My coworkers and I have noticed a trend at the science center lately-parents pushing three and four-year olds in strollers. Now, maybe I’m just being old fashioned, but I think this is a little much. I would imagine by the time a kid is old enough to walk on his or her own, I think they should have to do so.
What say you-do you think this is okay, or babying your kid a wee bit too much? Have you seen this at all?
A 4 year old in a stroller is better than having to carry said 4 YO when his legs tire out at the end of a long, long day. Makes it less stressful for the parents - they can walk a lot longer and further than the little one, so they don’t necessarily have to cut their day short just because Junior’s legs are tired.
I have no problem with it at all.
Meh, it’s hard to get worked up over this.
Little legs get tired quickly. In crowded places little kids can feel pretty boxed in (all those tall adults towering above them). The stroller gives them a sense of personal space. Plus, having the little one in the stroller helps keep them from dashing off in a crowed public place.
Finally- sometimes we went to places for the older child and it was nice if the little one could doze in the stroller while we gave some attention to the older child.
My kids were in the stroller at three or four when we felt it was necessary (more often the backpack carrier when they were a bit smaller) and my kids are growing up to be independent and athletic (now almost 10 and 13). However, in other places they were running around, playing, walking, learning to hold hands etc where we felt it was appropriate.
How your kids turn out is the culmination of a gazillion little decisions in combo with their basic personality. I doubt stroller use (all by itself) is such a big deal.
I usually have my almost-3-year-old and my 18-month-old in the stroller, because you really don’t want them running around, crashing into your legs and tripping you. My 6-year-old knows to hold onto the side of the stroller, so he isn’t tripping you, either. I like my kids to be contained, so they’re not damaging anyone else or running wild.
I walked when I was three and four. I don’t recall having been carried at that age.
After hauling the nieces and nephews over untold museums and zoos, I’d say as long as they fit in a stroller, they should ride. My youngest niece is 5, and with and an 11-year-old sister and 8-year-old brother, she tires out. The wagons the zoo rents are wonderful.
I deliberately didn’t get a double stroller when my second baby was born, because I thought it would be a good way to get my 3-year-old used to the idea of walking. So far, it’s been great for us…I just try not to have outings be too long or tiring for her.
The beauty of a stroller is that it doesn’t just hold kids, it holds STUFF. Like all the coats we had to wear to get there, but it’s too warm to wear inside, and my water bottle and my purse full of diapers, wipes, wallets and cell phones. So even when I’m only going with kids who are technically too old for a stroller, I’m bringing a stroller.
And if there’s a stroller, eventually somebody is going to want to ride in it. Not a big deal.
I think that it’s really none of my business whether other parents choose to do this or not, and I’m sure that if they are doing it they have their own reasons for doing so. Which, again, are none of my business.
I’ll second this, as would any person who’s had to carry a four year-old for any distance. It’s good to get them out of the habit early, but little kids walk So. Bloody. Slowly. It’s fine for a walk to the playground down the street, but for a day out in the city or something - or for when you’ve got business to do at a grownup pace and don’t have the luxury of a babysitter - then, I’m going to come down on the side of not particularly caring about the tut-tutting of strangers.
What, do you go around asking how old their kids are? Excuse me, I’m the stroller police, how old are your kids?
Hell, I’m 37 and sometimes I’d like to ride in a stroller. Kids get worn out. That’s what strollers are for. Who could possibly care?
Somewhere, someone’s bitching about 3-4 year olds banging into passerby and annoying workers and fellow guests. Why can’t their parents contain them?
Exactly. That’s why I contain mine. They’re not barging into you, or anyone else, and they’re confined and comfortable for our jaunt at the supermarket or wherever.
Same here, that’s more or less why I own a car (which is really just a great big automated stroller for grown-ups).
Mine walks most of the time, unless we are going somewhere that I know we will need the stroller by the end of the day (ie the zoo or someplace similar).
On the other hand there was the parents I once saw pushing a girl who must’ve been 8 or 9 (maybe older) in the stroller… and the young child with them (about 4) was walking…
Four year olds are a unique problem, IMHO. They walk like a two year old and are heavy like a six year old.
Was there any chance the older child had a disability not apparent to the casual observer?
I think it’s babying them. They should learn to be able to keep up and navigate in crowded situations. They should learn to be big boys and girls. And the exercise is probably good for them.
This goes along with the trend of child over-indulgence these days, IMO, such as letting kids forgo toilet training until a time of their own choosing, and letting them remain in diapers until age 3 and 4. These kinds of things foster laziness in kids, and teaches them that they can remain babies as long as they want because their parents will willingly keep wiping their butts and carting them around like royalty.
Please note this is just my opinion - you are free to raise your kids in any way you want.
I’m not getting “all worked up”. Just curious. Maybe it does have a purpose, but I still thought it was a little silly.
How do you know how old the child is? Did you ask their parents? A friend of mine had a two year old that was just huge. He got all kinds of shit from others for babying his kid, who was obviously 5 years old. There is a 9 year old kid in my son’s baseball league who is taller and heavier than my wife, by quite a bit.
I think it’s generally best not to get caught up in other people’s business, especially if you’ve not walked a mile or two in their shoes.