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?

No assumption with the children who are driven because those parents are more likely better off. It’s not a like for like comparison. Need to look at the whole picture. Extended buggy use and no car is more indicative of disadvantage.

We didn't have a car. The buggy made it possible to drop off the eldest at school, bring DD2 back safely instead of having to dodge the Range Rovers bumping up the kerbs at speed, go to pre school, come back, pick her up from pre school, go to the shops (a useful learning experience for DD2 in terms of food, communicating with people, following her own visual shopping list, widening the foods she'd eat, numeracy, literacy, etc), get the shopping into the buggy, then collect DD1 from school, survive the 2.30-3.40 pavement parkers on the main road before DD2 would get out at the bottom of the hill and we'd go home via the woods/the park/the sweetshop/etc.

Once DD started at the Nursery class, the day was slightly flipped in that I'd have to drop off, do some activities/house stuff, then lunch, then Nursery, then shopping without DD2, then come back to pick them both up instead.

DD2 was one of the fittest, healthiest and fastest children in her Nursery class (just as DD1 was in her year) because we did so much walking, carrying and generally going places without the luxury of just piling into a car. But it also meant potatoes, cat litter, food, washing powder and all shopping in general had to be carried and walked up that hill, which the buggy helped massively with, what with being disabled due to autoimmune and joint issues - and I didn't mind being fitter, but I certainly would have objected to being thought as lazy because I didn't force DD2 to walk or use a scooter to roll herself into a grazed heap down the steepest part of the hill or straight under the wheels of a 4x4 whilst I carried shopping, school bags, a lunchbox, coats, PE kit, swimming kit, book bags and all the other bits of child related paraphernalia for considerably further than where the cars were abandoned parked for easy access.

Well, that and whilst going 10 yards from a car to school may have been doable in pissing rain, sleet and snow with an umbrella, it was a whole different prospect for a 3 year old without that - and the rain cover was very useful, as it kept her dry and warm whilst waiting the inevitable 10-20 minutes after the scheduled KS2 end time for DD1 to be let out and then having to walk home.

The last time I used a buggy was the day they broke up for Christmas when she was 3 and a half - I'd just bought a load of heavy stuff and knew I wouldn't be able to carry it as well as everything the girls were bringing home, but for the first time in weeks, DD2 climbed straight in because she was tired.

I'd probably mention the fact that the letter implied having additional needs was something to be ashamed of/they should be worried that people might think that of their children, would potentially be disclosing a child's personal medical information 'if you see a child in a buggy, that means they have SEND' and that it would create negative feelings for people who were unable to afford a vehicle or had a disability that meant they were less able to carry things or sprint after/carry small children in an area made less safe by the numbers who drove.

And the posters on here sneering at the thought that using a buggy might be a solution for a problem they have the privilege of never experiencing (ie, poverty/disability) should take a long, hard look at themselves, especially if they actually work with children.

To people saying that buggy usage contributes to developmental delay in otherwise typically-developing children - age 3 or 4 can be very awkward in terms of a child's stamina and motivation for something like walking a distance.

I can't remember how many times I brought my then-3yo to nursery on his balance bike only to have him refuse to keep riding it halfway, then me having to carry the bloody bike and plod along at the pace of a tiny child. We stopped bringing the bike when we needed to be somewhere on time, and used the buggy instead, until he could muster the physical and psychological stamina (through using the bike at other times).

Surely families who walk with a buggy are going to be more likely to then walk when the children are older and out of a buggy? Are there really people pushing around their 6 yr olds in one?? Incredibly few, I'd guess.

My son was in a buggy til at least 3.5 for walks where we needed to be on time or make lots of stops. Now at age 10, we still walk the same 1.2 miles to school together. For him, walking is the normal way of getting around and he can walk miles with no issue. Very few children walk that distance to school here. It's one of my very few parenting wins 😂

The cheek of it. I’d carry on doing what I was doing now but as a young first time mum I would have felt judged and told off.

Remember you’re paying them for a service.

But is the delay the child or the opportunities provided? Many are treated like toddlers when they are preschoolers the parents need support in treating their children appropriately a 3 year old is able to walk for over 30 mins at a good pace if they had been given opportunities as a two year old. It is now an Ofsted requirement to support parents in providing opportunities because parents are not doing it.

My 2.5 year old does the school run with me on foot which takes about half an hour each way, we just leave a bit earlier. I do personally find it strange when I see a child of his age or older in a pushchair. But saying that, it's absolutely none of the nursery's business how you get them there. You're paying them to take care of your child, nothing more nothing less. If it makes your life easier, just ignore the email. You're the mother, not them.

I have one day off a week with my pre-schooler. For me, the school day is short enough without leaving even earlier for the school run. If my 3 year old has already cycled or walked 2 miles in the morning, I have no guilt putting them in the buggy for the 2 miles on the way home, especially as plenty of parents (not just ones on their way to work) without a small child elect to drive the same distance.

Is this actually the case though? I have not found any evidence in terms of research which has come to this conclusion. If you know of any please do let me know so that I can have a read. I am genuinely interested to see what has been proven in this regard.

I have found quite a few hate bait newspaper particles who quote psychologists (one which states that children in prams have speech delays, can't remember the name of the psychologist) however, when you actually read the research paper it is actually making a comparison between forward vs backwards facing buggies and concludes that children who stay in forward facing buggies for longer are more likely to have a speech delay.

But, interested to see some official research on the matter.

Whatever works for you. You should feel no guilt in that. It's just a pushchair. I'm sure you play with your child, love your child, feed your child and clean your child.

I don't drive and my 3 year old will use a buggy sometimes otherwise it would take us forever to get anything done! Most of the time she walks and I push our bags in it 😂 I'm wondering if the email is aimed at a particular person . We get a few emails about safe guarding and cleanliness , also we all
Got one about parents not buckling children in car seats as they drive away and that wouldn't be everyone , but everyone got the email , it could just be their way of trying to get to an actual person but didn't want to single them out? Even though I don't agree that's fair on your occasion because like you said most people drive everywhere!

I think the school nursery is right to raise the issue. An almost 3.5 year should not need a buggy for a relatively short walk to school, unless they have a disability affecting their mobility or are ND etc. A 3 year old should easily be able to walk a mile each way.
Whilst ultimately the decision lies with the parents, evidently enough parents are burying their heads in the sand about this that the school feels the need to make a public health announcement. Children need to build muscle and gain strength as well as to learn road safety and they won't do that sat in a buggy. And I bet a large number of these children are glued to a phone / tablet whilst being pushed along too.
Sorry, OP.

"unless they have a disability affecting their mobility or are ND etc."
...and do you think you'd definitely know that by 3.5??

I live in a very walkable area where there are a lot of well-heeled, educated parents who don't drive, for environmental or health reasons (or both). It was noticeable in the early years of primary school that the children who used push chairs until they were older were generally far more physically capable than their peers and had much better stamina when walking in school trips etc because they generally walked as fast and as as far as they could every day. So when not linked to other factors such as poverty, it seemed to better for children to use a push chair rather than a car.

We've had the same email so you're not alone

Thank you zerored.
And what reasons have they given if you don't mind me asking?

Thats a really interesting point. Thank you so much for letting me know this.

What about the children who only live a mile or two away who are strapped into their car seats and driven in an SUV every day to and from nursery? It is literally no different than the mum without a car who uses a buggy for longer stretches. Why are those parents not being mentioned in the emails?

https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/news/2023/11/drop-number-two-year-olds-expected-level-development-government-statistics-show

Thats correct, there was no separate email sent to parents regarding driving their kids to school. Just the email regarding the buggy with a picture of a buggy in a red circle with a big red line going through it!

This dubious, unscientific anecdote of a few families and your vague perceptions makes it absolute nonsense!

The number of children aged two to two-and-a-half years old meeting or exceeding the expected level of development in 2022-23 was lower than in the previous year, new statistics published by the Department for Education (DfE) have revealed.

That literally times exactly with the lockdowns, though.

Using a car means finding somewhere to walk near a busy primary school ie probably at some distance, using a buggy means pushing them up to the door.one involves tge child using their legs, the other doesn't

I was thinking that exact thing.
Kids who were 2 in 2022 were born in lockdown, masks and social distancing.

But the government can't undo that mess so they'll kick the blame on to mums and buggies.

Exactly the same as downturn in teens MH, is nothing to do with lockdowns, things being closed, some never to reopen, the push of masks in schools, endless testing, gender nonsense. All hard stuff to fix
We'll kick the blame onto mobile phones instead.

I never used the word toddler. Not sure where you got that from?
Also, the parents I see driving their kids to school are the ones who park selfishly in front of peoples driveways right outside the school gates. Some even on the zig zags right in front the the door. Thats the only reason I've noticed them.

Again though, this would surely just be based on assumption and not fact?