3 and a half year old in a pushchair?

[SecondtimeMama29]

Is this acceptable? Especially on holiday? At what age do kids not have a pushchair. My son hates walking and always wants to be carried 😩

Most places they should be walking unless it is very long journeys. By school age they should be able to walk a reasonable distance for a journey on their own of an hour each way.

Also I wish it was that simple to just get the scooter/bike out and off we go happily to our destination.

My 4 year old DD has SN and on Saturday I tried to encourage her to go on her bike to the park. At first she was all smiles and loved the idea, but then within 5 minutes something disturbed her and she refused to ride her bike any further and she had a meltdown on the floor.

It’s a very rose tinted view that children that age will go hop on their scooters and bikes and off they go.

Do what suits you!

Totally fine - do what works for you! We used one until the youngest was 4 and only then because the 6 year old was wanting a lift in it and there was no actual difference in their fitness by then.

Rose tinted sums it up well. Yes of course many children happily scoot or ride off without a care in the world at this age but for every child that does there are 2 more that don't.

My DS has trouble using a scooter or balance bike for long distances so I often end up carrying both the mode of transportation and the child. At least if I bring the pushchair with me I can lob the scooter in the bottom and I don't have to carry it or the child.

I think also many people forget that at 3,4, 5 or even older quite a lot of children who will eventually be diagnosed with SEN etc won't even be on the radar. So what they term as lazy children who need to be made to walk so they will learn how to walk better and for longer are actually children who will end up with a bloody good reason why they found it so challenging walking 30 minutes into town, around town and back again with no fuss.

A 5 year old with no disabilities should be able to walk 2 miles!

In hail, snow, or pouring down rain?

I must be scary. No one ever commented on age of DC in buggy. 6yo DD used to cadge lifts when her 3yo brother felt like walking.

I see a lot of people carrying their 2, 3 & 4 yos. And chivvying them with sweets otherwise. I'd rather push them in a buggy, myself.

Oh god do not let some "influencer" male you feel bad for the choices you make. Maybe she'd like to walk my 3.5yo twins a mile to a hop leach way over two big roads - first having a fire station AND an ambulance station at the one end, a huge junction that has big lorries on it, and then a second major road that the lorries heading to the motorway use. And with a 3rd kid and a ton of school crap to carry. And a deadline cos we have to be in school for 8 40

You don't need to justify using a buggy for a 3.5 year old. They keep little ones safe near roads and in busy places. Most 3 year olds love to run off at any given opportunity. Also time is of the essence, as lovely as it is to stop and pick up every leaf and flower, sometimes you just need to get somewhere and quickly, and a buggy means I can walk at pace and not have to use the car. A balance bike is brilliant once they get the hang of it but you still need to make time to pick up leaves and flowers of course.

Absolutely fine. The only people who say otherwise funnily enough seem to drive their children everywhere.

This. A car is just a giant buggy for parents!

My DS has trouble using a scooter or balance bike for long distances so I often end up carrying both the mode of transportation and the child. At least if I bring the pushchair with me I can lob the scooter in the bottom and I don't have to carry it or the child.

Same, I’ve had to carry both. My DD doesn’t have a pushchair at the moment but I’m currently trying to sort out one out for her.

It’s a safety thing too. My DD doesn’t like holding my hand, and she tries running off. There are cars pulling out of drive ways and roads everywhere. She could easily dash straight in to the road. She easily trips up too and gets grazes on her knees which makes her really distressed.
So, a lot of time I’m left with no option but to carry her so that I know she’s safe and so that we aren’t late for school. Honestly I don’t care if people judge if she’s in a buggy.

I miss using a buggy to carry all my junk around in!! SO handy on holidays or days out... Water bottles, shopping, lunch, handbag, coats that kids have shrugged off but won't carry... Those suckers hold a lot 🤣🤣🤣

My eldest hated walking and went in a buggy until at least 4 for school trips. Youngest is an independent sod and refused to ride after 2-ish - and oh how I loathed having to dawdle along at a 2yo pace instead of being able to stride along with her safely strapped in 😑😑

Why "should" they be walking?? Who says they should be?

You don't usually see 6/8/10 yo's in buggies (unless sn) so I assume all the 'lazy' 3 and 4yo's managed to develop their leg muscles somehow despite being pushed in a buggy when they "should" have been walking 🙄🙄🙄

It's fine. At least the parent is getting exercise and not using a car. The small person can hop in and out if they want to and don't dawdle too much.

There are two types of buggy in my opinion.

Buggies that create pollution. (Some people call these cars.)
Buggies that don’t create pollution.

For some reason people choose to judge the pollution free people more. Very strange in a world when all these children are going to end up suffering thanks to climate change.

It's whatever works for you and your DC.
I had twins and don't drive, so just got them walking as much as possible from a young age, ditching the double buggy before their 3rd bday, as they were used to walking some distance each day.
If your DC isn't like that, then hang onto the buggy for as long as you feel you benefit from doing so.

People might judge. And generally you should encourage walking. But certain situations may still call for a buggy

No but I see 6/8 and 10 year olds with poor physical skills because they do not do enough and the issue is growing. And yes most are lazy. Ask them to do anything in PE and Jesus the excuses come thick and fast!

It's fine. I used to put my 3 year old in a buggy when his sister started preschool it was a 30 minute walk and I would have took even longer had I let him walk and I no doubt would have had to pick him up half the way.

Once they turn two I try to do more walking. But for a long day out I’d take buggy. But 4 I think it should be gone. I am a nanny and we don’t drive anywhere we just leave extra time.

Bet most of them get driven everywhere.

Don't worry I judge the drivers 😁

A 5 year old with no disabilities should be able to walk 2 miles!

In hail, snow, or pouring down rain?

With a coat, umbrella etc... yes!! Ive never driven my 6 year old to school in my life & he's not gone there in a pram either. Children can wear coats you know. Yes, sometimes the weather is bad, on those days we take school shoes in bags and walk in wellies.

Im literally pissing myself laughing that you all smugly assume anyone who doesn't use a pram for an older child must drive them everywhere.

They are called legs & children use them well.... they complain at first and then its fine. Bikes and scooters they don't even complain.

What do you think people did before prams and cars were widespread?! A big 3 year old is too heavy to carry a long distance, so they have to walk.

Absolutely!! Mine is 3 and a half she’s goes in it on the school run, the busiest road with a very thin walking path, it’s only round the corner but I don’t trust her, wouldn’t mind if it was back roads.

also shops if I’m looking around she is bored in 2 seconds so thank god for the pram!

i saw Mrs hinch post too, so sad that mums judge other mums for this, beyond me why anybody else would care!!

Mine walked from 2/3 but I kept the pushchair until my youngest was 7. This is because I don’t drive and if one of them had to be picked up from school/off school but the other not, because they’d vomited or developed a fever, I’d take the pushchair for them (only other option was to carry them if they were too ill for the walk). There are loads of reasons why a child might be using a pushchair and it’s not usually because of laziness. Absolutely fine to still be using it OP.