Top Tips for Toddler Pedestrians please!

[Aspire2Iron]

DD is 16 months and gaining steam. It's a beautiful thing, however....

I need tips for walking around town (gulp... London) with a toddler.

Not keen on harnesses. Not keen on her running in the street, either!

She refuses to hold my hand. Do I drag her insist?

MN, what are your top tips for the new and nervous parent of a toddler pedestrian?

I do think it can be quite difficult for them to walk and hold hands when they first start toddling - my dd found it hard (she seemed to need both arms to help her keep her balance), so I made sure that most of our walks together were in places where it was safe for her not to hold my hand all the time. Now she's much more confident on her feet (23m) and is happy to hold hands in the street. So don't assume it's all doom and gloom for the future just because she's resistant to hand holding now.

Another vote for the 'Hand or pushchair/sholders' method. Ds is a wilful little bugger but he knows he has to hold my hand while we are on the road. In the park he's off on his own. Another topic is 'How do you get your toddler to walk the direction you want to'!

He still kicks off about it sometimes though so then it's up on the shoulders.

If you can't be bothered lugging a pushchair around then www.roseandrebellion.com do great slings. Ds shouts 'hing!' and will happily go it in. At 23moths he's not light either and I am only 5 foot.

It takes a long time I think, depending on the bolshiness of the child but TOTALLY worth doing. I hate pushchairs and now only use it if it's pissing it down or going to the library.

Oh we also have a must hold hands when crossing the road rule which he now happily sticks to.

DS1 was great in reigns (and hand holding). He didn't mind wearing them and we had lots of biddies coming up to us and saying "It's so nice to see a child walking safely..."
When he was a bit older we started just hand holding. Now he is nearly four and is allowed to walk without holding hands, unless it is busy.
If we're walking through a pedestrian area we might play "Statues". If he walks on ahead, I yell "Statues" at him and he freezes. It's better than shouting "Stop!" because what 3 yr old boy would actually listen?! IT's a fun game and keeps him within sprinting distance of me!

I turned my reins into unescapable reins.

Attach to child and tighten. No slack or the little Houdinis that toddlers are they will find a way out.

Attach walking rein to back of reins.

Attach wrist strap to walking rein.

Attach wrist strap to your wrist.

Now they have freedom to roam but can't get too far and if they suddenly make a dash for it you don't have to worry about letting go of the reins as they are attached to you.

Invaluable if you also have to push the pram/look after other child/make a phone call/ have epilepsy (like me - if I have a seizure I don't have to worry about DD2 running away).

Unfortunately prepare for STUPID comments about dogs/DC never learning to walk etc....

Oldest DD (3.2y) was on a rein like this right from when she learnt to walk (15ms). She now can be trusted to go on ahead to the next lamp post/curb and WAIT - she feels she has freddom but also responsiblity. She spent at least a year on the reins before she could be trusted not to do a runner and now seeing her friends run off in town makes her upset and confused. She KNOWS that you don't go out of sight, into a shop with out mummy, run down a slope, run across a road with out mummy, how traffic lights work etc.

I know I sound strict but I'd rather be a strict parent about road safety than have to scrape her off the road with a spatula

I didn't like the idea of reins either, but DS1 was a very early walker (9mo), and totally unaware of any hazards. He was also very very short (too short to hold hands comfortably). I got him reins and they worked really well. He liked having his hands free to shoplift explore his surroundings.

If you do decide to get reins, get two sets - one set for no coat and one for putting on over a coat. They are a bugger to adjust under pressure.

a lot of my friends children have their toddler walking alongside the buggy nicely, whilst their younger sibling is in the buggy without reins.

I feel terrible to say this, but I dont really trust my son and have the little venture ruck sack with reins that you mention when he walks (DS is 3 and 1 month)

I do wonder whether I should now be giving more trust to my son, so that he learns greater road awareness like his peers - what does anyone else think or do?

ds (just 2) fortunately v good at holding hands, we have always said that that was the deal - hold hands or you go in the buggy ( a fate worse than death in his view). also only works if handholding doesnt mean being dragged down street at adult speed - i grit my teeth and just stop when he does, which means it takes ages to go anywhere and i spend a lot of time minutely examinining twigs on pavement/watching nextdoors builder in slackjawed admiration/agreeing that yes, that IS a blue car, but it means he doesnt view holding hands as restricting his enjoyment o f the walk. if we have to go somewhere in a rush he gets packed in the buggy and that's that. hoping that by the time he really wont go in the buggy at all the runnig off tendencies will have diminished....