When did you get rid of the push chair?

[Littlepurpleprincess]

DS's buggy broke yesturday, hopefully Mothercare will repair/ replace it but it got me thinking, at what age do you get rid of the thing all together and make em walk.

DS will be 3 this summer.

pavlo - can I ask how far she walks on a regular basis

Into town 30 mins? (bus back), nursery 20 mins through park (usually walk there, car back), Beaches, Moors country walks, hour or two, with breaks, lunch etc. Town for shopping, round and about for no more than an hour (not because she gets tired, but because i get tired of chasing her!), swimming pool 10 mins there and back from carpark, that kind of thing.

We go to the beach, for a walk on the moors somewhere, once a week at least.

She would, if we kept walking, keep walking herself, there have been times when I have to physically pick her up for a carry as I think she has walked too long!!!

All DCs are a bit different but I stopped with the buggy when mine were 3 yrs old. I think it all depends on if you have a car or not or how far, on average, you need to walk.

I still have the buggy for emergencies. DS2 had chicken pox recently but DS1 still needed to go to school. Just plonked DS2 in the buggy, although we had not used it for 6 months.

just googled distance to town from our place, we walk same way as car drives and it is 1.5 miles.

DD hasn't really used hers since she was 3, turned 4 last week - I keep it for long days out etc

I walk everywhere myself and my 1st dd hated the pushchair, I eventually gave up on trying when she was 2. My other dd is 2 and I still use the pushchair sometimes, but I have to say this is more for my sake than hers. Now that I am back at work part time I find I am rushing around before or afterwards. Pushchairs are generally made for up to 3 yrs old.

depends how far you have to go, whether you have to shop on foot, whether you have a car etc. we'd regularly walk 3 miles to market (lol lentilweavers!), so we hung onto a 3-wheeler for that and festivals (late night dozing outside tents while we danced inside ) until 4+, will do same 2nd time round.

I meant distance not length of time

I just don't fancy the idea of leaving the house before 8am in the morning to get to school (instead of 8.30) and getting back at gone 10 (instead of about 9.15) LOL.

20 minutes would take us (probably) to the local shop (which is actually about 5 minutes walk with him in the pushchair (about 1/3 of a mile).

blardy hell - you must fly like the wind 1.5 miles in 30 minutes with a toddler - I can do just under a mile (with pushchair/alone) in about 12 minutes at a push (like when I've been on MN in the afternoon and I look at the clock and realise it's 2.55 and I have to wake DS3 up, get his shoes on, into the pushchair and be at school to pick up by 3.10 PMSL.

My nearly 3 yr old doesn't technically use the pushchair any more, but quite often she "just has a little rest" in her baby brother's pushchair and I sling him on my back.

FAQ I am useless with distances, so thats why i went back and googled the town distance (realising you might want figures!). I gave an idea of time as I have no idea how far we walk, we walk for about 30 mins, stop for a bit, walk a bit more, stop a bit, walk a bit more, probably a few miles at least once a week, a mile several time a week, half mile almost daily?

I know my DS age 2yr 4 month can walk for miles but it is too dangerous in town as he likes to run and I cna't chase him so easily with DD age 7 months. DD1 walked everywhere at 2 although she had a buggy board. Dd2 liked to be pushed and made good use of the buggy board until she was 3 and a half.
I wish I could trust DS to walk because he is getting heavy to push but it is just too scary to think about.

FAQ Its a relatively straight road with not much to distract her, and that was to a road in town which is reasonably long, might be taking me to the other end on google (although not as far as 0.5 miles). The trip to nursery is a 5 min walk on my own, but with DD it is 20 mins as it is through the park!

To be fair, most places we need to go to quickly are accessible by car, so we either walk, or we drive. If we walk, DD walks too.

Dd stopped using hers before she was 2 iirc.

We still use the pushchair (p&t) but DS prefers to walk (he's 2 and a half). The thing is, any journey with him walking takes about four times as long as I still need the pushchair as an option when he gets tired/decides it would be fun to run off (he's just getting the idea that if he bolts he goes straight back in). Not sure I could manage any distance with him walking (or waltzing round lamposts/running up people's front paths/gawking at street signs) with DS2 in the sling.

ahh - so 1/2 mile daily - phew I was feeling rather about my encouragement of DS3 for a bit - I do minimum just under 4 miles a day with him (morning school there and back, and then afternoon). Shop and back 2/3mile, town just over a mile, church just under a mile.........

That's what comes of moving to a "posh" area [bgrin.

Must get the wheel on the Quinny fixed though - I@m getting seriously cheesed off with the Citi sport - it's slowly me doooooooooooowwwn

I sometimes wish DD would like the pushchair, its a pain going to town with her, she runs in and out of shops going 'look mama, in here? shoes? we need buy shoes?' 'aaaaaah books mama? we need buy books? I like books?' and before I know it she is sat with a book in the kids section of waterstones and I end up with a latte

4 miles with a child walking, every day? You would be mad!! You would be walking allday!!! DD would be fine with that amount of walking I am sure. I on the other hand would not be

I think it depends on where you live. If you live in a rural area where you have to drive everywhere then the need for a buggy is lessened. If however you have a 2 mile walk to a bus stop, then a trek round town then a walk home from the bus stop, the need for a buggy is greater.

There are also people I know who say 'oh yes, DD hasn't used a buggy since she was 18mths old'...then it turns out she is still standing on the buggy board at 4!

You will know when your child is ready, they will surprise you with their stamina..last week DD managed 6 miles a day for 4 days which we were a little amazed at. We gave up the buggy at 2.75 mainly because she was still needing a day time nap and the buggy was the only place she'd nap in! She just turned 4 and refuses to even look at a buggy!

LOL - you have a point there Pavlo - it's just about bearable with 8yr old and 5yr old doing 2 miles a day (and I do power walking there so they have to keep up >) with a 2yr old..........hmm I may be slightly deluded if I start having hair brained ideas about getting him walking asap

Mind you if he was as quick and keen with his walking as he was with his climbing.............

Stopped using daily when ds was just under 2. Last used for fireworks night when he was 2.4.

We stopped using a pushchair just before 2ish, but we hardly walk anywhere. We drive everywhere and walk as little as possible so hoisting a pushchair in an out of the car was tricker than a walking toddler.

We are slowly transitioning (to bike and buggyboard) at the moment with DD1 (3.6). It does drive me absolutely mad the thought that people judge me for having her in a pram or even a sling if I am out with just her and she is tired. Please, come and demonstrate doing anything fun in a day when we are a half hour adult stomp from most places on routes that cross urban duel carriageways. I do not drive BTW.