3 year old plays up to be carried...

[BABY76]

My 3 year old is capable of walking as he will go on long walks with my Mum and not asked to be carried. But even on the shortest of walks with me he will insist on being carried.
Does anyone else have this problem?
Does above have any suggestions on how I can get him to walk more x

 

[Palestrina]

If he's throwing tantrums which result in you picking him up then I suggest you stop responding to the tantrums. It's teaching him that all he has to do to make you pick him up is throw a tantrum, so it just makes it worse iykwim.

Can you point out other kids and compliment them on how they walk by themselves? I find that positive reinforcement (even if it's directed toward someone else) has big results. I do this in my classroom all the time, like if I see a student slumped over I won't say anything to him but I'll look at the little girl next to him and say "I like how Sofia is sitting up straight and tall!" and then suddenly the whole class sits up.

You can also reward him for walking on his own. If you know you're leaving the house and you suspect he'll throw a little tantrum once you're out there get him prepared and tell him that if he can walk by himself all the way to wherever you're going he's going to get a treat out of it like extra time at the park or something.

 

[seoj]

No great insight- my LO has these moments too. Even a quick walk she wants up. Even at home sometimes But she is perfectly capable of walking long distances on her own. I figure, generally speaking, she's very active and capable. So when she wants to be carried I don't mind. There are moments I do- like when I have a zillion other things to carry (cause I already have chronic shoulder pain)- but, that's a rare occurrence. I figure she'll grow out of it soon enough.

I do try to assess each situation. I know my LO will want up when we meet new people, or we are in larger groups, or if a dog comes too close or she's tired etc... so I make that call. But there are times I'm tired, and I know she's just fine, so I put her down and explain "You need to walk, mommy needs a break" and *usually* that helps. Not always.

Sorry- not much help!

 

[BABY76]

There no real tantrums as he asks - I carry him.
I think I'll try refusing to carry him and explain he's too heavy. I don't mind carrying him on occasions but it's annoying when he walks for everyone else.

I'm hoping he'll grow out of it soon as my little girl is 18 months old and wanting to roam a bit more now.