Happy Wandering (for them)!

Hi there!

Can't believe my kids have just turned 2. Time flies.

Quick question about getting out with the kids. Now that the weather is finally turning a little nicer here I am excited to get out more. The first nice day we had I decided to go out for a walk with my son & daughter. Well, it was a bit of a disaster. The wanted to walk in opposite directions, then one wanted to run, while one wanted to sit and look at a bug. I am trying to teach them about the sidewalk and not going on the road, and I know this will come with time, but right now they are too young to really get it.

I have had mixed results using the harnesses, and am really looking for other suggestions on how to get out and not spend the entire time having a heart attack because one of my kids is running toward the road while the other is running towards a creek! for real.

any ideas? ....and just to make me feel better - any experience on when kids usually start to understand about not running onto the road/ or at least listen to me?

Thanks! I'm excited to join this group!

 

This stage does pass but for us it was closer to 3y. When I took them on a walk by myself I used the harness. It was the only thing that I knew would keep one from running into the road or into a creek! We do hikes and following the same trail over and over also helps. They know the route and the places to walk and the places to avoid.

Mine also know if I say "hand" they have to come over and hold my hand. That helps a ton!

Good luck and have fun on those walks!

 

Is there someplace that you can take them that is fully fenced? I know the walks are nice and good to get some wiggles out. But I just feel so much safer when it just myself to let them lose it needs to be a fenced area until they can understand better the dangers of the street.

 

I think that the holding hands and not running off stage (or coming back when called) takes practice. We just took them for a walk for the first time last weekend and they did not run off and held my hands when I asked them. It seems like I have had to say to them thousands of times "You MUST hold my hands when crossing the street" or "You MUST hold my hands when we are in a parking lot." So they have come to expect it. Also, when they want to be "independent" I make them hold each other's hands to slow them down

If you want to practice at home first, you might try, the "Stop" or "Freeze." You can make it into a game at home and it may make you a little bit more comfortable knowing that if they are headed in the wrong direction, at least you can get to them a little quicker if they stop where there are at that moment. GL!

 

Just like Brigette said, it was closer to 3y for us as well. Until then, we used our SBS jog stroller to get out of the house. They could run freely once we got to the park or open area and away from traffic/roads.

 

I took them for a walk around my subdivision during the day when most people were at work......they mainly pushed it, but we started out, rules are you must have a hand on the stroller or else you have to ride in the stroller not walk like a big "boy/girl".....they get one warning and then in the stroller they go....works great, then I moved from holding the stroller to my hand.
We do the same thing at the grocery store, if you hold my hand or the cart, you can walk, if you run away, you get put in the cart.... but again we started this at 2 and now at 3 we are still perfecting it, so it does take time....

 

Thank you - I am happy to hear that there is light at the end of the tunnel! And, I like these suggestions and am going to try them out right away. I keep thinking about the fenced in solution - I keep thinking we need a leash free park for twins. LOL. (It seems our only parks that are fenced in are the leash free dog ones!) too funny.