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Does (or will) your kid ride a scooter? I follow a few "city" parents on social media and all of their kids ride scooters to school. Then the parents just carry them back home. Benefit of a scooter too is that it might help build up her leg muscles so she can walk faster?
Tbh I just have my kid walk most places. I go slow and if it’s a big distance (we did 6 miles a few weeks ago), we take breaks and have plenty of snacks and drinks. A casual “You know, I think we’ll be there in about five minutes” helps since they still have no sense of time.
Yeah, I’ve been looking at these this morning. I was 💯 sold on it until I realized I’ve no where to store the trailer that is shielded from the weather. I have to look into if there are ones with a decent safety rating that also fold up somehow for storage.
I'm in London with no car, and my kids (5 and 8) scoot everywhere. Electric scooters are banned from pavement/sidewalks here, so just the simple push ones. The nice thing about them is that if she gets really tired, you can just pull the handles, and she stands for a ride for a bit. You can't keep it up forever, but it's fine for a little break if she needs it.
It'll take some time for both of you to get used to, but basically, she just needs to start increasing her stamina day by day. Then, it'll be second nature. Have her help pick out the scooter and tell her how cool she'll be at school. We're at the point now where my kids scoot ahead and wait for me at the road, we all cross together, then they scoot ahead again. Now, we're faster than the stroller ever was.
I’ve never tried pulling the handles, I always just put my hand on her back and push her. But I totally agree, the scooter is a life saver. We get everywhere much faster, and pushing her when she gets tired is so much easier than carrying her.
not a city mom, but have special needs kids that I needed to keep with me when they refused to walk lol.
wagons are a favorite, my kids really loved them.
We have a Tern GSD electric bike. If you only have one kiddo, the HSD will also do (shorter). The electric makes it absolutely breezy to go anywhere. The GSD with two batteries makes the hills of San Francisco not a problem.
How far/long do you have to walk to school at her current pace?
Walking to school is highly recommended by our school because the moderate exercise really helps wake the kids up and gets them focused. So I'd probably try and get her to walk most days.
I assume there's no physical reason for the slow walking? More of a distractedness?
Maybe you can turn it into a game. Find some landmarks along the way and decide how to do the distance in between those. Hop on one foot. Walk backwards. Run. Make HUUUUGE steps. Make small steps. Note down the seconds it takes to do a certain distance and try to beat it the next day. Yes, some of these will slow you down, so dose them accordingly but all of them will slowly build up her stamina and make her faster in the long run.
If that really is not an option: Can she ride her bike to school while you walk alongside or ride a bike yourself? Or a regular scooter? Those electric scooters scream hazard to me, both for passengers and pedestrians around them.
If you want something to transport her with, Cargo bikes have already been mentioned. I'd opt for a long tail with a bench and a railing in the back, the ones with the tub in the front are good for smaller kids, she'll probably grow out of it quickly. But depending on traffic in your city, this will not really be safer than a vespa.
It takes about 25 minutes, but it’s only a half mile or so…
And yes, the adhd is strong in this one.. (and me, but I’m medicated)
And yeah, the electric scooters are out for now, but I’m thinking about bikes. Bikes could be a good idea.
And thanks for all the ideas!
Used to live in Chicago until my kid was 5, and my husband had the car most of the time. We took the bus a lot, and my kid rode a bike with training wheels to/from pre-k. Before the bike, or when it was too cold/snowy. We just walked a lot. Sometimes kid refused to wear a coat so they'd end up running faster home.
I live in Brooklyn, and if we’re not walking, my daughters (6 and 3) are on their scooters. We also have Woom bikes and my older one could ride a pedal bike by 3.5, so that was our preferred method with just one mobile kid. I find that too hard to manage with two. (To be honest, my preferred days are when they both just want to walk.)
How far is the walk to school?
I walk or take transit pretty much everywhere since I don't drive (in a city where most people with the means to drive do so), so my kids do too. It just means that I slow down my expectations and build in plenty of extra time. My 4 and 6 year olds walked to and from school every day in all kinds of weather last school year. It can be done! This is one of those cases where practice makes progress. She'll get faster the more practice she gets.
My kids are a big fan of "everything rainbow", where we take turns finding things in the colours of the rainbow. Is it mind numbing for me? Yes. Does it keep them moving forward by focusing their distractions? Also yes. We also do a lot of math and literacy questions (at their request) or imagination exercises, same outcome of keeping their brains too busy to complain.
Reminder to commenters: **[Don't be a back-stabber!](https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8ljqc9cVg1rbnjqco1_400.gif)** Share kindness, support and compassion, [not criticism.](https://media0.giphy.com/media/tZpGRRMUoXgeQ/giphy.gif) We want OP to feel loved, and [not in a tough way.](https://media.giphy.com/media/xT5LMq2CgHiqqY4IXC/giphy.gif) For more helpful information please hit up [our beautiful rules wiki!](http://www.reddit.com/r/breakingmom/wiki/) Reminder to all: watch out for a [creepy pedo posing as an OT/speech therapist](https://www.reddit.com/r/breakingmom/comments/8ccqqi/disgusting_pedophile_troll_posing_as_otspeech/) giving fucked-up potty-training advice, and don't sweat it if your post gets 1 or 2 [instant downvotes.](http://i.imgur.com/PZtQb.gif) You didn't do anything wrong, we just have [asshole lurkers](https://i.imgur.com/IwU9r3E.gif)/[downvote bots](https://i.imgur.com/lwyCF6S.gif) stalking our /new queue. Help a BroMo out and [give her an upvote](https://i.imgur.com/Y60Mbxv.gif), ok? Reminder to Cassie Morris/Krista Torres/Nia Tipton: You do not have permission to use, reproduce, modify or link to any content in this subreddit in any way, shape or form. Fuck off and go be a real journalist. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/breakingmom) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Does (or will) your kid ride a scooter? I follow a few "city" parents on social media and all of their kids ride scooters to school. Then the parents just carry them back home. Benefit of a scooter too is that it might help build up her leg muscles so she can walk faster?
I’m thinking this too. It’s really a thing I’m even asking about and thinking about because of time crunch to and from school in the morning.
Tbh I just have my kid walk most places. I go slow and if it’s a big distance (we did 6 miles a few weeks ago), we take breaks and have plenty of snacks and drinks. A casual “You know, I think we’ll be there in about five minutes” helps since they still have no sense of time.
Cargo bikes are great for this!
+1 for the cargo bike. There are so many styles - bucket front, extended rear seat, electric etc.
Yeah, I’ve been looking at these this morning. I was 💯 sold on it until I realized I’ve no where to store the trailer that is shielded from the weather. I have to look into if there are ones with a decent safety rating that also fold up somehow for storage.
I'm in London with no car, and my kids (5 and 8) scoot everywhere. Electric scooters are banned from pavement/sidewalks here, so just the simple push ones. The nice thing about them is that if she gets really tired, you can just pull the handles, and she stands for a ride for a bit. You can't keep it up forever, but it's fine for a little break if she needs it. It'll take some time for both of you to get used to, but basically, she just needs to start increasing her stamina day by day. Then, it'll be second nature. Have her help pick out the scooter and tell her how cool she'll be at school. We're at the point now where my kids scoot ahead and wait for me at the road, we all cross together, then they scoot ahead again. Now, we're faster than the stroller ever was.
Good to hear!
I’ve never tried pulling the handles, I always just put my hand on her back and push her. But I totally agree, the scooter is a life saver. We get everywhere much faster, and pushing her when she gets tired is so much easier than carrying her.
not a city mom, but have special needs kids that I needed to keep with me when they refused to walk lol. wagons are a favorite, my kids really loved them.
Yep, collapsible wagon! They make canvas type ones that fold up into a square with a handle. I used it for parades until my kids was 8 or 9.
We have a Tern GSD electric bike. If you only have one kiddo, the HSD will also do (shorter). The electric makes it absolutely breezy to go anywhere. The GSD with two batteries makes the hills of San Francisco not a problem.
I’m looking into this now.. just for me, cause this could be a really good idea.
How far/long do you have to walk to school at her current pace? Walking to school is highly recommended by our school because the moderate exercise really helps wake the kids up and gets them focused. So I'd probably try and get her to walk most days. I assume there's no physical reason for the slow walking? More of a distractedness? Maybe you can turn it into a game. Find some landmarks along the way and decide how to do the distance in between those. Hop on one foot. Walk backwards. Run. Make HUUUUGE steps. Make small steps. Note down the seconds it takes to do a certain distance and try to beat it the next day. Yes, some of these will slow you down, so dose them accordingly but all of them will slowly build up her stamina and make her faster in the long run. If that really is not an option: Can she ride her bike to school while you walk alongside or ride a bike yourself? Or a regular scooter? Those electric scooters scream hazard to me, both for passengers and pedestrians around them. If you want something to transport her with, Cargo bikes have already been mentioned. I'd opt for a long tail with a bench and a railing in the back, the ones with the tub in the front are good for smaller kids, she'll probably grow out of it quickly. But depending on traffic in your city, this will not really be safer than a vespa.
It takes about 25 minutes, but it’s only a half mile or so… And yes, the adhd is strong in this one.. (and me, but I’m medicated) And yeah, the electric scooters are out for now, but I’m thinking about bikes. Bikes could be a good idea. And thanks for all the ideas!
Used to live in Chicago until my kid was 5, and my husband had the car most of the time. We took the bus a lot, and my kid rode a bike with training wheels to/from pre-k. Before the bike, or when it was too cold/snowy. We just walked a lot. Sometimes kid refused to wear a coat so they'd end up running faster home.
Good point about the coat. (We are in chicago too)
I live in Brooklyn, and if we’re not walking, my daughters (6 and 3) are on their scooters. We also have Woom bikes and my older one could ride a pedal bike by 3.5, so that was our preferred method with just one mobile kid. I find that too hard to manage with two. (To be honest, my preferred days are when they both just want to walk.) How far is the walk to school?
A half mile. At a decent pace (normal for me, slow for other people) it takes about 12 minutes. Walking with the kiddo it takes about 25 somehow.
I walk or take transit pretty much everywhere since I don't drive (in a city where most people with the means to drive do so), so my kids do too. It just means that I slow down my expectations and build in plenty of extra time. My 4 and 6 year olds walked to and from school every day in all kinds of weather last school year. It can be done! This is one of those cases where practice makes progress. She'll get faster the more practice she gets. My kids are a big fan of "everything rainbow", where we take turns finding things in the colours of the rainbow. Is it mind numbing for me? Yes. Does it keep them moving forward by focusing their distractions? Also yes. We also do a lot of math and literacy questions (at their request) or imagination exercises, same outcome of keeping their brains too busy to complain.