How for would you expect your 4 1/2 DC to walk?

[TheAuthoress]

My DS goes to a preschool nursery which is a 35 minute walk away for me, at a decent pace. We always drive but now with the better weather I would like to get a bit of exercise and walk the collection journey on my days off. I also have DD, 19mo.

I know for a fact he wouldn't be able to walk for 35 mins at my pace, I reckon it would take about an hour to walk home at his pace, and he would be moaning that his legs were sore for a lot of that.

I've considered buying a buggy board, but am put off by the fact that I'd hit my feet against it and he's quite tall so can't imagine it would be too comfortable for him (I have a baby jogger city mini) so am thinking about buying a second hand double buggy, just to use for these walks home (twice a week) and hopefully in September when he starts school.

I was having a google and came across an old thread on here from 2009 where lots of people thought it was very bizarre for a 4 year old to be in a buggy. While I agree on the whole, surely most people's 4 years olds don't regularly walk for an hour, or have I got a lazy one?

'far', not 'for' obvs!

Look up micro scooter with seat. They are absolutely great and I bet your ds would love one. Not to mention he would be nice and tired of an evening...........

No, he'd be too big for a micro scooter with seat i think. DS1 outgrew his at 24 months. his knees would be up round his ears at 4.5

4 is a bit old for the seat bit of a micro scooter isn't it? Not sure mine would walk it without complainin, but would certainly scoot.

I'm in a similar situation wanting to walk to school/back soon with my 5 yr old but it's quite a long walk! best advice I've been given to try is take a snack/drink, take his scooter/bike to make it more enjoyable or start with just one trip a day or driving halfway to ease him in.

How many miles is it?

My dd is just four. Our school run is two miles each way. She can walk it but Omg it's a nightmare. She tends to go in the bike seat. As you have two have you thought about a trailer for your bike (if you have one). Don't know what your route is like.

Dd will scoot or ride it on her balance bike but this just that bit too far that she gets tired, especially if she has had a full day at pre school.

She will go to school in sept and am going to use a tag a long bike as she is getting too big for the bike seat. Under the weight limit still bit her legs are too long.

On a day out dd will walk the distance happily but for school run when we have to be there on time it's just too much trauma!

I would get a scooter. I think a 4 year old ought to be able to scoot at an adult pace (or faster) for 30 minutes. DS used to scoot everywhere, we didn't have a car. It was about 20 minutes' adult pace walk into town and he'd manage that, walk around, come home again.

I have no idea what a scooter with a seat is. Just get a normal one, perhaps one you can fold up and carry (for safety - if he's messing around/going too close to roads)

I second the scooter suggestion. We had 1.25m walk to school followed by another half mile to nursery and this saved my sanity.

your other option is a baby seat on the back of the bike plus a tagalong, but I wouldn't fancy that myself - too much like hard work!

I wouldn't want to make him walk on the way there as I reckon he'd be too tired to enjoy it by the time he got there but at a slow pace home he'd probably be ok a few times a week. Would definitely have earned a bit of tv time by the time you got home!

My dd (5 in 3 weeks) does a 1.5 mile walk from school, it's not quick, that's for sure, and occasionally we've had to stop to 'water the plants' in extreme circumstances, but she does it, I'm currently due #2 in a few days and whilst I'm driving pretty much every day, we are building up to three walks home a week, with the hope that by the summer she can do it every day with ds in the buggy, I want to save on petrol. I use the scooter ( have to pull her along sometimes, she's just not very coordinated and isn't riding a bike properly yet either), always take snacks and a drink, we play games and look for things on the way home. They soon get used to it and what would take me 25 mins takes her about 45. Sh. Used to do a slightly shorter walk with her nan once a week too, no problems. at the start mum took her bike, pu. DD in the seat and pushed/scooted home as she was too wary of the busy roads and cycling it. She gradually got used to walking, she had to!

Maybe DD could go on the micro scooter with seat and he could go in the buggy heehee!!

My plan is to drive him there, drive home and then collect him on foot - at least I wouldn't be stressed about getting to nursery on time that way.

He does have a scooter so I'll bring that next time and see how he does on the way home. I've googled, it's 2 miles. I don't think it's an unreasonable distance, but my mum is making out like it's akin to child abuse making him walk that far.

I do have a bike but find it difficult enough having DD on a seat on it without the extra weight of DS! Plus I'm not used to cycling on the roads as we mainly go to forest parks etc and would be very nervous.

5madthings, he's the same, can run for hours round forest parks, soft play etc but doesn't like having to do it.

Thanks for all the replies

Yep same here. I think I could get hardcore and make her do it but tbh life is too short!

Your plan of just doing the walk in the afternoon sounds good.

Agree with the people who've suggested micro scooters. My son has been using once since 2 and always uses it if we have to walk any length of time. If he does tire he just holds onto the edge of the buggy and kind of gets pulled along. The only time I use a buggy for him is at night on holiday x