The daily walk for toddlers

[mehndi mama]

We've taken frequent baby-directed walks with Bobby since he's startd walking. It was an excellent way for him to discover what he was capable of - stepping up on curbs, crawling off of them - and gave him plenty of exploration options.

However, we live in town, on one of the busiest streets. Our last walk started with a street crossing, and the street crossing continued for a full half hour.....with Bobby trying his darndest to dash out in the street and avoid holding my hand at all costs. What I ended up having to do was catch him by the hand (giving him the choice to hold my hand to cross, or stop), then he'd drop to the ground & lay there for a minute. I'd then pick him up, hold him around the middle, and point out the cars coming until it was safe to cross, at which point I'd take his hand, and he'd again decide to either cross while holding my hand, or to drop to the ground again.

After he gave up on the street-crossing, he headed for the alley. Inspected a few things....then made a beeline for the backdoor of the Pub, which opens directly into the kitchen. We *did* go in, and he *was* given opportunity to inspect the goings on in there.....but there's only so long a 20-month old can hang around in a bar, yk? So I had to remove him, and redirect him to the park across the street (I carried him there).

So, my question is - what is the biggest objective for the baby-led walk? And is carrying the child to another place in town so as to remove them from the temptation to go into bars or cross busy streets repeatedly going to counter the objective too much?

[daekini]

Personally, I would take my child to a safer location so that you don't counter the objective of allowing him to explore freely -- unencumbered by parental redirection.

[Lillianna]

I think it's wonderful that you are taking the time to go out with your son and let him lead. A city is a great place to explore! Do you have any bakeries, banks or other more suitable businesses nearby other than the bar? The bar is probably attractive because of the lights and music and of course, people sitting around talking. How interesting to a toddler this must be!

I think the biggest objective is for the child to have some experience with self-directed movement and to get some exercise! When you look at it as a child-led walk, you give the child time to stop and rest or observe or repeat activities all at his own will. However, that does not mean that there should be no limits to what he can and cannot do. You are doing a great job with guiding him when he needs it and with giving him a strong message when he is "out of bounds". Children should be told clearly about where the limits are so they know what the appropriate choices are, then they can begin to adapt their behaviour ("development of the will" for Montessori). It's also important for him to learn to learn to accept your guidance at this stage of development. When we give the child many choices and freedom of movement, and then clear guidance about what the limits are, he can begin to consciously make decisions about what his body is doing. The purpose of letting your child self-direct the walk is to begin to coordinate the mind and body connection.