How do I get her to walk?

One of my 3 yr olds insists on being carried everywhere in public. She'll ride in the grocery cart, but to and from the cart, into stores, church, or other places with no carts she will not walk. I can put her in the stroller, but it is a PITA to get the big thing out for a short trip when I can pick her up and be there and back in the time it would take to get the stroller out and everyone buckled in. If I put her down, she cries and refuses to move at all. I can walk away but she won't move or she'll sit on the ground and cry more. If I take her hand, she'll go limp and I'd have to literally drag her. I've tried reasoning with her and taking away privileges and offering incentives (ok, bribes) but she doesn't respond to any of it. I figured she'd outgrow it but I'm 30 weeks pregnant and getting tired of it before she appears to be outgrowing it.

I feel bad because she does have mild CP and it does affect her leg and she really does hate to walk with her brace on. I'm not sure if she refuses to walk because she feels slower than us and has a hard time keeping up, or if she is sore, or if she is just being a whiny butt, so I usually give her the benefit of a doubt and pick her up. At home, however, she walks and runs all over the place. If we go to the park, she'll run around at the play area but want to be carried to and from the car until we get to the play area. She has no problem walking around a place, but wants to be carried to walk to get somewhere, if that makes sense. My other 2 have always liked to walk and getting them to hold my hand and move is not usually a problem. Also, I occasionally run into the problem where the other twin gets jealous and wants to be held too, and I cannot carry them both anymore, so then I have 2 fit pitchers. The girls are about the size of an 18 month old, so it's not a huge burden to haul them around, but I'd really like to find some way to get her to walk and hold my hand more.

 

Hm. I'm wondering if it's a 3-year-old phase, and interested in hearing if others are experiencing this. Jade (2 years, 10 months) is all about being carried lately, even in the house, and I have to drag her around or leave her crying on the floor fairly often. Sometimes I pick her up, because I like to, but it's on my terms. If I say, "No you walk" she has to walk.

And this is my wanderer. Suddenly she likes to be really really close.

Anyone else?

 

Anyone else?
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I have one!! Cate would be carried everywhere, if I let her. I give her another option, which is either holding my hand (she's not sold on this) - or if we're in public, I let her carry my purse (she LOVES this). I got tired of carrying her into daycare every morning, and it made separation harder if I was carrying her, so I just refused to do it. I told her I won't carry you, you can walk. It does help to have something special she can carry..I ask her if she can carry her bag for mommy, and she's usually eager to please, but it doesn't always work. There were many mornings of us sitting in the doorway, with Cate crying and me telling her to "Walk like a big girl" "Walk like a big girl". I know parents thought I was crazy, but I hung in there, and it has gotten a little better. If we're at home, and she wants to be carried from room to room, I tell her no, offer my hand, and then go without her. Once I distract her, she moves on to something else.

I always feel bad carrying her into places, because Claire would look at me like "What about me?".. I just can't carry both of them at 30 lbs a piece!

 

How do you all "make" them walk?? She just won't. Do you go ahead and drag them by the arm?? She couldn't care less about getting to wherever we are going whereas I usually have some sort of time factor I'm working with and she's prefectly happy to sit on the ground and cry and will not follow me if I walk off. I'm not going to leave her alone in a parking lot and I'm not going to drag her by the arm when she is totally limp. If I get too far away, she'll get scared and then she really won't move and the crying gets worse. I really don't think I would win that battle or so far it hasn't been worth the fight.

 

QUOTE(MJXplus2 @ Jun 13 2007, 09:14 PM) [snapback]291435[/snapback]
How do you all "make" them walk?? She just won't. Do you go ahead and drag them by the arm??


In the house, yes, sometimes it's like dragging. Luckily it hasn't happened much out in public. But yes, that's what I'd do. Not to the point where it'd hurt, I'd be very careful not to wrench her arm. Generally when I start doing this, she eventually complies and walks. Exactly. Sometimes, you just have to get where you gotta go.

 

Have you tried talking to her about it? Not when you're in the situation, but at another, calmer time. Maybe try asking her why she doesn't like to walk when you're out, and see where the conversation goes? If it really is anything to do with the CP, maybe you guys can find a solution together. A 3-year-old should be able to articulate her feelings enough for you to get more of an idea what's going on.

 

When mine tell me that they want to be carried and I can't I tell them that they either walk or they have to go into the shopping cart (no more strollers here). Also now I tell them that I can't because of the baby. My sister-in-law is always being badgered by my girls to have her pick them up. She usually tells them that her arm is broken and makes it flop. They think that this is so silly that they usually wind up playing with her "broken arm" and forget about wanting to be picked up.