3 year old hates buggy, what's the alternative?

[Prorespawner]

Hello all

DS is 3 and is pretty big for his age. He has started to get quite annoyed with his buggy and doesn't much like being in it. The problem is we do a fair bit of walking and he doesn't have the legs for it yet. He will walk for a bit but then demand to be picked up. He's over 2.5stone (he's tall as well, 90th centile for height and weight) so carrying him everywhere is not an option.

To be honest I hate the buggy as well now and would much rather something that takes up less room in the car etc. He has a scooter which helps but I now end up carrying him and the scooter which is not an improvement 😂

Anybody got any great alternatives that they find work? We are going on a seaside holiday next week so I am hoping for something that will do the job there

No, it's definitely true. My 2.5 year old just completed the London marathon, had a swig of Lucozade on the finish line and trotted off to start the 3 Peaks.

We look to our neighbours in the north for inspiration where, rumour has it, no child over 18 months has a buggy.

Skinnermarink if you read my initial post again, you will see I used toddler reins. So your remarks about dangerous traffic are irrelevant, since DD wasn’t free to run into the road.
Modern children are not getting nearly enough exercise. Strapping them into
buggies until they are almost school age, then driving them to school and play dates in cars, not allowing them out to play unsupervised, while feeding them junk food and endless snacks, are producing one of the fattest and unhealthiest generations in history.
We are now diagnosing type 2 diabetes in children, and as a doctor and mother, I am
shocked.

That’s a ridiculous generalisation! My DD couldn’t walk at all at 16 months, she wasn’t really walking until 2. They aren’t all
the same you know…

And my other points? If you had the time to always have a toddler in a reins to get to where you needed to go (you worked and did a nursery run, I presume?) and a biddable toddler who was happy with them, good for you. Like a PP said, they’re all different, and using a buggy for occasional practicality doesn’t mean your toddler is about to end up on my 600lb life for goodness sake.

and as a doctor and mother, I am
shocked.

😂😂😂

I walked everywhere from a very early age as have my children who are all now adults bar one. I have quite a few health issues now, which I believe the early exercise has made me stronger to contend with.

That’s brilliant but it wasn’t a thread about levels of toddler activity as far as I was aware.

Well it is now 🤣🤣🤣 oops

Toddlers are well toddlers. Mine can and does walk loads, ( even mountains as we live in one so he’s half mountain goat), uses balance bike, etc…
But sometimes life happens and you need to carry them or they go in a pram.

Those who ditch by 16 months obviously only go places locally, or at child’s pace. We have a 6.55am flight coming up, I would like to see everyone’s 16 month old bright and happily strolling around the airport at 4.30am check in, having being dumped in car at 2am for drive. Personally my 3 year old will be sitting in pram asleep hopefully or cuddling his teddy at least half happy, rather than laying on the floor in duty free howling

3 year olds can ride bikes!

‘Course they can, whether or not they can do it safely enough through built up areas whilst you have no free hands because you’re pushing a baby in a buggy is another matter entirely.

They can't register to get a time if they are under four, but no one is going to stop a three year old joining in with running alongside older siblings.

Our son is 2 he hasn't been in a buggy for a long time, he adores walking,running and we do hiking and he adores that. I think he would go nuts if we tried to strap him in now 🤣 And tbh our twins are over 1 and rarely go in a buggy either they love walking to

So say there’s one of you and toddler twins, a two year old and what, they’re all just walking freely at all times are they? Like if you’ve got to get from A to B safely and with minimal time to piss about, with roads to cross and other things to navigate around? You do that with twins and a two year old just for the love of walking?

I mean, I can see OP was talking about the practicalities, not how active her child might be. But of course it’s Mumsnet so we have a case of ‘my 13 month old climbed Ben Nevis and is currently crazing me to book a cycling trip up Scaffel Pike’

Scooters with leads are brilliant. We've got a Trunki one which folds. Our son has been on one since he was about 2.5 - I can't say he puts a huge amount of effort into scooting but it's quite an easy way to convey him about the place. Easier than having him on your shoulders!

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

This thread has produced some real crazy answers. I used a backpack carrier or the micro scooter with a handle. Due to very busy roads and a lack of decent pavements, riding bikes and scooters at this age just isn't safe enough where I live. Thankfully, I am graced with a second child who loves the buggy although my first did not - (but I'm sure everyone will sleep soundly tonight to know that she does a huge amount of exercise and can climb mountains if the need arises).

@Babdoc
I have lots of family in Scotland and attended school there - I can assure you that the vast majority of 16 month olds in Scotland are not climbing hills. A quick google supports my anecdotal experience of many adults / children leading fairly sedentary lives in Scotland.

I'm not sure why you had to make this into a them and us situation whilst also managing to sound very judgemental and arrogant at the same time.

I feel irrationally aggravated on behalf of the op on this thread!

If you walk miles and mikes each day I say stick with the buggy and be firm, encourage more walking and maybe sone bus rides! I wouldn't want a three year old scooting or balance biking round traffic (we scooted round parks till 4).

Can you get a toddler carrier (back carrier)? If he's demanding to be picked up and you're going to have to end up doing it anyway then you may as well have something supportive and that is going to take some of the weight and be more comfortable for you both.

We are the same op! We don’t drive so the park is a good 30 min walk each way. I still bring the buggy as otherwise we won’t make it home after all the running around the park. Def no flabby kids here either😂 sometimes the distance is too much to manage for their little legs and you need something. Have you tried those balance bikes? That way he would technically be sitting!