too old for a stroller?!

[alison]

Dd turned 3 last September (so, 3.5). She's able to walk, but her preschool is a good half mile away with some hill involved. I really want to walk her to school this year (.5 miles), and next year to pre-k (about a 1-mile walk), but know she won't be able to walk that distance. I looked at the City Mini GT today, and think it's perfect for my hilly neighborhood. Not all of the curbs here have ramps for wheelchairs and strollers (it's an old neighborhood), and my bugaboo struggles with the curb cuts and steep hills. I feel like we are going to do wheelies at any moment. A City Mini I could even take it on the bus with dd.

How do you walk long distances with an older toddler??

[MrsK]

K1 is 3y4m. I use a double stroller but he doesn't want to ride very often. More often, I'm forcing him to ride in it when I need to confine/restrain him. He walks the entire zoo just fine and has managed long neighborhood walks without tiring.

[alison]

Mine loves to ride in her stroller, but it's just not good with hills and stuff falls out of the basket underneath if it's not secure!

[Auspicious]

Piggy-back rides.

[alison]

Gahhhh! I can't carry her for a mile on my back. . Will people judge me if I push a 4-5 yo in a stroller?!?

[BonBon]

She can walk, trust. When DS was 18 mo old I had him walking around the 1.5 mile hilly block with me. It took f'ing forever, but he always managed. (now at age 9, he pisses and moans when I drag him out! And our new neighborhood is flat) Start out with short strolls, you'll be surprised at what she can do.

[Pollyanna]

Gahhhh! I can't carry her for a mile on my back. . Will people judge me if I push a 4-5 yo in a stroller?!?

If she likes the stroller then I'd go for it! Some of our kids rode in a stroller when they were 6, lol. It will be more comfortable for her and you, and safer for her.

[Michele]

Daegan used to ride in the stroller for walks home from school at the beginning of the year. He's 6. My mom would end up pushing, D K and P in the stroller. A workout for sure!!! Now he's used to the distance (1 mi) but he still likes to ride occasionally. Kai and Phedre still ride most of the time. They walk parts, then sit and ride.

Get the stroller. Especially if she likes it. Because its REALLY nice to have the option to contain them and hoof it if you're running late or need to move quicker than their little legs can go. Or if there's traffic. The path we used to take home from school had a LOT of bikers. Trusting elem bikers to not run over a 3yo or trusting a 3yo to not get in the way of an elem biker on a sidewalk is silly. . Now we cut through a backyard and walk through a neighborhood with MUCH less traffic.

[Sheherezade]

We had strollers forever. When it's your primary transportation (instead of a car) I think older kids end up in them longer. I had a double stroller/ sit and stand until DS was 5 and I'd throw him in or he'd climb in when he was tired. When he wasn't riding, it was a great spot for packages/groceries. If you live in a primarily walking neighborhood, absolutely spring for a decent stroller.

[migirl]

Our walk to DS7's school is about 3/4 mile each way, and my younger two (2.5 and 5yo) both do a combo of walking/sitting in the stroller. My 5yo is physically getting too big for the stroller and can/could walk both ways, but I don't mind him sitting in the stroller and will probably continue letting him sit in the stroller at least thru kindergarten.

[HouseofWool]

Instead of a stroller, what about a big kid bike with training wheels or a tag a long for your bike? We are roughly a mile from school and the walk would take forever, but the ride is decent.

[Phoebe]

I say go for the stroller.

[alison]

Thanks for weighing in! The only issue with a bike for dd is that I'd have to push or carry it home while she's in school and back again when she's done. I'll do the stroller on nice days, and cheat by taking the bus during the winter. The school is basically door-to-door with public transportation.

Eta: I personally don't bike!

[HouseofWool]

Why not just lock it up at school?

[spotty_dog]

I think strollers for big kids are par for the course in cities. However, my kids can do .5 hilly miles pretty easily at 4 and 6. (That's the distance to the preschool and the farmer's market, I might take DD in the red wagon *to* the market but I will kick her out in favor of the produce on the way home.) We're almost ready for 1 mile, as of now I'd expect to give DD a few brief piggyback rides to rest but by the end of summer we might be ready to walk to the elementary school (about 1 mile) routinely.

Someone in our town who goes everywhere on foot, switched her younger kiddo from stroller to biking along with her when he was almost 4 I think. And yeah, you could lock the bike at school or ask the teachers for a safe place to store it inside?