I can't cope with the school run anymore!!

[PapayaCoconut]

I don't drive. (Have a tiny breastfeeding baby, so won't be able to learn until she's older.) DH works looong hours. DD (5) just started school 20-25 minutes walk away.

I just can't do it anymore! DD is so tired some days I have to drag her scooter with one arm and push her sister's pram with the other. In the rain if I'm unlucky.

I'm seriously thinking about hiring a taxi to take us every day... 😖 AIBU?

I'm sure stories of greater hardship are a huge help to the OP!

I know right?! "I walked 10 miles in the snow each day with one foot and no coat" fuck off!

OP, definitely think about driving lessons. It took me 4 months in an automatic. A two hour lesson each week. DS was allocated a school a 40 minute walk away. I passed my test two weeks before he started! Thank god!

Carry on with the walking as it's really, really good for your DD - not just for her longterm health and learning good habits, but for her learning, too. I had to walk 40 mins to DS's primary school (and back!) and while it was a pain in the arse for me, it was wonderful for him. By the time he'd arrived at school, he'd had plenty of exercise and was ready to settle down and learn. He's now an older teenager, and while he is not sporty at all, he's fit and healthy because he thinks nothing of walking eveywhere. (His mates who were driven to school whine if they have to walk anywhere and are basically helpless without the parental taxi service.)

The trick is to leave plenty of time, and the walk can be a really lovely time with your DD. You have 25 minutes to fill and I found it a really nice time to spend with my DS.

Of course, in winter, when it's dark and colder and occasionally wet, it's less delightful. But walking home under a dark sky can have its charms, too.

And just to add: I am really unfit (was even moreso before all the walking!), and not the sporty type at all. I still managed.

I have written before on Mumsnet of my mum's next door neighbour, who I saw drive her son to school in their minivan. This kid's school is on the same street as their house! This was a few years ago, and I dread to think how helpless this kid is now.

Definately not too old for a buggy board or even a double buggy, its long walk and they have had a long day at school. Anyway, who cares! if it makes your life easier for a short while then just do it!

Op ignore all the stupid comments, I did school run with a baby IN THE CAR and it was still shit. Then baby turned into a toddler and point blank refused to walk from car to school, or sit in buggy, or do anything. Thank fuck those day are over.

Your dd is definitely not too old for a buggy board, and to be honest I'd even consider a double buggy if she's struggling with the walk. Of course 5 year olds will get tired and probably bored walking.

Long term learn to drive. It will get easier.

I have a 4.5 year old who just started reception. I bought a buggy board for the school run as we also have a newborn! We haven't taken to it so I have bought a 25kg weight pushchair for the 4year old and will have baby in the pram. Do what's right for you

If you need to get a taxi some days, then get one but if you are not going to drive you need to train your 5 year old to walk a25 minutes.

I don't think a buggy is a practical idea - 5 year olds can be really heavy and I would find that distance pushing a 5 year old and wearing a newborn really tough on my back.

I would definitely bribe and buy all the right clothes and I would look at it as your opportunity to get fresh air and some exercise. I also find that small children hate being rushed on their walks.

Either way you just have to keep on keeping on, it gets easier

Definitely a buggy board! Young children get utterly exhausted after a day at school- at our school it's perfectly normal to see a toddler walking along with the Reception aged brother/sister being pushed in the buggy at the end of the day. I'm sure I did that with DS at some point too!

Another option is baby in a sling and put a pull cord thing on the scooter- I used this option a lot. Micro scooters make a special strap you can attach to the scooter to drag it along, then you can take it off when they want to actually scoot. That was a life saver for me when I damaged my wrist and couldn't push a pushchair for a while!

No no one died from being rained on but I certainly ended up poorly a lot due to getting soaked 3 times a day. No matter how good your coat or clothes are you still get wet and cold. I always had colds and flu,s and on occasion actually prevented me taking my son to school cause I was too poorly. One year I refused to take them as our paths from home to school were lethal covered in a sheet of ice..we had fallen before even getting off the street and my son had previously fell and broke his wrist in the ice. Safety and health come first in my book and if I had to I would certainly get a taxi if I could afford it.

Sorry I have not read the thread. I have a bf baby (6 weeks at the start of term) and child at school nursery.

Get a sling, sling fleece (£20 Amazon), a strap to pull the scooter and a large brolly. After a bit of trial and error including trying out pram and buggy board this works for us. Also try and encourage 5 year old to race friends that are going in the same direction.

urbanebikes.com/products/urban-arrow-family?variant=13096968585239
I don't live in UK and it may not be suitable for where you live but I can highly recommend a cargo bike for taking children to school/preschool (I have two DC and an adaptor for baby to sit in car sear in the bike)
An investment but if you're delaying starting driving lessons it might be worth investigating (looking at alternative brands for lower cost options)
I also have a buggy board which I would say is fine for reception/year 1 child to jump on and off as long as you have a robust framed pram/pushchair which can handle the extra weight and not a ultra lightweight style as I think you/it would struggle.

There are no stories of hardship. People walking doesn't equate to hardship ffs.

Isn't the 14 th a saturday

Ha wrong place

You dont get a cold from getting wet and cold...
If you dress appropriately it really shouldn't be an issue to walk about a mile. I live in a very wet part of the uk but still manage to do the school run. We just have decent coats, good gloves for wet/cold hands, good pair of waterproof boots, wellies if necessary for the child and I wear leggings rather than jeans cause they don't hold the water as well. You can even get ones with a fleece lining for very cold mornings. Our school encourages people to walk as the traffic situation can get so bad.
I saw a woman walking to school in flip flops the other day who then spent 10 mins at the school gate complaining her feet were cold. Its November of course it's a bit chilly at half 8 in the morning.

I'm sure it's been said but if the school has a breakfast club, sign DD up and get DH to drop her

If the child is struggling already with a normal school day and what is effectively a perfectly normal distance to be able to walk then how is making the day even longer for her going to help?

Especially as it will be colder and darker then.

double buggy and get her to walk the last 5 minutes.
it's hard when they're tired and you're tired. do whatever works x

I remember before I could drive taking my 3 year old to preschool in a buggy (we'd mainly abandoned the buggy but for long walks it was just easier). It was a 25 minute walk at my pace and would have taken ages dragging a tired toddler. I remember this woman who lived round the corner from me pulling up in her stupid huge, gas guzzling car with her kid and lecturing me that mine was really too big for a buggy now and I should stop babying him. Grrrr that was years ago and still annoys me stupid cow!

I get you OP. Make your life as easy as possible.

I pushed my dd on a buggy board until at least 4. Not sure about 5 though as it's hard work. Do you have a big pram and a sling..I didn't get much use out of my double buggy as it was so heavy, esp with a 5yo.

Taxi is an option. Why not..

Driving lessons, 2 hours on a weekend. Not nice but necessary. Automatics are great, I got one recently.

You are at a hard stage, it gets easier. But you need to sort out school run as it is for the next 10 years

I'm a single non-driving parent of a 3 and 7 year old boys. Their primary school is 2 miles away and on the way there in nice weather they walk, but on the way back there's a hill so bad that cars engines groan, and we're right at the flipping top! my summer born 3 year old after a full day at Nursery won't walk up it without tears, wailing and being pulled along. This takes forever, which upsets everyone, and we're all knackered and just want to be at home.

Like another poster said, he goes in his Out n About Nipper -it's an off road mountain buggy which I've just upgraded the tyres to super strength off-road for long dog walks (have a very young springer!)! The thing is awesome. Pushing it up the hill is pretty much a work out for me though! - I earn my wine . If it's peeing needles, bad wind or snow he'll sit in it both ways like today (crazy storm). I love walking, I like the exercise, and 7 year old is very very used to it by now, keeps up with my fast pace and is very physically fit. He went in the same buggy until 3, but that was a different school with no hill and 5 mins away. No issue using the buggy when DS2 is 5 on the bad days.

No one can judge if they're using a car to transport theirs.

^^ Sorry OP also meant to say, obviously working life is really difficult with young kids. If you're anything like me you have a mental "to do" list in your head with at least 20+ things swirling round it for the next few days. Do what you need to to make it easier whether this is taxis, buggy board or double buggy. I really recommend the Out N About double if you're going to be doing lots of school runs with young uns!

I did try the buggy board with my 2 and 4 year old and found it a right pain not having that extra space in front of my feet!

Yes to the buggy board. My 6 year old still goes on. I would also stick her In after school School club a couple of days and get your dh to pick her up on way home from work. Or breakfast club on way to work if that suits better.

I started learning in the January and passed by may. Two lessons a week. I’d learn to drive op. If you express your can be away from baby for an hour.. or feed them just before the lesson.

Once your baby is old enough to leave for 4-6 hours, I recommend an intensive driving course in an automatic, to get you driving quickly. I did a ten day course. In my forties.

I couldn’t have left my babies to do that until they were nearer one, though.
My babies were about nine months old before I could have left them for a couple of hours’ lesson.