Walking the toddler - a trip to Forty Hall
We live nearby so many beautiful places. One of our favourite haunts nearby is an old manor house. You can walk through the woods to get there, have a look at their vineyard, spot some potbellied pigs, buy some tasty happy pork sausages from the farm shop, check out the ducks and the geese, and just relax and enjoy the scenery.
We have been there lots of times, enjoying things from family picnics to Apple Day festivals.
We have been there lots of times, enjoying things from family picnics to Apple Day festivals.
We do love it there, and so does our toddler. It is a bit far for her to walk to, so we put her in the buggy for the walk up to the area, but once there we release her into the wild. Well, almost. As she is such a little daredevil and a bit of a escapee artist, we have resorted to using a pair of toddler reins.
It is one of those little things that always makes me laugh a bit inwardly - I feel like I am taking her for a walk like a little puppy. Excited little puppy that wants to run everywhere, jumping everywhere, without any care in the world. So I sometimes refer us going for a walk as us going to walk the toddler.
I do love these little walks of ours, even if they can be a bit full-on with constantly pulling her back on the reins, and making sure she doesn't dunk her hear in the pond, or try to jump on geese. Reins do, as you can imagine, come extremely handy in our family!
Do you walk your toddler in reins too? Or are they good girls/boys enough to stay with you?
I can see why you love to visit, it looks beautiful, how wonderful to be so close. My little girl is a bit of a runner too... I have been very tempted by reins on a number of occasions, but have never got round to getting any. Even at three she could still do with them sometimes! #countrykids
ReplyDeleteIt is such a lovely looking place - and they often have little events there as well which is even better. We could not do without the reins, it would be just impossible, but maybe when she gets a bit older... I hope :)
DeleteWhat a great place to have on your doorstep to stop by and visit, there's such beautiful scenery on your walk there. It looks like there's plenty of space to let off some steam running around all their grounds, although the toddler reigns sound like they're needed otherwise you might spot your little one in the middle of the pond on the back of a goose! Thanks for linking up with me on Country Kids.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, plenty of space and lots to do there too, really happy it is so close (although soon we will be moving away, boo). We have had picnics there a few times and been to the farm too :) Those toddler reins have come in so handy, I think we would have been in a few tricky situations already without them!
DeleteThese are some really great photos and I really can see why you love it. Thank for sharing. I can totally understand reins and so often I'm close to needing them but so far I use his game of stop and go to keep him under control.
ReplyDeleteStop and go game, that sounds good :) I'll certainly try that when our little on is a bit bigger. She is nearly two now and does not listen to us one single bit. She knows what we are saying, but just does what she wants (and often if we tell her no, she just does whatever she was doing faster in an effort to do it before we grab and stop her :D).
DeleteWhat a lovely day out. Reins are essential when there are so many potential dangers.
ReplyDeleteSarah
There are - and my daughter is a bit nutty so she just runs away so we'd end up in many dangerous situations...
DeleteI still take my three year old daughter out on her reins when in town or crowded areas for safety, because she has no traffic sense and wants to explore. I long for the day when she does not need her reins. I am a young mother and can still remember when I was a little girl on reins. I wore a pink leather harness with reins and did not like it, particularly when girls of the same age were not on reins and teased me. When my girl is four in two months, I will consider getting her a backpack with a lead so that she will be safe but not suffer the teasing that I did.
ReplyDeleteSally
My daughter is exactly the same - it is just far too dangerous to let her walk next to me, and even just to hold my hand as she is quite unpredictable. So sorry to hear you were teased for them! We too have one of those backpacks, and I think they work well with older kids. With little ones, like 1-3 years old they can squirm themselves out of them, so we usually use the reins only. Hopefully your daughter will like her new special backpack! :)
DeleteMy mum saw my comments and your reply. Last weekend she came over and brought over my old pink leather harness and reins (I didn't know she had kept them). My daughter, Laura, was fascinated and wanted to try on the harness. She really liked the rabbit on the front. She wore the harness round the house all day Saturday and at her request we attached the reins when we went out into the village (I don't usually have her on reins locally). I have now bought her a back pack with a tiger - I will tell her she is too big for reins when she is four, which is fast approaching.
ReplyDeleteSally
Awww that's brilliant your mum kept them! That must have been quite a funny thing for your daughter, imagining her own mum having them when her own mum was little :) I bet it was really special!
DeleteWe don't really use the reins anymore and insist she holds our hand. She doesn't want to wear the reins anymore, I guess she considers herself a big girl now, and gets a bit cross with reins. So we let her choose. Either holding hands nicely or having the reins, and she usually complies :)