Outgrowing the Stroller?

They go through periods of resisting it, but if you hang tight, they will adjust. I like to feed my kids in the stroller. It gives them something to do.

I walk frequently with my 4 and 2 year old. I don't want daily like I use to, but they are agreeable a few times a week.

Have you considered a scooter? My daughter LOVES and prefers her scooter to a stroller!
Just get a helmet & knee pads maybe?

This is one of those things a child may not like, but you as a parent decide is best for them and you. It keeps her safe, she can't run off, and it offers a place for her to be while you tend to other things, like your walk tomorrow, you deserve to be able to get your exercise. Children can't always have their way about things, you explain that she needs to sit in it, period, it isn't a choice on her part...unless you know she will stay by your side and never wander away, will come immediately when you call her, hold your hand without fussing, keep up with you on your walks, and not need a nap and require you to carry her. You could also leave her with a sitter or not go on the walk. What is practical and realistic for you?

My guy turned 3 last week, I have 2 strollers, and took one when we went to Disneyland on Thursday. He may be big enough to walk all around the park, but I know he still needs to sit sometimes. Fits/tantrums I discipline, he had 2 time-outs at Disneyland and survived : ) And I take a stroller for him on some walks still.

Stroller is a safe place especially on walks, at mall etc. At 2 they are
so impulsive and just do not understand the dangers out there. You have
to stand your ground if she does not want to get in the stroller.

My 16 month old considers the stroller a torture chamber as far as I can tell and he's been that way for a good long while. The best we get is persuading him to sit in his push truck for the zoo. Apparently the steering wheel with horn makes it cool enough for sitting still. Good luck.

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I know my daughter pretty much was done with the stroller by the time she was 2...we did end up using one last year at Disney World when she was 3.5 and she was fine with it, since we basically told her she would get too tired walking that much, and it was too crowded to potentially lose track of her, and it made getting around a lot faster then expecting her little legs to keep up. But other than that, she really did not want to be confined it it. Once she was done with the stroller, if we went someplace like the zoo, the wagon was our best friend. It could carry around a cooler and snacks, and DD could get in and out as she wanted. Riding in the wagon was way more fun than the stroller and she didn't feel like such a "baby."

Both my kids stopped with the stroller at about that age. They start to realize they can do the walking on their own and they love it. It's frustrating for us moms, because there is a time period where they will run around like crazy, not follow, and take FOREVER.

It passes though and the novelty wears off, they will follow you better and are more able to keep up (although always s...l...o...w...).

I think your stroller days are coming to an end. I'd try to extend it a bit by adding some stroller add-ons she can play with and that may get you a few more walks with your friend. Hopefully your friend will be open to going to the park.

Or, if you are doing it for exercise, check out your local jr high or high school and walk the outdoor track. She can run around on the open space of the school grounds and you can walk in circles and keep an eye on her. Although there may be students during the day until school is out :(

Short of using a roll of duct tape I could not get my kids to stay still in a stroller once they could walk. So to answer your question, under a year. :(

My daughter is 3 1/2 and we still use a stroller for long walks. We no longer use it for shopping and such. She did go through a short period when she fought the idea a bit, but we stuck with it (at the time it was a safety issue). Snacks in the stroller helped a bit. Now she seems to love the stroller and has balked at the idea of giving it up. Because she has figured out that she'll have to make that one mile round trip walk to the school on her own.

She wants to be independent. She probably sees other real babies in strollers and is a little off-put. Do you have a wagon? Maybe she'd be willing to sit in something like that for when you want to take a faster walk. If not, just deal with teaching her how to walk with you (and friends) and she'll burn off even more energy :)

My kids are not big stroller fans, either. However, they enjoy their wagon rides even with their seat belts on. With the wagon, the kids can look all around them so that they don't feel confined. I just wished I had bought a wagon where the wheels turn with the handle (for safety purposes). There has been a few close calls when I was turning and the wagon wanted to tip over (luckily, I was able to prevent this from happening).

The last time we took a stroller on a trip with us DS was 18 months - we never used it. The last time we actually used the stroller was at about 16 months. It is way better for them to walk and be active once they are mobile. The only times it was actually a problem for me was in airports - toddlers just don't move that quickly.

I think if a child needs to be in a stroller or in some other situation they need to be in there. If you want to do your walk playing along and meandering then by all means let her walk but about 1/4 of the way around she is going to be tired and you'll have to carry her.

I think in this situation she needs to be in it, just put her in and let her fuss until the walk is over. Then she can play to her hearts content.

My DD was done at 18 months, and yes, I didn't get exercise after that. I loved watching her explore, so I was fine with that.

The more tired and the more my kids needed the rest in the stroller was when they always fought it the most. We just didn't move until they got in the stroller. Around the time they all could walk they fought the stroller. I did also have a sling to carry them in but on super long days like Disneyland or the Zoo I need a break too from carrying them. We always let them walk when we can and stopped bringing the stroller for short excersions around 2ish but for longer things we still have it.
Our kids caught on really quick that we were going to stand right there for however long it took for them to get in the stroller and only did it a couple times. There were a couple times we had to physically force them in and let them scream because waiting wasn't an option though. They didn't get to go run back and play mind you, they were made to stand right there next to the stroller until they got in.
Find a couple toys that you can clip to the stroller works well as does having some special snacks to put on the tray to munch on while in there. It gets really borning for them to be up front, all alone in a stroller so having things to entertain is great.
In these instances treat the stroller juse like you do the carseat. This is the same thing most kids do about the carseat around the same age. There are times it is non-negotiable to get in.

My DD was never particularly in love with her stroller. She much preferred being in a carrier and as soon as she started walking she HATED the stroller. We retired it for the most part when she was about 18 months old and would walk pretty steadily at that point. I kept a jogging stroller to go run with her... but even that was almost more of a hassle than it was worth - no fun running with a toddler wiggling around in the stroller. If you can let her walk, if you have an Ergo and she is not to heavy that might work too (I used mine for three years).
Good luck.

If she can walk, let her walk. She might also push the stroller. I usually let DD walk as much as she can, unless I really need to get a move on/it's not safe to be out of the stroller (crowd). It will be slower, but your time with the stroller will be less and less now.