When did you stop using a buggy?

[Alfiepants]

I've got 2 children; two and one year old boys. We have a double buggy and have shops near to the house. I'm wondering at what point we should look at a single buggy and make my toddler walk more. He's definitely not keen in the buggy but nor he is happy to walk even half the way home without being carried! I tried a buggy board before with no success but might have another go. He 'll be starting nursery in sept and thinking the walk (10 mins) might be a lot on top of a tiring new morning.
Any suggestions?!

About 20 months. Small age gap, sounded a bit with baby in sling, then he used a buggy board on and off if going far until around 2 1/2. From young I try and t them used to small trips without, gradually building up. We are In central London though and a buggy on bus/tubes is more hassle half the time than it's worth

As soon as mine could walk I let them out of the buggy when we were out shopping just to build their stamina up. BUT I was lucky as they weren't bolters and were happy to trot along beside the pushchair. As a result they were both out of the buggy completely by about 2 1/2 and they are really good walkers now.

When they went to school.

I don't understand the judgeyness about it TBH - a 4 year old is not going to walk at adult speed (I walk fast) and a buggy enabled me to do my errands at about twice the speed I could have with a pre-schooler walking alongside. The DDs are now 10 and nearly 6 and both capable of walking a couple of miles.

See I wouldn't care if my dd was still in a buggy til she was 5 - but at 16 months she's 16kg and over the weight limit for the buggy and wee stroller already (she's off the charts for height too). They presumably won't last much longer, but I can't get her to walk outside at all. She'll happily walk in the shops but starts shrieking as soon as her feet hit the ground outside.
Anyway, hopefully by 2 or we'll just need to stay inside!

Dd1 used the buggy until she was 4yo. BUT we didn't have a car, so we only used it for her when we're talking about long walks. Like 30 minutes or more. And even then it was only if it was going to be either time restricted or at the end of the day when she'd be tired.
Dd2 didn't really ever use the buggy. She went in a sling until she was 1yo, after that she either went in a back pack, stood on the buggy board (with dd1 in the buggy!) or walked. Mostly walked.
Ds hated the buggy. But he had to go in it for school pick ups, as he was tired and miserable at that time, and I had 2 different school pick ups 30 minute walk apart and it was about 90-100 minute round trip.

Mine weren't consistently out of the buggy until just before they started school or even a few months afterwards. So 4.5-5yo. That was fine by me.

DS1 was still in a buggy at the age of two, which I think is acceptable if you're going a fairly long distance on foot. I had to put the buggy away when I was due DS2, and get the big pram out instead, so by that point DS1 was 3.2yo and had to walk everywhere when DS2 was born. It depends on the distances you need to go each day, I suppose.

My DS hasn't been in a buggy since the age of 2.6 when we moved to a very hilly village. The buggy was knackered, he weighed a tonne, and I was buggered if I was going to push him up and down the hills. He's been absolutely fine, and even the 20 min walk uphill back from preschool doesn't seem to faze him. He's a very big, strong boy though, so I guess it depends on the child (and if you can be arsed pushing them around...)

I thought ds had given up the pushchair just before christmas (22 months) but this week he's wanted it again on and off We walk everywhere and he's more than capable of walking the mile to our town centre but then I bribe him with the promise of catching a bus back up the hill

I am interested in whether the large variation in age is because of physical differences or emotional ones (disabilities/health/mega-journeys aside). My DD is 22 months and I hate having the pushchair out and about but she won't walk far at all so I usually have her in a sling. She's getting a bit heavy for me to carry her far though so I've been wondering how to persuade her to walk more. It's fine when it's raining and there are puddles .

Anyway, my theory is that it's less to do with her physical abilities and more to do with emotional maturity (or lack of!). She's a happy poppet but definitely on the cuddly/scaredy/clingy side. Anyone care to agree/disagree with my theory?

I would agree with the walking/non walking being due to psychological/personality aspects, at least in some cases.

DS (3.3) is still very firmly in the buggy, although can have a jolly good jog around the park and a good long dancing session at home.

I think it's due to a "non-bouncy" careful nature and laziness/lack of will to invest energy on things that he can't see the point/fun in. For example, he doesn't see the fun in walking on the street, whereas if he has a buddy with him, he will walk at least some of the way, as it's more fun to skip along with a friend than walk boringly next to mummy (mummy can't always motivate or find fun as well as other little ones, although she occasionally tries).

Also, DS nearly always refuses to go out in the first place (again due to his personality not being very outgoing or adventurous), so if I didn't put him in the buggy, I would basically have to carry him (and I have a bad back) or drag him along the pavement (child abuse). He very rarely responds to any kinds of bribing or punishments, and gets hysterical if I pretend to leave him sobbing on the pavement, so he will stay in the buggy until he feels too ashamed to do it (or doesn't fit in the pushchair- but he is not very big for his age and weighs only 13 kg) or can be bribed out of it. It's fine with me, as he gets enough exercise anyway (doesn't have weight problems, either), and we don't have a car. I notice some people doing this at us already, but I'm sure they didn't have a child like DS to deal with, so screw them!

My aunt stayed in her buggy until she was 5. My grandparents were embarrassed (as she was very tall for her age, as well - is now 6 ft), and feared there could be something wrong with her. Turns out that she was just a bit lazy (with other things too, like talking, eating etc. - this sounds very much like my DS!), and actually just very intelligent and could not be bothered with the "mundane" . So there might still be hope the non-walking children..

OP: I don't know whether his has been already mentioned, but have you tried a scooter or balance bike for the older child? They work very well for some families. Unfortunately my DS can't be bothered put in the work to master them, and in the meantime sees them as pointless or scary (you could fall and hurt yourself!!! But then again, DS also tells me off if I step onto the street to see if I can spot a bus coming to our stop from behind parked cars ). Now we have a an expensive scooter and an expensive balance bike gathering dust in the hallway. At least until I can mentally give up on my dream of DS begging to go out to use them and just whizzing along the pavement with a smile on his face (NOT going to happen, however much I'd like it to and however much other children show it to be possible ).

If you walk a lot, particularly to shops, you need to keep buggy for a good while yet IMO. It's hard to get stuff off shelves, pay for it etc with toddler running free. Even if toddlers are physically able to walk good distances, they can still moan like crazy about it and also decide to go in a different direction to you and be extremely stubborn. Depends also on the child. Ds had a buggy til he was 4. I got rid of the buggy when dd was only 2 but I do drive a fair bit. I saw a few children going to and from reception in a buggy. Useful if tired etc.

my theory is that it's less to do with her physical abilities and more to do with emotional maturity

If emotional maturity = putting up with boredom, then I could agree. It's mostly boredom that makes them unable to put up with boring just walking form A to B.

For me it's a factor that DC tend to be small for age & I don't like to dawdle, plus I walk in all weathers. DC have trouble keeping up with my walking space. They have to trot along to keep up.

The DC I'm thinking of are 8yo & 11yo & excellent cross country runners. If they have to trot to keep up with the pace I'd like to walk, there's no chance for most preschoolers.

As for scooters (cue hysterical laughter). I don't like carrying them and my preschoolers only liked to crash them and then wail about it.

DS2 is 3.10 and occasionally uses it. I went to Dunelm Mill last week and he slept in it all the way round. And I used it that afternoon to go on school run as he was a little bit sleepy when we got back.
We've done 2 holidays without it though, so he doesn't actually need it, it is sometimes just convenient for me, rather than dragging a sleepy and mardy child round.

I also use it if he is ill as I walk to school.

DD1 stopped using the buggy when she started school age 4.2 DD is 2 and it will be a very long time before she is ready to give up the buggy. We don't drive though and walk up to 6 miles a day

Mine both used buggies until nearly four, because we were often out all day at weekends, walking around the city or on public transport (no car), and it was too much to expect them to keep up with adult speeds and distances. Also at age three they both still napped after lunch, and would sleep in the buggy - I wouldn't have wanted to be tied into returning home for nap time, and they were way too big to carry.

DS1 went onto the buggy board at about 2.8; he was still using it at 4yo but got too tall and heavy so had to be booted off.

DS2 (always keener on walking) was mainly walking everywhere from 2.6 and the buggy went into the garage for good around his 3rd birthday. We only live ten mins' walk from school/preschool though.

I agree, give buggy board another go. My son was 2 years and 3 months when his brother was born and very reluctant to use it so quite often had bub in baby Bjorn when big one got tired and wanted to go in pram. Then after few months he deigned to be transported on buggy board. Can't get him off it now, lazy little beggar. I think the mini one is best unless you've got really long arms!?

But to answer your original question my baby is now 2 years old and he has to stay in pram for my sanity. It's the pram or a length of rope.
He would walk everywhere tho.

DD1 is nearly 4 and we still use a double buggy (solid graco thing) for longer walks. She can do the distance, but as an example it's over a mile to her swimming lesson and to make her walk, then swim, then walk home seems a bit much.

We also take the double for long days out round zoos etc, if she wants to walk I don't have to carry bags etc.

We're limiting use up to Easter and after that she'll be encouraged to walk as she'll be starting school soon.

Totally depends on your situation. DS1 was out of a buggy by two and a half, because he never ran away, and because I was a SAHM with no other children I could go at his pace most of the time. DS2 is now 2.5, and he will be in a buggy for much longer I suspect (even though he's happier to walk far further than his brother was), for two reasons: one, he tends to run away at inopportune moments, and two, I need to get DS1 to school in the mornings, not only on time but also down an unpavemented stretch of main road.

DS is 2.3 and we rarely use the buggy. Tbh I wish he would go in it a bit more, he has no fear and goes off exploring and walks in every direction apart from the one I want him to go in. Thankfully he's not a bolter but it can be a physical battle to get him into the buggy so, because I have no other dc to take into consideration, I just make sure we have time for all his exploring and don't take my eyes off him!

3rd birthday.Until then using a double as DC2 18m younger and found it easier to control/discipline them if could strap them in!But Pregnant again so double was getting too much to push.Never used a buggy board as the one for my single pushchair is awkward so it's either a slower long walk now or if too far,a car trip instead.Once I gave him the chance though I was amazed how far he could walk and his road safety awareness is pretty good as a result

Stopped using ours when we broke it just before daughter was 2. Wheel just broke. It was good in that it forced her to walk more. Not good in that my back hurt a lot to start with, carrying her - but at 2.3 YO she started to walk about a mile and half to two miles. Having said that, there are times she decides she doesnt want to walk - usually not due to tiredness these days but just because she wants to have a roar and sit-down protest about something but I often let her sit and rest and try to resist the urge to pick her up, unless I have an urgent appointment or it's in the middle of the road or something. I just let her rest/roar now, before we go on a bit further. I really cant lift her anymore, it just hurts. Another reason not to use the buggy too - we live on a big hill and I was beginning to struggle pushing it up the hill with her in it by the time she was 18MO. She is stupidly heavy for her size/age.