7 year old is a tiny little mite with limited mobility and balance. Everybody harping on about how their 7 year olds did the Tour de France at this age is hardly helping.
Sounds like a decent solution to me, OP. Failing that, Just Dance is one hell of a workout (if you enjoy pop music and dancing, which not everyone does).

To be honest I missed the missed the mobility issues. Probably because they gradually dripped in.

Could she take a robust sort of drawing thing with her, like an etch a sketch sort of thing but better (can’t think of the name!) and maybe practice times tables or spellings as you go?