To take a beach trolley around London with kids in it?

[thesurreymum]

Planning a day out at the science museum on my own with DC in half term. They are 5 and 4 and we do not have a pushchair. Every time we go to London they get so tired walking around/tubes etc. can I take my beach buggy and when they've had enough I can push them around in it? It folds down and is on wheels so I can carry it when going on tubes etc. not sure if a it looks really silly and will be more faff than it's worth. Wwyd?

I do it regularly with kids this age and have a pedometer. The little walks add up

I don’t think it’s uncommon for 4/5 year olds to get tired wandering round London - you can’t take the beach thingie but you can take time out to recharge in the local parks or a cafe while you do museums . Also take lots of snacks .. good solid calorie heavy ones that will give them a boost ( do not worry about heslthy) - also can you factor in a open top bus as part of your day to rest

This is not a good idea - please don’t. Pavements are narrow with kerbs and you will end up with people getting annoyed at you. Taking that on the tube would be a bloody nightmare

Someone upthread suggested scooters. Have seen several adults, usual older and not so fast on their feet, with whacked shins at the NHM and Science museums over the decades (often while parents are carrying them) so please don’t consider this. Are they actually even allowed in any more?

I don’t think I even know anyone who would suggest this!!

op good rule of thumb is… imagine if everyone did as in doing, would it be inconsiderate.

Shame you’ve had to get to this point and still not know that

So your parents wheeled you around at 5?

Just seen the OP’s user name

you live practically spitting distance from london

You must know it very well and how daft this suggestion is!

Maybe stop being so unpleasant?

Because that poster was so unpleasant about young children aged 4 and 5 needing a bit of help on a long day walking!!

@Ducksurprise

But what is the buggy like on the beach? I'm tempted to buy one.

Very handy!
We load the buggy at home, so when we get to the beach it's as simple as taking it out of the boot and being on our way.
Obviously it can feel heavy when fully loaded, but it still takes away the stress (well, it stresses me out anyway 🤣) away from leaving after a long day on the beach.

I think that would be pretty cumbersome.

This is sad and so short sighted. My son is 3. We have no car and live in London. Typically walk around 6-9miles a day when we have a day out. We do a combo of pushchair and scooter/bike and walking. There is no way I would expect a 4 year old to be able to walk that far. Maybe I am raising a lazy child but it doesn’t feel that way. He is skinny (er) than the majority of children in his class and never stops moving. He does however get tired legs when he has walked for a while. I say pushchair so they can take it in turns or scooters. Make life easy as possible for everyone. Makes for a much more enjoyable day if everyone can relax at times.

You can end up walking nearly 10km on a day out in London. As a Londoner many of my friends used small or sporty buggies for days out for up to 6 year olds - most of the time they were piled up with coats and drinks etc but the child could be strapped in at the end of an 8 hour epic. These coddled kids are now slim county sports players so a few days out in a buggy when they were 5-6 didn’t do any lasting harm!

don’t use the beach wagon it’s too unwieldy to manoeuvre in a crowded place.

In America these types of pushchairs are common now!
they are called wagon pushchairs and are huge, but they look brilliant for carrying everything in!!

Also a non-driving Londoner here.

It's completely irrational to expect a four/five year old with tiny legs to be able to walk the same distance all day as an healthy adult. I remember a mate of mine put on a stone when her DC grew out of their pushchair because she had to scale back her walking distances and speed and start taking the bus more often.

Often the right thing to do is to cut back your plans to their ability to walk, but sometimes when you're planning a one off trip that naturally involves a lot of walking a small folding buggy fills the gaps between what you'd like to do and what they can manage. I used mine regularly for one-off trips until they were five and for school runs when one of them was poorly until they were seven - of course they still fitted in at that age because as Londoners in a non-driving household they were in the slim side.

If the OP had a single 5 year old, or a 4 year old and a 7 year old I'd absolute suggest a folding buggy but the problem is the small age gap. A full on double buggy would be impractical, a folding buggy with a buggy board would be a PITA to carry, scooters would be a nightmare, and forbidden most places, and the beach truck would be totally unmanageable in crowded areas. I think that replanning your day to limit walking and take lots of breaks is probably the solution.

@BadForBusiness totally agree as a fellow non driving Londoner.

I think a buggy could work, though, with them taking turns in it. I realise it's not ideal but mine also sometimes squash in together or little one on lap of big one for short distances

Good point - taking turns could work. If all else fails, pushing one in the buggy while one is draped across the buggy-pusher's arms is surprisingly practical.

So you advance searched them, copying across info from another thread to say Gotcha!

Five year olds get tired. They moan, they groan and they’re hard work! Nothing wrong with jumping in a buggy. Have you never been to Disneyland or a theme park, or a busy city centre with loads of walking. And tbh no I don’t really look at children and think you’re fat. I do however judge people on here who are nasty and judgemental.

maybe you need to ask your ‘ educational psychologist ‘ child for validation 😉

I’d get an old buggy and buggy board from free cycle etc. or borrow from a friend. They can hop it in here and there when they are knackered, and you can put some shopping on it. Win win.

I know people with teenagers who still keep the buggy on the balcony to lug a big load of shopping or recycling or jumble sale haul etc. etc about (as I live in a dense with with good PT so only about 5% of my friends have a car!)

If someone is just plain rude, I think they’re asking for it, frankly. I don’t know why looking at someone’s old posts is SO taboo. They have chosen to put stuff into the public domain; it hasn’t been hacked and nobody has exposed their identity.

OP whereabouts in London are you going? Can you not take scooters? Personally I wouldn’t put a 4 and 5 year old back in a pram

Because it’s odd, rather stalker-like and tantamount to bullying.

You may not agree with posters but better to argue their point rather than drag stuff up from other threads

And the poster wasn’t rude, direct but not rude

No it isn't. AS isn't a difficult thing to do. It's nothing like stalking.