When toddlers start walking how do you get around?

[Cleanqueennot]

This may be a dumb question but I am a first time mum. My baby is only 6 months but I’m starting to wonder how I will take him to the park etc in the summer and beyond. He turns 1 in July and I know he may not be walking by then but I’m still wondering what other parents do.

Will I still be pushing him in his buggy or is he going to want to walk everywhere as soon as he’s mobile? We have a park 15 mins walk from here, would that be too far for his little legs? Do you just hold their hand and walk like hunched over until you get to your destination? Haha. I probably would want to get some reins to walk with him. But aren’t those for older children? Not sure how it works if you take buggy with you but baby wants to walk. How do you push buggy and hold their hand?

Sorry for the long post!

This is so true. My 7yo can walk miles and miles and has been able to from a young age because she was pretty much turfed out of the buggy at 2.5 when her younger brother came along. We did get a double but it was so bloody heavy to push that I only used it if I absolutely had to.

We were far more lax with the 4yo as there was no rush to get him out of the buggy plus he wasn't a keen walker anyway, always happy to chill out. He is one that moans about achey legs at the zoo 🙄🤣 drives us mad as me, dh and dd love a nice long walk.

I take my LO in the buggy then let him walk once we get to the park. He likes to help push the pram (especially now he has a little brother in there!) and asking him to help is a good way of getting him moving in the right direction. We also spend a lot of time examining twigs and leaves so don’t necessarily get very far

Tantrums when it’s time to leave definitely happen sometimes. At the minute, giving him a choice between two snacks is pretty good way of getting him back in his buggy without tears. Don’t worry, you’ll find what works for you.

How do you get around?
In a word, slowly.
And yes, with a back ache until they start sprinting, then you'll need eyes in the back of your head and your running shoes on 🙄

Mini Micro scooter 3 in 1. Bought for my granddaughter age 1. Life saver. Worth it's weight in gold. Like her mother before her she didn't like being in her buggy once she could walk. She loved being pushed on this, wearing a helmet!

It's the age when they don't want to walk as they're tired but are too heavy to carry for long that it comes into its own. Not too heavy / bulky for me to carry if she wants to walk either.

(Just learnt how to 'scoot' now age 2.)

But you don't have to struggle holding their hand and pushing the buggy, my dc have always been happy to hold the buggy itself and trot along next to it. No awkward stooping

I think you really need to wait and see what iteration of toddler you get. My experience is that the vast majority of toddlers still use a buggy even when they are walking unless they are literally driven everywhere. DS is still more than happy to sit in the buggy despite now walking for 1.5 years. Most of his little friends are the same, I only know of one friends child who absolutely point blank refuses the buggy and is carried everywhere as opposed to walking.

You'll still he using a buggy until 3ish. They might be walking but they can't walk miles and the pace will be slow. To get anywhere you'd still use a pram, you can let them get out for a walk of course but just going without it would be a pain when they get fed up. I also like using the pram to carry stuff, much easier throwing stuff under it than carrying everything.

I'm sitting on the train on my way to bring DS2's old scooter for my nephew, who has just started insisting he walk everywhere! It has a strap on the front to tow a recalcitrant toddler along...

Shoulder carrying frame. Our son will still happily sit in it at 3.5 and it's great where the buggy isn't an option, like country walks.

Don't worry there are plenty of bikes with push bars, scooters etc. We got rid of buggy around 2, 2.5 they were well able to walk If we were going further I would bring a scooter, bike etc.

I used a buggy until about 3.

Learning to walk is not an overnight thing, it's a slow process. At first they will crawl 99% of the time and occasionally take a few steps, but they will be faster and more confident crawling. The first steps to walking 100% of the time process takes about 2-3 months. By about 6-8 weeks in they are usually walking 80-90% of the time and by that point I get them shoes and let them walk outside.

However, even new confident walkers ~15-20 months are slow, they stop to examine every stone and weed and dog poo. They trip over easily if there are obstacles. They don't understand instructions yet and they vary in how "steerable" they are - some are like a dog that will follow with an enthusiastic "come on, this way!" but many are like cats and will go in whichever direction THEY fancy with no care at all for what you want to do, nor giant buses/trucks thundering past.

So I differentiated between taking toddler for a walk (short distance, no particular destination, maybe a very local park - e.g. ours is less than 5 mins away adult speed) and actually going somewhere. The buggy is for transporting them - when you need to control which direction they are going, when you want to walk at adult speed, when you need to keep them away from hazards (roads, water, rubbish etc) when you expect them to nap, when they are tired, when they are having a tantrum. Depending on where we are going, I might let them walk when we get there - walking to a park, yes I'd get them out and let them walk around. Picking up sibling from nursery, maybe although probably not. Going to the shop definitely not unless I have a second adult to follow them around.

They were about 3 before I could reliably ditch the buggy and have them follow basic instructions, have a little bit of road sense, hold hands, not get tired, basically walk at a normal pace (a bit slower than adults but not toddler slow).

what Sort of buggy do u have? Can it be easily pushed with one hand - thinking of your arthritis in your hands.
if not May be worth dedicating some overthinking brain space to either an easier to push one with a single handle (like a loop or a bar) or to embracing the carriers world.

Like others have said, it depends on the kid! We were buggy-free from 18 months on – though I’d carry on taking it just in case DD got exhausted. But it was trickier handling a walking toddler and an empty buggy (she always wanted to help push, aargh) than just a walking toddler so in the end I risked needing to occasionally carry her. Went cold turkey on “need carry” from two: make sure you stop and hold firm except for illness, asleep, or grabbing and running from danger! All the mums I know quit carrying; all the soft-touch dads carried on and now have back problems.

Scooters are useful once they can manage them and understand the rules: long distance suddenly becomes a thing! Or at least the same distance without examining very twig. Tbh though I liked the meandering walks and factored them into any plan: no reason why the playground destination has to be more important than the journey.

I have a Joie versatrax travel system. I tried out a few different ones in the shops and baby show and I wouldn’t say it’s too heavy or anything. Nevertheless, I still find it hard to steer it one handed WITHOUT a toddler in tow. I don’t think a lighter/better one would make it any easier tbh. Not that we can afford to buy another anyway.

I have spent so much on slings and carriers that husband has banned me buying any more 😂 I have one structured carrier and find it uncomfortable for both me and baby. Perhaps it will become more useful as he grows. I do keep trying it on every few months to see if it’s any better for us, so will keep trying. It just seems too big for him. His head barely makes it out above the body part of it IYSWIM. He looks like a little turtle in hiding haha

It sounds like you might have a toddler carrier, I liked a stretchy wrap at 6 months. Boba Air was also great. Appreciate you probably don't need any more though

Buggy. Baby doesn’t get to decide. Set the rules re walking time /buggy time from day one and don’t give in to tantrums.
If you have an escape artiste like one of mine was, make sure your buggy has very strong straps. My dd managed to rip the straps clean off one buggy. It wasn’t a cheap one either (Mothercare).
I also suggest reigns.

lol

Wow, that’s a baby hulk! I never even considered that they could themselves out of the buggy haha

Just one thing on the reins - for some reason the backpack version tended to be more comfortable and "acceptable" to the toddler tyrants I had. It also had the advantage to pop a couple of small essentials in.

Sell your travel system and buy a buggy. Thats what everyone I've known has done when they're baby turns 1ish. You'll need it on and off until they are about 3.

The travel system includes a buggy, or am I missing something? It just converts into an upright push chair once you take the pram bassinet off. That’s why we decided to buy this set as it will last until toddler and beyond.

Travel systems are much bigger and heavier then a simple buggy that can easily be pushed with one hand and toddler can hop in and out of easier. They fold flatter and easier too.

TBH I don't think that's true for the Versatrax - it's pretty compact and one hand push, the only thing that is more compact is a travel stroller (and they are pretty useless for everyday use) or the Maclaren type, and you can't push those one handed because they have two handles rather than a bar.

Yes, I find the versatrax really light and folds pretty much flat. Also, I like that they have a good sized wheel. We have a lot of gravel pathed parks where I live so the little flimsy wheels on most strollers are useless. I suspect I can’t steer with one hand because I’m generally rubbish at doing anything one handed, but let’s blame the arthritis 😂

My DD walked at 10 months. It was a very long time before we'd go anywhere without the buggy, I would quite often let her walk but then pop her in when she got tired.

Another good option would be a Micro Mini scooter with the seat attachment.

I never did reigns for either of mine.