When can I let my toddler walk on pavement during outings?

[ChanSmell86]

Hi guys first time mum here with a lovely 21 (soon to be 22 month) old daughter. She has been a very capable walker now for nearly a year. My question is how do I transition to sometimes letting her out of her pram to walk when we are in public? Should I start off in a safe place in public like a park? What kind of age should I entertain this? I don't know if I'll ever be a reins kind of mum? But yeah I've got absolutely no idea how you transition? I would always bring the pram and slowly increase the time she is allowed out of it. She's such a Diddy bean still in 9 to 12 month clothes but I'm only 5ft1 so holding her hand isn't as hard as it was when she was much much shorter. Thanks in advance for any advice

About a year ago is when! We threw away the pram at 18 months!

If she’s been capable of walking for over a year then why on earth haven’t you allowed her to walk with you on a street yet? Absolutely bizarre OP and sounds like you need to seek help for anxiety. What are you so afraid of happening?

They walked on the street as soon as they could walk but we used reins. Where does your DD walk now and why not to reins?

Tell us what you’re nervous of?

I never said I was nervous I'm a first time mum so there's alot I don't know. Got nothing to do with being nervous.

She walks outside my front I live in a flat but it's part of a little community so we have a big front garden and back that we all use so she walks on that but I take her pram when I leave because like I said its my first child and I'm 35 so I don't remember what my mum did with us and when I asked her she said she don't remember I asked a woman on a tram once I got talking to and she was like definitely not yet (like I said she's small so looks younger) so I wasn't sure when was OK

I would do it now, my DS 15m walks on the street frequently but only when there is two of us to catch him next to a road.need to buy reins.
Doesn't she ever protest the pram?

Since everyone is saying I should start now I will tomorrow, don't appreciate being told I'm bizarre because I didn't know something kids don't come with a manual. Now I can see the majority of advice tells me to do it I absolutely will that's why I asked on here because its full of mums asked my own n she said she can't remember tried to Google it didn't get any help there either so I'm trying here

My dd walked on the pavement as soon as she could physically walk. In her case that was about 14mo. By about her second birthday we didn't have to hold hands, she knew not to run onto the road and she'd wait for me at crossings.

I think reins are useful if you're looking after multiple kids under 3yo at once (eg siblings with small age gap, or nursery staff use them for outings as the ratio is 3-1). Or reins are needed for kids with SEN who don't understand cars and roads.

But imo the vast majority of kids don't ever need reins.

As an aside, do you not know any mums with kids a similar age to yours? It's really good to have that kind of support network. Any old classmates now having kids, you could reconnect with? Or attend some toddler classes to meet other mums?

I just felt a bit of a pang for you when you said you asked a woman on the tram.

She will sometimes protest the pram after she's been in it awhile but not going into it. I also don't drive at all so all my going outside is done on foot. I will use the tram at times but I'm trying to lose weight so I walk alot. All the comments about me being anxious when I never said I was just when it was OK makes me feel like not asking a question on here tbh wasn't needed. Now if I had said I'm afraid to let my daughter walk then yes I would have understood those comments

With respect OP if you still don’t allow your child who’s been confidently walking for a year to walk in public then you are definitely nervous

I had my daughter later than alot of family. I'm the oldest of 5 kids my 2 brothers have kids but they had them years ago. My mum has the worst memory so she isn't helpful for advice like that I've got a friend with a 3 yo daughter but she even admitted she left her kids to do that too late so they have issues with the road now so that's what got me concerned. I don't want to hinder my daughters development at all. But like I said I tried to research it n got no where. I could ask a few friends on Facebook I suppose

If you say so clearly know me better than I know myself

Sorry OP but this is a bit of a strange one and I'm not surprised at the responses you've had. Don't you take your daughter anywhere other than the front garden? Why is she not walking at the park, in the woods, at the beach, literally anywhere?

You don't need to transition. Let her walk and bring a pushchair or carrier for when she gets tired.

I wouldn't discount reins either. You'll need them in some places if she's a runner. You have no control over whether she'll turn out to be a runner or not and it's a phase that you just have to get through and train them out of- reins are sometimes necessary for their safety. They can be off the reins in the park etc when they are not around roads and lots of people.

Either way let the child walk for goodness sake! Don't overthink it.

We never used reins with our children, we just made them hold our hands. They had a clear choice when by roads they held our hands or went in buggy! They soon got the hang of it! Then when it was safer (parks/shopping malls etc) they could toddle freely x

The same can be said of reins. My son is 2 and a half and is mostly fine holding hands. But sometimes he'll still make a dash. The rule is hold hands or the reins go on. I always carry a set in my bag.

It's more freeing than being out all the time with the pram.

I haven't took her to a beach I'm in Nottingham so no beaches near by but would happily allow her to run on the beach if and when I book a holiday. When i take her to the local park she's In her pram near the water there's alot of geese that basically swarm you for food so I would be wary of that part but when we get to the play park which has a fence around it I let her out on the ground, we go swimming alot about 4 times a week so she's out in the baths and changing room etc I don't carry her places when indoors. When we go to things like outside events she's either been in her pram or carried. The thing is I'm genuinely not nervous as I've said I asked my mum what age now if she thought it's as soon as they can walk she would have said that because that's not age dependent but she didn't she couldn't remember n the woman on the tram said not yet eventhough I explained she's been walking awhile literally only when I joined tonight n messaged on here did lots of mums say she should and I'm nervous when I explained I just didn't know and every attempt to learn had been unsuccessful

I never said I was nervous I'm a first time mum so there's alot I don't know.

This is as old as time OP.

She's almost 2. Let her run around in the park, don't clip her wings. Equally, let her get used to walking on pavements. Yes, you have to have eyes at the back of your head and be super vigilant but it's all part of it. I'm sure you're doing a great job already.

I like the idea of having reins in my bag she is very ignorant with me as in when I tell her no and she runs off when it's nappy time etc but as I haven't tested it don't know how she'll react in public. Not gonna lie this threads proper knocked my confidence because it genuinely wasn't obvious to me so now I'm worried what else I'm messing up with her development

OP it is quite shocking that you don't let your 22 month old down to walk more often. You will be hindering her development and you need to change it now.

I'm amazed you've got away with it for this long to be honest, you must have a very placid little girl.

Start putting her down, geese or no geese. Take her to the park, to the woods, to the shops, to garden centres, trips to museums- anywhere! And let her walk.

Not gonna lie this threads proper knocked my confidence because it genuinely wasn't obvious to me so now I'm worried what else I'm messing up with her development

Just make the change now. Keep the pram with you or a carrier if you prefer as she will get tired. But let her down to walk as much as possible.

She should be learning to run and climb at this age. How can she do these things if you don't let her walk in different environments?

Start tomorrow and you'll be grand. It's a lovely phase when you can go walking together hand in hand. Enjoy it.

I'm happy to we are going swimming but not to our normal place its further so we need to tram so I will let her walk to the tram with me then when we get off in town I'll let her walk too see how we get on

Sounds a lovely day out. Just give yourself waaay more time than you think you need as she'll want to stop at every weed in every crack in the pavement or every bug on every wall.

I'd definitely recommend reins for your own peace of mind. They tuck away no problem and if you don't need them, great. Better to have and not need than to suddenly need them and not have them.

Yeah I will buy some thanks:)