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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Prising the 'tired' 4yr old out of the pushchair

29 replies

Dunoon · 08/02/2011 11:27

Much as I love my pushchairs I am getting very tired pushing 4yr old DD up and down the hills up to 6 times a day. My problem is that we have a 1.4 mile [thank you google maps] walk to school/nursery. If I take the pushchair she wants to be in it all the time and if I don't she may start out happily enough but then the lagging and the whingeing start. She has a scooter but again the lagging and whingeing plus I end up carrying the scooter.
Any tips as to handling this frustrating stage?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

mousymouse · 08/02/2011 11:28

get her a balane bike, much more comfortable for your dd. (john lewis sell a good one).
and ceremoniously take the pushchair to the recycling centre, so that you (and she) are not tempted anymore.

Original poster

Dunoon · 08/02/2011 11:31

She has a balance bike but I've not considered taking it to school as it's heavy [and I will no doubt end up carrying it at some stage] and we go through busy town centre where she will run people over.
You are right though pushchair may have to go.

OP posts:

mrsbabookaloo · 08/02/2011 11:34

Is her scooter a mini micro one? If so, a ribbon or piece of webbing tied to the front means that you can pull her along for a bit when she gets tired, but insist that she must scoot part of the way. Of course, this is probably not an approved method of transport on the health and safety front and not how thoe scooters are designed to be used, but it works for me and lots of others locally.

I tell her that i'll pull her for two or three lampposts, and then she should scoot herself for a while.

I got dd out of the pushchair before she was 3, because dd2 was coming along, and I think it was only successful because we used the scooter everywhere.

1.4 miles is a long walk for a little one, and we don't have anything like that far to walk, but I don't think she should still be in the pushchair at 4.

ponyprincess · 08/02/2011 11:37

This is tricky. My DD loved her pushchair too, she is 7 and if I take it along for my 3-year-old, she is the one who wants to sit in it not him! That is not because he wants to walk incidentall...he prefers being carried :)

Could you strike some halfway position, where she walks halfway and rides halfway?
Sometimes games like I Spy/Treasure Hunt type searches will get mine to move along, and when my daughter was a bit younger letting her walk along with her own little stroller/doll worked well too.

It is not easy, but if you ignoring the whingeing it will also get less!

Original poster

Dunoon · 08/02/2011 12:52

Rope type thing to pull scooter is an idea as she has been asking to hold my hand and get pulled along.
Yes just need to steel myself for whingeing and tell myself it's training.

OP posts:

Bramshott · 08/02/2011 12:58

Is it really that much of a big deal? The likelihood is that she won't want to be in it within the next 6 months in any case. Does she start school in Sept?

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 08/02/2011 13:02

practice makes perfect.
my nearly 4yo has always been, frankly, a little bit lazy
i think we all found it easier just to ditch the buggy for good (she was about 3 when we did) so she (and I) knew it wasn't an option.
it took forever to get anywhere at first, which was really frustrating, but it's amazing how quickly they build up stamina, and she now walks as far and as quickly as most kids her age. i also try and make an effort to engage her in songs, games etc (although trying not to do too much Loud Parenting ) to distract her from whinging.

autodidact · 08/02/2011 13:02

Yes, i agree that chucking the pushchair out is probably the way to go. Takes the debate away and underlines the fact that self-locomotion is the only option. Sympathies re the whinging that will undoubtedly ensue though!

Original poster

Dunoon · 08/02/2011 13:04

Yes she does however 6 months of whingeing and lagging behind is not an attractive prospect. We have a longer walk than most which is the difficulty. Hoping to move nearer the school at some point.

OP posts:

mousymouse · 08/02/2011 13:05

oh, we do funny skips and songs on our way as well (about a mile each). so much fun :)

Original poster

Dunoon · 08/02/2011 13:07

Thanks everyone.

OP posts:

Bramshott · 08/02/2011 13:08

I suppose if you don't want to be pushing it anymore then that's as good a reason as any.

DD2 will be 4 next month, and still uses the pushchair on occasion (when I'm in a hurry to get round town usually), but I must admit I don't mind - it speeds us up; I look on pushing it as a workout, and I know we'll ditch it for good sometime this year.

ThePosieParker · 08/02/2011 13:11

My 4 year old hasn'#t sat in a pushchair since she was two....needs must and her baby brother got the pushchair! this meant she had to walk long distances and fast..she complains the least, a lot less than her two older brothers who act as if I have cut their legs off and expect them to walk on stumps!

Get rid of the pushchair and get smiling, walking fast is sooooo much fun Mummy!!

itshappenedagain · 08/02/2011 13:31

do you have a bike...if so get a seat for the back or if she has a bike too get a tailgator to attach hers to yours. that way you just have to cycle home.

itshappenedagain · 08/02/2011 13:32

oh and tell her pushchairs are for babies...my Neice told my son this at 2, soon after her brother was born and my DS wouldnt use his after that...i bought a hip seat!

coldtits · 08/02/2011 13:34

1.4 miles to school/nursery, there and back, 4 times a day, is nearly 6 miles a DAY.

It's a lot to ask.

coldtits · 08/02/2011 13:35

And most people who say "Oh we got rid of the pushchair at two..." either have hyperactive boys (me with ds1), very short distances to travel (my friend in a toewn centre flat) or a car.

ThePosieParker · 08/02/2011 13:48

coldtits.....neither for me.

But perhaps OP limit the pushchair to two journeys until she has time to get used to it.

Why are you going 1.4 miles six times a day?

Fiddledee · 08/02/2011 13:54

six times a day give her a break, I think you need to set your expectations a bit lower. Are there no buses?

Original poster

Dunoon · 08/02/2011 14:28

Duh it's me who goes 6 times a day. She only goes 4 you're right. Still a lot though.
Today we did scooter to school/nursery, scooter to bus stop and then bus back from nursery and for school pick up we are doing pushchair. The bus service is not good and we can get home from school far quicker by walking. On rainy days the traffic is horrendous anyways.

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LiegeAndLief · 08/02/2011 14:32

I had a similar situation with ds, expect he was on buggy board as dd was in pushchair. Sadly when he was about 4.3 the big pushchair with the buggy board on broke (probably because it had had a huge 4 year old being pushed about on it) and we had to make do with the little buggy and no board. I panicked massively, and there was whinging, but he got used to it remarkably quickly. Still get "I'm tiiiireeeeed" and have to make up games / have races but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

reallytired · 08/02/2011 14:52

Could you not get a triycle with a parent handle. Then she could get some excercise pedalling it.

I think 1.4 miles is quite a long way for a four year old to walk. Especially if she is doing it 4 times a day.

The only other thing I can think of is to put all the book bags/ shopping in the pushchair so she has to walk part of the way.

ChestnutSoup · 08/02/2011 15:00

Can you leave the pushchair there? That way you could use it for the first and last trip, but she walks the ones in between.

Doing games etc on the way is what I would do though (and did do for my 3yo when we got rid of the pushchair). It provided sufficient distraction for her to forget that she was actually walking quite far. I also used to get her to walk along curbs and walls (some of the pavements have flower beds in so have a safe kerb to walk along, not the one near the road!), or we'd look for things along the way - an oak leaf, a conker, a shiny stone etc.

Oh how about getting her something to push? I'm not a fan myself, but I've seen plenty of kids pushing little pushchairs as a way of getting them to walk.

Original poster

Dunoon · 09/02/2011 10:24

Can't leave pushchair at school all day and nursery collect is midday.
So today DD walked in this morning and I insisted she hold my hand because otherwise she lags behind and DD2 and I have to stand and wait for her. She kicked off and spent the whole journey 'crying', trying to bite my hand and hitting me Fabulous!
I persevered with a game spotting red cars for a time to no avail but had more success vocalising my fantasy day visiting the beach and what I would do there.
Am now recuperating with a cup of tea and cake.

OP posts:

Bramshott · 10/02/2011 14:29

You see, to me, Dunoon, that all sounds like more work than just pushing the buggy!!

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