To ask at what age did you stop using a pushchair?

[alwsysri]

How old is too old for a child to need a pushchair?

Depends on the child and lifestyle.

I Took DS out of his buggy at around 3 because I felt I should. It was a nightmare. By the time he was 5 he was in a SN buggy which was a lifesaver!

I've got 5 kids and they were all somewhere around 2.5 when they stopped using it. I'd never judge anyone for using it for longer, it just got to that point where bringing the pushchair was more hassle than not bringing it

We went on holiday when DD was a month off being 3 and took her stroller because we did a lot of walking, didn't use it after that. She hadn't used it at home for a couple of months before.

My eldest was probably a little older, I used to put her in the stroller sometimes for school pick up for the eldest because she was tired by then , I guess she was around 3 when we stopped.

We've still got a stroller in the car boot and an 'off-road' bigger pram for longer outdoor activities. DC is 2 and a quarter, and a good walker/runner. It's useful to have the options for longer walks though, especially as they're not that interested in or confident with balance bikes or scooters yet.

Day to day, about 2.5. For big days out like the zoo we took it until they were probably 5 - as much for my convenience having somewhere to put everything as for the DC!

I kept it until youngest was 7 and physically unable to fit in it though - they injured their knee at 6 and I was quite glad I could wheel them from the car into A&E in it! But that was a one off!

I was about 41. The child was about 3.5.

School drop 8.55; nursery drop 9.15. Just over a mile. Was for speed.

Child 1 about 2.5 tops.

Totally dependant on the child, your lifestyle, and location.
Out of pushchair? About 2.5. That's probably on the low side of average. We never did buggyboards.

@Meltedwelly my child uses a buggy because he can't walk. We don't find it embarrassing one bit.

Our DS was out of his pushchair when he turned 2. He was an excellent walker though so not much need for it after that as he’d happily walk miles and preferred to do that than sit in the pushchair.

3 for my youngest, which meant my big one was 4.5. I don't drive, have 18 months between mine, and needed it for the nursery run and child activities depending on the day.

In other words, it's child and situation dependent. Some people use them on holidays at 4 or 5 if there's a lot of walking, for example.

I think it depends on travel distances expected and length of days etc .

a family that doesn’t drive anywhere, might use a buggy for longer than others think is acceptable, because the child(ren) can’t walk the distances required in one go, or at the time of day.
1.5km might be fine on the way to nursery or reception, but at the end of the day is too far.
navigating multiple transport modes with a 3 year old walking might be fine when it’s not busy, but would be daunting in rush hour and the buggy might feel more secure .
getting an evening flight with 2 kids and luggage, a buggy might help a 5yo
if picking a kid up isn’t an option (because you are also carrying all the stuff for a day out, or groceries etc) then a buggy is handy with pre schoolers even if they almost always walk.

given pushing a buggy is a PITA I wouldn’t have any opinion or judgement towards someone who opts to use one for longer than others might think is appropriate . Especially if they don’t drive .

i would wonder if a kid hasn’t been given opportunity to build strength and stamina, so would expect weekend walks around local
area and increasing the number of walks to
nursery etc

this was quite long winded reply.

Mine were completely out by three and walking to nursery class at school.
There are plenty in reception and a few in year 1 picked up in pushchairs at the school I work at - we are rural some have a really long walk.

From 18 months we used it once a week; because we finished an activity late and it was easier to have a way to push him home. He walked everywhere else. He’s now just turned 3 and doesn’t really use it at all, it’s been in the basement since we had the kitchen done in March.

All of his close friends still use them regularly, though, and he occasionally asks for his when they’re in theirs, so I haven’t donated it. I’ll probably hold onto it for longer trips, if we have any. He doesn’t nap anymore which also plays a part, if he’d still napped, I’d have used it for longer so he could still nap when we were out and about.

Was probably 5ish with my youngest, as he still had midday naps and nearly always in a pushchair. Eldest, by 2 years, sometimes had a bit of down time in it on days out.
Both really active children but just needed the familiar, chill out space a buggy provided.
Also, on any long days out, it was great to load up with bits!

I remember DD was 3 and 1 month. The buggy was actually stolen so we didn’t buy another one.

We had stopped to do a bit of food shopping after a day out and managed to drive back to where we were staying without it. It was left on the pavement in a smart Cotswold town. Went back immediately (10 mins drive) and it was gone! The buggy was a fantastic French one that was easy to use and collapsed into a small space. The irony - we left it outside a Police Station and no, it wasn’t handed in.

DC2 used hers occasionally until well over 4 for longer walks that were time critical. DC1's school was over a mile away, and if DC2 was tired or uncooperative I'd sometimes use the buggy for school runs when collecting her sister. I used to roll my eyes a bit at people who said she was far too old to be in a buggy while driving their own preschooler half that distance.

We still use ours occasionally with 4.5 year old. Day to day he doesn’t use it, but for long day trips out if no car we will take incase. Ie we just spent a long weekend away on a city break, and we were raking up 20,000 steps a day, plus out late in cold at Christmas markets. So mid afternoon we would return to hotel and retrieve pram for 3-9pm slot to save the whinging

2 years 10 months. He just didn’t want it any more and walked or scooted or balance bikes everywhere. He never got in it again and declared buggies are for babies.

i guess im shocked about above posters who’ve said 4 years!!

The earlier the better IMO, but it depends on so many factors!
We've recently stopped using it for my eldest and he is just turned 3. In the past few months his endurance has increased a lot and he is able to walk most of our daily/weekly routes (up to 30 min the parc), or use the buggy board when we need to go faster.
He was a late walker though, and I think our youngest who walked 6 months sooner will probably be able to walk those distances at a younger age and we will stop using the pushchair once she is more reliable with following directions.
For city trips or holidays, we much prefer the walking backpacks then the pushchair.

Around us most people walk a lot so they use the pushchair until 3-4, but if they live outside of town and use the car a lot they tend to stop much earlier because they only need to cover short distances.

About 2 and a half

We just stopped using it

On a fairly consistent basis, about 2 and a half as she preferred walking - it would come out for shopping - but the last time of all was 3 and a half for the last day of term at Nursery as I'd used it for some heavy shopping and decided not to try and rush home before pickup time. She looked really relieved and happy and climbed in without any hesitation. There were a couple of other parents who had done the same.

Spent the next five years or so wishing I could use one, as the hill down to school was too steep to use a scooter and she really, really hated having to leave the house for school in the mornings.

I hadn’t thought about it but saw this when my DC was 3 and realised that I had given this no thought and assumed at some point DC would naturally reject it. I was assuming 6 was the max age (because that’s the age our pushchair was advertised to). We now intentionally leave it behind when we can and try and spend time with other nursery friends of a similar age who are good walkers - I’ve been really surprised at how far they can walk! hoping to be out over the summer as keen to have my carboot/hallway free!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvglrmg08kgo

My oldest one, probably 5 or 6. He couldn’t be trusted, if you dropped your guard for 2 seconds he’d be off and running! So got safety he was in a pushchair.

2.5. Because someone stole our pram from the garden (where I kept it). Had a stroller for maybe another year for longer days/ holidays. Made him walk the school run daily with his sister. It was slow going tbh but I had time as a sahm.

I think we stopped using it at about 2.5 but probably would have used it for longer if we needed to walk further eg. for school drop offs.