16 Month old doesn't want to stay in stroller..Need Ideas!

[Mama4life14]

My son is 16 almost 17 months old, and whenever we go somewhere he will not stay in his stroller. We end up carrying him or chasing him around. He wants to walk everywhere..Which I'm glad that he has a sense of independence, but it's just hard in a mall or the grocery store, when we want to just get things done and he continually runs away from us. Even when we pick him up, he'll arch his back so it's hard for us to hold on to him. Not to mention he cries and screams to get down, so we put him on the floor so there isn't a scene. I have an awesome sling that I love to use, but he won't stay in it for longer than 5 minutes. Are there any mama's out there that have dealt with this? Any ideas on how to keep him in the stroller or sling? I know it's impossible to contain their sense of exploration, but there's gotta be an easier way..

Oh and I'm totally against putting my son on a leash. Not for us.

Thanks!

[CallMeMommy]

Different carrier?  Like an Ergo or a Beco so he's on your back and has a different view of the world?

[Drummer's Wife]

Originally Posted by CallMeMommy 

Different carrier?  Like an Ergo or a Beco so he's on your back and has a different view of the world?

Exactly what I was going to say.  Having my toddler on my back in a comfy carrier (or on DH's) was just non-negotiable at times where walking wasn't convenient/safe. 

[Chamomile Girl]

I agree with the above. My DS (who is 21 months) has the same issue. He will mostly chill out in a back carry. I do not recommend the Ergo for a kid that old though. The back of the Ergo is low and so it doesn't give as much support for toddlers. My kid tries to throw himself out of it if he gets bored (like at Trader Joes). I am leaning toward the Bobo G2 for this reason.

[kcparker]

I will add another vote for back carrier. I have an ellaroo wrap that is really comfy if I tie it like this secure high back carry, except that I bring the tails back through the first ties, more like this Tibetan carry, wrap and tie them up on my chest instead of on my waist (it's more comfy not to have the pressure on my stomach). My DS2 weight 27 lbs, and the Ergo is getting to be a bit much on my hips with him in it.

If you are in the grocery store, will he sit in the seat of a grocery cart? My sons love it, mostly for the novelty value and face-to-face with me/DH.

[D_McG]

With that I always did 'what I could'. If they could walk, great. If they couldn't then a carrier worked. If they didn't want that either than stroller. Sometimes they flipped out but that's toddler life!

[JudiAU]

I usually let the kids walk if they can but if they can't or it isn't safe, sling was non-negotiable. We'd talk about it as we walked, okay, I know you want to walk right now but you need to wait a few minutes or whatever.

[candelaria80]

Our DD is the same way, which is why we invested in many carriers early on.  At this point however, she is really only interested in the carriers if she is sleepy or wants to nurse, she is just way too active!  

One thing that has helped us out a lot is buying a front facing (reversible seat)  stroller.  She really likes interaction with us and usually we can get some additional strolling time in with a few renditions of Itsy Bitsy. We also bought an Aquadoodle pad which she loves and will keep her busy for a while.  Other than that we are in the same toddler chasing boat.

Good luck!

Edited by candelaria80 - 4/18/11 at 7:28pm

[Snapdragon]

there are certain kinds of strollers (though they are expensive) where you can either switch the seat or the handles are reversible- so that the baby can face you while you are pushing them. I have one of these and I love it and ds loves it! I sometimes walk with other moms and babies and the baby is facing away and fussing- but ds likes his stroller because we can look right at each other. you might look into getting something that does that.

[lifeguard]

We never used a stroller but like many pp's I found a back carry worked well most of the time (we used an ergo). Sometimes he resisted going up but once he was in place he relaxed & enjoyed the ride.

At the grocery store I gave him food all the time to keep him happy in the cart. I'd buy some precut fruit & he'd happily munch away while I finished the shopping.

[J1379]

My DS was exactly the same way - and I just ended up picking and choosing my battles.  If it was safe and I was not in any rush - then I let him walk and explore and just ran after him!  If It was not safe then I explained that to him and told him he had to stay in the stroller but would always ensure I would tell him something positive to look forward to at the end of our trip to help him want to stay in the stroller.  Example: If we had to get home quickly from the store I would explain that he had to get in the stroller, but that Daddy would be home from work and waiting for us when we got home!  People/loved ones were great motivators for my son so I would just insert whomever it would be "waiting" for us - pets (our dogs were very frequently the motivators!), grandparents, Dad etc. Simple explanations like that always seemed to work for my son and it was simple enough reasoning for a child their age.  My son will be 3 in a couple of months and I can't even remember the last time we used a stroller...he is just very active and loves to walk everywhere.  But at least at this age he has been walking for so long that he keeps up with me very well, understands he needs to stay close and hold my hand at certain times and it is no longer a worry when we go out.  Good luck!

[Mama4life14]

Thank you all for your responses  There are some really great ideas! I don't see us investing money into another stroller or carrier, just because I know he won't stay in them very long. However I am going to work on the husband on that!! But I am going to try giving him a toy or something to snack on while we're strolling. See if that works. He won't stay in the carts, even the carts for children with a little car on the front! He's just so active and never stops all day, except for when he naps! I know this time will pass, hopefully soon he will be able to understand that he needs to stay with me, rather than run away from me and I can let him walk more often.

[Sfcmama]

I've been having a similar dilemma with my 14 mo old. She isn't walking yet but HATES the stroller and is starting to try to fling herself out of the ergo. I've been stalking craigslist for a toddler push trike like this one (http://www.tricyclekids.com/Kettler-Happy-Plus.pro) hoping this might be a miracle solution. Plus it'll last longer than buying a better back carry carrier.

[Chamomile Girl]

Originally Posted by Sfcmama 

I've been having a similar dilemma with my 14 mo old. She isn't walking yet but HATES the stroller and is starting to try to fling herself out of the ergo. I've been stalking craigslist for a toddler push trike like this one (http://www.tricyclekids.com/Kettler-Happy-Plus.pro) hoping this might be a miracle solution. Plus it'll last longer than buying a better back carry carrier.

The trike has not worked for us because my kid is freaked out by the petals . Plus he has just began to be able reach them this month (he is a tall 21 months).

I'm totally holding out for that carrier because it is supposed to be able to carry kids up to four years old comfortably. If that is true it would be worth it.

[isabchi]

Neither of my kids used stroller but they don't like to stay lotng in the back carriers either. I let my kids run in the aisle, always went when there is not many people around. I don't go to malls anyway, but in crowded places they just ride in the ergo.

[Sfcmama]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl 

Originally Posted by Sfcmama 

I've been having a similar dilemma with my 14 mo old. She isn't walking yet but HATES the stroller and is starting to try to fling herself out of the ergo. I've been stalking craigslist for a toddler push trike like this one (http://www.tricyclekids.com/Kettler-Happy-Plus.pro) hoping this might be a miracle solution. Plus it'll last longer than buying a better back carry carrier.

The trike has not worked for us because my kid is freaked out by the petals . Plus he has just began to be able reach them this month (he is a tall 21 months).

I'm totally holding out for that carrier because it is supposed to be able to carry kids up to four years old comfortably. If that is true it would be worth it.

Oh noooooooo! Maybe we should see if we can borrow one before spending any money on it!

[belltree]

It seems that you are often accompanied by someone else. What about just letting your child run around with the other person, while you get the things you need.

If you have more time, just let him walk around and run around.

A stroller has never really worked for us either. Carriers are better, and now in the supermarket he pushes one of these kids-carts and is pretty happy "helping" me.

[Mama4life14]

Originally Posted by belltree 

It seems that you are often accompanied by someone else. What about just letting your child run around with the other person, while you get the things you need.

If you have more time, just let him walk around and run around.

A stroller has never really worked for us either. Carriers are better, and now in the supermarket he pushes one of these kids-carts and is pretty happy "helping" me.

Yes I am close to family, and usually I can get someone to accompany me. I just feel bad that they have to run after him. It seems like I'm always needing help and can't do things on my own. It would be really nice if I could just go by myself rather than working out 2 schedules to go to the grocery store. But hopefully this won't last long.  I wish our grocery store had kids carts, I'm sure my son would love doing that. He tries to push our big cart, but then when it's too heavy he just gives up and runs away, even if I help him push it.
 

[Rani]

We ditched the stroller about that time as well if you mean a full stroller. She liked the umbrella stroller for a while..i think it feels less restraining..then we ditched that too. We mostly let her walk thru toddler hood. There were some rules though...Hold mom's hand or sit in stroller...if crowded area or unsafe.  Yeah I carried her too. Makes you stronger right? lol