I'm worried that my 2.5 year old is in the pushchair so much, she's never going to get out and walk

[notevenamousie]

When dd first started walking, she loved to get out and walk for a bit. We have a long walk to nursery and then for me to work each day, and last summer she used to get out and walk the last bit, whatever she could manage. Now, she is so often in the pushchair. If I try to go out without the pushchair, she refuses to walk and wants to be carried, and sits down and cries.

She/we have had a rough time of it lately, I left her dad a year ago and have been very low myself. I wonder a bit if I've overindulged her, or if this is just normal regression after a stressful time.

But I walk a lot and now I have a toddler who is just not interested and I wonder what have done wrong or what I could do differently?

rather than the rushed walks to nursery why dont you do a little walk, dont take the pushchair, on a weekend when you can go at her pace and maybe get to a park so there is incentive, if she wants to be carried carry her home not to the park. she will learn.
dd is nearly 2 and if i pick daisys/look at birds while walking she will walk 2 miles without moaning.

It's very rare for me to be a tough parent but this was one issue I get very tough on. Dd was also keen at first but by 2.5 wanted the pushchair or more often to be carried. She's a big heavy girl and I just couldn't manage it - and I also felt she could use the exercise. Even getting from the car to the house (about 50m) was a struggle - especially with bags too.

So I stopped taking the pushchair and just refused to carry her at all. We had a lot of wailing sit down protests and a lot of waiting for her to come along but I just didn't give in - I was very motivated. I'm sure some of my neighbours must have been putting wool in their ears. I got rid of the pushchair before she was 3.

Now she is a great walker - also helped by her Cm who walks a lot. The only person who has a problem is dh because he still carrieds her sometimes so of course she whines and pesters him like crazy - but never me but that shows that she would still do it if she could at nearly 4.

I do generally indulge her - but I'm glad she's such a good walker now. Consistency was the trick - I just wish I could do it with other issues.........

My dd was the same at 2.5 (we had dd2 when she turned 2 - so i needed her to walk!)

I didn't push it though, now at 3.2 she's rarely in the pushchair and runs everywhere.

She's still little, there's time

Thanks for the input. I might have to be tough. I am just unsure about the right thing to do. She loves reading a book in her pushchair. I know she CAN do it but I wish I could get her to WANT to, you know?

Perfectly normal ime. I found this happened with all mine (9 of them, eldest now 22). At some point they wanted to get out of the pushchair (around 18m), were a nuisance wanting to push it and fought me if I tried to get them back in. Then later on (around 2 - 2.5) they wanted to get back in It didn't bother me and made getting places quicker with them in the pushchair. Eventually they would give up and walk at some point(pushchair uncomfortable, prefer to walk, pushchair already occupied....).
Friends noticed that it happened with their children, too, once attention drawn to it.

It hasn't harmed them in any way.
Don't stress over it.

Oh let her enjoy reading her book.
She'll get out of the pushchair when she's ready..... or when you've really had enough
.

Thanks juule - there's not going to be a new occupant here. Maybe I'll hang on for a bit. As a physcially active mum, I want to have an active child, iykwim??

Mine are active. Being in the pushchair didn't seem to affect how active they were/are.
I'm not saying actively encourage pushchair use just don't fret if she wants to get in it for a while longer.