Age to stop strollers .... is age 6 normal??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sister lives in Manhattan and literally all the kids up until 7 or 8 ride in strollers to their neighborhood school. It’s just a fast and efficient way to walk to school. Kids walk some of the way but maybe hop in to eat or whatever or are running late. It looks totally bizarre to me because in my area (Arlington) you never see that past like going to the zoo for the day. So maybe she’s from NYC? Or another urban area where it’s common.

I lived in Manhattan for 5 years and visit often I literally never saw an 8 year old in a stroller. That sounds completely absurd. It's harder to push an 8 year old in a stroller down a Manhattan street than it is to walk with. What neighborhood is that? Must be the UES

Yeah that’s ridiculous even in Manhattan. My now 8 year old ran her first 5k at age 7! The reason some of these kids can’t walk more than a quarter mile is because nobody ever lets them build up stamina! They are always shoved on a stroller.

You should get her ping something more useful than running 5ks. She could be helping her community by sewing masks or something.

The jealousy here is hilarious!
Maybe your chubby 8 year old stroller rider could sew masks while being pushed around like Little Lord Fauntleroy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sister lives in Manhattan and literally all the kids up until 7 or 8 ride in strollers to their neighborhood school. It’s just a fast and efficient way to walk to school. Kids walk some of the way but maybe hop in to eat or whatever or are running late. It looks totally bizarre to me because in my area (Arlington) you never see that past like going to the zoo for the day. So maybe she’s from NYC? Or another urban area where it’s common.

I lived in Manhattan for 5 years and visit often I literally never saw an 8 year old in a stroller. That sounds completely absurd. It's harder to push an 8 year old in a stroller down a Manhattan street than it is to walk with. What neighborhood is that? Must be the UES

Yeah that’s ridiculous even in Manhattan. My now 8 year old ran her first 5k at age 7! The reason some of these kids can’t walk more than a quarter mile is because nobody ever lets them build up stamina! They are always shoved on a stroller.

You should get her ping something more useful than running 5ks. She could be helping her community by sewing masks or something.

What?!? First, the 5ks she has run have been school fundraisers or charity fundraisers. She has done 3 in total. She ran with a gaggle or similarly aged kids each time. She does lots of other things, too. Riding in a stroller isn’t one of them.

Oh stop, you don’t need to justify yourself to this person, she’s completely ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Not typical for anyone over 4 (even in the city here), but OP you have no idea what's going on with someone's kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can the kids walk? Then they walk as far as they can, and I will carry them or we’ll stop.

That's a great approach for non-essential walking, but doesn't work as well for those of us who walk to accomplish essential tasks.

[Anonymous]

OP, why do you care? No, it's probably not common for 6 and 7 year olds to ride in strollers. Ours stopped by age 3. But you should stop judging your friend, who cares if she wants to plop them in the stroller so she can get some exercise or something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on what you use a stroller for. We definitively barred our oldest from the stroller at age 5.5, a year ago. We occasionally need to walk 1.5 miles or even a little more, one way, as a family, and I have not found that it's realistic to expect a 3 or 4 year old to consistently make such a walk without a break. And definitely not at a speed that is practical for the adults.

My 3.5 year old can do this and has been able to since about 2. Because we stopped using the stroller and taught him to walk places...

[Anonymous]

Our family: No stroller after age 4. I think the oldest I have seen in a stroller is age 5. But maybe they were a small 6?

Unless the child has special needs (my cousin has a child with Down Syndrome and was in a stroller til 6) I don't understand the child not being able to walk a few miles.

[Anonymous]

My neighbor has a (huge!) almost- 2 year old and I have not seen him in a stroller this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on what you use a stroller for. We definitively barred our oldest from the stroller at age 5.5, a year ago. We occasionally need to walk 1.5 miles or even a little more, one way, as a family, and I have not found that it's realistic to expect a 3 or 4 year old to consistently make such a walk without a break. And definitely not at a speed that is practical for the adults.

My 3.5 year old can do this and has been able to since about 2. Because we stopped using the stroller and taught him to walk places...

How long does it take him to walk 1.5 miles?

[Anonymous]

I wish people would mind their own business. I had a mom of three sneer at my kid in a stroller. She should have known better because with three kids, you should know that things are all different.

I had to pick up my older kid at school and with the stroller the younger one could sleep through the whole thing. He was 4 or 5. Yes a lot of kids have given up afternoon naps by that age but he had not, probably because dh worked long hours so we are dinner late and did bedtime later.

I don't know but that mom annoyed the crap put if me. Mind your own business, people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on what you use a stroller for. We definitively barred our oldest from the stroller at age 5.5, a year ago. We occasionally need to walk 1.5 miles or even a little more, one way, as a family, and I have not found that it's realistic to expect a 3 or 4 year old to consistently make such a walk without a break. And definitely not at a speed that is practical for the adults.

My 3.5 year old can do this and has been able to since about 2. Because we stopped using the stroller and taught him to walk places...

How long does it take him to walk 1.5 miles?

This. Plus the word "consistently" is key. Being able to 90% of the time would not work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the kids walk? Then they walk as far as they can, and I will carry them or we’ll stop.

That's a great approach for non-essential walking, but doesn't work as well for those of us who walk to accomplish essential tasks.

my kid learned to walk long distances because he needed to for “essential” walking. Including a mile long walk to preschool at 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on what you use a stroller for. We definitively barred our oldest from the stroller at age 5.5, a year ago. We occasionally need to walk 1.5 miles or even a little more, one way, as a family, and I have not found that it's realistic to expect a 3 or 4 year old to consistently make such a walk without a break. And definitely not at a speed that is practical for the adults.

My 3.5 year old can do this and has been able to since about 2. Because we stopped using the stroller and taught him to walk places...

How long does it take him to walk 1.5 miles?

This. Plus the word "consistently" is key. Being able to 90% of the time would not work.

DP. It took a few weeks but eventually my 3.5 year old could walk a mile in about 25 mins. A little slower than I would alone, but not having to wrangle a stroller was worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the kids walk? Then they walk as far as they can, and I will carry them or we’ll stop.

That's a great approach for non-essential walking, but doesn't work as well for those of us who walk to accomplish essential tasks.

I've never had a problem with it. I've carried a 2yo on my hip and 4yo on my back, in addition to a backpack and a couple grocery bags. It's a good workout for me, and it forces them to walk as much as they possibly can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I could see holing on to ours that long. I like to walk to run errands, and sometimes it’s too far (or too long) for DD, 3.5, To walk. I take the stroller and she can decide to go in or not. If I’m doing a morning of errands, she’ll pop in and out as she gets tired or bored, or to have a snack / drink, etc. It’s great storage for everything too.

We live a brisk 20 min walk from her school, and if it’s a nice day and I’m off, I can go pick her up and we can wander home, but again - it’s pretty far for her sometimes. I guess I could cart her bike while I’m walking but that’s a pain, and sometimes she likes to chill and have a snack while we talk about her day. I can also pack her stuff underneath so we don’t have to carry it while we walk, and it’s perfect if we end up picking up a few groceries or something.

I think many of you anti stroller people are simply “walking is for exercise only” people and don’t understand that walking can be a way of life, and your way of life has to in, use your children and their needs too. We make running errands into a fun morning or afternoon without the car, and it suits lots of needs, including activity.

I swear though, there is so much judging in this board that is so ridiculously petty - this one is especially hilarious.

Of course it's a way of life.

When it's practically impossible to find a parking spot when you return, it's also a method of sanity.

Unless kids have less than 10 minutes to get from a to b or I'm picking up more than 4 bags of groceries, we walk. And it's just groceries, my bike has baskets.