3 year old too old for pushchair?

[ItsaStupidSillyThing]

Hi, I have a child who is over 3, she is a confident walker and sturdy so I rarely use the pushchair. We walk everyday to nursery just the two of us, but after nursery she gets tired. I also have my slightly older dc and together we all have to cross some very busy dangerous roads without crossings on the way back. I find it easier to put my tired 3 year old in the pushchair so I can hold my other child's hand and pushchair handle as we go across the busy roads. Most of the parents at the school bring a car, or they have a younger child, so their 3 year old stands on a buggy board.
AIBU to use the pushchair just for the way home? I have encountered some eye rolls and stares from other parents, teachers, sly comments etc.
I would also love recommendations on an alternative to the pushchair. I don't know if a trike with seatbelt/bars would be too young? I want something where dd can have a rest but also pedal or scoot (and most importantly safe for main road where I could push her across while keeping older dc safe at the same time!

"Yes. Too old.

And we don’t have a car."

There's no age limit and I don't suppose the OP's child will be using it when she is 10.

I pick my 2.5 year old up from nursery in the pushchair and can't see it changing in the next 6 months. It's at least a 30 minute walk (for adult legs) and she's tired enough at nursery collection time (3:45pm). I expect a few people will be judging but they probably don't realise how far the walk is and I'd rather not dawdle along with a tired and grouchy child.

I use a buggy for ds who is 3 for nursery pick up as its it's a 1.7 mile walk home and the chances of him walking that far are pretty much zero! I'm sure the people who judge him sitting in a buggy would deem it perfectly acceptable to sit in a car seat for the same journey however. He's actually really good on a balance bike and scooter but if he decides halfway that he doesn't want to ride anymore, I'm not physically capable of carrying him and a bike the rest of the way home! So he will be using the buggy until he's a bit bigger and I will not be caring what people think!

What's the marker then? When becomes too old?
Why is it too old?

We had to stop using the pushchair when DS2 was around 3 as he'd fall asleep on the way to collect DS1 from school and then be up all evening. So I had to start making him walk when he was already tired but needs must!

I take my 5 yo to school in a buggy usually. Oldest takes a taxi to and from a specialist school. Where I cross to take the youngest to school is unsafe with a lot of twats who don’t want to stop for parents and small children when it is obvious there is a school, a community centre and two nurseries, some feet away.

The school also faffs about letting the kids out (say 3:00, but not til 3:10) so I have to dodge parents and rush home often to be there to get my oldest out of the taxi. He is the first to be dropped off and there are other children who need to get home in the same taxi so I can’t be late. The youngest is a runner but it’s still not enough time to get home by foot.

Anyone who has an issue with such things could easily mind their own business and keep their opinions to themselves.

I’m just about to sell my pushchair - my daughter will be 3 in March. She can go 2 or 3 miles on a balance bike and will be using a bicycle from her third birthday. I wouldn’t bother with a trike for a 3-year-old and would get them cycling instead.

'I’m just about to sell my pushchair - my daughter will be 3 in March. She can go 2 or 3 miles on a balance bike and will be using a bicycle from her third birthday. I wouldn’t bother with a trike for a 3-year-old and would get them cycling instead.'

Do you have dangerous roads to cross with no crossings, and other dc too? Just wondering how you manage it, thank you. Dd is a very strong walker too but tmit is these particular roads I worry about. She is also new to afternoon nursery so gets tired on the way back understandably.

it is* that should say

@phoenixrosehere

'Where I cross to take the youngest to school is unsafe with a lot of twats who don’t want to stop for parents and small children.'

That's exactly my worry. The cars come from multiple directions around a round about, alot don't bother indicating to let me know their intentions. The council are useless and aren't bothering to put in so much as a zebra crossing despite this being a school route. Literally if one of my dc stumbled they would be at risk of being hit )if I didn't managed to drag them across in time).

This is a good point.

I often find that Mumsnet is full of people whose children haven’t been in a pushchair since they were about 16 months. How much must these people drive?!

With dd1 we didn't have a car so she was in the buggy at 4yo. Dd2 hated the buggy so we often had 4yo dd1 in the buggy and 1yo dd2 on the buggy board.

Ds I had a long round trip to and from school. It was around 40-50 minutes walk to the juniors, then back up the hill to the infants 25 minutes, then another 10 minutes back home twice a day. He normally walked in the morning but went in the buggy in the evening until he was 4yo.

Tbf with the walk between infants/juniors it wasn't uncommon for parents to use buggies for reception age children in their first term when picking up the junior aged child.

@EatYourVegetables interested to know if you have dangerous roads to cross everyday with other dc on way home? How do you manage this? Does your 3 year old get tired after nursery?

We still use the pushchair on long walks for my 3.5 year old.

I also use this

www.amazon.co.uk/Micro-Trike-Toddler-Months-Stroller/dp/B07NS5CQ9Z/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=117308650706&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIh52E6bOG_QIVROvtCh364AnEEAAYAiAAEgLsCfD_BwE&hvadid=498428459986&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1007135&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=3228650032961127399&hvtargid=kwd-33305148302&hydadcr=8644_1759947&keywords=micro+trike&qid=1675875793&sr=8-3

'or having 1 next to you on a scooter and you saying 'go' when its ok to cross.

That's a gamble that I wouldn't be prepared to take on the edge of a motorway.

And by the way, in answer to your question.. my 3 year old is never in a buggy and always on the scooter and we have dangerous roads (I hold scooter for). My oldest child however would have really struggled with this and it would have been cruel IMO to force him. You do what you need to for each child.

Do what works for you. Much healthier for your family to be walking and great if pushchair enables that. What about a balance bike or scooter? Mine been using both since 18 months, learnt to stop at road crossings

That's exactly my worry. The cars come from multiple directions around a round about, alot don't bother indicating to let me know their intentions. The council are useless and aren't bothering to put in so much as a zebra crossing despite this being a school route.

No roundabout for us but similar issues. Where we cross some cars will stop going one direction while those coming on the opposite will just keep going. There’s a bus stop a few feet away and some cars will try to go around it when they shouldn’t be (it’s right before a bend). The next street to cross further up is not much better since you have people coming from three different directions and a neighbour’s hedge is too high making it difficult to see if cars are coming. I definitely agree with you on how irksome it is drivers don’t indicate. I swear some forget that indicators are not just for other drivers.

@inpixiehollow that's the same length of our walk too with the road ssue included. People who judge I find have car, short walk and not these roads, or just one child. My first was out pushchair at 2 as I could carry him across the roads and as got older it was easy to keep him safe on his own, if he got tired I carried him. This isn't practical with two.

I have a 4yo and a 6yo. Both have been on balance bikes / scooters since the age of 2. Their nursery was 1.5 miles away. Yes, there were roads on that 1.5 mile stretch - not sure how you’d qualify dangerous, we’re in a city so not motorways but also not just suburban quiet streets.

I can well believe that op gets the side eye and judgement. I got this with my eldest who went in the buggy until he was 4. We lived close to the city centre and he loved to wander there and around the shops but hated the walk home. The judgement came from a friend who lived rurally and took her kids in the car everywhere.

My poor childminder got judgement with my 2nd who refused a buggy at 18 months doing his best ironing board impersonation. She had 2 tall 3 years in the double buggy and my tiny boy walking alongside. She got so many comments about her being cruel to ds2.

People are dicks. Let dd use the buggy after nursery.

Yanbu. Use the pushchair.

Do what works for you, really don’t make it more difficult for yourself just to appease other people who you don’t love.

DD is 2.5, we don’t use a buggy only because she refuses point blank to get in it anymore and likes to go rigid like a surfboard while screaming “NO BUGGY MUMMY, GO AWAYYY!”.

As I don’t drive, this just means I spend half of the time lugging her round when she gets tired of walking while bitterly bemoaning my lack of arm strength. I’d go back to the buggy in a heartbeat if she had a change of view, screw whatever anyone else thinks.

Absolutely use a pushchair! Something light and easy to push. Still use one for our 4 year old (although he’s a bit lazy and we’re really trying hard to evict him). Do what works for you and do t think twice about anyone else.

Wouldn't waste my money on one of these now