what age did you say goodbye to buggy?

[scanty]

Just curious. My 4 and a half yr old hasn't used his buggy for a few months. Know that people go on at the age of some kids still in buggies - so what age did your child say goodbye to their buggy? To walk him to school in the morning, I feel he still needs it as it's a good 30-40 min walk and he dawdles badly and we would always be late and stressed. Or what if you wanted to go a really long walk?

I feel bad now as I make my 2 yo walk everywhere....

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3.1 years. DC2 due in April and I'm not buying another buggy. Scooter, though, is brilliant. DS is amazing on it. Have also just bought him a cute umbrella for wet days, which he adores.

Re culture - yes, too right! Apparently in the West we keep our children away from long walks faaaar longer than in non-Western cultures - someone told me a story about a friend of hers who'd had her first baby in an African country and she was walking miles at age 2 because that's just the norm there. Then when they returned to the UK everyone was practically pressurising her to buy a buggy for her daughter .

We gave it up with dd2 at about 2y9m - and then had to take it up again a year later when she was diagnosed with a degenerative hip condition.

She hated having to go back in but I have to say that the shopping carrying potential is still a huge draw for me (she is now 6y2m and in it for another year - though now a Maclaren "Major" - a disabled buggy.

If you choose to keep your older child in a buggy - be prepared for the comments. I still get (despite the obviousness of the fact her buggy is for an older disabled child) "you woudl think a child that age could walk!" etc.

Luckily enough, dd2 is now old enough and mouthy enough to give it back to pass-remarkable old ladies - always throws them when she starts talking "well I have Perthes disease so I have to be in a buggy, dontch'a know, my consultant says so" usually shuts them up

Both at around 3 (dd and ds1) when siblings arrived and it obviously wasn't worth it to get a double buggy. Dd was already walking for 90% of the time anyway, ds1 was more buggy reliant but has coped much better than I had anticipated without. I was considering a buggy board before ds2 was born and really worried about the school run (we don't have a car) but tbh ds1 seems to have forgotten about it easily and walks everyehere now (with whinging natch)

DS1 went onto buggy board at 3, DS 2 used buggy until finished nursery - up until then he had to walk to and from school and then go back to collect DS1. I walk everywhere as don't drive and he actually walked most of the time but sometimes was just so knackered the return journey would have been a nightmare. He was 4 1/2 when finally stopped.

There is no right age to stop is there? Depends on how much exercise they're getting, your use of cars / public transport etc.

The thing I found was that although DS would happily walk for 40 minutes in 1 go if we were somewhere interesting, 4 x same old 10 minute walk to/from school was less exciting and when I was pg with DS3 it was so much harder to cope with the sitting down on the pavement refusals

both boys around 3. due to me losing a wheel more than anything else!!!!!!!!! long story!

But why odd, exactly?

No idea about weight limits, and he was easily capable of walking a mile, but he was tired at the end of the school day so why make him when there's an easy alternative?

Exercise not an issue, he's always had plenty of that.

cadelaide I used the word odd because you did mostly.

But yes, I find the notion that a 4yo (obv without special needs) cannot or would not or should not walk a mile odd. It looks odd when their feet trail on the floor.

You wouldn't put a 6yo in it I guess. Why not? because they can manage the walk? Well so can a 4yo, honestly.

For some reason (some) people seem massively to underestimate the distance an NT child can walk. IMO it's one of the reasons for the obesity epidemic studies (and my eyes) show us we are facing. Not yr child then, but plenty of others.

it's probably not he distance but how long it will take to walk it if you're up against it in the morning. Also before my 4 yr old started school, I'd push him in the buggy to pick up the elder one at 3pm as I didn't want to take 40 mins or more to get there and then the same straight home again. On the way home they could walk and take their time. Also for walks into town, just felt it was safer to have in the buggy. Definately made it easier and safer walking home on busy streets loaded down with shopping and a whinging 4 yr old.

Whenever it suits you and your child really, who cares if its the norm

I guess I am not in the habit of going on long shopping trips with my DC anyway.

If they were going to be a whinging 4yo I wouldn't have taken them. The buggy would hardly make it fun for me (or them)

It's not necessary a long shopping trip but say going to the library and groceries. And I have to take them or no food unless I did Internet shopping.

I still use the buggy occasionally for DS who is 3.

If we're planning on spending a long time in a large busy shopping centre for example, it's just a whole load easier to keep him safe and out of trouble and much less stressful for me. If it's just a quick shop, he walks.

He's also just started nursery, which is a 15 minute walk, or 30 minute walk at DS's pace, so we take the buggy if we're running late, if it's chucking it down, if it's icy or when I'm picking him up, otherwise it takes over 40 minutes to get home as he's lying down on random patches of grass/pavement claiming he's so tired he'll just sleep here

2 years and a bit. He does get tired after a lot of walking in which case one of us carries him or we cut our trip short. I think (prepares for flames) that in the absence of any kind of disability a child of that age should be quite capable of walking - they need exercise. Children don't build up stamina unless made to do so.

(Also notes, and prepares to roast in hell, that DS is lean as a whipppet whereas many other toddlers of his age are frankly, fat)

3 except for very occasional trips (ie when ds was unwell at about 3 1/2 and had to go out or dd at Legoland at just 4)

Georgimama is your DS an only child - that could explain your views.

He is, but how does it explain my views? Do tell.

And I wasn't an only child, I was one of three and my mother had to turf each child out of the pram and make them walk at age 2 so the next baby could use it. So explain that.

Just 3, and we walk everywhere.

Agree that scooters are fab if you have to walk a distance.

A child of 4 (assuming they have no disabilities) should be able to walk for 30-40 minutes with no problems.

DS1 was a lazy walker and had to be shoehorned out of it at nearly 4. He would have happily stayed in it forever i think!

DS2 has just turned 3 and hates the buggy, so we rarely use it, apart from in shopping centres or whatever.

Luckily our walk to school is under 10 minutes, but i long for the buggy as DS2 is a running out into the road kind of chap.

Answer to running in the road is reins, another big MN crime I imagine.

Georgimama, thank you. I tried both reins and a wrist-link. Both of which made him lie down flat on the pavement and refuse to move. I didn't think dragging him along the ground would be a good look, so now i just have to hold his hood and trot along with him, shouting a lot.

See, I did used to hoik DS to his feet with the reins. Unfortunately he used to find this immensely funny and would deliberately take his feet off the floor to enjoy the "bungee" effect. Terrible mother, me.