A great antidote to the worrying levels of childhood inactivity is encouraging children to walk, but tactics and strategy are needed. This page includes useful practical ideas, hints and tips, and also gives advice to adults who want to continue to enjoy walking themselves once they've started a family.
Child carriers and pushchairs
Baby and child carriers that strap to the body are a good way to take very young children out on walks, and there are a number of models especially designed for more adventurous use, with additional comfort and plenty of built-in storage and pockets. Young babies who can't yet support their own heads should travel in a front carrier: models with a two-way facing option allow older babies to see where they're going. Babies who can support their own heads (normally around six months) should travel in a back carrier, which can usually take children of up to four years or 20kg. As with rucksacks, look for comfortable, adjustable and well-balanced models and take care to adjust them to your height and build. Child carriers more-or-less enable adults to do the same walks they would do without a child, but it's wise to avoid particularly difficult, slippery or uneven paths where there is more of a risk of losing your balance. As children get older they can walk themselves for part of the way, so plan routes where it's easy for them to do this
Pushchairs (buggies) are required on all but the shortest walks for children too heavy for a child carrier but too young to do much walking on their own. They also provide an alternative for smaller children, or if one adult needs to take out more than one child, though you must avoid uneven surfaces with babies who can't yet support their own heads.
Unfortunately, while you can legally take a pushchair anywhere you are allowed to walk, on many off-road routes you will encounter difficulties such as rough or soft surfaces, narrow paths and vegetation, steep gradients, stiles, narrow gates and steps. You can sometimes carry the folded pushchair while the child walks, or lift both child and pushchair over obstructions like stiles. "Telescopic" pushchairs are easier to drag behind you over difficult sections while the child walks. Too much lifting and folding will spoil your enjoyment, however. Also, it's not very encouraging for children only to walk the difficult bits, so plan some easy and interesting walking for them too.
For easier options, look for paths with good surfaces in parks and country parks, along rivers and canals, "multi-user" routes designed for cyclists as well as walkers, and country routes such as broad trackways and old roads. You'll find sources of local walking information listed under Planning a walking visit : look for or ask about local accessible routes. Routes suitable for wheelchairs will also be suitable for pushchairs (see Walking made easy). A handful of walks books include pushchair-friendly walks -- see our book list -- but sadly most books of family walks don't cover pushchairs.
There are also websites featuring walks suitable for pushchairs:
All-terrain pushchairs have three wheels with pneumatic tyres, a light but strong aluminium frame and a longer wheelbase for greater stability, so can cope with more difficult and uneven surfaces (though not of course with problems like stiles and steps). Though still more expensive than conventional pushchairs, they are much more affordable and obtainable than they once were, and open up a wider range of options. Even cheap models from high street stores are much easier to push over difficult terrain, though they can be more cumbersome, especially on public transport.
Double versions of both conventional and all-terrain pushchairs are available: models in which the children sit side by side rather than one behind the other are easier to steer. Make sure the model you buy will fit in your car or on public transport. Buggy boards, skateboard-like attachments that enable another child to ride standing up over short distances on good surfaces, can be fitted to most models of pushchair and are useful to give a walking child an occasional rest.
Take special care to protect children from the weather when carrying or pushing them on long walks. Children in back carriers will be facing in a different direction to you and their movement will be restricted, so be aware of the need to protect them from the sun. Make sure children in carriers and pushchairs are warmly dressed: you may be keeping yourself warm through exercise, but the child is sitting still and can quickly get cold.
Encouraging children to walk
The level of inactivity among children has rocketed in recent years, resulting in rising levels of obesity and the likelihood of serious health problems in adulthood. Making walking a regular part of children's everyday lives is a good way of counteracting this worrying trend, and they could still be reaping the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle for many decades to come. The important thing is that walks need to be planned to suit the child's interests and abilities: don't expect them to enjoy walking or landscapes for their own sake in the way that many adults do.
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Rather than simply suggesting going for a walk, make it seem more of an outing or adventure by building the walk around another activity: for example a local event, a hill to fly a kite, a park or recreation ground, a ruin, railway, waterfall, beach, wildlife park or other visitor attraction or a visit to a friend.
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Make it a treat rather than a chore. Take nice things to eat and drink along the way, and maybe have a picnic.
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Don't make it too long or too hard. Do stay patient and be prepared to go at the child's pace, stopping to look at things along the way. With regular walking children will build up their fitness just as an adult does.
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Children sometimes seem to have a huge amount of energy one minute and become tired and bad tempered the next. Be prepared to cut the walk short and congratulate them on any special efforts or achievements.
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Make sure they have comfortable clothes and shoes and are protected against sun and rain. Carry extra layers and be prepared for them to get hot or cold in rapid succession. Take a change in case they get wet, and lotion for bites and stings.
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Give them a small rucksack or pack to carry -- but remember you may end up carrying it most of the way yourself so don't let them pack too much.
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Choose routes with plenty of interest along the way. Children generally like clambering over things such as boulders, tree trunks, small steep hills or dunes; jumping over streams; climbing trees, rocks and play equipment; looking for animals, birds, trees, people, buildings, vehicles, farm, railway and water features; and collecting tree seeds, leaves, shells and small stones. They are generally bored by flat, straight, featureless paths, lengthy stretches of field edges, and wide-open landscapes.
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Show them where you are on a map if you have one.
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Let them take a friend, or join forces with another family. Try a family group walk such as those organised by some Ramblers groups, where there are other children.
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Try to make walking part of their regular journey to school. Not only is this good exercise (and helps reduce the congestion of the "school run"), it is also sociable and has actually been shown to improve children's academic performance. If you're concerned about them walking on their own, find out about local schemes such as Safe Routes to School, School Travel Plans and Walking Buses. Ask the school or the local council, or contact Walk to School or Walking Bus.
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Don't force them to walk if they really don't want to -- you might put them off walking for good. And don't be surprised if enthusiastic junior walkers lose all interest in walking as teenagers: the chances are they will take it up again in later life.
For more ideas, see the various books of walks written especially for families and children. As well as describing suitable routes, some of the books themselves are very well-designed and appealing, with quizzes, I-Spy games, interesting facts and illustrations.
Pregnancy
Walking is great exercise during a normal pregnancy, since it doesn't involve body contact and you're unlikely to fall, though you may want to avoid particularly rugged or difficult paths. In early pregnancy walking can help keep you active through the worst of morning sickness, though you may prefer easier walks if you find yourself getting tired more quickly than usual. In the second trimester (14 - 26 weeks) you will probably find your energy returns, and you can safely exercise as normal. After this the tiredness will begin to return and you may find yourself becoming short of breath: you can continue to walk but you should listen to your body and take it easy when you need to. It's particularly important at this stage to use well-fitted and supportive footwear to help your feet support the extra weight. A good posture will help all through pregnancy and in the months following the birth (see Walking technique). If there are any complications, you should consult your doctor about the advisability of exercise.
