My 2 Year Old HATES the Stroller and I'd like to Get a Walk in Daily. . .

We have the trike with the handle behind it - my 2 1/2 year old loves it - you steer, so you are in control. He also likes to walk. My husband takes both kids for a walk every day and most of the time my son will walk. He loves to explore things along the way and he has a lot of energy, so it's a nice healthy way for him to burn it off! You do end up going slower, but you might find it more enjoyable? And bring the stroller, he may get tired and want to ride after a while.

My boys didn't like strollers either. We used a wagon, as many people have suggested, or a covered bike trailer with a stroller attachment. You can put a lot of toys in a wagon or bike trailer--toy cars and trains, books, plastic figurines. You can also have snacks and a sippy cup. Is there a park or somewhere to walk to and he can have a break to play? Sometimes it can be hard to get them home again, but a fun destination always made it more bearable for my kids.

Try getting one of those cars with the long handle for you to push. My two year old loves it and often won't get out of the car.

I found it at Walmart. It isn't too expensive around $30, but worth every penny for me :)

Have you ever tried using a back-pack carrier? I have an Ergo and it works wonders! My soon-to-be 3 year old loves it still. Plus, I get the bonus of extra weight for my workout.

You could also encourage your child to walk with you since the walking is good for the both of you. Just a thought.

Good luck!

Mabye instead of a stroller you could try a wagon (you could pack more toys and things for him to do), or get one of those cars that you can push. He can sit on it and pretend like he's driving and you will be pushing it. they sell them at toys r us, or if he as some kind of a beginers trike let him ride that while you walk. There are a lot of different options out there to try if he does not like the stroller. Good luck, i hope you find something that works.

I love the Sit and Stand stroller - sort of a double stroller but toddler can stand on it - my daughter while a toddler would love it and use it when she wouldn't use a regular stroller, since she could stand up and look around she felt like a big kid.
jess

I am sure you have tried this but I take my daughter around either nap time or bed time. That way she might fall asleeep, which makes for a peaceful walk. We also pack toys, books, snacks and a sippy cup. If all else fails I talk to her about what we are seeing and have on occasion sang silly songs mostly we found it was about the entertainment factor. Hope this helps

What I have done is bought a motorized toy for my son to ride that was about $30 and he loves to ride that while I walk. At first it took a little time for him to learn to steer it but he has it down and sometimes it is easier for me to take him to the neighborhood school and let him ride around the track while i walk and I can still keep my eye on him.

Go at nap time.
Pack a snack for him.
Bring some books.
Bring a few special toys, just for stroller time.
Bribe him with something special after your walk if he doesn't scream.
Trade off with another mom - she watches your child while you walk, then you watch her child while she walks.
Walk with a friend with another child, so he has someone to chat with and keep him busy.
Go in the early morning or evening when Dad is home and they can have one on one time while you walk alone.
Good luck!
S.

I got to the point where I timed my walks for snack time, and he snacked while I walked. Could you walk with a friend who also has a child? Bring toys? Narrate the walk to make it interesting? Vary your path? This is hard; my son stopped liking the stroller early too. My son wouldn't conscience the stroller but a backpack worked, although you need a decent backpack to accommodate a 2 year old. I don't know how hard-core you walk, but now that our son is four, we take a casual stroll around the neighborhood while he either walks the dog or rides the bike--if your 2 yo is the active sort and your walks are more for getting out than exercise, could he walk with you? Good luck...

Oh--now that I've read other responses--the Radio Flyer worked wonders for us. It's awkward to pull, but definitely a workout! He didn't mind being in the wagon; I think it felt more grown up and less confined.

Get a baby backpack that is comfortable for you both and you will get a far better workout on your walk. I always preferred wearing my babes while I hiked rather than pushing them in some stroller.

Get a little stearing wheel and have him act tlike he's driving the stoller. Bring toys and other stuff along.

Have you tried a waggon? We have one of those radioflyer waggons and my kids have had MANY rides in it, also there are little cars that you attatch a handle to push it then when they get older you can take the handle off.
Good luck:)

Borrow a stroler from someone that's different from yours to make sure it's not just your stroller that he hates and then leave the stroller in the livingroom so he can climb in and out of it as he likes(with supervision), even lay it on its side so he can explore it. When you do try to use it to go some where, let him climb in himself (with supervision). He may be able to get comfortable enough with it that when it its time to us it for a walk, he'll be complient.

Radio Flyer makes a trike that has a handle on the back for you to steer and push. Eventually he will learn to peddle on his own. It doesn't take too long. My 2nd daughter learned to ride a trike a few months after she turned two and loves to ride around the park when we go for walks!

We just got a Radio Flyer tricycle with a long parent handle that allows you to push AND steer(removable - for when they want to do it themselves)! My girl si only 19 months and can't reach the pedals yet, but still lives to ride on it for walks, just lets her legs hang down or puts her feet up on the front fender, while I push! Don't forget a bike helmet, incase they fall off.

Also you could ride your bike instead of walking and get a bike seat or a trailer for him!

Jessie

Would a wagon give you any help? He may enjoy that more and feel like a "big boy" but I'm not sure you would be able to walk at the speed you would like to.

You could try the little vehicles that have the handle on them for you to push or they can make it move on their own. Or even a big wheel might work, it gives them some fun while you are out on your walk.

Did you try a jogging stroller? A regular stroller can be jarring, but my boys love the jogging stroller.

I'd let him push the stroller while you walk. It would probably work the best at a park so you don't have to worry about traffic. He probably just doesn't want to be confined/strapped down. My daughter is the same way. If I let her push the stroller, or use the Elmo "leash" ($5 at Walmart), she is fine. Now that she rides a tricycle very well, I'm going to start taking that with us to the park so she can ride along beside me. I also just walk with her, either holding her hand or letting her walk close by. Again, this works better at the park, but it gives her lots of freedom while still getting a walk in. We make a game of jumping over the cracks in the sidewalk, too, so that keeps things moving along! As he ages, his attention span and physical abilities will grow dramatically, so even if he can't do some of these things now, he will be able to before you know it. Have fun on your walks!

How about trying a wagon or sit-and-stand stroller?

Wagon! I love our pathfinder by radio flyer.

Have you considered letting him ride a trycicle or wagon? Some riding toys have tall handles on the back so parents can push when the kid gets tired.

They have wagons that have seats that fold down. You can sit him facing toward you or away from you in them. Some even have a sunshade. They aren't that easy to pull at first since the wheels aren't connected to the handle, but my granddaughter loves hers and is willing to let me pull her in it for walks or just around outside.

what about one of those little tikes trikes that have the push hadle on the back. Maybe he just doesn't like sitting there, and this would give him a level of control to where he would enjoy it. Another option is to get one of those animal backpacks at Wal-Mart that have the "tail" that you put around your wrist. (if he's a wandering sort of fellow) It may be more of a mosy than a walk, but he might have fun getting fresh air, and checking out the birds and bugs and the trees. Let him lead the walk, stopping at whatever he finds interesting. My son and I go on adventures. We run from little people in race cars, walk to the end of the street to see "Farmer Jed" in the field, sing favorite songs...

I know lots of people have already suggested a wagon, but I'd like to add that when we use ours (Radio Flyer Pathfiner--highly recommend it), we actually PUSH it instead of pull. The handle is very stable and allows me to use it like a long forward-facing handle. It's very easy to maneuver like that since I also hold a dog, so it's nice to be completely forward-facing instead of having one arm dragging behind me with the wagon. The other upside is that I put my son in facing me, so he can see my face. If it's just him in the wagon, you can also put the other seat back down to create a little table for toys or snacks. (Can you tell we take a lot of walks?:)) Good luck!

Can you occupy his time with toys or give him some snacks or something? The next thing is to see about getting a different stroller maybe it's uncomfortable or something. I'm not sure and surprised he wouldn't be used to it by now. Some kids don't like being restrained and so something like a sit n stand may be better. Haveing him try a selection in the store is a good idea should you decide to change the type of stroller you have. I hope something works for you.

Have him walk with you! Let him walk while holding on to the stroller and then when he gets tired, he'll climb right in. The exercise would be good for him too.

invest in a backpack carrier...you can use it for walks, but also to bring him places like the zoo or fair. buy it used on craigslist or garage sale!

Have you tried a stroller where the handle flips so he can face forward or face you? Maybe if he can look at you while you're walking he will relax and enjoy the walk.

How about using a wagon or something you can pull him in?

I also suggest the trike with the handle attached to the back. When my DS was 2 he loved that.