What kind of age do kids often stop using a buggy?

[PainAuChocowhat]

Caveat up front: I know all children are different and there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach but some anecdotal guidance would be much appreciated!

Being a relatively clueless first-timer, I realised I have no idea when my 18 month old DC will, to a certain extent, grow out of using her buggy.

We’ve just bought a lightweight option to cart around London (well, around the ‘burbs anyway cos, covid) and my thoughts have turned to buying a footmuff mainly because the buggy says it will do her til she’s around 4.

However DH reckons she’ll be mostly done with it by the time next winter is over so we should just use blankets & clothing to keep her warm in the meantime.

She’s robustly built, has been a confident walker since 16 months and no additional needs identified.

I think that mine were about 2.5, but use decreased fairly rapidly after about 2

Neither of mine used a buggy past 18 months, although we did carry them on shoulders on occasions we’d walked really far and they had tired legs. So I can see why people who can’t/ won’t carry them use a buggy on occasions too. My youngest is not far off 3 years and I can’t imagine using a buggy now!! She walks around like us.

former nanny here most will stop using the buggy between 2.5 - 3.5 years IME.
My own DD was out of a buggy/carrier by 2.5 but she loves to walk and could regularly walk 3-5 miles without complaint by the age of 3 years.

I used it for my youngest walking up and down to nursery she was 3 and a bit . Eldest was 2 and that was her done 🙄 it really depends if she wants to walk and you have time let her walk if not use the buggy .

My eldest was mostly walking by 21 months... but she had a buggy board (and baby sister was in pram)
Younger DD used it past three especially picking sister up from school (1.5 mile round trip)

I think it entirely depends on the kind of activities. We ditched the buggy for small everyday activities pretty early - say around 2 years - but both kids still used it when necessary until about 4. eg, a trip into London I would ALWAYS have taken the buggy because they get tired and cranky and having the option to give them a little rest was useful, but I wouldn't have bothered if we were just nipping into the shops to get the shopping in.

Similarly, DH walked DS to school with DD in the buggy because otherwise school run took twice as long etc.

Fwiw a snowsuit and blanket will keep her warm the foot muffs are too faffy for toddlers imo.

Despite DD being a confident walker since she was under 1, we still used it until she was 3 and half and then our second arrived so it went over to him but still used a buggy board for about another 6 months. At 2.5, the age yours will be next winter, mine was still having a 2 hour nap every day so absolutely we needed it. We also live in London so rarely drive and always end up doing quite a lot of walking. A footmuff surely can’t be that expensive, especially if you get a universal one rather than branded, I’d get it without even considering next year.

My son was in his until 4yo at least. He's 6yo now and would still quite happily get in one. I miss it.

My DS is 2y 9m and only uses one for the school run, which is just over a mile. He walks to the park and shops without one and can actually walk the school run... I just don't have 40 mins to look at every bug/nettle/coke can 4 times a day

Totally depends OP on how far the DC will have to walk and how easy it is to get them to do it. My two still used one until they were around 4 for days when lots of walking was required, because it was just easier and less painful for us than carrying them. Otherwise, they were around 2.5-3 when we ditched the pushchair for normal walking to nursery or into town type walks.

Ours weren’t in ours much after two. With my younger two we got a more lightweight buggy when they were about two.

Depends on the child and how much you walk. I have 8, dd1, dd3 both stopped using the pushchair about 2 and a half, ds2, dd2, ds3, stopped at about 3am a half. Ds2,dd4 were over 4. Dd5 is almost 2, and will pretty sure she will be in hers for a while yet. We walk and use trains a lot.

Coming up to 2yo here and I always like to have it in the boot of the car - DS walks well but still gets tired and has a long nap in the middle of the day. If we’re out and about and need to stick to a schedule it’s essential. I see the next year being similar.

Even if you don’t use it every day next winter, on days it’s freezing cold or they aren’t feeling 100% but you need to go somewhere I’m sure the footmuff will be used

FYI - we use footmuff every day with 20 month old. I can’t imagine using just blanket as he would throw it off, get dragged into wet accidently, or too cold. Our footmuff is also waterproof so handy if it’s raining as don’t need raincover for quick trips if hood is up

One of my children LOVED the buggy and was in it until about 3.5. Others preferred to walk from about 2.5.

It also depends on how much traffic is around and how reliable they on reins / holding your hands.

And your lifestyle - do you want to deal with three bags of shopping AND a toddler who want to walk and carry their own toy and not hold your hand on a busy street? Or are you the kind of family who leave toddlers with granny and go to the supermarket together at weekends ?

Remember the buggy isn’t just for transporting child - it’s for controlling them, keeping them safe and for sleeping .

Around 3 with ours but we used to take one or a backpack if we knew a very long walk was planned until around 4.

Dd1 was 2 and I had to stop as pushing it pregnant with dd2 was triggering sciatica which was very annoying. Dd2 was closer to 3 when we stopped using it. Try looking for a footmuff on ebay though, I got a lovely one secondhand. They are very useful.

My eldest was confident walker at 18 months and barely went in it after then, he hated being in it and wan d to be out of it all the time. We had a cheap umbrella one for out if he got tired but no footmuff etc as was always in wellies / trainers

My youngest is 18 months now and though can walk, is not confident and loves being in it and we’ve got footmuff this time around so we’ll be using for a while yet until he’s more confident walking

My DD was 2, I couldn't strap her in for love nor money, she could undo it all and would scream bloody murder, so sometimes we just had to set off a lot earlier to account for her little legs, my DS was almost 4 and honestly would have carried on using it until he was 5 given the choice 😅

Mines closer to 3 than 2 and does not want to get out of his buggy! There's no way I'd make it to childcare on time if he walked, he's like a puppy, stopping every 2 mins!

2.5yrs for everyday use and just over 4yrs when we stopped taking it for longer walks. It was always handy to strap them in when shopping.

Dd was just over 3 when we stopped using it. But I don’t drive and getting her to and from nursery without it was a nightmare. She moaned about the 5 minute walk to the bus so I took the easy route.

Some kids at her school are still getting picked up in buggies which I find a bit silly if no additional needs. Shes in reception and it’s a small catchment area in a city, so no one lives more than a ten min walk away.

My little one is 2 years 7 months and I think he would be in his push chair for another year. We don't use the buggy for car park to restaurants/supermarkets/small shops but I walk everywhere in London so he gets tired after 300m and wants to be carried. It gets annoying when I have a winter coat on having to carry him.

If you want to get some where fast and it's a reasonable distance you need a buggy until they're 4 IME. You can't expect a 2yo to run a couple of miles to a friends house and back. Mine still had afternoon naps at that age.