advice needed- got a bit of a problem :(

[sarahc88]

Help!

I'm a newly registered childminder and am currently looking after 3 children. I have had them for 3 weeks so far and all are age under 2. I'm struggling with the challenges of transportation and taking the children out to places and keeping control of them whilst we are out.

My own daughter is in a baby carrier on me whilst the other 2 are in a double pushchair. This is not ideal as my daughter is now reaching a heavier weight which will mean she will need a new carrier and can not face outwards in the new one. Also, it gives me terrible back pain and takes forever to load everyone up ready to go out!

I was told by the mum of one of the children that her child could walk short distances, but have found this isnt the case so have not option but to transport them all around in this way.

I am really struggling not just getting them out to places, but also whilst we are out, keeping control of them all as they will not stay close or walk back to the buggy- they will only be picked up and carried back, and obviously I can't carry all three of them at once!

As you can probably tell, I am having a bit of a nightmare with this and hope others can sympathise! It's a lesson learned not to take on 3 such young children next time, but for now, I really don't know what to do- I'm thinking it would be a great deal easier just with 2 which would mean having to ask one parent to find alternative childcare for the child, but this seems harsh and they only live literally around the corner which is awkward!

Anyway, please let me know what you guys would do/advise? And please no-one mention the words 'triple buggy' I haven't got the space in the house/car or any doorway either! :)

Cheers for any advice :)

[Mindful Mama]

Put them on reigns when you are somewhere that is not secure so you do not have to leave them all unattended to chase after one of them :-)

What kind of baby carrier do you have and what age is your lo? I baby wear and my son is 15 months. I carry him in my back in a wompat carrier but also highly recommend the ergo. I have a bad back but providing I carry him high enough on my back (think waist band under your boobs and baby being able to look over your shoulder) then it isn't a strain. I sometimes carry the 3 year old like this :-)

[shortstuff]

Would any of them be able to go on a buggy board? On a Tuesday i have 3 under 2 and have recently been getting the oldest one to have a ride on the buggy board on my double. He wears reigns which go over the handles so can't even go far if he does get down.

[Lal]

I second the Ergo-style carrier option. Is there a slingmeet/ library near you? You could hire one and see how you got on. Also the size wheels on a double buggy make a huge difference. I hope you find a solution soon :)

[alex__17]

I have similar and also struggled to start.
Got a buggy board which although makes buggy heavy to push is easier than one walking.
Also second trying different carrier at sling library, I did and have a connecta and can carry my 2 year old comfortably on back or front in it

[muffins]

I use an eady x rider on the back of my double, love it:D

[loocyloo]

I have a big wheeled 3 wheel double which is easier to push than a stroller style double. I have tried x variety of buggy boards and think the easy x rider is the best and fantastic. I have 3 under 17 mths and the oldest is fine on the easy rider.

I've tried back packs and slings but they don't work for me. Have got a couple of very wiggly babes!

I too would have all possible walkers on reins at all times. I also have 'magic straps' on the side of my buggy (dog lead looped round with handle at the end) children hold on to strap which keeps them close and not under the wheels/my feet. ( Even my Schoolies will grab a magic strap if they spot a spare one! ) it also means I can hold reins whilst still pushing buggy.
Good luck x

[bunyip]

On the positive side, you've learned 2 important lessons:-

Filling your spaces within the regulatory limits doesn't always give you a 'workable' combination of children.
Believe everything a parent tells you: after you've checked it out for yourself. IME the parent who says "oh yes, they walk miles" is frequently saying "s/he can just about drag his/her ar5e across the supermarket car park before they collapse in an asthmatic heap of tears and hatred of Mummy for subjecting them to such torment: for goD's sake take my child because childcare places are soOoOoOoOo short around here."

You're learning from your mistakes, which is excellent. If you've any sense, you'll stick around the forum and learn from our mistakes too (and Dog knows, I've made some big 'uns. :p )

I'd say you have 5 alternatives:-

The double buggy and baby-carrier combination.
Triple buggy (there, I said it).
Give notice to one child and look for a mobile one.
Stay indoors, never go anywhere.
Buggyboard.


1. You already realise this isn't going to work much longer.

2. You've already ruled this out................. a little prematurely IMHO. I use a T3 Jogger. It takes up the same space as a double and fits through doorways the same. It converts from triple to double as needed. The large pneumatic tyres and adjustable handlebar means both I and Mrs B can use it comfortably and find it easier than the vasy majority of double buggies. The real disadvantage is that it is still big when folded. In fact, the design team seem to have made it fold purely as part of the company's specifications for a collapsible buggy. It doesn't really fit into any smaller spaces when it is folded, so I've yet to figure out why they bothered with a folding mechanism at all. :confused: This may not suit someone suffering from car-dependency (not a problem here). The high initial cost is offset by the availability of spare parts, meaning it will outlast any other buggy we've ever had. Tyres are subject to puncture, so well worth getting them reinforced with gloop at the bike shop.

3. You don't want to do this, although it is the one thing that would put you back to where you were before the mistake was made. Sometimes, in the words of the great Kenny Rogers, "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em" I'm not going to tell you whether to walk away or run, but it would be easier to suggest an alternative if you hadn't already ruled most of them out. :(

Be aware that 1 mobile child plus 2 non-mobile isn't the best combination either. I regularly walk 3 (allegedly mobile) children back from preschool. I can walk there in about 12 minutes, so it's less than a mile. It takes 1/2 hour+ to walk back (even without stopping to talk to the cows) and we invariably end up with somebody in the buggy: usually, they end up taking turns to walk/ride. Rant alert. Another gripe of mine: why do families move to the countryside, then drive everywhere? Children are growing up totally car-bound, with no idea how normal people propel themselves around the surface of the planet. Before long, those curious flexible appendages dangling from their hips are likely to atrophy completely and the entire species will evolve itself a pair of wheels instead. :angry: Also, the bigger they are, the more attendant cr4p there is to deal with. I take an empty buggy on school/preschool runs: children seem to come with a dozen bags, lunchboxes, waterbottles, (wet) paintings, unnecessary clothing and sticky junk-models of Blackpool Tower these days, and are under the delusion that I only exist to hang things on. :p

4. Not really an option if you're following EYFS. (No fun either.)

5. This is about all you're left with, having written off the other options in your OP. Buggyboards work for many people. I'm not one of them, as I'm taller than most buggy-pushers and so my long stride results in me tripping on the d4mned thing at every step. It might work for you, though. :thumbsup:

[smurfette]

I wouldn't panic yet, you will find in the next few weeks that they will gradually walk more if you train them. Last year I had five 12 -18 months olds throughout the week .. 3 each day. I only have a double so I just built up how far they would walk starting with the two eldest I had on any given day. I use 'magic straps' too,, I use wrist straps but they hold them don't wear them. Keeps them close and not under the wheels and I can wrap them around the handlebars more if I want them closer .. I use these and 'stop, go' game which the Los love. Then swap them over to ride in buggy.. So youngest always in buggy and the other two alternating walking.
Started off with short walks around the block and built up. That and I drove if I had any distance to go and walked into toddlers or wherever. They will get used to your rules for walking and behaving when out, hang in there

[mama2three]

I have a bibi stroller comfort on my double ( and on a Thursday on my triple!) Its brilliant , and unlike the easy rider sits to the side of me so that I don't have the problem of it being in my way when Im pushing. I recommend it - might work for you too bunyip , no tripping hazrd!

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSEESgLvd8Cg8ouFQv3q0HH0mAV6L-FybA83VTgpfdwEnjOV2Kd

[JCrakers]

Mondays and Tuesdays I have a 10m old, 26m and 33m old.

My buggy board works really well. :thumbsup: 15min school walk with either child walking. They are both pretty good on the board. If one gets tired then they swap at some point

Tuesday mornings we go to toddler group which is leave the house at 8.30am, walk to school for 8.50am drop off and then onto toddler group which starts at 9.30am.

If one wants to walk I use reins but don't have both out at the same time as that's just adding un-needed stress :thumbsup: