How long does a toddler need a buggy for?

[vampofsavannahGA]

Just that really. I’ve got a DS coming up to 2, no intention of having any more. We got a dead cheap cosatto off FB which is very good to drive but folds up about as small as an armoured tank. So as to avoid having to take this one on holiday with us (with added bonus of actually being able to take some clothes) we bought a cheapo Mothercare Nano stroller, which neither folds nor steers with any kind of cooperative attitude.

DS prefers the Nano so we’ve principally been using that, but it's a nightmare to push as he’s getting bigger. I’m starting to regret my parsimony when he was little, and to yearn for a buggy that is both compact AND manoeuvrable, rather than one or neither of those.

Before I shell out money, is it going to be worth it? How much longer is DS likely to be in a buggy? At the moment it’s used four or five times a week, even though he’s a very good walker, and I can’t help feeling it would be a wonderful Christmas treat to my back and shoulders to get a better buggy, but DH remains to be convinced and I'd hate to waste money on another baby item!

Dd was regularly in her buggy until pretty close to 4, when DS arrived. We bought a buggy board but she wasn’t keen so she walked instead.

Even if she wanted to walk I’d usu take the buggy as well to carry everything and to use if she got tired.

DS is 2 1/2 and still in buggy…. He’s a nightmare to walk with as hates holding hands, hates reigns but will run away. So buggy it is.

My eldest is 3 and doesn’t use her buggy anymore, hasn’t for about 6 months. We do end up carrying her sometimes. We have newborn twins so couldn’t put her in a buggy!

I will however be keeping them in theirs for longer until it’s completely safe for me to free them and they are able to walk, as I will be walking DD to school. So probably till about age 3.5 or longer, we got a mountain buggy and it seems pretty sturdy.

Ours stopped by 2. We sometimes get it out now when he is 3 for a trip to the zoo etc but not generally.

I remember dd having the most almighty tantrum when she was very nearly 2 about having her rain cover put on the pram (to set the scene-we were stood outside the co op, it was pissing down and I had hold of the dog lead) dd was screaming that she was a big girl that didn't need a rain cover, she had her Peppa coat on. The pram got soaked in the meantime.
We got home, dried it out and it never got used again.
What a Ball ache that was- I swear snails used to pass us, and then pass us again travelling in the opposite direction after their trip out 😂 we had to stop and examine everything- rocks, spiders, rubbish, walls. It's fine when you're not in a rush, but on a schedule it's a bit rough.

Tbh my youngest was out of the buggy by 2 for general walks although we did have a mountain buggy side by side for longer days out. My 3yo liked to go in it and they did get tired if we did a NT day out or similar.

Unless you can get one super cheap I wouldn't bother spending a lot. I paid £40 for my mountain buggy and it was worth it.

One of my DSs used the buggy till school age. One was out at age 2.5. The others something inbetween (

I've got a friend who used to put her five year old in it! My daughter lasted until about 2.5.

First was out by two, second hasn't been in a buggy for about three weeks and he's 19 months. I guess they're all different and depends on how far you walk

I used it until age 3 but only because I rarely drive and relied on the buggy to make food shopping manageable. Now he's 3 and at nursery I can do it without him.

My niece was out of it by 2 but their family / car set up was different.

Surely it depends how far you walk. If you're mostly traveling by car then he'll probably not use it for that much longer. If you do several journeys of a couple of miles each day then he'll need it longer. My dd2 was walking 2 school runs a day by just turned 2 with her cm (because she was the eldest of 3 babies/toddlers there so there wasn't space in the double buggy), but the school runs were very short and they walked quite slowly to look at things. But with me she was in the buggy til she was nearly 4, because we were walking 3-4 miles at a time and she could only manage 1 mile at the most.

DD was 3 and 3 months when DS was born - shortly after she turned 3 I did first trip into central London without buggy to buy some stuff and she was absolutely fine going in and out of shops and walking quite a way. Kids that age should, IIRC, be capable of walking a few miles a day, but obviously willingness will vary!

For DS I think we got rid of City Mini & bought a very lightweight one for a city holiday just after he turned 3 as we thought it might be a bit too much walking for him, but I'm not sure we ever used it again after that holiday.

Well depends what if u drive or go out walks a lot etc.

My almost 2yr old, I hardly use it. It's in the boot of the car. I don't think I've used it since Tuesday. I probably use it once a week at most. If we are going to park we drive there and it doesn't get used. I reckon by next summer I'll probably get rid of it maybe just keep for long days out it when we go on holiday.

I think DS was about 2.5 when we stopped automatically putting him in it and leaving it in the car for when we needed it.
Really he was 3 (lockdown #1) when we started going out for more and longer walks without the buggy. It did mean we had a few nightmare walks where he insisted on being carried but the more we did it the happier he was to use his own legs.