Steering a toddler - how??

[tinymeteor]

How do you steer a nearly 2-year-old who hates holding hands and doesn't want to go the way we need to go? She's in a stubborn independence phase and I want to encourage her to walk more but don't have time to let her take the random toddler route everywhere so I resort to physically grabbing her to get her through doors, into lifts, etc. Any tips?

Who can get in this lift first and press the button? Race you!

Oooh, let's see what's through this door...

Let's hold hands and count how many steps to walk to that lamppost.

Make everything as exciting and engaging as you can. It's just as exhausting as the constant battles (and of course won't remove all the battles because 2-year olds specialise in battles), but it's a different sort of exhausting and certainly makes me marginally less grumpy!

So basically channel my inner Blue Peter presenter? I can try!

Exactly

Flipping knackering though, isn't it? Bad enough not being able to use my favourite swear words any more...

Even with my perkiness turned to super, I still have to resort to putting DS2 under my arm and walking with a child struggling, yelling at me to put him down, until we're far enough away from whatever he wanted to do that he won't immediately bolt for it.

He's getting big though, so I'm praying that he gets persuadeable before my arms give out.

That's pretty much where I'm at! Had to fireman's lift her away from a giant muddy puddle earlier. I blame Peppa sodding Pig

Have you tried one of those backpacks with reins? Might work...

I tend to insist on hand holding. Hold my hand or you're going back in the buggy tends to work.

But I feel your pain!

Thanks! Not hopeful about reins as her response to physical steering at the moment is a lie-down protest. I think cajoling and extreme cheeriness will have to do... We got half way from car to childminder's this morning with a holding hands sprint which she found hilarious. She still swan dived when asked to get out of the lift, but it's a start!

Reins are great for stopping them from going somewhere you don't want them but useless for directing them the right way.

How old is she?

My dd was like this until about 2.5 it drove me mad! She hated reins and the backpack and would kick up a fuss about hand holding every single time. I'm afraid I just had to insist through the tantrums and at around 2 and a half she understood why I was doing it and is fine now at 3

She's 22 months. Has enough language to know what I'm asking her to do ("hold hands", "this way", etc), but not enough to understand bribery of the "walk nicely and we'll do something fun when we get there" variety. Best tactic so far is "look! A puddle/drain cover/whatever" and excited pointing in the right direction. Works about half the time. Sigh...

Hold my hand or mummy will go and get the buggy out works for us! I say this even when I don't have the buggy so I have to keep hoping it works or I'm going to be caught out with an empty threat.

My dd always makes a beeline for any of those ride on cars and fire engines they have everywhere...I try and pick a route where there are none or I chat very excitedly about something else but it doesn't always work!

This is what pushchairs are for.

I'd be lucky to get my 2 year old in her pushchair! She hates it!

Yes, but you are in charge aren't you?

If I had them for the games then I used to do the same as bagheera but if it was a quick we need to do this/get you then. Then she was carried or put in the buggy.

I think I'm in charge poocatcher but it is a close run thing sometimes!

Hold my hand or I'll carry you is my standard.

Watching with interest, I have the same problem with DS

My 2.5 year old often won't walk with us she just wants to run away and have fun. So I have to carry her screaming because that's the only way!