Going out !!

[kentgirl]

Just wondered if anybody else has had problems with a toddler (mine is 21 months) when going out. He started to walk late (17 months) and I think this meant that as he was getting nearer the terrible twos stage and now that he can walk he wont go in the pushchairs etc. If I take him out for a walk or to the shops he thinks he can go where he likes (even though on reins) or he just refuses to go full stop. I have terrible problems trying to put him in his pushchair/or trolley and it mostly ends up with him having a screaming fit where I have to take him out of the shop/home. I've tried taking food/toys etc. but to no avail and it has come to the point where I just don't take him. I can't even take him to the park now as he doesn't want to go in the swing but just goes round in circles or somewhere I don't want him to. What am I doing wrong/is it just a phase and he will end up going where I want??

I guess we went through a stage of going to the park (not swings) and just following her round for a while, so she could walk where she wanted and we just bumbled around - he's got the motion, not the direction....it will come - just set aside some time for bumbling in the park!!!!

DD is 21m too and has always been really good at being in the pushchair. She's just started to ask to walk, and taking her in shops is just a nightmare as she runs off, picks things up and generally thinks it's all a big game. Mummy gets stressed as she's turned into one of those children she used to tut at pre-dd (why don't the parents control them )and doesn't get any shopping done - so it's a definite no-no for me unless she's in the pushchair. At least she will go in it though (at the moment!).

I think if I was at the park with her I would just let her do what she wanted - as long as it wasn't dangerous. Last week it took us an hour to walk back from playgroup (a 10 min walk) as she stopped at every lamppost, bush, car etc. and she wouldn't be hurried! It was freezing!!

I don't think you're doing anything wrong, I've looked on it that she's just started to assert her independence.

Yes it's a phase that will pass but it's murder isn't it. I remember dd being a challenge when it came to walking between the ages of about 13 months and 22/23 months. She would refuse a safety harness and reins (would just sit down and refuse to budge), had screaming fits over the buggy and if I allowed her to walk she would just tear off in the opposite direction. She had no concept of walking alongside or with me - and walks were tiresome affairs of following and retrieving her.

I did nothing special to correct this. It was just something she stopped doing one day....

Internet shopping is a very good thing to do until this phase passes

My dd2 used to beg to walk rather than go in the pushchair, resisted reins, and used to protest 'I walk sensibeeeeee' ... shortly before setting off at 100 mph in totally the wrong direction. She is now nearly 3 and seems to have grown out of it.

oh good I feel a lot better now! Thanks. Its just when I go out I see really well behaved toddlers being carried nicely or walking along happily in the direction their parents want and I just wondered how it was done. I will just persevere (not sure if I spelt that right!) and look forward to when he's 3 and perhaps a bit easier to manage!!

It might not be that long. Mine was 'cured' by age 2