Anyone else's nursery say they shouldn't be bringing child to nursery in a buggy?

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

MSLRT · 02/11/2024 23:21

I think it isn’t anyone’s business but yours. The nursery can’t dictate what you do. Everyone’s situation is different and it is more practical to take a pram with such a long walk. I would carry on doing what suits you.

BarbaraHoward · 02/11/2024 23:26

I'm all for supporting the school but no I wouldn't allow them any say in this. Just because a child that age can walk doesn't mean they will, and very few parents have time to deal with that kind of nonsense on the school run.

We walk to school but drove to nursery (different facilities, similar distances) for this reason. DC got loads of walking at the weekend and indeed at nursery.

StarSlinger · 02/11/2024 23:28

Do they moan about parents driving there? No, I thought not.

Illneverstopnamechanging89 · 02/11/2024 23:30

Wow. I'm shocked they thought that email was okay to send! I dont drive and we walk everywhere, my DS had a pram until he was almost 4.

It was fantastic, I could sit in it the seat was so big! Basket was huge too.

Its none of their business. Are they up for coming to your house and walking with an upset toddler for 30 minutes? I ignore it and do what works best for your family

LizzieBet14 · 02/11/2024 23:31

Do they have storage for you to leave a bike or a scooter?

StSwithinsDay · 02/11/2024 23:32

upset toddler
A child who is almost 3 1/2 years old is not really a toddler.

whiteboardking · 02/11/2024 23:32

Is it aimed at those 3 and above?
Physical literacy is a huge issue now.
DC that aren't active & it has huge impacts for learning . It would be unusual in my (urban) area to see school nursery aged kids in buggies albeit not unheard of.

StarSlinger · 02/11/2024 23:34

whiteboardking · 02/11/2024 23:32

Is it aimed at those 3 and above?
Physical literacy is a huge issue now.
DC that aren't active & it has huge impacts for learning . It would be unusual in my (urban) area to see school nursery aged kids in buggies albeit not unheard of.

Is it unheard of for parents to drive their kids to nursery? Or is that okay?

StSwithinsDay · 02/11/2024 23:35

This is a very interesting and worrying article about school readiness.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvglrmg08kgo

Illneverstopnamechanging89 · 02/11/2024 23:38

StSwithinsDay · 02/11/2024 23:32

upset toddler
A child who is almost 3 1/2 years old is not really a toddler.

Depending on the child, a 3 1/2 year old could definetly still be a toddler

INeedAnotherName · 02/11/2024 23:39

Ignore it. The school won't bother finding out how long the walk is, or whether you have to go on to another place so time is limited or factor in how tired/ill your child might be. I had to take one child to primary before dashing to nursery to drop second child off. The timing was too tight for the distance as I had to do a very fast walk myself and no way would a child under ten be able to keep up.

LoveBluey · 02/11/2024 23:43

Sounds like energy that would be better spent trying to reduce the journeys by car where possible than vilify those who are walking.

I don't often use a buggy for my 3.5 year old but absolutely do for a full day out or any walk where we have a time constraint on arrival. Trying to drag an unwilling child along and get to school on time is not fun. At least they are getting fresh air unlike the many kids who undoubtedly arrive by car. (I drive to nursery myself, as it's a 3 miles from home and I don't have time for a 6 mile round trip walk before work) I certainly wouldn't consider walking there without a buggy!

Sasannach · 02/11/2024 23:43

Surely 3-year-olds in buggies is hardly a new thing?? I can't imagine how my mum would have coped having to go shopping with me and my younger sibling, if he had not been in a buggy at that age.

I would guess that many more children, on average, are now driven to and from nursery than in previous generations. And then also driven to primary school. At least if you're walking with a buggy, you're setting a precedent for walking, and might be more likely to also then walk to primary school (not in a buggy!), if it's a manageable distance.

Doesn't sound like the nursery managers or whoever really thought this through.

AutumnLeaves24 · 02/11/2024 23:47

How far is the walk? I'm guessing not too far if you & eldest can do it in 15 minutes.

I hate nursery sending out messages like this, but sadly a lot of parents do need help to parent well.

if you can do it in 30 minutes with him on foot I think thats reasonable to do.

StarSlinger · 02/11/2024 23:47

Why are they focusing on parents using buggies and not kids being driven everywhere? Makes no sense to me.

HelloMyNameIsElderSmurf · 02/11/2024 23:48

I remember my hairdresser saying to me 'oh has he actually got legs, it's just we always see him in the buggy' about DS aged around 3 - he's 19 now so you can bet it stung!

The reason they (very, very local to my house and DS loved to wave at them when we walked past) saw him in the buggy so much was that I walked everywhere when he was wee and we lived in the city; park, nursery, shops, to the library, down to feed the ducks, swimming... apart from the 'big shop' I barely drove at all those 5 years. It was brilliant for both of us AND of course DS walked loads, just not necessarily at their bit of the very busy street.

I'm rambling, but I'm actually quite cross at this - if you need to be somewhere on time, then you need the buggy. Much less damaging than putting them in a car!!

whatsthatwordagainfeet · 02/11/2024 23:49

StarSlinger · 02/11/2024 23:28

Do they moan about parents driving there? No, I thought not.

This!

A car is basically a giant pushchair.

i didn’t have a car when my eldest DS was that age so we did use a buggy for longer stretches.
Nursery was over a mile away so aged 3 he did sit in a pushchair for much of the walk. Ditto swimming and other places I would walk to.

I did occasional receive comments about still using a pushchair, yet people didn’t seem to see an issue with those who ‘No longer had a buggy’ strapping their child into the car for every journey.

Scutterbug · 02/11/2024 23:50

The only way I could see an issue is if people are leaving the pushchairs there, in which case they would have a point. Assuming you take it home, I don’t see an issue.

StarSlinger · 02/11/2024 23:50

AutumnLeaves24 · 02/11/2024 23:47

How far is the walk? I'm guessing not too far if you & eldest can do it in 15 minutes.

I hate nursery sending out messages like this, but sadly a lot of parents do need help to parent well.

if you can do it in 30 minutes with him on foot I think thats reasonable to do.

What? They need to be told not to use buggies for 3 year olds? Where are the emails about not driving the kids to nursery?

Sasannach · 02/11/2024 23:51

HelloMyNameIsElderSmurf · 02/11/2024 23:48

I remember my hairdresser saying to me 'oh has he actually got legs, it's just we always see him in the buggy' about DS aged around 3 - he's 19 now so you can bet it stung!

The reason they (very, very local to my house and DS loved to wave at them when we walked past) saw him in the buggy so much was that I walked everywhere when he was wee and we lived in the city; park, nursery, shops, to the library, down to feed the ducks, swimming... apart from the 'big shop' I barely drove at all those 5 years. It was brilliant for both of us AND of course DS walked loads, just not necessarily at their bit of the very busy street.

I'm rambling, but I'm actually quite cross at this - if you need to be somewhere on time, then you need the buggy. Much less damaging than putting them in a car!!

Exactly! If you need to walk a lot or make multiple stops, it's very hard otherwise! Plus it's so beneficial. I hate this idea that a buggy at such a young age is somehow an impediment to development whereas being chauffeured about in an SUV everywhere is somehow normal and unavoidable

Flipzandchipz · 02/11/2024 23:52

It isn’t the nursery’s place to say I don’t think. Thing is sometimes at 3.5 ish, kids can walk but a buggy can be handy to have at hand for if they get tired and also to speed things up a bit if you’re in a hurry. Some people may be coming in from a couple of mile away and then be heading in to work or doing the school run as well so a buggy may be helpful. It is all about balance isn’t it. Fair enough if a child that age never walks anywhere at all and is always in a buggy the nursery may have a point but in reality there are probably a few parents that actually do that

BunfightBetty · 02/11/2024 23:59

I’m with pp equating buggies to being driven around in a car seat. There is NO difference. The child is sitting and being transported in either case.

At 3, it’s definitely good for them to walk where possible. A time-pressured 30 minute march to get to nursery and school on time on week day mornings isn’t one of those occasions.

Nurseries will not have full knowledge of each family’s circumstances to be able to make a sensible judgement as to who can walk and who can’t. Neither is it their place to do so. It is for parents to decide what is appropriate for their child, using their comprehensive knowledge of the child’s abilities and the length of each journey.

I’d be having a polite but firm word with the nursery manager, recommending that they stay in their own lane in future.

HelloMyNameIsElderSmurf · 03/11/2024 00:00

Thanks @Sasannach - I can actually picture the buggy now, god it saw me through some times. We'd leave the house in the morning and just be out all day seeing things and doing things. Such happy times (wine may have been had, the six foot 19 year old has a cold and is very grumpy so the rose-tinted spectacles may be on too). I loved living in the city, jumping on a bus to go up to the museum if it was wet, making posting a letter a whole 'thing' for him.

Honestly OP just ignore the nursery.

Xmasasking · 03/11/2024 00:01

Gizmo2015 · 02/11/2024 23:15

As per the title really, just wondering if anyone else has been told the same?

I started my DS turned 3 end of June to my older childs primary schools nursery in September. Received an email addressed to all parents a few weeks later to say they were shocked to see parents bringing kids in in buggies, and we should only be doing so if they have special need. Buggies are recommended up to the age of 3 and all kids are over this age now and children should be learning to gain strength in their legs etc etc. Now we have a 15 min walk in to school (30 mins if little one is on foot) and I have to get both kids in on time. We do usually walk home. Many parents drive their kids in to school or drag them in on a scooter, is this better? My eldest went to the same nursery and I initially brought him in in a buggy no issues, we stopped using a buggy before the end of nursery which is what I planned on doing with my youngest.
So, I'm just wondering if this is becoming quite widespread now among nursery aged kids?

Are they going to tell parents to stop using cars . It's nothing to do with them. Ignore and do what works for you

EdgarAllenRaven · 03/11/2024 00:04

Agree it is not their place. But at this age we did switch to scooting, which did help to tire them out… you can also buy a “lead@ to pull them along if they’re tired.