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 also think that kids that are in buggies too long are kids that also get driven absolutely everywhere once they are physically too big for the buggy as they are "too tired to walk" "whinge too much" "unsafe to walk home from school" etc these kids develop absolutely no road sense and no independence from mum or dad.

my son whos 3 has a maclaren major elite has he can only walk short distances and gets very tierd easily i will use it as long as i need to

go sprouty!

at about 2

Glad you are so easily amused. Surprised you see health and fitness of toddlers as "deeply unimportant".

My 4 year old still uses a buggy.
She has a heart defect but looks fine just a bit small.
Im bloody sick of people giving me funny looks because they think she is lazy.

Ds is now 4.4 and has been out of the buggy for over a year if not more, I forget

DD is 2 next weekend and still in buggy all most of the time but and think it will be another 6 - 8mths or so.

But I don't drive so think a lot of my walks to town for shopping (at least 30mins each way) too far for DD yet.

Got to go.

DP needs a lift home from the pub and I need to dig out a warm blankie for the pushchair. I do hope he doesn't drag his feet this time, it's soooo embarrassing.

oh and by the way my ds2 dont have a dummy hes never had one he may go in his buggy now and again but hes feet dont drag on the floor and he is not overweight etc etc at some of the comments on here ffs

Makes me laugh all the judgey judgey people on here; I bet the 4yo's who do go in the pushchairs are the ones who spend less time strapped into car seats being driven around from school to after-school class, supermarkets etc.

FWIW, my 4yo very rarely sits on the buggy as I actively discourage it, but I don't drive and also have DS2's needs to consider, so I'm not going to make everyone suffer a slow and painful walk home up a big hill when I have a perfectly good seat going spare, just as most of you wouldn't force your child to walk a distance that you yourself would usually do in your car

I dont drive either and all mine do manage to walk fine (and have done since about 2) but I'm not going to judge as I do remember being pushed the long walk home after a tiring day at reception by my mum (she must have been fit!)

DS walks plenty BUT on a busy country lane, not wide enough for two cars to pass and without pavements, covered in sheet ice or piles of snow at the roadside, starting nursery school for the first time, yes, I use the buggy on occasion.

That doesn't mean he never walks or doesn't get any exercise.

We cross plenty of roads, green cross code style, play in the garden, go mental on the trampoline and go to soft play, as well as running around the school yard and PE.

DS is 3 and 2 months, he's still prone to tantrums and disobedience every now and then. When you've got lunatic drivers passing you on the road as if you weren't there, trying not to fall flat on your arse yourself and clinging onto a stroppy child's hand for dear life, it's not a lot of fun.

Quite honestly, I don't believe I'm damaging his health or stunting his development and I really couldn't give a damn what anyone else thinks.

He's as fit as a fiddle and in no way fat, so all these blanket, one size fits all, must be out of a buggy by.... is a load of tosh really.

Some posters are talking as if every child in a buggy over a certain age have never taken a step in their lives and eat exclusively at Greggs . If you don't know the circumstances you can't really judge, can you?

I don't need to use buggy for school runs because we only live 1 minute away from school .

Seriously though OP from about 2yo the Mini Micro scooters have been a godsend; they are just not much good in extreme weather, like recently. I do sometimes have to tow one of the boys up the big hill from town using the safety strap on the buggy though.

There are lots of people who drive their DC's to the school gate here, yet the school catchment area is incredibly small.

I fail to see the difference in letting a small child sit on the buggy for a short distance and them sitting in the car or getting on a bus with their parent/carer.

"I also think that kids that are in buggies too long are kids that also get driven absolutely everywhere once they are physically too big for the buggy as they are "too tired to walk" "whinge too much" "unsafe to walk home from school" etc these kids develop absolutely no road sense and no independence from mum or dad."

Spectacularly inaccurate, as evidenced by the PPs. Most of the mums using buggies slightly beyond the norm don't have cars. DD1 (4.3) probably won't go in the buggy again but has been pushed to school occasionally since september to no raised eyebrows or teasing (4 seems very early to be picking on other children for anything). Children who live closer than us (10-15mins adult pace) are routinely driven to school FGS. I have even slung DD1 during the bad weather recently.

yes I guess I can get a bit defensive when people think you're odd that your 4yr old sometimes uses the buggy though TBH it's been months now - I nearly stopped during the snow and offered it to some poor mum who was pushing a small wheeled stoller as it's a big fuck off Mountain Buggy. You'll spot me easily as he is huge for the buggy, overweight and sucking a dummy (it seems). Must be nice to live within cachement area and a 10min walk from school.

" 4 seems very early to be picking on other children for anything"
I am sad to say this this but they can and do
my youngest DC once came to me during a party upset because another girl had told her she was wearing "babies" trainers ie they were velcro fastening and not laces ( she was just 4 at the time)and I have been stood waiting at gates for class to come out led by teacher when 1 of the children decided he was going to go in younger siblings buggy for the walk home much to the astonishment of some of his classmates.I dont drive either have always walked or used public transport.

20 months with a couple of times at a shopping centre after that so he could sit and play while I got the shopping done. But definitely got rid of it for general walking (and we did a lot) at 20 months. We were never in a rush though and maybe if I'd had an older child to get to school I'd have needed it for longer.

Fair enough if you are in a rush or have a really, really long walk to school but I saw a friend of mine pushing her NT 4.5 year old ds round today - I see her doing this a lot and I know their journeys are short most of the time. I must be honest and think it looks silly and like she is pampering her ds who is looking increasingly chubby.

oh who knows.

What I do know is that on a walk with DD's Rainbows group (so 5 and 6 yos) we were walking up a hill and had gone about 500 metres when at least half a dozen of them were moaning they were tired, had tummy ache, couldn't walk any further etc.

Your particular child may be fit and slim but there are lots out there who aren't and if in general people viewed it as a bad idea to push a 4 year old around in a buggy designed for a baby (Maclaren is for up to 15kg; average weight of a 4yo is about 17kg) then that would be a good thing (most people agree that the obesity epidemic feared for our children is a bad thing, right?)

But why does this bother people so much? Do you all hold such strong opinions on your friends using their cars for short journeys?

The difference with using the buggy is that the parent is setting an example by walking and getting exercise, which the child will hopefully follow.

The possible obesity thing worries me because it will be a massive drain on the NHS in future years.

And I totally refuse to accept that the only options are to put a 4yo in the buggy or drive.

Plenty of people walk with their toddlers round here.

And yes I do feel strongly about the car journey thing. A friend of DS1's drives to Cubs, she lives nearer to the meeting than we do, and I think it's really odd. (We are about 10 mins walk away...)

But people are saying here that they DO walk with their children - they are not just shoved without thought into a pushchair at every opportunity. I was using the car as a comparison as it is essentially a buggy seat with an engine .

Actually, if I see people driving I assume it is because they are on their way somewhere else, in a hurry etc. I honestly don't believe that buggy usage will ever be cited as causing obesity.

I'm relived I'm not your 'friend' Clary. Please give yourself a pat on the back for being such a wonderful parent

I have friends actually, and they are all my friends, not my "friends".

Not sure what you meant by yr last comment washersaurus. back at ya.

Anyway, I suppose I am not thinking here about people I don't know who use a buggy for a 4yo, but people I know who do. It seems to be their default option and I do think it's not a good thing.

You just sound a bit smug tbh. I meant I wouldn't like to think I had a friend who was so critical and spent so much time worrying about how I was raising MY children without actually saying anything to my face about it. Just not my idea of what a 'friend' is, sorry.

Obviously, I don't have any RL ones that is why I am on here