Long walks to school....3yo tires out!

[akmeg]

Hi,
I'm hoping for a bit of feedback here. We recently moved to a new town and we are about 1/2 mile from my 7yo daughter's school. (Most of the walk there is uphill.) We are trying to make walking to school work for us, but I worry that maybe it's a bit too much somedays for my 3yo, he'll be 4 in June. He's really active and loves to run and walk, but he gets stubborn and will sit down, or want to be carried, and then of course I find it more difficult to be patient. When we moved we got rid of our stroller because he's a bit too big for it and we never used it anymore. But now I'm wondering what to do. Do kids his age still ride in strollers? On backs? (He wants to ride on my back all the time, he's HEAVY!) Do I need a wagon? (If so, what one for a big kid?)

Is there anyone else who walks a lot with kids who are not quite ready to walk that far? The thing is, I know he can do it, we've done it every day now for 2 weeks. And I want to walk a lot this summer, we're loving this small town and how close everything is. So do I persevere and just wait until his endurance builds up, or should I get him something to ride in. (Oh, and the walk only takes about 12 minutes, but I give us 30 so I'm not in a frustrated rush the whole time.)

Thanks for any help you might have!!!

[lonegirl]

I tend to bring a stroller along for long walks. I don't want to have to carry him back. I am thinking of bringing his trike now that the weather is nicer. It has a handle to push with.

[34me]

What about a balance bike?

[LynnS6]

What about a trike that has a handle you can push if he gets tired? Our dd would 'get tired' when walking, but she'd ride (under her own steam) anywhere.

[sioleabha]

I use a wagon. It's just a big, red, plastic wagon, designed for kids to ride in. Today we all walked to the park for a picnic, and my 1yo and 3yo rode in the wagon with the picnic basket and my camera bag. On the way home my 5yo got tired, so I had her ride in it, too.

I have two double strollers, but honestly I prefer the wagon. It's just easier. Plus it's useful for things *other* than toting children, like carrying groceries or picnic supplies.

[sioleabha]

PS, I just looked, and ours is a Radio Flyer. Apparently the one we have is not available anymore (at least, it's not on their website), but there are tons of options. Ours has cup holders and a storage space under the floor. You can also get seat backs that fold up, seat belts, a canopy, even "removable padded seats"!

[zinemama]

Yes, kids that age do use strollers, especially in the situation you are describing. I'd look on craigslist for another one. There is nothing more frustrating than a kid who refuses to walk. He doesn't have to ride the whole way, but when he gets tired you won't be stuck.

(Ok, there are plenty of things more annoying. But when you have to be somewhere on time, that's what it feels like.)

I find that pushing a stroller is far more comfortable than pulling a wagon.

[olliepop]

We walk about a half mile (one way) to my dd's school. She's in 1st grade and she usually rides her scooter. On the way to school since we have to be there on time, I push my 3 year old in a jogger stroller. On the way home, I let him ride his scooter.

We got our jogger for $10 at a yard sale, but you can check Craigslist or get an umbrella stroller, though the wheels may be too small for sidewalk cracks. Good luck!

[MJB]

My 7 yr. old usually walks the half-mile to and from school alone, but when we go with, my young 4 yr. old has no problem walking. Today we walked a mile each way to get lunch and he was fine. I think building his endurance would be a better and more permanent solution than using a stroller or wagon. He won't just magically go from riding in a stroller to being able to handle walking a couple miles when he is too old for the stroller.
I know at 4.5 my oldest son could walk up to 5 miles a day so I'm careful not to underestimate my little one. A reward at the end can make a big difference (like today there was sushi at our destination!)

[Geofizz]

Originally Posted by MJB

My 7 yr. old usually walks the half-mile to and from school alone, but when we go with, my young 4 yr. old has no problem walking. Today we walked a mile each way to get lunch and he was fine. I think building his endurance would be a better and more permanent solution than using a stroller or wagon. He won't just magically go from riding in a stroller to being able to handle walking a couple miles when he is too old for the stroller.

Ditto. Kids get used to the routine of the daily walk. A half mile walk isn't that far for a young kid. It might take a while for him to learn it, but leave some extra time, and just walk.

[One_Girl]

My dd could walk three miles at that age. We tended to only do one or two mile trips though, but when we went further she was fine with it and didn't tire. I don't think a mile round trip is too much. If you leave extra time for exploring and walking slowly you may find the walk much more enjoyable. If you don't have that extra time then you may find a wagon is a better solution. I got one to pull our groceries in and dd liked to ride to the store in it.

[limabean]

Originally Posted by Geofizz

Ditto. Kids get used to the routine of the daily walk. A half mile walk isn't that far for a young kid. It might take a while for him to learn it, but leave some extra time, and just walk.

To be fair, it's half a mile for the 7yo but a mile (round trip) for the 3yo.

That would have been a lot for my DS at age 3, but now at age 5 he has no problem walking a mile to school on a slight uphill grade. For longish walks at age 3, we used a trike with a handle so that he could either walk, ride, or be pushed depending on how tired he was.

[tinuviel_k]

I think a three year old is definitely capable of walking that far, but I can see how it would be hard on that up-hill. At that age (3-4 years old) we always carried our Ergo Baby Carrier on hikes. It works perfectly for a nice, supported back carry for older toddlers. It is SO much easier than carrying her piggy back because it allows the adult to have much better posture and to free up the hands. it makes a huge difference. I often had our daughter walk as far as she could, would carry her in the Ergo on some of the harder parts, and then would set her down again.

I would pick the Ergo over a stroller or wagon any day: it is light, easy, and you don't have to constantly push or pull something. And it is a nice workout for the parents, too.

[akmeg]

Thanks all, this has been really helpful! I know his endurance is getting better, and he usually can make it, but it's hard to have a fun thing to look forward to every single trip twice a day. I think we might do the wagon, at least then we'd have something to pull things all summer for picnics and library trips and swimming pool trips. And the bikes and scooter ideas are good too, and with a wagon we could put our 7yo's scooter in the wagon on the way home once she got to school. But I'm glad to hear that a lot of little 3 and 4yo's out there are walking long ways, I think it's great for him, and at night he's so tired out he just crashes. So I guess I'm off to look at wagons today, and then we'll just keep at it and hopefully by summer we're all walking marathons!

[akmeg]

Originally Posted by tinuviel_k

I think a three year old is definitely capable of walking that far, but I can see how it would be hard on that up-hill. At that age (3-4 years old) we always carried our Ergo Baby Carrier on hikes. It works perfectly for a nice, supported back carry for older toddlers. It is SO much easier than carrying her piggy back because it allows the adult to have much better posture and to free up the hands. it makes a huge difference. I often had our daughter walk as far as she could, would carry her in the Ergo on some of the harder parts, and then would set her down again.

I would pick the Ergo over a stroller or wagon any day: it is light, easy, and you don't have to constantly push or pull something. And it is a nice workout for the parents, too.

I love the idea of the ergo, and I have a great Mei tai that he used for years so the other day I thought that might be our solution, but he was not interested at all! I got him in it at home and he was crying and kicking, he just wanted to walk by himself! So maybe if I wore it the whole way and then when he wanted me to carry him I put him in it, that might be better. He's definitely at that in-between age where he wants to do it on his own, but he also wants Mommy to carry him and snuggle sometimes.

[bobandjess99]

A $10-$20 umbrella stroller saved my life last year, lol. It's not a Mac or Bo, it doesn't push like butter, and idon't expect it to hold up more than a year or 2, but it's awesome, and has saved me from so many annpoying situations.

[nextcommercial]

Don't bring a bike. You will end up pushing it, or carrying it. Or worse.. you will end up pusing it, and carrying him.

I am a huge fan of wagons. You can pull a childless wagon without looking completely stupid. He can get in or out easily when he wants to, and your daughter can put her backpack in it while she's walking. Added bonus.. it's awesome cardio for you!

I buy the wooden radio flyer wagons every six or eight years.

We never get the metal kind because I live in the desert, and the metal heats up so much that it burns. I have no idea how easy the plastic wagons are to pull, or if they get too hot.

[Minxie]

Originally Posted by 34me

What about a balance bike?

I found that my DS might not want to walk but he LOVED any opportunity to be on his balance bike. He was just slow enough on it that I could keep up with a fast walk.

[spirit4ever]

Originally Posted by nextcommercial

Don't bring a bike. You will end up pushing ithim., or carrying it. Or worse.. you will end up pusing it, and carrying

I am a huge fan of wagons. You can pull a childless wagon without looking completely stupid. He can get in or out easily when he wants to, and your daughter can put her backpack in it while she's walking. Added bonus.. it's awesome cardio for you!

.

I love, love, love, love my wagon. I have a plastic one, http://step2.com/product.cfm?product_id=1149 with the trailer, it holds the kids and our stuff!!!!!! We walk about a mile, to our playgroup and park, and my 5 yr old has been able to do the walk for quite some time, but there are times he wants to sit with his 1 yr old sister!

[akmeg]

So I think we'll get a wagon, not just for these long walks but now that we don't have a stroller, it will be great for picnics and other walking outings.

Speaking of wagons, does anyone have the radio flyer ATW? This one. I think this is what I want but I'd love to hear if someone else has it.