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?

The point I was trying to make is that when I was younger, we drank out of a cup at school however now, children are being asked to drink out of a bottle at school for 35 hours+ a week. If as you say, children can no longer drink out of a cup, that can't help matters?

@jannier I think my mantra is why make life difficult?

Why give my child an open cup and have inevitable spills of water and milk when he can have a sports bottle and not spill it and drink more?

Why have thirty children in uniform and fidgeting and fumbling their way through getting dressed when they can just come in their PE kits?

As someone’s already said, the 70s were not some sort of utopia for childhood. I don’t doubt some things were better but most were not. Making children do things doesn’t make you a better parent or childcarer.

So my 15 min brisk walk in the morning rush using a buggy has caused these issues? But those using other methods convenient to them which don't involve their children using their leg muscles hasn't?

Schools ask kids to come in PE kit due to lack of changing facilities. Infants can change in the classroom... older children need to separate into boys and girls.

Cups... my youngest is only 11, but they had cups in the Reception classroom for free milk as it came in normal little bottles not individual cartons. The problem was they needed a TA to wash them afterwards.

The NHS guidelines is 180 minutes of exercise a day for 3yos, including an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise.

Yes so many are completely ignoring this!

I walked everywhere when my little one was age 2/3 as no car. I live in a fairly small town but there would often be a mile or two between places. So a mile to get to toddler splash at the swimming pool, another mile to go to the shops and the park afterwards then another 2 mile walk home for example. The little soft play was 1.5 miles there and back.

There were many other mums with toddlers and similar schedules who would use their car all day every day to get between all these places 🤷‍♀️

I think this is where we have to be careful. Children can use cups, but we choose not to because of washing. Children can get dressed themselves but we choose not to because of changing facilities. But it’s easy to look at that and to assume.

Also regarding this narrative about ‘poor children from car-free families sitting in buggies with juice’

These children will still outgrow buggies and then have no choice about walking to school throughout the whole of primary and secondary school, as well as walking to shops and other places at weekends. So they will make up for this in the long run.

Unlike many of the middle-class families in my area who chauffeur their kids round in an SUV to absolutely everywhere- primary school when it’s only a half mile up the road then through to secondary school, sixth form etc. It’s like they haven’t heard of walking.

Nobody said it was only those in buggies but school have been told to target what they see presumably car users are not parked at the nursery door but children who can walk are seen being pushed in buggies....and they do know where you live....well the ones around me do as they home visit....so know it's only a short walk.

They might know where they live but they don’t know about the circumstances that family has. If the circumstances are challenging the family might need support with that but most likely they are just rushed! We don’t walk to nursery and won’t walk to school either and I don’t love the thought of a three, four year old in a buggy, but it really isn’t a good way of addressing the issue!

Where do I get a three year old that stationary, please? 😂

In our area it's infants coming in PE kits because it takes the whole pe lesson in changing because parents haven't taught the children. We don't get school milk it's been requested.

Plug them into a device rather than out in the garden....as many don't use gardens or parks they are not getting vigorous exercise....how often is a 3 year old breathing hard?

Infants never had changing facilities it's not about that....how many of the nappy wearing 3 to 5 year olds can self dress?

Jannier I have to say that for somebody saying they work with preschool children (and therefore presumably closely with parents) your posts are seeped in judgement and more than a bit of spite.

It is one thing to note things that concern you but the way you’re putting them across is coming across as very scathing and condemnatory of the parents, and a lot of them will be in difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately if parents didn't use the it's quicker/easier attitude we would have children dressing and drinking, doing coats up etc on entering nursery instead it's too much effort to teach one so schools are supposed to teach 30 and forget the education because children can't self care. This is why lots of initiatives being launched on school readiness to tell parents to pull their fingers out teach dressing, toileting, hand washing, self feeding and drinking. Parenting isn't about easy.

I kind of disagree, I have an able bodied and very active 5yo, who walks to school and back everyday, it takes us 20ish mins to walk with her, but both me and my husband can do the other journey alone in 10 minutes. Kids don't walk as fast as adults.

Edited - posted twice

I don’t think anybody finds parenting easy, least of all those doing so in challenging circumstances. That’s my issue here: instead of ‘we have children who struggle to drink from cups, how can we support parents to help them’ it’s ’parents (and let’s face it, mothers) are lazy and want to take the easy route.’

Horrible posts and honestly I am sure the parents who have sent their children to you would be upset by it.

Probably for the three to four hours she’s doing gymnastics or dance ? She’s very determined to get to the Olympics, bless her.

And she’s definitely not still the rest of the day unless she’s reading or drawing . She is very high energy . We don’t do any screen time but i honestly don’t think it would Make a difference with her - she’d probably just end up watching it in a headstand!

Of course not, but they should be able to walk fast enough that every journey shouldn't take double the amount of time though. Admittedly, a lot of that is running ahead, waiting, dragging behind, running ahead etc. But an able bodied child should be able to walk beyond a snail's pace.

Our journey to school is 22 mins (adult pace) or about 30 mins (with kids in tow).

Even young school children is a totally different to a recently turned 3 year old. One of my DC has also just turned 3 and it’s very normal amount all their peers for a 15 min walk to double.

But the drinking in the old days you talk of was just lunch time not at desks or in class. School shouldn't have to teach a skill that should be embedded by 18 months IE drinking from a cup and sitting to drink. What your saying is because the parent can't teach their child the school should either deprived children of drinks or now teach them how to use a cup....something humans have done from leaving the breast but now parents don't do.

How many do gym 3 to 4 hours a day? How many even use their garden?

Well, what are your minded kids doing while you’re on here?

Because you’re either no longer childminding which is fair enough but then how can you pass judgement if you are no longer working? Or you’re currently childminding in which case you’re being a bit hypocritical to criticise parents for ignoring their children.

I'm not saying there is a correlation. But it's quite a clear reason for schools to worry about development. It's misguided of course because as you say plenty of parents do too much driving.