what age do you stop using a pushchair?

[helsi]

thats my question in a nutshell.

Recognise all that you say Oldiemum. Stopped using puschair very soon after 2. With the resisting holding hands bit, afraid it was quite a traumatic incident that sorted that out. Was refusing to hold my hand whilst crossing a road, pulled her hand out and ran out, car screeched to a halt etc - lots of tears (me and her) but she didn't do it again. Don't know what the non-shock treatment is.

why don't you want to use reins?

Can I report back?
Made a vow to get rid of pushchair (mostly) after reading this last week and it has gone so well. DD (nearly 3) now walks to and from nursery and most other places. I'm so happy about it as she's sleeping longer too. So thanks for the inspiration all xxx

Would she walk for half an hour? Just wondered if the journey to the childminder and likely journey to nursery school is feasible.

It's more like 15 mins there and 15 back muminlondon. If she's had a v busy day she will occasionally sit on the pavement and have a rest for a minute but I'm building up her stamina and usually the idea of seeing a fox or a squirrel can move her on.....

think I'd better learn to drive before the snow blizzards next winter then!

Suzywong - I'm worried that they may slow down her learning how to deal with the road, and give her and me a false sense of security, IYSWIM. A bit like giving children armbands in the swimming pool. But I'd like to know what people think about reins, too. Are they a good thing?

i bought reins for dd1 and used them for all of 10 seconds. waste of money IMO (but i think she was maybe a bit too old for them, not sure)

i thought reins were great! used them from when ds was about 1 until 2 1/2 ish. ds didn't mind them at all. from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2ish i used them if ds didn't stop when asked(when running ahead etc) or if he wouldn't hold hands near the road etc.

I thought they were great when dd was 18 months. But now she seems too old for them - at 24 months she's much more aware of doing things for herself and doing them properly.

I talk to dd about the 'green man' at crossings and make a big thing of holding her hand or carrying her when we cross a road. Wonder if they still have 'Tufty' in playgroups and nurseries??!!

I think reins can be a godsend, actually - good way of letting them have a bit of independence when they are too little to have the sense not to run off or step into the road.

DS was a real absconder from about 18months to just gone 3 yrs, so we used reins at first and then a wrist strap or we would have lost him. The wrist strap he really really hated wearing, so we would say he could take it off if he held hands, and slowly that worked. I still have the wrist strap in my coat pocket, and often if he's being difficult about holding hands/not running too far ahead etc all I have to do is say "wrist strap" in a menacing voice and he comes trotting back. He's coming up 4 now and he has pretty good sense, still doesn't like holding hands but will when he's told to and knows to stop when we tell him to etc. Having spent nearly 2 years pegging it after him when he ran off, I never thought we would get here!

oldiemum, the problem is that small children don't have road sense - I think I read that RoSPA say that children shouldn't be allowed to cross even quiet roads alone before they are 8 - they simply aren't able to judge the traffic speed accurately.
I know what you mean about reins but my rational mind thinks they are probably a good idea. With my own ds1 who is 3yr 3m I enforce hand holding over the road rigidly. I worry that I am not strict enough with his pavement safety - on quiet roads I let him walk ahead of me and he knows he must stop when he is told to - he usually does but frankly that's not really good enough when a mistake could be fatal, is it? On busy roads I insist that he holds the side of ds2's buggy but I probably ought to insist on that all the time really.

I was just wondering about the Tufty Club and found this thread here with a link to Children's Traffic Club (but beware if you are at work, there's sound!). Not the Tufty Club, but worth looking at!

Now I can't get Charley the Cat out of my mind either.

well since you ask I think they can't be trusted near a road without being within arms reach until at least 5 so I'd get the reins on her, I do with my ds2 at 18 months. I don't think you would be slowing her down at all.

I have been wondering about this myself and am now getting horribly confused a bout the best thing to do. DD is 3 and still mostly in her pushchair - although she is always asking for 'walk for a little bit' Hard to oblige sometimes when we are running late and walking along a busy road! She does tend to skip about and I'm always terrified she's going to dart across in front of me on to the road It's OK when we are out with dh cos he just carries her on his shoulders, but she's too heavy for me. We are moving house soon and are at the top of quite a big hill, so I think the pushchair will remain for a while longer.

Nikkichick - we have a rule that dd always has to hold someone's hand when she's walking by all but the quietest of roads. It's an absolute rule and I will not let her break it.

DD is 2y 8m, we've not used the buggy for about 3/4 months now. We started to really cut back on the use of it from around 2 years old, but I'd always bring it out with us just in case she got tired. Started leaving it in the boot more and more and have to say that I can't remember the last time I used it.

That said I will be taking it to Spain with us in July, so that she can snooze in it in the evenings, allowing the rest of the family to be out past 7.30pm !

I used reins from 18 months (ish) and DD loved them (they were pink). Using reins less and less now, trying to drill the hand holding into her instead.

I sometimes push ds1, almost 4, round the block to kindergarten in the pushchair - do you know to what extent little boys can dawdle! and if he pikes out in the heat along the way he's 22kilos to carry, we'll be using that pushchair as long as he fits in it for that particular journey

Took the pushchair to Legoland yesterday. Used it to carry the picnic, spare clothes and coats. I wouldn't let ds2 (3.5) sit in it on the way home as it was too heavy to push uphill

It does depend on what you are using it for. I use a buggy for ds1 (3yr 3m) only for the journey to work/nursery - which is about 30 mins walk. He can walk it - and often does on the way home - but he can be slow and on the way to work especially I can do without the stress of having to nag! I'm hoping to encourage him to walk it more and mroe but its a big step to have no way of getting him home if I have to - just bought a buggy board although I really hate it compared to the E3!

Oh Yes we do the handholding thing too under strict instructions, and she is quite good really. I think it's probably more about me worrying that she can cope with the walk or I can cope with going so slowly TBO. I think I constantly underestimate her which I really must stop doing. I should bite the bullet and let her do more stuff herself.

Message withdrawn

I'm exactly the same Nikkichick - it was this thread that made me take the plunge and ditch the buggy - and like most things dd was more than ready - just worried old mummy holding her back.

I don't really understand why people are so keen to get rid of their buggies - is it some kind of growing up ritual. What if your ds/dd falls asleep - do you wake them up to make them walk home - and how do you manage on shopping trips - there's no way my ds would walk round a shopping centre for a whole morning. Sometimes I need to get somewhere quickly so he goes in the buggy then as well. Plus if he's not walking nicely he gets put in it. But there's no problem at all with his stamina. Last year when he was 2 1/2 we went on some country walks - between 2 and 4 miles and he walked all the way.