Using a pushchair for a older child

[lisa270988]

Hi
My little boy is 4 5 in December he starts school in September.
We do a lot of walking as a family as I don't drive just my husband but he drives a lot for a work so at weekends prefer walking or using public transport to give him a rest from driving. We tend to walk as much as we can to save money on buses ect.
Yesterday we walked in to the town which in a 30 minute then round town then after we walked to the park which is 5 mins from the town then round the park its a big park then back out and back to the town to catch a bus home when we got of the bus ots also about a 10 minute walk home. We had a the pushchair with us and walked a lot but sat in the pushchair a bit for a rest as he would never manage all that walking. .
It just got.me thinking when he starts school he can manage the walk to school and home ect but at weekends when we do a lot.of walking like this will he look.silly in a buggy what about if he bumps in to school mates?
There is no way he will walk as much as what we he uses a balance bike sometimes but even then he gets tired on very long distances and like yesterday wouldn't be practical in the town

I think the pattern of walking you mention is very typical for most families and I’d be massively concerned that a nearly 5 year old can’t manage a couple of hours of walking with rest stops in between.
When you say he gets tired is he having a little whinge or is he too fatigued to carry on? If it’s the latter, I’d be taking him to the GP for his iron checking.
As the mum of 5 year old, if we saw one of his school mates out and about round town and they were in a pushchair, I’d assume they had a medical issue.

I think a pram is those circumstances is very unusual. I lived in London when my DC was that age and everyone walked a lot, you would never have seen a child who is about to start school using a pram.

will he look.silly in a buggy what about if he bumps in to school mates?

Honestly yes other children will find it strange and the would probably comment on it.

My DS is 4 (April) and we use a pushchair when out and about. He does walk but when we do longer walkers I do take the pram. I see no issue in it. It will phase out soon. I’ve seen others his age in them too when out and about.

Do you suspect any medical issues or feel like he's unusually tired for his age? How long were you walking around town for? I think lots of people have ditched the buggy but do shoulder rides or use a scooter or buggy board at age 4. By 5 generally children are walking well. My child who definitely still needed a buggy after 4 has a mild disability.

Unless he is disabled he is way too old for a push chair. Scooter or legs.

It’s reasonable to expect 1 mile per year of age. My 5 year old has been walking 5 miles since he was 3. And my 3 year old hates the pushchair. It takes time and encouragement, sometimes they moan, but they’re perfectly capable. The statutory walking distance for under 8s is 2 miles to/from school, which is probably about an hour each way on little legs.

Lots of the people that would judge you for this wouldn't do a 30 min walk into town and would just drive.

I think it's fine if he still is happy doing it, it will naturally fade out. But you could encourage bike/ trike/ scooter etc when it begins to bother you or him. You can get those trikes you have a handle to push when they get tired?

He shouldn't need it but of course it's up to you.

We left our house at 1.15pm and didn't get home till 6.10pm! And until we get on the bus at 5.35 to get home we was walking or running around the park the only time we stopped was for 10 minutes for have a ice cream. He did a fair bit of walking he walked all the way to the town then had a rest in buggy then walked all the around the park and then jumped back in buggy to get to busstop then out and walked home from bus stop so he was only in it whilst we walked round town for about an hour and half

My 3.5 year old hasn't used a pushchair for nearly a year. He walks. My 5 year old does too. If, for example, we went for a day trip to the zoo or a museum it wouldn't cross my mind to take a pushchair. They walk. There is a mum who brings her reception child to school in a pushchair and yes I think it's odd (absolutely no disabilities, before anyone suggests this). We go for long cycle rides regularly and mostly use scooters or bikes on the school run, but not because they couldn't walk there. Build up your dc stamina, he can't be in a pushchair forever.

Try a Micro Scooter or something. You get ones with a strap so you can pull them if they really need. My just turned 4yo goes all over on hers although I don’t pull her now, I make her do the hills!

And I do get it, we walk a lot too, a lot more than most people with young kids from what I see around us, but I didn’t want the passiveness I suppose of a pushchair past a certain age. I wanted to promote a bit more independence and moving under their own steam, and both of mine were keen to ride ‘something’ themselves so a scooter was a good middle ground and it’s easier when going around towns etc and on buses than a bike, particularly if you get a folding one.

It could well be too much for him. 18yo DD has EDS and now uses a powered wheelchair. At 5 she looked like the lazy child who refused to walk and we were judged hard.

My three year old does the school run which is a 45 minute walk each way. Concerning a 4 almost 5 year old can’t manage what you describe, are there underlying health issues?

Yep, except for any kind of additional needs, there is no reason for a child of 4 (nearly 5) to be in a pushchair. One of my neighbours has a child who is 4 and a half years old. (5 in February,) and she puts them in a pushchair and pushes them around the village. Looks bizarre as they look so big and grown. They are still in nappies full time though, and still have a dummy, so I think there may be some underlying issues that are unresolved/haven't been discovered yet.

Sorry but unless there are disabilities I do think he is far too old for a pushchair. Ours was ditched when our youngest turned 3. As a 5 year old he’d manage 15000 steps around Alton towers no problem (this is my comparison scale as probably the place we walk the most and as AP holders we go a lot). We went to Disney world last year and were doing up to 20000 steps around day in the Florida heat. If it’s there, he’ll use it. Just stop taking it out with you.

Unless he has a disability or a condition that affects his mobility/stamina for walking, then it's ridiculous for a 5 year old to be using a pushchair. Yes, his school friends would comment on it.

I wouldn’t judge, sometimes people need to get places quickly so a pram is best and then the child doesn’t get enough practice.
But I think surely most 4 year olds can do this level of walking can’t they? I have a child slightly younger than OP’s and she definitely can. She hasn’t had a pram for ages, and we walk everywhere.

Honestly this sounds like a very normal family day out that a typical five year old should manage fine.

By 4 my dc1 could happily walk 5 miles on rough terrain, elevation gain etc where’s dc2 would whine and moan until (ex) h picked her up. All kids are different but unless there’s disability shouldn’t need a pushchair past 5

Get a buggy board and put your shopping/bag/rucksack in the buggy.

I think 6 hours of working for a very small 5 year old who is only 95cm and weighs 13kg is a lot

He is still 4 at the moment

Get him a scooter or bike to use instead of walking

I mean you seem intent on claiming it’s fine and normal, but clearly you also know it’s not typical or you wouldn’t have posted.
No one’s going to physically stop you from using a pram with an older child but it’s not really typical.

Leaving the house at 1:15 and getting on the bus at 5:35 isn’t even 6 hours of walking. It’s 4, including a stop for ice cream and 2 stints in the pram.