Help with my 5 year old daughter walking, PLEASE!!!?

Question

I really need some help encouraging my 5 yr old daughter to walk places. My wife and i also have a 10 yr old son and we all love going out and walking places. Personally i refuse to drive them to school because the exercise is good for them. But my daughter is always complaining and asking to be carried everywhere, but she weighs so much. We have tried everything we can think of to encourage her but she is so stubborn. We have become so desperate that we are considering getting a pushchair for the summer holiday's for when we go on long walks, any ideas????

Answer 1

Please don't !!!

If you give in to her whims now, you will be doing it forever.

Try to imagine how you will live with a spoiled, rebellious sixteen year old that you are trying to keep out of real trouble.

Set your rules and parameters - stick to them.

A FAMILY IS NOT A DEMOCRACY.

Answer 2

my son didn't like walking either so we tried to make it more fun for him. he is also five. we went and allowed him to pick out a bike and everywhere we go now we bike. however....we will have him walk his bike a bit along the way or stop and lock the bike up and tell him that if he wants back on it he has to walk a bit. give it a try it worked for us.

Answer 3

I would personally make her walk.  She is really starting a dangerous habit.  Maybe make the walks fun.  If she is getting tired take breaks or something.

Answer 4

get a little dog that you all can go out walking and playing with, she will soon forget about walk and start playing with the dog

Answer 5

Is it any wonder that She weighs so much? You've spoiled Her, so it's Your fault. Give Her no sweets, or crisps, and put Her on low-fat drinks, instead of cola. Let Her cry for Her beloved sweeties, She'll soon learn.

Edit: I can't believe it, 3 people are happy to see Your child bedbound by the age of 20, with only a crane for a friend.

Answer 6

I think it may be a sensory thing...I know I have read about children like this. you need to read a book called "the out of sync child". it has all kinds of interesting things in it about how sensory disfunction can cause problems in all areas of a child's life...it also has ideas on how to cope and make life easier for both child AND family.

for the poster who suggested cutting out all sweets...hello, my 8 year old weighs like 45 pounds and she is small for her age. when was the last time YOU carried a 40 pound child for an entire walk? they never said that this girl is overweight...they said that she weighs so much that it is hard to carry her...heck, my 24 pound 2 year old weighs too much for me to carry for long distances and he is barely on the % charts.

Answer 7

Not to judge you, but it sounds as if she's continuing a habit that started when she first started walking.  If you've kept picking her up and carrying her all the time, then she's going to have it in her head that that is how it is suppose to be.  But just like us adults, you can only push her to walk so far.  She has to build up the endurance.  Take it step by step.

Answer 8

Just tell her you won'y take her anywhere if she won't walk and she will have to sit in her room all alone with no toys.  If you can get her to walk the whole way buy her a little toy.  Also, tell her if she doesn't walk then she might get really sick and have to go to the doctor because she is not getting enough excercise.  Another possibility is your making them walk too much but just to school and little things like that she should be able to walk.

Answer 9

Ummm....simply refuse to pick her up. If she sits on the ground and refuses to move keep walking and tell her ``bye.``  She will come running to catch up. You might have trouble with her periodically sitting down and refusing to move further but you can simply keep walking ahead of her (but keep her in view) and she will keep running to catch you.

This should only happen a few times if you remain consistent until she realizes that she has to walk on her own when you say so.

I would take her age into consideration when planning the long walks though -- she cannot be expected to walk more than a mile at a time.

I nipped the whining to be carried in the bud with my kids when they were more like 3 1/2. My 5 year old now only asks his dad to pick him up when he is really tired or we are in a crowd and he cannot see.

I was five going to kindergarten when I walked a mile each way to school. My mother crawled along in our Volkswagen Bug as I would walk a block. I would almost catch up and then she pulled forward again. I cried all the way there and all the way back because it felt like she was driving away from me but I did learn the way to and from school.

You cannot always coddle your children. Sometimes they will cry because they do not want to take the next step in growing up but you have to push them or they will be 38 years old still living off you at home.

Later by the way I loved walking to and especially home from school and it would sometimes take me almost an hour because I would look at every flower and bug and butterfly I passed. And yes I could walk a mile at a time when I was five and your five year old can too unless she is terribly obese.

Answer 10

dont pick her up that just makes it harder and harder for you and her, go for a short walk everyday if you can even if its only round the block and give her a pupose or distraction, let her carry letters to the post box or a small bag of stuff to the recycling, increase as she gets fitter

Answer 11

How about buying a 3 wheel scooter then she is half walking half riding.

Answer 12

you make her walk anyways you are the one in control not your child you need to remember that .if she dont wanne walk leave her with somebody and explain to her that she s missing out on a lot of fun

Answer 13

Maybe the longs walks are really tiring for her. She is only 5 after all, and if she's not physically fit, that could be a problem. I'd get her a physical to rule out any possible medical problems and then just start out slow, like a walk to the park or something close by. Then, gradually increase the distance as her stamina increases. But I definitely wouldn't expect a 5 yr. old to walk as far or as fast as an older child. Their little legs can tucker out pretty quickly. So a push cart for longer journeys may be a good idea. That way she can walk part of the way and when she gets tired, she can ride.