4 year in buggy

[lisa270988]

Hi
My little boy is 4 years 4 months old but very very small for his age 91cm tall 11kg weight.
He starts school in September.
I worry because he isn't very good walking and gets tired! He can walk short distances but still uses he buggy a lot! Luckily the school is only 5 minutes walk away so he will manage that ok.
I have spoken to health visitor and he been checked over no reason medical as to why he gets tired probably just because he very small for his age! He was born 10 weeks premature.
The health visitor says the fact he still needs his buggy most of the time isn't a concern ad long as he is able to manage to walk short distances and can manage the walk to school it's fine and because he is so small ge might need the buggy longer and just to encourage him as much as possible to walk but not overdo it! She said he around the size of 2 year old so he is going to struggle more then others and the fact he was born early.
I just worried that the buggy should be long gone by now but it's still used daily!

Often that iugr itself is because of an underlying genetic issue. Get him referred as it can be helpful to know the cause.

We used the buggy right up till age 4 then stopped but it was very hard and we didn't need to walk long distances. A scooter helped. If we couldn't use the car and bus we would have needed the buggy for longer for sure or break our backs giving shoulder rides. Once they started pre-school at 3.5 we never had them arrive or depart from pre-school by buggy so they looked grown-up there but still used it at other times. They were small for their age too and one had a gross motor delay and saw a physio.

You've got 5 months over the summer to build him up and get him stronger 🙏 Good luck and I hope he enjoys school in September

If it helps, my 22kg 90th centile 4 year old regularly goes in our 3 wheeler so I can actually go for a walk and not a dawdle 😆

I do get judgy comments but they can jog on, this is the only way I’m getting any exercise or getting places on time!

He gets plenty of other exercise at other times so the one time someone sees me is not enough for them to judge.

DGD used the buggy until about age 4 for longer distances. In fact she would complain about having to walk the 10mins walk from school to home and want to be carried so we used the scooter. She was not small for her age like your DS OP in fact she is quite tall. In the end she got too tall and her legs were on the ground so that was the end of the buggy. She is now 8 and perfectly fine, walks unlimited distances without a complaint at all. Her little brother on the other hand, who has always been a bit small for his age, was the complete opposite and always wanted to walk, refusing the buggy from about age 3. I think it is like with all developmental milestones, kids are individuals and as long as they are within the bounds of normal they just do things in their own sweet time and it doesn't matter. OP's child was prem so perhaps not surprising if he is taking a bit longer with some things.

At that age and size I'd expect him to be able to walk a couple of miles and I'd be concerned if he couldn't and would want to get to the bottom of why that was.

Get children walking asap! I didn't have a pram for my kids once they were two years old. You are doing them no favours at all pushing them around as if they're disabled. Do you want healthy children or not?

My average sized now adult son started school at 4 years 4 months. School was a 15 minute walk away which he could do fine in the morning, but after the first full day when I had to carry him home I used to bring the buggy for pick up. He used to walk half way and get in the buggy if he was tired. I think that went on until by summer term he was walking home. I don't remember anyone batting an eyelid.

Save his energy for school & use the buggy- or find one of those push bikes or something with a pole so it looks less like a buggy if you want to try to wean off the idea but honestly the staff will appreciate it more if he isn’t exhausted as will make for better learning. As soon as they get tired they can’t listen or concentrate and he may attribute school as not fun & get anxious or fussy til stamina goes up so buggy all the way- ex nursery school worker who has seen plenty school transitions x

our twins turned 5 and we were still in buggy mode, they are both excellent walkers now, don’t worry.

If there are no other factors then there’s a bit of chicken and egg that need to get through.

You don’t jump from being able to walk 5 mins to being able to walk 20. It’s built up. And buggy can be a hinderence to that because it’s tough to encourage walking further whilst also pushing the buggy because want it as a back up.

Some short walks purely for the sake of being a short walk may help with building stamina. Eg. End of the road and back. Then twice. Then to the next road. Ideally with your hands full so cant carry.

And keep plenty of snacks and treats to keep him going.

My son is very big for his age and still really wanted his pushchair at 4 🤣🤣 I too felt embarrassed though so as a compromise I bought him a 3 wheeler scooter for the nursery run. It worked really well for us.

Ours can take balance bikes/scooters to pre school, might be worth switching to this?

I got my eldest walking everywhere from 2.5 when my youngest was born (as I dont use a pram, just a carrier), he wasn't keen on walking and did complain sometimes but we got through it and generally it was okay unless it was a 'boring' walk. He's now 4 (and 3 months) and today managed about 4 miles walking/cycling. I would try a few trips out without the pram and see how far he can get, plenty of snack stops - does he even get too tired at fun places? Any places he can climb rocks/splash in streams/see animals? Child friendly museums?

Of course if there are health issues then that is different

Last time we used our buggy was when we went to Christmas Lights at Kew Gardens which is an awfully long walk. Ny twins were 4 years and 10 months. Their slightly younger school friend who went with us spent a lot of time on her dad’s shoulders, but I don’t have two husbands sadly :-) so we went with the buggy. We used Luton airport buggies when walking from the plane even after that, but you can never find them these days when you need them - otherwise the twins would insist on them even now at the grand old age of 7.

My youngest Dd was just like this. She used a pushchair all through Nursery. We said no more pushchair once she went up to Reception (4 years 5 months). Honestly though she often ended up on DH shoulders and just wouldn't walk for far at all. She was also small for her age. She is now coming up to 8. She plays football, is doing really well with her swimming (hoping to try out for swimming club in the summer) and has been picked to do a solo in her dancing show. She has also had a massive growth spurt and is now on the 75th percentile for height. Honestly, she still doesn't love walking. When we go for walks, she'll often ask if she can go on her bike instead. Still she gets on and walks when she has to and definitely has no physical issues.

Both of mine were still in the buggy at 4 almost 5. Suddenly they seemed to just grow in size and stamina and not need it around 5. Both now happily walk miles and miles. No amount of snacks or bribery would have got them walking younger as I did try. If both parents are there every time you go out it’s easier to ditch the buggy early as you can take turns in carrying the child. But it doesn’t work if you’re on you’re own.

My twins weighed 11kg by their first birthday. I’d definitely push for health professionals to continue to monitor his growth and check for any further reasons for the low weight etc. I wouldn’t stress about the buggy use. There are always one or two of the younger reception kids who are only just out of a buggy. Once they are running around with all their new mates they will naturally accept that buggy’s are no longer a thing.

Give your child a scooter, makes the trip to school more fun and quicker for the pair of you. I don't think a 4 year old should be in a pram for a 5 minute journey. They will be running around at playtime so surely can manage a 5 min walk.

My son is now in reception but even upto the summer before he would happily choose to go in the buggy and frankly I still used it for all day trips out as it was back breaking to carry him when he was tired.

his school was 12 min walk away and in the start I used a scooter as I worried he would walk all the way. Then my magic once he started school - no more buggy. I haven’t used it since September including day trips to theme parks. It’s magic

OP, he is tiny. My 17 month old is 10kg (had her weighed at the vets the other day! She just wanted to do what the dog was doing :) but seriously she had a check up with her paediatrician last Thursday and she is 10.5kg. Your little one is tiny - I would use the buggy as often as you need to but maybe other checks need to be done by a doctor? Do you think you can get a referral or pay privately? How is he doing with everything else? I travelled to Southern Africa on safari with my child no buggy and or baby carrier. She was happy to walk. If he gets tired and doesn’t want to walk it’s worth looking into but for the moment don’t worry about the buggy use. Do what is best for the two of you

My almost 4 year old is probably 14 kg. Also had IUGR, but he is always on the 5th percentile on the growth charts, never falling off, so maybe that is just going to be him. He doesn't get tired like you describe though, does he get gummy vitamins etc in case there is something he is missing? Have you considered him riding a scooter so he is up and about, but not expending as much energy as walking? I know safety can be a concern, but usually by this age with a lot of practice you can get them to stop at all corners and wait for you etc.

Were your children also 10 weeks premature and weighing 11kg at 4 years old?

They are all so different! My niece (also quite small for her age) used the buggy till she was about 5, she's 11 now. My son who is the exact same age as yours stopped using buggy at 2 and a half but even he still gets tired and will ask to go on his dads shoulders if it's a really long walk. 11kg does seem tiny though? That's the same weight as my 1 year old. Son who is 4 is 18kg. Has he been tested for coeliacs disease etc? Xx