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

[Gizmo2015]

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?

Not really the point. If the nursery are concerned about children not getting enough exercise then they need to also focus on the many children who are driven to nursery.

You know your child. If they and you benefit from a quick way to get to a long day at nursery then it's no business of anyone else's! And targeting the whole group with the same email when you could be coming from quadruple the distance of others or ignoring those that drive has no meaning anyway.

School nurseries have different expectations. The children are probably in catchment and expecting to attend the school which means any who can walk will do so. I'm not sure this is unreasonable but it's a confrontational email to be sending out.

Fwiw I'd be more worried about the amount of preschoolers with dummies in their mouths at all times and the children ferried around in cars without their feet ever touching the ground. But I can see where the nursery is coming from.

There's nothing to say the car drivers didn't also get letters asking them not to drive in.

Some people do need to be told to get their 3 year olds out of their buggies & onto their feet (plus fizzy drinks & junk food out of the little hands in the buggy) & get into the habit of walking to school.

if a slightly older child can walk it in 15 minutes it can't be that far!!

I think the nursery are correct that an able-bodied three year old should be able to walk a 15 mins walk. If it's taking 30 mins, I think he's maybe not used to walking... possibly because he's been over reliant on the buggy? Bit of a chicken and egg situation.

A sedentary lifestyle is an increasing problem for everyone, including kids who are being driven/wheeled everywhere because it's too much hassle/time to walk.

How much are you paying for nursery? Does it involve them providing unsolicited advice on how to transport your child?

Fuck them. Your kids. Your rules, little ones get tired & you may have shit to do like shopping or picking up another child.

The Range Rover drop offs are the real problem. Never addressed for obvious reasons

If our nursery said that I’d be telling them to F off! My DS has recently turned 3 and we have just started thinking about whether we might use a bike or scooter for the way to nursery but frankly walking with DS in the pushchair is still very much part of our routine and will be for at least the winter coming. We are one of a very small number who walk regularly- the rest drive in!

It is now the only time we use the pushchair now though - he walks, runs, jumps etc outside for large parts of the nursery day and at home with us we usually spend large chunks of the weekend being physically active. We are a family who walk everywhere and limit small car journeys as much as possible. When time isn’t of the essence, he walks everywhere too.

I would be asking them what their programme of physical literacy is?? Our nursery do loads of physical and outdoor play.

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Just ignore. It's obvious that a 3yo while capable of walking isn't going to do a 15min walk without complications, delays and occasional tantrums/outright refusal at the beginning and end of a long day at nurswry. The nursery are being disingenuous to avoid being expected to provide buggy-parking facilities for the fanilies where a different person does drop-off and pick-up so the buggy has to stay with the child. The (few) people who don't use buggies will be the ones who are driving and parking very close so that a reluctant/tired/uncooperative child can be carried - that's not something the nursery should be encouraging for everyone.

Ugh. I wonder what they think of running buggies....
I used to run my DD to nursery, 30 min there and back for me, off to work on time. I wonder how long it would have taken with her meandering along looking at every single flower. Deciding she didn't want to walk and sitting down on the path. Saying hello to every dog we passed.
Have they met any three year olds...?

We had similar years ago with DD nursery we had a 10 min walk to the primary to drop older two off then 15 min walk up a huge hill to the nursery. And it was 15 mins difference in drop of times so we used the buggy but we switched tp one of those trikes with a handle because to be honest I didn’t want the judgment

It's a very silly message from the nursery. Use whatever mode of transport works for you.

This is your decision OP and you need to do what works best for you. Having said that, I think that as parents we do sometimes get stuck in a rut and it can help to have an outside perspective. Maybe worth giving it some thought (as you are doing by starting this thread) before you make a decision. Could a scooter work (as a pp suggested)? Or maybe walk once or twice a week if that's easier than every day?

Former nursery teacher here, tell them to shove it.
They don’t get to dictate to you how you get your DC to and from school/nursery
As a parent now, I would be responding to that email that you believe it’s quite inappropriate for them to do so.

At 3/4 DS mostly walked the 25/30 minute journey to nursery and back, we occasionally drove if weather was bad (very rainy and/or windy), and I used the buggy in snow (to keep him wrapoed up warm). As long as your child is getting opportunities to walk at other times it's probably fine though.

When my youngest was at preschool , about 50% were in the buggy there (decreasing through the year) all walked home... and any who were back two hours later to pick up siblings were in buggies. When they all started reception, they walked fine.

The child's wellbeing and development IS quite literally the school's business!
I can remember, back in the 70s my dB having some childhood illness which affected his joints and left him unable to walk for a few weeks.He had to use a pushchair during this time and I remember how incongruous it looked in the 70s to see a 3 year old in a pushchair, and he was very embarrassed!
I think although it is less convenient for you, you need to prioritise what is best for your child.If he were used yo walking e very day, he would get used to it.You need to use your imagination to motivate him to begin with.15 mi utes is a very short walking distance!

While your nursery's intentions are good, I don't think it is their business how you transport your child to and from nursery. I mean how is it different to a child being taken in on a cargo bike or by car? The child's still not using those precious little legs. When you look at it like that, it's clear it's a stupid comment. It takes me 30 minutes to walk to my son's nursery so occasionally I will use a pram and he just turned 4! I see it simply as a vehicle to get him to nursery or home quickly and that's it. For most other kinds of walk, it's a no, But the bottom line is that I'll decide each time. We just returned from a holiday where my DC was walking 10-15k steps a day, so it varies. He's neither sedentary nor overworked. It is very strange of your nursery to write that and frankly none of their business. Write them a letter saying that they should take the children out more on walks and trips if they are so concerned about building up leg muscles, etc

Balance bike? Micro scooter? My kids didn’t need a buggy for the 1.2km journey to nursery, but that’s because they travelled by bike, something we practiced every day from 2.
that said my 3.5yo would often end up in buggy with the baby on the return trip, at end of nursery day.

I worked on independent travel so that they would be cycling to school in reception, and it takes time and effort to build stamina.

but buggy is fine if the alternative is a car.
so long as you are also creating space and opportunity to build walking stamina at other times in the day/week.
as investing in that at 3 will pay off when they are 4/5/6/7 etc

Exactly, this is what grinds my gears. Some people walk a fait way to nursery, in terms of time if not wearing them out as well a buggy makes so much sense. Children sat in the back of a car they won't be concerned with not walking.

I see where the school is coming from but also think it’s unreasonable. I’m happy to encourage my 3yo preschooler to walk and she can also cycle a pedal bike well.

BUT she’s 3 so she’s completely unpredictable and that is an issue when you are rushing to do the school run. In our case the school is a 20 min walk from our house on a good day and in the opposite direction from the station so I need to do a 40 min round trip before I’ve even started my commute. I can’t run the risk of a 3yo deciding they don’t want to walk, or being slow etc.

As it happens, I have an electric cargo bike and can do the round trip in less than 15 mins - much quicker than walking, much more pleasant than driving, and no one would think to criticise it though for DD she may as well be in a buggy!

Agree with PP: ask them why they are not talking about parents driving their kids around.

I am guessing that the messaging is coming from someone who drives everywhere and it's never actually occurred to them that a buggy ride can be longer than the distance between a car park and a shop/nursery/whatever.

3.5 year olds in a buggy are certainly not commonplace where I live. It would stand out significantly and I think a lot of people would assume the child had developmental issues.