pushchair v independance (the battle has commenced)

[danmae]

ds is 2.7, he has taken a hugh dislike to his pushchair. i think he feels he is a big boy now which is fine. the problam is he will not hold my hand in town. he has no concept of danger. streets are a nightmare with traffic and shops are like running a marathon.

i have tried straps but he will just lay down and screem. same if i insist he holds hands. i found myself dragging him by the arm yesterday. which is bad on so may levels.

as soon we go to get out of the car he will say no push mum hand please. we have a chat about holding hands and he will get a treat if he listens to mum. he seems to forget everything the minute we leave the car.

i also have dd 11 months in p & t so have a pushchair with me anyway. have started the two warnings and your in thing. when i do this he will screem for the rest of the trip. this is making everyone misserable.

is he to young to follow these instructions? am i expecting to much of him?

any advise and tips very greatfully accepted

I know some kids have difficulty holding hands and want to walk on their own, my ds (age 3) is like that. I try to compromise a bit but it's hard because as you say, he has little awareness of potential danger and I like to keep him within grabbing distance near busy roads etc.
Have you thought about a buggy board so then he is not in the pushchair, but still close by?
Otherwise, I guess you will have to persist with the 2 warning and back in the pram as well as lots and lots of praise for doing the right thing and walking nicely. Or otherwise could you walk places where it's safer for him to walk next to you but not hold hands with lots of praise for stopping when he is told e.g. in a park?
Sorry, had another thought. What if you give him 2 warnings then back in the pram for a minute or 2 to show he can be a good boy then he can come out again, I mean, so basically put him in, tell him if he can sit nicely for 2 minutes he can get out again, so there's a chance to earn his priveledge back?
Good luck!!

Hi Danmae
I would just echo what Humpty said about a buggy board. My DS started to dislike sitting in his pushchair from about 20 months but luckily we have a Pliko Pramette which has an in-built buggy board and he will happily stand on that.

Don't know whether this will work or not, but my friend has a buggy board for her DD1, and the rule is she can walk if they are somewhere safe, but if they are by a road or by water etc then she has to get on the buggy board. Buggy board is presented as an attractive option for big girls, though obviously she still prefers walking, she seems happy enough to get on the buggy board when asked (most of the time anyway)

Ah x-posted, sorry (I typed this out last night and then MN went down so just left it on screen ready to post this morning!)

If there is a solution please share it with me too!!!!! My DD has just turned 2 and will sit in the pushchair for about 10 mins before getting hysterical. If I try to hold her hand or put reins or a wrist strap on her she just collapses to the floor and refuses to move. It's making trips out v stressful! Just have to hope it's just a phase I suppose........

Oh same here... I have the added embarrasment of a scraming newborn in a P&T and a dawdling toddler who 'wants to walk'.
As with all toddler battles I try to offer a deal, e.g - you can walk to the post box, then you have to get in the buggy.
Other times it is simply the 'hold my hand or get in the buggy' argument, which I have to follow through with (and have him scream all the way home), but he is learning now that I mean it!
Buggy board is also great, but on my maclaren I find it really uncomfortable - leaning forward to reach the handles whilst having to take tiny steps not to kick it!

Sorry guys but isn't it partly due to that particular pushchair? I have seen many kids with same problem, fighting for who will sit at the front, refusing to get in. I'm not saying that nobody with side by side or single buggy has the same issue, but I just hate the P&T. It's uncomfortable for both kids and stupidly low for the child at the back.

Anyway, I'd go for buggy board. If you get a good quality one they are quite safe, but uncomfortable to push. When DS was younger he didn't want to hold my hand but he was very happy to hold a strap that was attached to the side of the buggy, so you might want to give that a go.

thanks all, will def try buggy board, but are they compatable will P & t.