keeping kid happy in stroller -- suggestions needed!

[lad]

Hi all, help needed!

With social distancing thanks to coronavirus keeping us homebound (and bored), my husband and I have taken to strapping our kiddo into his stroller for hour long walk/runs around our neighborhood. Usually I run alone with our dogs, but for our sway my husband really wants to be involved too (and specifically wants to come running with me, since that seems to sway for men), so that will require our 16 month old son coming along too. We're not swaying yet--we won't start in earnest until September of this year with a goal of starting TTC in December--but this has opened my eyes to some of the challenges we might face.

A major one is that our kiddo will happily hang out for the first thirty minutes of exercise, but then quickly devolves into wailing while in the stroller. This past run, he was so upset that we ended up stopping altogether to get him out and carry him the rest of the way. He'll be almost two by the time we start swaying/trying to conceive, so I can't imagine that he'll be any more tolerant of prolonged time in the stroller.

I did think that for part of the run, he might enjoy riding on one of those push bikes. Has anyone tried one of those? Also, any suggestions for getting him to happily hang out in the stroller? Swaying aside, my husband and I love running together, and it would be really nice for us all to be able to go for runs as a family!

[atomic sagebrush]

I actually think he might end up getting used to it and you can gradually extend the time. IMO I think you should not let it go on long enough for him to start crying. Keep him cheerful and end the run before he starts to fuss, and I suspect that over time he will get used to the idea.

What I used to do was also time walks to coincide with naptime, so they slept part of the time. But my kiddos stopped napping at freakishly young ages and of course if you're timing this with your hubby's schedule that may not work out.

And while I hesitate to suggest this, a tablet for a few minutes may be an option too.

[lad]

Thanks Atomic! I think we definitely will have to cut back the initial length and build up to it. Sometimes he's totally happy throughout (and we keep him entertained by having him point out the different things on the landscape that he knows the words for), but then other times he loses it, and if we're already 15-30 minutes from home, he's stuck until we can get back! It's tough because the safest/most pleasant loop in our neighborhood is about an hour long.

I'm also thinking if we bring tasty snacks, books, and his binky, he might be much more up for it. We'll continue experimenting!

[atomic sagebrush]

Good luck and keep us posted!!! You're doing a great job!