what distance should toddler be able to walk?

[MrsPear]

Joni didn't walk properly until 21 months.

A couple of weeks ago I started making her walk 0.3 miles after nursery twice a week. She doesn't like it (she hates walking in the right direction etc, which I think is pretty normal?) but she is able to do it in about 25 mins.

A few times she has walked half a mile, under duress. Maybe 6 times in her life, if that.

Today we walked 0.9 miles down my street, this is a new record. By the end, she was absolutely worn out and going soooooo slowly, I don't just mean a bit slowly, it was like she was climbing a mountain. It took us 75-80 minutes altogether. She was shattered for the rest of the day.

I don't always help because sometimes I just want her in the pushchair so we can get places. I have Doug in the sling so I can't always just let her dawdle because he wants to get out etc, it's not fair on him. But I try to give her opportunity whenever I can, and her dad takes her to the woods on his days off.

Is this normal/okay. I know it's normal that they are reluctant to walk nicely and actually with purpose to go somewhere in particular (God love her though she's not much of a bolting risk) but should she still be struggling so much to walk fairly short distances?

She will be 3 in July and has been walking around a year.

 

[lau86]

I don't even know how far a mile is in real terms so I'm probably not much help. I imagine they all have different levels of stamina? My son can quite easily walk a 45 minute walk which I'm guessing is a couple of miles and run round the park after. But he has sooooo much energy he will bounce off the walls at home! I often wonder whether he is normal!

 

[jodilee6]

At the park, farm or where he wants to be he can walk for miles and miles!!

Our local animal park has a 2 mile loop that he can do without even batting an eyelid, which also involves lots of diversions through the woods and all over.

Anywhere I want him to walk, I'm lucky if I get 0.1 mile without the dawdalling and whining starting!!

I'm starting to make him walk further with an incentive for him at the end, so 0.3 miles to nanny & granddads or to the shop to buy sweeties to build up his stamina.

I feel your pain and wish I had the magical answer!

 

[AngelUK]

We take the boys out to our local park which is just down the road if the weather is nice and there and back is about 0.4 miles. But of course they don't walk in a linear way but run up and down and back and forth so maybe about 0.5 miles maybe even a bit more. I would not say they are shattered by the end of it but often ask to be carried, which most of the time we refuse as they are really heavy and we want to build up their stamina too. I think it all comes down to how much walking they are used to and over time (and now with the weather being nice) it will surely increase

 

[missk1989]

We did a Gruffalo trail around the local forest and Isaac did great. It took 2 hours between jumping in puddles and running through the trees. He did really well. I was more tired than he was! I think it was meant to be a 3 mile walk but then all the playing slowed us down. He didnt seem too tired.

 

[MommyJogger]

For mine it depends on context. He can easily do a 3-4 mile trail with running and hopping about. Ask him to walk with me down the sidewalk to get to a destination and I'm lucky to get a few blocks before he lays on the ground like he can't go a step farther, lol.

 

[RaspberryK]

Ugh walking to preschool in the morning would take me less than a minute it's practically next door ... if it wasn't for "I can't do it" "I've run out of battery" "it's too steep" .
Xx

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

I think it varies from toddler to toddler. DD will happily walk several miles when we go out on a walk - she hates strollers and only now tolerates carriers, so she will walk to avoid both!

Some days I wish there was a way to siphon some of her energy.

 

[Bevziibubble]

Holly doesn't walk very far before she wants picking up. She used to love walking but has got really lazy and wants picking up all the time. She likes the idea of walking and will sometimes tell me to leave the puhchair at home, and then wants to be carried!

 

[MiniKiwi]

We walked home last night and the trip was about 1.2 miles. My DD ran the entire way, pretending to be a jogger, hopping over pedestrian crossings. She is a ball of energy. On her second birthday, we went on a 2 mile walking trip and she managed it fine. She's very solidly built and active.

If your DD is not usually super active then I'd say 0.9 miles is a decent way, they've only got little legs! My daughter is just on the other end of the scale I think, she's always been unable to sit still.

 

[DJJ]

we dont have a car so its walking or pushchair. i have a rule that i wont carry him.as a single mum theres noone else to share the carrying if i start.he can so about 3.5miles before really struggling. hes just over 2 and a half years.he knows that uf we want to go anywhere we have to walk and hes got used to it now.

 

[MrsPear]

we dont have a car so its walking or pushchair. i have a rule that i wont carry him.as a single mum theres noone else to share the carrying if i start.he can so about 3.5miles before really struggling. hes just over 2 and a half years.he knows that uf we want to go anywhere we have to walk and hes got used to it now.

Thanks for your replies. I think joni just must be quite weak for her age reading these replies because truly no amount of encouragement will make her do it, partly it's like stubbornness, partly it's really like she can't, and partly she is just so so slow, it's really like she only just learnt to walk. She definitely doesn't walk anything like these distances. I don't drive either and before Doug was born I never used the pushchair because I was really trying to encourage her to learn to walk a little better before he was born. But I suppose if she's just not ready she's just not ready.

I am someone with good stamina but not at all fast. My mum reminds me that when I was in playgroup I came last in the sports day and when they had a race at the end for all the children who hadn't won a prize, I came last in that too. Story of my life. It's not that I'm hugely inactive but I'm really, really, truly bad at it. Maybe she just has my genes.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

My daughter is 2.2 and can walk school run there and back which is about 3.5miles altogether. I no longer use a pushchair. Dont even take it out so she has been walking 1-2miles from 18mths x

 

[sbl]

My lo walks half a mile to her grans twice a week.
She'll walk over a mile when we're out at the forest once a month.

 

[AnneD]

We don't have a car, so we walk everywhere, and we very rarely use the pushchair (my husband has a back problem so can't use the carrier at the moment, which is why he uses the pushchair to try to get our toddler to sleep). We do a few hours of walking on a daily basis (errands, shopping, to the playground etc.) amd she walks evetywhere. She asks to be carried because she wants snuggles, so I may take her up for a few yards and then put her down to walk again. I think a lot depends on each individual child and circumstances - how much they enjoy walking, how much they have to walk, what alternatives there are. Mine now likes the idea of the pushchair, but it's not an option most of the time.

 

[Eleanor ace]

I think it really depends on the child. DS has always been able to cope well with walking, he started walking at 11 months and at 13 months he happily walked 1.2 miles,by 2 he would walk several miles (as a family we like to go for walks). DD on the other hand started walking around the same age but has never been one for walking any distance.She's very nearly 2 and will usually lie down on the floor after 5 minutes of gentle walking and refuse to get up,refuses to hold hands and will just wander of/into the road/up peoples paths and try to get into their houses . About a month ago we went to the zoo and she decided to walk around, she must have walked about 3 miles all in which is loads for her so I know she can walk more but she doesn't want to. Unfortunately she doesn't want to go in the pushchair or carrier either

 

[Pearls18]

We stopped using a pushchair exactly when DS was 3 so he's been walking everywhere ever since, tbh I've never really needed to think about it or encourage it, the only reason we used the pushchair as long as we did was to "contain" him lol when out and about rather than let him rest, so he would be out all day walking around. London, theme parks, walking to and from nursery (maybe 0.5 miles?) he's never said he's too tired we've been lucky he doesn't really get bored of it. Although if he's had a busy day he can get growing pains in the evening. He's a very active kid.

 

[Indigo77]

I think it's something you can build up in time....

Start @ .5 mi for a week & go from there...

 

[Indi84]

I'm sure it depends on the child, my son is 2.5 and walks far, he started to walk at 11 months, refused sitting in a pram at 16 months has walked everywhere since. We regularly go out for two hours plus, with play parks and chilling out time mixed in and he walks with me. We take a break whenever he needs one and always have a drink sit down break. He doesn't really ever sit still though, even at home he is a busy bee, running around garden, playing etc.
If little bean is a lazy thing (like me!) It'll be a real difference!

 

[sequeena]

Thomas cab walk between 5-10 minutes at a time on a good day. He is much better at running than walking but OT told me he uses less muscles to run. He's much more confident walking somewhere he knows so will be able to go for longer. On bad days whether it's due to his hms or his spd or whatever he won't walk at all.