To ask when you let your toddler walk outside

[Immadeofwaxlarry]

My partners very apprehensive to let our 17 month old daughter walk outside even though she does nothing but potter about the house all day. AIBU to think he’s being silly?

He needs to learn to slow down!

Ds started walking around 11 months. He was walking outside a few weeks later once i got him shoes. It is slow, it can be incredibly annoying of a process but sure that is what parents are there to do.

I hate reigns as a complete aside. I have my dogs on leads but my son never had reigns.

My DD is 15 months and we do little walks around the block and such. She is definitely more confident inside the house without shoes on but I go really slowly and have a tight grip of her hand to stop her from falling

@Pickledpenguin

Ds started walking around 11 months. He was walking outside a few weeks later once i got him shoes. It is slow, it can be incredibly annoying of a process but sure that is what parents are there to do.

I hate reigns as a complete aside. I have my dogs on leads but my son never had reigns.

I'm not that keen on royalty either tbh.

I can't ever forget the mumsnetter who lost her DS, a previously good and reliable walker through a bolt away. Her agony surpasses any talk about reins being for dogs.
Not to hold them up but to keep them safe. Please keep them safe.
They can learn to take instructions in places other than busy roads.

Bodynegative 😂😂😂

In my experience, people who hate reins use pushchairs a lot more.

We live in a congested area with busy roads and fast moving traffic. The alternative to reins is not to have a LO walking freely beside you.

That's horrific about the toddler who ran into traffic 😪😪😪

DS walked at a year... After a few weeks pottering in the house we would go for a walk, take pushchair but let him walk parts to build up strength... He is now 20 months and if we pop to the shop down the street he walks holding hands with us, we go to the park and he walks a lot of it, in fact he prefers it to being in the pushchair but we do a combination.

We can only go by our own experiences. My DC grew up in Central London and we managed to avoid reins. I now live by the sea and often see kids on reins on the promenade which is very very safe and people just chat away amongst themselves, yanking the reins once in a while and it makes me feel very uncomfortable watching it.

Nothing wrong with using reins. Keeps toddlers safe in traffic or busy areas. When you get to the park, take them off. Safety first.

Weird. Will he have her in a buggy until 5 too.
She needs fresh air daily if at all practical).

As soon as my twins were able to walk a few steps, I had them outside giving it a go. Before that, they crawled on grass and on the beach.
What a strange world we live in that a query like this should arise. 🤦

Why is MN so judgey

First time my youngest walked outside he went flying and scraped his head off the ground.. he was fine!!!

Your daughter will be fine..you could use Reins to give you a sense of security?

I let mine walk outside from 10m, when they started walking!

I just let them toddle around, if they fell they fell, they weren’t exactly going fast and have never injured themselves!

I still use reins for my 2.5 yr old. There is a time and a place. It's a short 5 minute walk on the school run, but obviously a lot of cars heading to school as well at the same time. There is a stretch of the road with no pavement.
He's generally good when walking, but it only takes a couple of steps out to be in the path of a car.
They're also good in shops if there isn't a trolley, and you don't have a pushchair. Nothing worse than trying to chase a toddler around the aisles!

We use one of those skiphop backpacks instead of the reins if DS is wanting to run and we worry he'll hurt himself landing on the pavement, they've got a handle on the top you can grab to slow down the fall if need be.

My 12 month old walks outside every share already- only in the park though. When he falls over he just gets straight back up again and smiles! I think it's important for him to learn to walk on different surfaces.

@inappropriateraspberry

I still use reins for my 2.5 yr old. There is a time and a place. It's a short 5 minute walk on the school run, but obviously a lot of cars heading to school as well at the same time. There is a stretch of the road with no pavement. He's generally good when walking, but it only takes a couple of steps out to be in the path of a car. They're also good in shops if there isn't a trolley, and you don't have a pushchair. Nothing worse than trying to chase a toddler around the aisles!

I didn't even start using reins until mine was two! Prior to that she was my only child so I felt equal to keeping her safe without them. I still use them with her aged 2.5, probably will continue for a while yet.

My one year old walks outside. Didn’t even think it was a milestone, it was now you can walk, so walk...?

How odd! And how did they skin their knee?

.

This anti reins thing is a bit like people who think 4 year olds are too big for a buggy...what they mean is they drive everywhere that's too far for a 4 year old to walk.
People who walk everywhere use whatever things they need to get somewhere safely and practicably. Sometimes that may mean reins, a pushchair for a 4 year old etc. Others would just go in the car along that stretch with no pavement, or on the 2 mile journey, or if they had 3 young children with them.
Please don't berate others for keeping their children safe whilst you just chug around in your SUV, smugly walking the last 100 yards holding their hand and chatting to them!

@SnackSizeRaisin

This anti reins thing is a bit like people who think 4 year olds are too big for a buggy...what they mean is they drive everywhere that's too far for a 4 year old to walk. People who walk everywhere use whatever things they need to get somewhere safely and practicably. Sometimes that may mean reins, a pushchair for a 4 year old etc. Others would just go in the car along that stretch with no pavement, or on the 2 mile journey, or if they had 3 young children with them. Please don't berate others for keeping their children safe whilst you just chug around in your SUV, smugly walking the last 100 yards holding their hand and chatting to them!

There is no way my 4 yr old would fit in a pushchair. I would say only a couple of her class might squeeze into a larger pushchair.