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Running off

Once your toddler or child starts walking and wanting to be independent, they can start running off! It’s totally normal to be worried about that, but there are things you can try to keep them close to you when you go out on a walk.

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Running off

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Steps to keep your child close:

When you are going for a walk, tell them they can walk next to you as long as when you raise your hand and say ‘stop’ they come back to you.
If your child runs ahead, say ‘stop’. Praise them when they stop and if they don’t stop, bring them back to hold your hand.
Allow them to walk next to you again and try the ‘stop’ method again and praise them if they follow your instruction. If they ignore it, bring them back and repeat this until they understand stopping.

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Looking for more?

Read these suggestions on how to discourage your child running off:

https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1040641/running-away

https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/physical/kid-on-the-loose-stop-toddlers-from-running-away/

Time To Reflect

When thinking about how to handle your child running off…

What are you already doing that you want to carry on doing?

What have you learned that you could try today?

What do you want to do next?

Know what you want to do next?

Log into your free account (on the top right-hand side) to set a goal on something that’s important to you and your family – then you can check in to show yourself how far you’ve come.

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