Pushchairs, what age til?

[Tor]

Hi all,

I was wondering if people could let me know at what age they stopped using the pushchair for their LO's?

We think DS1 is autistic, he can walk although he has got a wide gait and can be clumsy/trips up a lot, he will walk miles however as soon as you stop he tries to get away then getting him to go where you want just doesn't happen then he wont walk and I end up having to carry him etc etc so we keep having to use the double still, the thing is oh has broken the double pushchair today and im wondering if its worth getting a decent double light to push etc or just a cheapy double stroller?

 

[mummy2o]

DS was fully out of pushchairs at 3, 3 and a half at the latest as he loved to walk. He had a reign on though until much later than this as he liked to wonder off. I got him a wrist one instead of a back one as it gave him more freedom and he was tall. My suggestion would get a single and one of those toddler boards to stand on for when he's misbehaving, where the child stands on the back of the pram. Then use it as it a punishment. At a later point when DS was learning to walk freely we use his reign as he was an only child. He hated it but he soon learned and was walking by himself, sometimes slowly and sometimes fast, (he still only has two speeds) but if he wasn't running off, or we were late for anything we'd go at his pace and that worked for us.

However, DS is now 6 and at school and he has a couple of friends who use their pushchairs. One is 6 and the other is 5. I think it depends on the child, but like yours DS loves walking. He will happily walk to school, the shop, nannies to grandma's house and around a forest or countryside with no issue.

 

[Tor]

I've got a buggy board but when he doesn't want to walk he just turns to jelly and i cant even get him to stand up its a nightmare!

This is the thing i don't really want him to be in a pushchair much past 3 as he really is perfectly capable of walking long distances its just when he decides hes not walking anymore i really struggle trying to carry him and push DS2 in his pushchair with whatever shopping ive got as well.

Hmmm i think your right though i will give the buggy board another go as its been a couple months since our last attempt and see how we get on before i invest in another double.

 

[AP]

We still use a double at 4.5, and singles each child when I'm with DH. Tori sometimes can go without the buggy in shops and stays close, but Alex needs the buggy or trolley

 

[mummy2o]

You could also add rewards for when he does a good job. I know some people don't like doing this for such a basic thing, but if DS knows he's getting a sweet at the end he'll do whatever you want him to. We had to make a card for when he was out and about and if I felt he was being good he got to have the card, until we got home to replace it. He guarded this picture with his life! The only down side was the one time he lost it the was such a meltdown in the middle of the local high street. DS fell to the ground kicking and screaming in the rain. I have no idea what everyone thought! He no longer needs them and only used them for 6 months if that, until he got the concept there is a now and a later.

 

[Tor]

What age did your son do that at? My LO wouldn't understand it at all, he doesn't even know what sweets are and doesn't eat them if people give them to him so I don't think it will work yet. When we are out its like he doesn't see or hear us at all he just looks at lights etc normally in his own little world.

 

[smileyfaces]

Oscar is still in one and will be in one for a long while yet! No sense of danger at all and runs away at any given opportunity!

 

[nicki01]

I have a double, had to buy one just before I gave birth as Charlie has no sense of danger and if she doesn't want to walk or hold my hand she goes floppy or just rolls about the floor refusing to get up unless its to run off, as soon as I try to get her again she just drops and flops!
With my 5 month old in the pram I cant carry her, I struggle to carry her anyway when she is having a meltdown as she is already half the size of me and very strong.
She has just turned 3 and is autistic, she loves to walk but I have to take the double if im on my own and let her walk holding my hand because she can have a meltdown with in seconds and sometimes I don't even know why so have to have the pushchair to hand to wrestle her into!

 

[Tiff]

We used ours up until Claire was 3. After that she'd refuse to go into it as she wanted to walk. Which posed a problem as she's a flight risk and made life tough if I had to go places. For personal reasons I don't like the backpacks on leashes so we tended to go only places if I knew I could wrangle her or if my husband was with me.

 

[suzib76]

We still use a double at 4.5, and singles each child when I'm with DH. Tori sometimes can go without the buggy in shops and stays close, but Alex needs the buggy or trolley

That is exactly what I did when jack and Leah were little. Singles with dh or double on my own

I kept jack in the buggy until he was 5, and if his size didn't prevent him he would have been in it longer. He sat in the small shopping trolleys until he was 8, not that we take him shopping at all if it can be avoided.

 

[Tor]

Yeah we tried the buggy board again and its not an option for now, we got the pushchair fixed so will definitely stick to the double and keep trying every few months or so.

 

[sethsmummy]

Seth has been out of a pram fully for a year now but I am having to buy a double with his first dla payment as he has issues with rhe wind or rain going on his face which causes quite a lot of time off nursery just now. He also gets really tired still and needs a daytime nap so now hell be able to nap in the pram instead of me having to coax him to walk when tired which is no fun for anybody if were out and about. Im getting a tandem with removable 2nd seat so it can be used as a single too xx

 

[sequeena]

We're about to put in an application to family fund to try and get a 'disabled' pushchair as my son is getting rapidly too tall for his. We can't even find a raincover that covers him fully I've gone through I don't know how many in the last 6 months and I'm out of options now and don't have enough spare money to pay out for the disabled pushchair (or rather any pushchair) I would love him to be out of the pushchair but he's not yet 2.5 and like your son has an odd gait along with hypermobility so he falls over a lot, gets tired quickly and is sometimes in pain.

 

[Tor]

Poor Thomas, luckily I don't think DS is in pain or anything with walking he just falls over a lot, its mostly that when he decides he wont walk that's it, he literally wont even stand up just turns to jelly.

I hope you get the disabled pushchair must be very difficult trying to manage without, my s are pretty short, so I shouldn't have that problem for a while and by then hopefully I can just get DS2 to walk when DS1 decides he cant!

 

[lozzy21]

We're about to put in an application to family fund to try and get a 'disabled' pushchair as my son is getting rapidly too tall for his. We can't even find a raincover that covers him fully I've gone through I don't know how many in the last 6 months and I'm out of options now and don't have enough spare money to pay out for the disabled pushchair (or rather any pushchair) I would love him to be out of the pushchair but he's not yet 2.5 and like your son has an odd gait along with hypermobility so he falls over a lot, gets tired quickly and is sometimes in pain.

Why are you having to buy one? Wheelchair services should provide one!

 

[sequeena]

I didn't know that - but we see physio for the first time on the 21st so I'll ask about it then x