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Baffled By Buggies!


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:o Wanted to know your views on children coming to the nursery class in their buggy. Some of the children have turned 4 and are still coming in a buggy. How can I politely word / ask parents to allow their child the freedom to walk to nursery?!! What are your views? Anyone know of any articles that i could perhaps display for parents. HELP NEEDED
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Hi Don27

Welcome to the forum.

Can you let parents know somehow that children need to walk in order to build density in their leg bones? The more they walk the stronger these bones will be and the less likely they will develop osteoporosis in the future. Perhaps if you do a piece yourself on physical development you could include it in there.

I suppose for many parents it's the same as taking them to school in the car-it's quicker and easier.

Linda

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Eugh, I HATE seeing kids in buggies if they are capable of walking, especially once they are at nursery. One of my kids in my NQT Reception class got picked up in the buggy and she was 5! There was no reason for it, mum even got her a dummy out on some occasions. I couldn't believe it! This was a mature, confident child in class, but then mum strapped her into her buggy and stuck a dummy in her mouth. Awful! Absolutely awful!

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Yes I know what you mean. Parents leave dummys and bottles,sometimes full of cold tea,ughhhh.

Recently I had a child that developed a speech impediment. When I mentioned this to the parent she followed it up and the childs jaw had become deformed because of a dummy. Another child was walkng on tip toes and the doctor said that she hadn't had the chance to stretch the foot muscles because she was always in a buggy.I have a 4 year old that relies on her fluffy comforter at all times and has a" fur ball "in her stomach diagnosed by a scan.None of these children rely on these comforters at pre-school at all. I have quite a few children that have "ongoing toilet problems" because they do not have a healthy diet at home.

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Phew, what a relief, I thought all the nutters only came to our playgroup!! But dont forget, 'parents are childrens first and most enduring educators', obviously there is a grand plan somewhere that requires children to drink cold tea, have underdevloped muscels, fur balls and constipation :o:D

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YES! I couldn't agree more. It does really annoy me when I see child come to school in buggies when those children a perfectly capable and enjoy running around.

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I have started making a series of leaflets of parents to inform them a about various things, for example, 'What is a keyworker', 'How to help your child learn to read' . I thing I'll make one about 'Why your child needs exercise'.

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I too find this notion of 'babifying' children rather disturbing. I had a boy (5) in my class who wore a nappy and couldn't drink from a cup (used a bottle) because his mum was frightened about him having accidents - when I explained that children need time to be toilet trained and that accidents were a part of life in Reception she sent him to school with no pants on so that he could use the toilet so when he did have an accident I found it in his shoe.

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I think part of the problem lies in the fact that everyone is so busy nowadays and can't find the time to spend with their children teaching them important skills. It is also much easier and quicker for a parent to transport their child in a buggy, put on the child's shoes and coat, stick a dummy in their mouth to keep them quiet. :o Parents don't want to have the hassle of teaching their children anything and the problem with having good quality childcare is that parents are also absolved of any guilt they might otherwise feel. Let's hope that we can educate the next generation to value their own children and their acheivements more. xD

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Sorry but need to put a different slant on this,

 

I am well aware of the need for walking and yes if a child is always being transported it can be irritating for others as to why, but there can also be difficulties with the walking or running around.

What about of the child that constantly runs off, will not stay near parent, road dangers etc. More frustrating constntly chasing a tired irritated child than having them under control. How many paretns will even contemplate 'reigns' these days or wrist straps. (i have one parent with a very nifty set of reigns, they look like the child is wearing a back pack but is a very sturdy harness and strapped to mum.)

 

In addition have you tried walking around with your arm up in the air above your head for half an hour. This is what we expect a 3 year old to do when holding hands and walking with an adult. Try it and see.

 

It must be more difficult for those in school than the pre-school but most of the children who do walk seem to only walk as far as a car.

 

surely there can be a balance between safety, exercise and the need for ease for the parent.

 

Some parents just want an easy life, but if only they could work out that if thier child had learnt all these skills then it would be a lot easier for them.

Perhaps a campaign.......

 

Inge

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Brilliant, Inge: I like your point about walking around with your hand in the air for half an hour. I can't imagine it feels that comfortable although (not unsurprisingly) I've never tried.

 

This is one of those 'parental choice' issues where you can provide information they need to make an informed choice. Ultimately parents have to find the best way to take care of their children whilst minimising the stress posed by the issues you raised in your post.

 

This coming from the woman who used to tease my friend who was still breast feeding her son aged nearly two, and then I proceeded to breast feed my own son until he was almost three! I know some people were really appalled by this, but it was what he wanted and needed and so I didn't care!

 

Maz

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Some really intersting points here and ones that I hadn't rightly or wrongly paid much attention to - have sat back and tried to guage how many of my parents bring their children in buggies. There are a few but not many and I personally don't have a real problem with it - the pavements up to the group are very, very narrow and if there are other siblings involved then I think it might be wise in some instances to use a buggy. They often let them out as soon as they get to the large grass area. I think the point here is that some parents do find it from a safety aspect easier to manage their child if they are in a buggy but I like others feel that if it is a parents way of "not letting go" then this is more of a problem and needs addressing sensitively.

Nikki

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I agree, Nicola

 

I think I approach things differently as a practitioner than I did as a parent. Its easy to forget how difficult life can be with a three year old (and possibly a baby as well!).

 

Problems or issues involving parents are always potentially difficult: as a parent I know that 'criticism' can be difficult to handle. Some days a chance remark can be incredibly hurtful, or an observation made can be taken as a criticism of my parenting skills. When these remarks or observations are made by a teacher or other professional I come into contact with, then its easy to feel demotivated and useless.

 

So I do try to think about how the parent might be feeling in any given situation before I wade in with my size 9s. Not easy for a person such as I who often only opens her mouth to change feet (which are actually a size 5!).

 

Maz

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