When did your DC stop using the buggy/was able to walk 2-3km regularly?

[megonthemoon]

I'm expecting DC2 in Sept when DS will be 2.6, and I'm trying to decide between double buggy vs just managing with sling/buggy board and single for a few months and then have DS walking everywhere. Have posted on pushchair thread for advice, but thought I'd try here too as it is really about when it is okay to assume DS no longer needs a buggy not just what buiggy to buy!

We're trying to build up his stamina now (currently 2.2) - he often complains about walking and wants to be carried, but we're being firm about it being a choice between walking and buggy, which generally keeps him going until he is really tired. He walked all the way to nursery today (just under 1km) at a reasonable pace without asking to be picked up once.

Is it reasonable to assume that he will be largely out of his buggy by the time he is 3? The furthest I'd be needing him to walk by then is about 2-3km to playgroup and back again, although of course on occasion we may need to do more.

When did your DC stop needing the buggy, or have enough stamina to walk fairly long distances.

Ah yes scooter is a good idea. As is a doll's pushchair for older child to push.

Flicked through the thread and couldn't see anyone mention the regression factor. Our DS was 2.4 when DD arrived, and within a month, he was feeling pretty anxious and upset. One of the ways it came out was with him regressing back to wanting to be pushed. I'd be careful of being breezily over-confident ("oh, he'll be fine") -- I'd plan on the basis that he may need some support. We got a Jusonne Othello and were very happy with it. A few months back, we graduated to a buggy board, and now he's approaching four, he's walking / scootering / cycling only.

That has been my concern slhilly, and it's why I haven't started potty training yet. DS is already saying things like 'hold me like a baby!' and baby is still a few weeks away from being born!!

I've been looking at an othello on ebay, but can't seem to find any reviews online. Are they good then?

Sadly, this size age gap is a bit painful at first, although it's conversely great quite quickly afterwards...

Our Othello was fab. People would frequently stop us in the street to ask us where we got it and what it was called. And the thing is so compact and the second baby is so well-recessed in it (despite having a perfect view of what's going on) that people would often be a bit gobsmacked when they heard a noise and realised a second child was in the buggy!

Other plus points were that it was vv slim and short so could fit in a black cab, was vv light for a double (10kgish), and the second baby can lie virtually flat in a really cosy environment or sit up and enjoy. And it's 140 quid cf P&T etc. And it's wipeable material.

Trying to be dispassionate about it, it did have the downside of feeling a bit flimsy -- nothing actually broke on it ever and it got a fair battering from us, but it's not as reassuringly solid as a Bugaboo, that's for sure. Also, it's a bit unwieldy to get up a kerb (but not very, just not that great). Other people find it a bit tall for them but we didn't have a problem despite being short (5ft1)

I had an identical age gap to you. I have a Pramette from DS which I attached a buggy board to and also a P&T's which I got off a friend. I found the P&T's invaluable towards the beginning but am glad I didn't invest a load of money in it as it was useful just for some things - long walks along slightly more dodgy paths /terrain. DS definitely wanted to go in the buggy more because DD was in there. She was also born in Winter time so DS did an awful lot of moaning that he was cold etc.

As time's gone on I often take the P&T's and put DD in teh front and DS can hop in the back if he really is tired. If we're not going far I'll take the pramette and buggy board - pramette is better for DD to sleep in as it reclines better. DS also has a scooter which I find is teh best way to keep them on the move.

It's really hard but I have a friend who's daughter was brilliant at walking everywhere but even she gave in and got a buggy board in the end - sometimes when you already have so much on your plate, it's worth not making it any harder with a whingeing toddler. I think the desire to walk more just comes naturally with age - I've never pushed it and in fact when he has the option to hop on the BB or get in the P&T's he tells me he's a big boy and can walk....

Good luck by the way .

I'm also a little concerned that we are moving from a tiny village in the lake district to outer london in a few weeks.

DS loves to walk at the moment, because he gets lots of space to run around in, but in a city, I don't think I'd let go of his hand, and this will probably not go down well

I'll probably need a buggy just to restrain him in

Gracie - we've recently done the reverse move! From west London to Sussex village. I actually found it easier not to hold hands in London - pavements wider, lots of back streets and parks to weave your way through to destination. In contrast, here we have a few fairly busy roads with narrow pavements so until he is older we hold hands all the time. Unless we offroad of course, when I want to stay as far away as possible as he gets super-muddy very quickly

Thank you all. This thread has been really really helpful. You've convinced me to buy a P&T and I'm starting the second hand search now! Hopefully if we can get one soon, I can use it as a single with DS before DD arrives so he is used to his new pram in advance.

If it's any help, we live in London too, and we don't need to hold DS's hand and never have had to. He's a practical chap and recognised from the start that the big metallic things would hurt if he boshed into them, and so he's never shown any interest / inclination in running into the road. And when DD was born he was going through a bizarre obsession in which he had to name every car he walked past (made it fun when we went to St John's Wood "Maserati! Ferrari! Bentley! Porsche Jeep!" etc) this made getting anywhere by foot inordinately slow and painful, but was quite safe. You might want to focus on having lots of conversations about cars in the next few weeks to help your DS prepare for the change. If you're as far out as say Finchley or Chigwell, then there'll be quite a lot of quiet roads to "practice" on, too.

The control thing is an apsect. I think a lot depends on the personality of your DS. It's completely different walking with just a DC and trying to do so pushing a pushchair one handed. Also, a melt down with a baby screaming for a feed is a lot easier if you can just strap DS in a pushchair and go.

There are cheaper tandem pushchairs. I had a Marco sky which I loved and I saw one the other day on ebay for under £100.

BTW DS walked everywhere from 3 but the scooter is a lifsaver if you want to get somewhere in a hurry.

Big advantage of a P&T is that it is very easy to push with one hand, vital IMO when you have two and the eldest wants to walk and you need to hold their hand. Lightweight buggies the worst for this.

Yeah, I bought my sis an urban detour when she had two LO's for the very reason that you can steer it one handed (and it was very cheap second hand ).
Unfortunately she didn't get on with it (it was too wide) so she sold it :-(
I think I'm going to go with either an othello or a single and a board. I like things to be compact and I remember my sis having a lot of trouble with her p&t over balancing and not being able to steer it whilst carrying shopping.
She is a serial buggy purchaser though, so maybe it was an excuse for a new buggy!!

I have 3 points to make:

1. Sideways freezing rain/snow
2. You have flu and have to get the kids somewhere.
3. The older one is properly ill and you need to go to the shops to get essentials / drugs etc

It's all solved

• DH believed you all that we need a double (and the reasons get more numerous and better!) and told me to get looking for a P&T
• I checked in on eBay about an hour ago to see what there was, and miraculously there was a P&T for sale about 10 miles from my house that was imminently finishing. I've just found out I won it for under the budget we had set aside

Problem solved . This has probably been one of the best threads I've started on MN - didn't think you'd convince me quite as well as you did, and thought I'd still be dilly-dallying while in labour!

Thanks so much!

i'm obviously coming to this a bit late but just wanted to reiterate the greatness of scooters - my DD is just 3 and will scoot 5km in a day with limited whinging including hills etc. if i had to coax reasonably quick walking from her, i think things would take a lot longer but her speed of scooting actually gets me walking more quickly so it's really good. they are really quite expensive though but it is definitely the best 47 quid i've ever spent - i think it must have gone at least 400kms already in a year of ownership!

Having just mentioned on another thread how advanced my son was/is at conversation, he has always been the most terrible walker - whiney, slow, etc. Could NEVER have got him to walk any distance at 2.6! On the plus side I never had any problems with bolting toddlers! Since turning 3 he is better (now 3.5), but I mainly rely on scooter/balance bike and if I had no 2. already I would have had to have got a buggy board.

However, I have friends with kids who were happily walking alongside the pram by 2.5 and would walk miles (strangely this was usually girls). I think it's amazing that yours can walk 1km at 2.2 and sounds like you will be fine without a double buggy.

later than usual I think