5 yr old and pushchair dilema

[SaltNSauce]

I know it's a hoary old one but I am so undecided.
I ordered a new MB Swift in a fit of PMS but am wibbling. My youngest will be 5 in sept and starting school. We use a pushchair sometimes at the minute but used one a lot last winter when it was rainy and cold.
We have a mile and a half walk to school.
Cancel order of expensive but lovely Swift and see how we get on or even just use old pushchair.
Or just let Swift come [beginning of July] and sell at a loss if not used?

Is dc fit and healthy?

I know a mile and a half can be quite a long walk in the cold and rain but as long as the dc gets a good amount of sleep at night I'm sure itl be fine, I dont know any children who come to school in a buggy

I certainly wouldn't buy a new one anyway...

If your child has no health problems that mean they cant walk then why on earth would you have a 5 yr old in a buggy?? My dd is 5 since Feb, and started school last Sept, she would have been laughed out of it by her peers if she had arrived to school in a stroller! Children are well able to walk a mile and a half, esp if you do it at their pace.

Apologies if your child has some health problem that means he needs a stroller, you dont mention it in your post

If not keen on walking (like my dd - painful knees) how about trike or bike + stabilisers and parent handle? Pushchair will cause teasing, but a bike caused envy.

The bike idea sounds great. It would definitely be more cool. We are also looking at a Mutsy Fun Seat - like a bike handle - but it's probably still a bit too pushchair like for a 5 year old. (£50 for a second hand urban rider chassis on Ebay and £30-65 for the seat).

No health problems and she does walk well most of the time.
I do not want to take a bike or scooter because when the DDs get fed up I am the one who ends up carrying them.
I have seen pushchairs being brought at the end of the day for reception children especially those who have a bit of a trek home.
Think I will cancel the order.
Can always use current pushchair at a pinch.

my son since age of 3 has been using his micro scooter- the 3 wheeled version- it is great. you can fasten something to it too so child doesnt go too far ahead etc.

definitely wouldn't want dd to be seen going to primary in a pushchair - really would be likely to lead to bullying. I got rid of pushchair for her when she was 3. Now she's 3.5 and walks with nursery to the library which is over a mile away and is fine. We have to allow extra time though.

a 5 year old is more than capable of walking that far. they won't wash away in the rain or cold. Just get some waterproof clothes and wellies for goodness sake.

Don't see any of the children at DS's school using a pushchair - he's in reception.

have you thought about you cycling with a bike trailer to school, no kids would think that was babyish, my little boy has asd and i have to have him in a pushchair sometimes and the kids have started to say things like baby and why are you in there and he is in the back of a joovy and also when he is on a buggy board, i have found that if he is in a wagon with his sister the other kids think that is ok and think it is cool ( he is 5 years old and already at school ) radio flyers are good and you get used to pulling them very quickly. I know some kids just dont like walking that far, but i really would avoid using a pushchair because kids and parents can be cruel,

OP I would'nt buy a new pushchair for a 5 year old, not worth it when you balance up cost/usage.

For what it's worth my DS has just turned 5 and was quite lazy to get out of a pushchair, but when he 3.8YO I decided that he just did'nt need to be in it anymore because he has no health issues and was not a paricularly unruly child.

If your DS is also just a bit lazy then I would get him a bike or scooter and if he does'nt want to go in it then his only other option is too walk, this worked for my DS aftre a week of fights :)

I would wonder about a 5YO being in a pushchair TBH but each to their own :)

No way I'd get a buggy for a fit healthy 5 yr old. My DS got turfed out of the buggy before he was 4 (was only in it that long due to a run of chest infections over the winter) and made to go on a bike instead. I was really mean with him that if he got off he had to push it himself because I wasn't going to carry it for him. It was an effort for a little while but he soon got the idea. If he is really stubborn, which I can sympathise with because DD's photo is to be seen next to stubborn in the dictionary, then maybe a Radio Flyer type wagon would be a good alternative? Then you can chuck all the school bags and what have you in there and he can hitch a ride when tired. I can see a 1.5 mile walk after a day at school might be a bit much at times for a 5 yr old.

Ok ok I am trying to cancel the order. If only the company will respond.

I wouldn't want to get rid of my buggy because 6 yr old DS still uses it for DDs school run when he's ill, and we take the cat to the vet in it. But no way would I buy a new one for a 5 year old if the old one was actually still working.

oh i would definitely cancel.

i think it's a huge amount of money for something you are rarely going to use. unless you're considering having another baby, in which case you[ll use it anyway

i think the bike and trailer is a really good idea. that's what we're planning come september when ds1 changes school and we have an almost 2 mile trip each day. eep.
i also have 2 other kids to transport.

Speaking as a parent who walks my children a mile to school and a mile back each day (dont drive, no buses) I know a mile and a half there and back, day in day out along with school is a heck of a lot for a five year old! It makes me really cross to hear other people tell you if your five year old has no health issues this walk will be fine. On a Mon and tues maybe. By Wednesday they are v grumpy, the walk home takes an extra 20 mins. By Thursday you have lots of whining, and unless you set off twenty minutes early in the morning you'll be late. Thursday evening you'll be wondering if your child is sickening for something, Friday you get spectacular tantrums. By week two your child announces they do not wish to attend school anymore. The physical tiredness is accumulative. You are at the same time expecting your small child to make the most of the education on offer at school.
Fair enough their little legs will keep plodding along, and you can bundle them up against the weather, be prepared to take your child into the cloakroom and unbundle them again (or despite you getting them to school in time, they could be late into class do set off extra early on these days.
When it snows, the school may close because the children who are driven in (despite living closer to school than you, the parents of whom would laugh for you using a buggy) can't get in, and besides they don't own weather gear. You who lives further away will set off early and turn up to find the place empty! The school send the "were closing due to snow" message after you normally set off anyway.
Me bitter?
I'd get the buggy and use it personally. You just have to close your ears to negative comments. Make life as easy as possible I say. There's no prizes for being a martyr!
I know it is possible for a child of five to walk that distance, there's a huge difference between doing it a few days, and having to do it twice a day everyday without fail.
The bike idea is fab. In principal.
Our garage takes 10 minutes to unlock, then get all the bike locks off, get bike helmets on. We find the bike paths are crowded with dogs off leads and people at peak times near schools, so it slows us down and we end up walking and pushing the bike. As I have older kids too they would be on their bikes. I wouldn't want them cycling on the busy road, so cycle path is only option.
Lots of people who suggest a five year old should be capable of walking three miles a day plus school wouldn't actually have experienced this themselves..not day in day out.
I regularly had a mum tell me my then youngest should be walking, and then is see her go past us on a bus. She lived only half a mile from the school too!
I used an old baby jogger back then, v like the performance jogger they make now. Her class mates were v envious, they did not laugh at her.

Ps, by end of year R, you will be able to reduce the days you use the buggy in summer term. You might find your using it almost full time again at the start of year 1 particularly in bad weather, because the longer you take to get to school (if not zipping along with buggy) the more rained on or cold you will both be! Also your child may be more tired with new school routine and extra work load.

By age 6 a micro scooter might be the way to go.
My 7 and 9y olds still are v tired by Friday each week.
I don't see any other kids that live as far away as us from the school (one mile) walking every single day. They all seem to be driven there or use a bus and only walk occasionally. Walking occasionally, or part of the way must be v easy compared to having no choice in the matter even if you have a cold, or just feel exhausted.

I know someone suggested something http://www.bestbuggy.co.uk/2011/05/step-2-neighbourhood-wagon/ this earlier but I thought I would link as I think they are cool and one day we will get one for fun for the children. There are several different types.