Question for the parents out there!

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Clarecbear82
Clarecbear82 Posts: 369 Member
in Chit-Chat
At what age did you ditch the pushchair/stroller for your kids?

I'm only asking as I was asking about exercise in a post and was suprised how many people said to put my 3yr old in the pushchair and go for a walk. He hasn't had one since he turned 3 (he will be 4in a week) and he walks everywhere with me the same as my daughter did and I will do the same with my 18month old when the time comes. I know sometimes it might be a bit quicker but he needs exercise too plus he uses his micro scooter if I really want to get somewhere fast as I don't drive.

This isn't saying other people are wrong I was just wondering if I was in the minority when it comes to this?

Replies

  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    I bought a running stroller for my daughter when she was about 3. I'd take her on some of my runs and took her on a 5K. Turned out to be an end to end with a bus ride back and the bus couldn't accomodate the stroller, so I ran the route backwards to get to my car. Back then, running strollers were good until about 60 lbs.
  • Jesea
    Jesea Posts: 374 Member
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    It depends on the outing. My 2 1/2 year old is a runner...I can't always trust that he will stay close by if I'm not watching him every second. So if I'm trying to run or burn calories, I put him in the jogging stroller. If I go shopping for myself and need to focus on what I'm buying, I have an umbrella stroller tucked in the car. We're working on holding my hand and following directions, but when it comes to my distraction leading to him getting hurt, I don't take chances. At the grocery store, I usually start out with us both walking, but if he isn't listening, he has to ride in the cart.
  • Aerohead21
    Aerohead21 Posts: 333 Member
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    I think it depends on the type of walking you want to do. If you are just going on a leisurely stroll and don't mind the various stops to investigate things, plus keeping it relatively short distance, there is no need for a stroller, even the umbrella/micro strollers.

    But if you want one that is fast paced, long distance, with no interruption, that's where the stroller comes in handy.

    I intend on using it for my 2 year old when the weather warms up. It adds the weight resistance when I push him around too. Bt of ot was just a walk to enjoy the nice weather, I'd probably just stick with holding his hand.
  • Werglum
    Werglum Posts: 378 Member
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    Lately I've had to carry the baby and buckle my 3 year old into the buggy (as we call them here) because she keeps running away! It is a real pain but less stressful then having to ditch the 9 month old and run after her, especially at places like the zoo! Mostly she just walks but if we go a long way I often take my ergo and end up carrying either her or her little sister. It is funny though, she prefers being in the ergo to the buggy! I suppose it is good exercise for me lugging her 15kg weight around.
  • scotslass
    scotslass Posts: 317
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    I ditched mine a couple of months before his 3rd Birthday, he walks everywhere with me :-)
  • mom2mozart
    mom2mozart Posts: 307 Member
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    My older son was perfectly content in a stroller for the first 2 1/2 years. Once I had a 2nd baby, he didn't want to be pushed, he wanted to push his brother in the stroller. My 2nd child hated being in a stroller, as soon as he could walk (at 1 year) - the stroller was a thing of the past - he wanted to walk just like us.

    I see kids who are 4 years old in strollers and can't imagine having to cart one of them around. However, it would be much easier some days to have the kids strapped into something, so I'm not having to catch up to them or drag them along.
  • wurgin
    wurgin Posts: 241 Member
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    we switched to a wagon and running stroller for longer outings but my kids walk or ride their bikes (3 an 9)
  • wendyannie1976
    wendyannie1976 Posts: 205 Member
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    My daughter only uses a pushchair when we go out running, purpose running one, other then that she walks, runs or scoots, shes almost 3 and a half now and rarely used a pushchair other then when we ran after the age of two, i tend to stick her on my shoulders if we are out walking and she gets tired but she manages a steady 2 mile hilly walk and enjoys it :-)
  • deeharley
    deeharley Posts: 1,208 Member
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    If he's only a week from being four, it might be time to look into getting him a bike with training wheels. That is how all my kids kept up with me while I walked. I now have three teenagers who love bicycling wherever they go.
  • Schnuddelbuddel
    Schnuddelbuddel Posts: 472 Member
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    Really depends. My 3 year old walks everywhere with us. My 2 year old does get put in the buggy when I go for a long, fast walk as she'd never keep up (this is me doing exercise in the mornings while my 3 yr old is in playschool and my 8 year old in school) and the 5 month old is in the buggy also.
    There are 4.5 years between my first and second and she was out of the stroller by 2.5 years also. It was hard to confine her to it when I had to to get somewhere faster!! But after that age I'd personally only keep them in the buggy for my own convenience if it has to be really quick.
  • AlbionLass
    AlbionLass Posts: 136
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    I don't remember exactly, probably 3-3 1/2. We've never had a car and I'm a fast walker so letting him walk with me wasn't an option prior to that, there wouldn't have been enough hours in the day lol.
  • rjsbdsjas
    rjsbdsjas Posts: 20
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    I mostly stopped using a stroller when my daughter turned 3. Her birthday is in March and I don't think I remember having her in it all last spring and summer. Sometimes when her little legs got tired I would give her "piggyback" rides on my shoulders, but not for very long periods of time. She can easily walk a little over a mile without stopping before complaining of getting tired, so I think she does pretty well for her age. She enjoys taking the dog for a walk with me on nice days.

    That said, my husband and I are planning a family vacation to San Francisco in May and will be walking a lot there so we are thinking of having a small stroller with us "just in case" - don't want the fun of the trip to be spoiled by whining or have to give up seeing something we planned to because of her getting tired more easily than we do.
  • PughTooFew
    PughTooFew Posts: 44 Member
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    I have a 3-yr-old and a 4-yr-old and they've been out of buggies for some time now. We still have umbrella strollers just in case we're going on a really long walk (e.g. when we were on a day-trip abroad late last year and knew they'd get tired walking round the zoo and would want a rest). I don't go running with them or out for 'exercise' walks with them as I feel its better to have quality time and let them go at their own pace instead - any energy spent running round after them at the park is a bonus! I do my structured exercises when they are at pre-school or asleep or when my husband can watch them. However, I do know of some of his pre-school friends that still go in their buggies, and I'm sure some kids LOVE being raced around in their running buggies. Everyone has their own routine that works for them, so don't worry too much about what age to ditch the buggy, do what fits for you. x :wink: x
  • JAllen32
    JAllen32 Posts: 991 Member
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    I don't quite remember exactly how old she was. She's almost 16 now, it was a long time ago. lol But I'm pretty sure I used a strolller for certain times after she was 3. Mostly for long days walking around, like a carnival or fair. Or maybe at the mall. Not necessarily for her to sit in the entire time, but that way she had someplace to sit if she got tired, and also to help pack things around.
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
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    My daughter wanted nothing to do with it by the time she turned 3. My son started walking at 10 months, and that was the end of that. Neither went in the stroller much anyway, but they happily sat in the ergo for lengths of time. It would have been easier, yes, to keep them in the stroller for longer, but I didn't. if we go anywhere that requires walking, I bring the wagon or they have their bikes. They're 7 and 3.5 now.
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
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    Depends, with my first I ditched the pushchair at about 2. But with my second she is still in there at nearly 2, as we walk further to drop my eldest at school and the pace needs to be kept up. I think we will probably still be using it at 3 for long walks, and if they are happy to sit in it its a good idea for exercise as it gives you extra weight, and allows you to go faster than just ambling along with a 3 year old stopping to pick up rocks and stuff on the way LOL.
  • rrcaudill
    rrcaudill Posts: 87
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    My eldest son (now 7) was 3 1/2 when we ditched it, but now I have a 2 year old and a 3 year old, so I use a double stroller for my workouts. :)
  • JanieJack
    JanieJack Posts: 3,831 Member
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    I stopped using one when my son was 2, because I had a small car and it was just too much work to tote it once he was able to walk. But when he was 5 we went to an amusement park and my mom brought one for him. Smart woman! it made such a difference. He's now 6 and has walked several 5ks with me.
  • _snw_
    _snw_ Posts: 1,305 Member
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    hrm - pretty much around maybe 2 1/2.

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