2 year old likes to run from us and hates stroller...Help!!!

[NewtonLi]

This is my first posting on this board! I am so thrilled I found this site. We are taking our first trip to WDW end of July and I have a few questions about saftey for little ones. The ages of our children are 10, 8, and 2. The two yo is a very active little boy and thinks its "funny" to run away from mom and dad. I am very concerned with losing him at WDW. He had never liked the stroller and throws a fit when he is made to sit in it. I purchased a new umbrella stroller with a canopy and a fannie pack with a "leash" that the parent attaches to their wrist. I am not a big believer in this but, I dont want to lose my child either. I would love to hear what you all do with toddlers to keep them safe. Thanks for all your help!


Linda

[andkat]

I would go ahead and use the harness. I have been to both WDW and Disneyland and saw numerous people using them. I will certainly use when my daughter gets old enough it is much better than losing a child.

[2boys'mom]

We went to WDW in April with 2 and 5yo ds's. The little one is very active. It is important to always have a hand on him directly, or in stroller. I have carried him much more than I needed to to keep him. I used a double stroller for both of them. The WDW strollers are a little different and easy for them to get in and out of. I used one like this recently at our zoo and both of my kids liked it. Maybe someone can find a picture for you. I wouldn't hesitate to use a harness or leash. Also, there was a post a few days ago about losing a child at WDW. It had a lot of suggestions for tagging a child with ID. Also there is a company who rents cell phone like radios that also has a child alarm for rent. There is info on wdwig.com. Making sure you have an ID picture of the child in case you lose him. Making sure he has info on him like his name, contact phone #'s, cell phone #'s and pagers are suggestions. He may be a bit small to coach about Finding a CM if in trouble. Good luck! Best thing is to keep a hand on him.

[phins_jazy]

I'm a parent of a very active 2.5 yr old. She walks Nowhere and RUNS EVERYWHERE!!!! With that being said I have to add that even if you have a firm handhold on your DS if he gets excited he will just pull away and be gone!! My DD did this about a month ago. We were at a musical, DD had SIL's hand (very tightly), she got excited and pulled out of SIL's hand and since there were so many people there it was hard to find her and very tramatic I might add!!!! That very night DH and I went to wal-mart and purchased a harness for her. One that goes over her shoulders and around her belly. I think she may pull out of one that goes around her wrist. I may get dirty looks from people when we go out now but I don't care. I'd rather get dirty looks than lose my child. You never know what will happen and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[tyandbash]

When we were there during Easter Vacation, my children were 2 and 4. VERY active as well. We found that the rental strollers were great because as someone mentioned they are easy for the kids to get in and out of. We also used the fanny-pack "leash" as well. I didn't really care either, what others thought, I didn't want to risk loosing a child. My ds, (4) actually liked it. My dd (2) wore it, but only because she would rather walk with it, than be held by us, or sit in the stoller, which were her only options. We found that the "leashes" worked very well in crowded lines, when my children would try to run off in search of something they saw, and it would not have been easy to get around the people in lines to get them. Not to mention losing our place in line!!

[NewtonLi]

Thanks for the support!! I feel like you cannot ever be too safe! I ordered the leash from one step ahead and should be receiving it any day, I hope my little guy cant figure out how to get out of it :D . I do have one question though. Where should you put your childs info? Pocket? I know I am a bit paranoid buy my son really thinks it is a game to run away from us, I guess he thinks it is funny to see his mom and dad huffing and puffing and yelling his name...:) I guess I could see the humore in that too..heehee I feel alot more comfortable about the leash now and am glad to know others have done the same. Thanks again, Linda

[SandraC]

...get good running shoes and grow eyes in the back of your head...GOOD LUCK! We deal with the same thing!

[honeymom]

We were just there with an active 2 1/2 year old although pretty well behaved. As mentioned by other posters, he kind of liked the stroller cause it was so easy to get in and out of. I think there are stroller pics on www.wdwig.com by the way. And, when he didn't want to ride in it, he did want to help push it which helped keep him nearby.

That being said, if you are more comfortable with a harness go ahead and use it. It is better than losing your child and there were a lot of people using them at Disney. Somehow they didn't look as harsh at Disney where it was so crowded and you could understand a parent's concern with losing their child as they might look in other places. Why wreck your vacation looking for a lost child.

By the way, I did lose my son one time in the Boneyard at Animal Kingdom. Another child got hurt and was bleeding. While someone else ran for help and his parents, I pulled out my first aid kit for gauze to help stop the bleeding. In the no more than 30 seconds that I hadn't looked at my son he disappeared. I kept my cool and looked for an employee who wasn't involved in the emergency and they helped me find him. I think that you should just try to remember what your son is wearing and go immediately to a park employee for help if he gets lost. They have excellent training in how to handle lost children at Disney because it happens all the time.

[Mamatipo]

I have a 22 month old runner and got back from WDW last month. I bought and used the fanny pack harness. Worked great. He didn't wear it all the time, only when it was crowded when we were walking from place to place. It's also good when you want to wait for a parade. He could run around us easily without running away. I also tried to make him feel special that he had a fanny pack just like Mommy.

By the way, I only got positive comments from people regarding his fanny pack.
:cool:

[kecall]

The only people that are going to give you "dirty" looks are those that have never had children or had their children soo long ago that they've forgotten......Safety first!!!! Put a strap on that baby and hold on!!! (Also, you might want to dress your child in very bright, distinct clothing so you son will stand out to you immediately if he bolts away! -- One other thing...your son is getting old enough to start reasoning with him...Explain how big this place is and that Mickey Mouse does not want him to get lost from his Mommy and Daddy. Let him know that if he will not stay with you, he will not be able to ____ (insert something important to him here...like going on a certain ride, seeing Mickey at dinner, etc. or that you will have to leave! (Maybe that will help him to see how important it is that he stay close to you!)

[susy]

My friend's 2 yo was lost for 45 minutes in MK because she didn't want to be in a stroller. I say"you either get in the stroller or we're going home".. No negotiating on this one!

[samoyed]

I too went with a two year old last year. Buy the harness that goes around the childs chest. the wrist one can be taken off to easily. Don't be imbarresed about the harness, first of all once you use one you will notice how many other people are actually using them too. and second I would rather be seen with a harness then with Park secuirty in a frankic state because my child ran away. Tip... I put my daughters harness on in the room. She knew by the second day that we would not leave the room unless she had it on. The second day she actually picked it up and brought it to me so we could leave the room and go to the park..

Enjoy the trip, I too have a very active toddler and the harness gave me pease of mind that I could enjoy my trip.

[NewtonLi]

I am soooo glad I found this site!!!:D I think I will also purchase a harness that goes over the shoulders too. Can these be purchased at Wal Mart, ToysRUs ect...?? I am hoping and praying this works. We have been trying to explain the danger in running away like this and he just agrees and then does it again. Thanks again for all your ideas, I feel much better about using the "leash". Linda

[2boys'mom]

The mom with the 5yo put it in a ziploc bag in the fanny pack.

[idontknow]

Ok, no flames, but here is my suggestion: (other than a leash, I loved my DS's when it was needed)

Take your child to a store with someone else. Have the other person say they are going to look at something in another area. Have that person watch you and your child from a distance. (this is their sole "job" during the outing) You and your child walk around for however long it takes for your child to take off. You leave the area and try to sneak around to watch your child out of their site. Meanwhile, the other person has their eyes on your child the entire time! No if, ands, or buts. (remember, this is their "job" of this outing) At some point your child will realize that they are lost. Let them fret for a bit. (not too long, you don't want to completely scar them for life) When you feel that that they have worried enough, step around so they can see you and tell them that is what happens when the run off. Then go thru the whole "what if a stranger would have taken you" routine. Then have the other person come back.

I know this sounds mean, but what if a stranger would grab them when they take off? I've seen reports on 20/20 and other shows about the above. This is what I did with our DS when he was young. I would go to the mall with a friend and she would take it upon herself to "watch" him and discipline him when he would do something she didn't like. (we're no longer friends) I knew better than to chase him. It was a game. I would just turn and walk the other way and he would realize that I was not going to play and come back to me. She would chase him thru the entire mall. I got scared one time because she did this. He got so far away that I could not see him anymore, and there is my "friend" chasing him and yelling very nasty things to him. I was running after them yelling at her to stop it and leave him alone. She wouldn't listen. (I ended up taking a shortcut thru a store and luckily came out infront of DS in the hall) I was livid to say the least. The next time he pulled this "game", I did just what I said above. He has never run away after he thought he was "lost".

[NewtonLi]

We have done the above when we are out at a store and he walks away. My dh watches him and then intervenes when he becomes nervous. What we have observed is he investigates his surroundings and then in a soft voice calls for mommy and then continues to look and touch things then calls for mommy again. He never gets really worried or scared! I do think if we let it go longer than a few minutes he would get frightened. We always explain to him that it is not good to get lost from mom and dad. I think the sensory overload of WDW might keep him in tow. BTW I bought a around the shoulder and waist harness at walmart yesterday for $6 and it seems to work ok, he does try to get out of it though. Thanks again to everyone for all the great advice...:D

[katamarana]

Ok, I have read all the posts. And now I have a question? At what age is too old for the harness? We are taking a 4,6 and 7 year olds. Fortunately we have 4 adults to 3 kids, so at least we outnumber them. The 4 yr. old definetly get the harness, absolutely uncontrollable and runs off constantly. The 7 yr. old will stick with us. But it' s my 6 year old girl that I question. She is off in left field and will wander off just to chase a butterfly. No kidding, every tiny little thing interests this child. We are constantly panicking when she wanders off. She is just oblivious that anything can actually happen to her. And she is so quiet, that you can't actually pick the moment she leaves. At least with the 4 year old boy (he is so loud) the second it gets quiet you know to look up.

[NewtonLi]

My 8 yo DD was very much like your daughter. She wandered off one time a few years ago and was scared to death! That experience pretty much cured her thank God. Is your daughter scared when she wanders off? I guess if my daughter was still doing this I would explain the danger of getting lost in a large crowd and I would also teach her to ask a WDW employee for help if she were to get lost. If that doesnt work try bribery, works will with my kids...heehee:D

[katamarana]

She usually doesn't get scared. She is too involved in whatever she is doing that she is oblivious to her surroundings and that anyone could hurt her. I am beyond nervous breakdown before she even notices that I am nowhere around.

[dthomas]

My Son just turned two. He will not sit in a stroller at all. Has anyone had any luck using backpack carriers? I have been trying to research them - does anyone have any special brand they recommend?

[phins_jazy]

Originally posted by dthomas
My Son just turned two. He will not sit in a stroller at all. Has anyone had any luck using backpack carriers? I have been trying to research them - does anyone have any special brand they recommend?

I've got a kelty carrier. It's called an elite. We LOVE it!!! Here's the web site http://www.kelty.com/index.cfm?section=Kids Click on carriers and you'll see all of them. Any sporting goods store should carry these or should be able to order them for you. They're spendy but very good quality.

The specs say.....
• Kelty carriers are designed to transport one child up to 4-5 years of age weighing no more than 45 lbs.
• The total load limit including the child AND cargo is 60 lbs.


Hope this helps!!

[Mish]

This was a great post. My DD (16) and I were at Toys r Us today and she wanted to buy the harness for my very active DS (2 1/2) and i told her NO people would think we were mean. Now after reading this post i think we will buy it for our upcoming trip. Everyone is right who cares what anyone thinks. I would rather my son be safe than sorry. Thanks Michelle

[TrlyScrumptious]

I saw MANY children of various ages with "leashes" at Disneyland. I think most people see it and understand fully why parents are making that choice. It is just too easy to lose a child in a heartbeat there. It's simply too crowded. I wouldn't give a second thought to putting a leash on a six-year old, if there was any question in my mind about whether he would follow my instructions, stay with me, and know how to get help if something unexpected happened. If the child is not mature enough to do these things, it doesn't matter what his age is.

I thought I'd just add one other thing that I may have posted elsewhere. I made a laminated luggage tag for our son. He's seven, but he has autism, and might not "perform" under pressure. In fact, I wasn't sure I could rely on him to remember our room number or any of the details of our trip. (I bought a leash for him, but didn't use it. We carried him a lot, and he will still accept a stroller, because he's very small.) So, I typed up something that had his name on it, our names, our home phone number, our cell phone numbers, my husband's pager number, and the number of the family radio channel that we would be monitoring. I also put the flight dates/numbers/airline, and the dates/hotel/floor where we were staying. I also printed the instructions for using our family radio, and had him carry the radio in a pocket (some of the time, anyway!) Every time we left our hotel room, he wore this tag attached to one of his belt loops. It was quite large and dangled out so someone could see it if need be, but you couldn't read any of it, without getting very close to it. It could be modified for a child to wear on a lanyard, but I was afraid our son would fool with it and remove it, so I just kept it attached to one of his belt loops.

It gave me some peace of mind that, in the event he got lost after everything we did to prevent it, someone would help him to locate us pretty quickly. Maybe something like that would put your mind at ease, too?

[campingcorgi]

We took my 18 month old GN in June, and we got her the fanny pack/leash from One Step Ahead. It only fastens around her waist, and has a little pocket that she could keep some fruit snacks in. She enjoyed wearing it, and it wasn't in her way when she was in the stroller. We considered the wrist or chest harness, but thought this would be more comfortable. She didn't mind it at all and it helped us keep her close.

Barbara
great-aunt to wild-child Lauren:p

[Toby'sFriend]

<b>Ok, I have read all the posts. And now I have a question? At what age is too old
for the harness?</b>

....She'll be too old once she proves to you that she won't wander off during the first 15 seconds your eyes are turned somewhere else.

As for all of the people who give you mean looks...Aren't these the same people who say "Why wasn't the mother watching him better?" Whenever they hear about a lost child????

[deeshie]

I'm not the only one!

We are taking a very active 2 1/2 year old to WDW in Sept. My DH has been very concerned, especially after a recent trip to the beach when DS refused to listen, and kept running for the water (luckily, he couldn't run very quickly on the sand). Compounding our problem, I will be 5 months pregnant, and I'm afraid the heat will really wear me down.

I have a friend who is a special ed teacher, and thinks "leashes" are just horrible. But, after reading this post, I would rather be thought horrible than lose my kid. Toys R Us, here I come!

[TrlyScrumptious]

If people don't like leashes....what do they think of seat belts? They aren't much different, really. Both confine a portion of the body in exchange for offering an increased measure of safety.

Using a leash is actually a kind thing to for a child who has lost interest in his stroller and whose *need* for movement out-paces his maturity about safety issues.

[Barb D]

I used a harness on my 20mo at the big kids' swim meet the other day. DD wants to walk around, and she doesn't want to hold my hand. The swim meets are very crowded, and of course there is a dangerous pool right there.

Whenever anyone would give us a funny look, I'd laugh and say, "She wants her freedom, and this gives her just enough!" Then they would smile and that would be the end of it.

That said, I used the harness on my son when he was about that age, and a child came up and said, "Look at the little doggy!" I was about to correct the child ("this is a precious baby, not a doggy!") when DS ruined the whole thing by barking!

[crazykat]

I too have very active, inquisitive boys and was worried about losing them when we go to Disney in November. I found a product called the Fisher Price Child Locator on Amazon.com and purchased two. The parent has a unit, and there is a unit that clips to the child. When the child strays out of range, and alarm goes off on the child unit, starting low and getting increasingly louder so you can find them. You can also press a button to activate the alarm anytime you just want to locate your child, even if they are within range but you just can't see them. Obviously, this won't take the place of parental supervision, but I think it will give me some peace of mind to know that I have a back-up system in place. They retail for around $70, but Amazon.com had them for $20! Good Luck!

[Dizzy-Disney4]

Just got my fanny pack leash from one step ahead. Its great, but for anyone with a larger child, make sure you save the packaging. It fits my DD fine, but my DS would not have been able to wear it at the same age because he was chubby at 2 1/2 and the strap doesn't seem that big to me. Can't wait to try it.

[Dr. Happy]

Have you ever considered a backpack child carrier? Its something my daughters loved to ride in, but it can be quite heavy for the adult, after a while. Have you tried giving your 2 year old snacks while he sits in the stroller? Eating and drinking is a great diversion at this age. Rewards for sitting aren't advisable at this age as kids are developmentally quite active at this chronological age (remember Erickson's psychosocial stages?). Hummmm, this might be more of a challenge than you would want it to be. I have seen people use leashes on children. I guess if you felt better using it, go ahead. I've also seen some parents dragging their children on them (maybe I should say pulling them, but it struck me as dragging). I've also seen some people almost trip over the fully stretched leash (others walking without awareness between parent and child). But, you might be more effective if you tempered your reaction to your 2 year old who runs away by using an emotionally neutral tone of voice, retrieving him, and holding him for a few minutes (about 2), then telling him to please stay by you. Several repetitions of this intervention would help shape and curb this behavior, over time. You need to be diligent in your interventions with children and not expect immediate change in behavior. Afterall, how loong has your child been running from you? It will probably take a like amount of time to eventually extinguish the behavior all together.

:cool:

[skeezixspud]

... the new colors are coming out for next year, and they are closing out the old ones. You can try entering coupon code 34BSV to get $10 off (not sure it's good for closeouts, but worth a try!) I'm not sure how long the stock will last.

[kissafrog]

Personally, I've always thought that parents were being more responsible by using a leash to keep track of a child that likes to run away. I spent several years working in a mall, and can't count the number of lost children we had. Most every day we would have children wander away from mom & dad as soon as their attention was on something else. Especially if you have more than one child to watch, this can help you keep both your sanity and child with you!
We have a shoulder/chest harness for my 2 1/2 ds, and he does great with it. We make him hold hands even when it's on, but it gives me that added protection. Believe it or not, the only person to give me a hard time about the leash was my mother! She claims they are cruel and when she tried to use one on my older brother, he barked like a dog and embarrassed her, so she wouldn't use them anymore. I reminded her that as children, my brother and I were lost so much that we knew where to go to have her paged (in several different stores) - she hasn't complained about it since.

[deeshie]

Just received the fanny pack with leash in the mail yesterday. I am happy to report that 2 1/2 year old DS loves it! I put it on him and he wanted to go outside and take a walk.

I'm going to write his personal information on the back of the fanny pack with a Sharpie, and also on a slip of paper inside, just in case.

Thank you for this suggestion!

[catwho]

I haven't seen this posted yet, so I will offer this up. We have taken our young children with us starting when our middle dd was 2 you (her birthday actually) and have yet to loose a child. The first time I did this my dh thought I was crazy, but after the first day at WDW he realized that I had a great idea. We attach bells to our kids feet. Different bells for each kid. We can keep up with them when they run out of sight and we know how far away they are based on their sound. We also know what bell to listen for for each child.

Our son (2.5 last trip) ran off in a shop at Epcot and we were able to easily find him thanks to his bells. Many CM's have told us that we have a great idea. The bells aren't really annoying either because there is so much "noise" at WDW that it just sort of blends in with the crowd, yet you are aware of it at the same time (if that makes sense). We have yet to really loose a child at WDW and we credit this to bells on their shoes.

One thing that we did learn though was to make sure to bring extra bells and laces. Sometimes the bells will cut through the laces on the shoes (we had that happen) and we couldn't find shoes laces anywhere at Epcot nor MK! We though certainly we could find some decorative laces somewhere, but nada!

As a side note, our ds isn't a big fan of the stroller. We rented one each day (double) and the kids would take turns. After one full day of doing lots of walking, our ds was more than happy to ride days 2-5! He would hop out when we would stop somewhere (ride, show, food, shopping, kid stations) but as soon as we would start walking again he would hop in the stroller. If he didn't want to ride we would offer his seat to one of his sisters which would always make him want to ride;)

Hope what I've written can help you in some way!

:earsgirl:

[Dizzy-Disney4]

DD used her fanny pack leash today and she loves it. She put her sunglasses in the little pocket and didnt want to take it off, so we just undid the leash part and let her wear it. Very happy with it.

[phins_jazy]

Originally posted by crazykat
I found a product called the Fisher Price Child Locator on Amazon.com and purchased two. The parent has a unit, and there is a unit that clips to the child. When the child strays out of range, and alarm goes off on the child unit, starting low and getting increasingly louder so you can find them. You can also press a button to activate the alarm anytime you just want to locate your child, even if they are within range but you just can't see them. Obviously, this won't take the place of parental supervision, but I think it will give me some peace of mind to know that I have a back-up system in place. They retail for around $70, but Amazon.com had them for $20! Good Luck!

I'm soooo glad I found this post again. I just placed an order on Amazon for the Fisher Price Child Locator. I can't wait till it gets here!!!! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[LKS]

If you have more than one child, dress them alike. Somehow this helps me keep my eye on the kids better. Also, CMs know they belong together. If the adults also wore the same shirt, it might be even better. We never needed the leash because our kids were all happy in the stroller (exhausted, perhaps?) and did not wander too much, but the matching shirts really help me. We order ours from Land's End as they tend to offer the same stripe in many different sizes. When the youngest was an infant, we could even get rompers to match the big kids' t-shirts. An added bonus is very cute pictures and lots of positive feedback from passers-by and CMs.

[MosMom]

We used a fanny pack type leash & a wrist to wrist leash when my daughter was about 2.5 as well. We were walking back to the Beach Club from Epcot (using the wrist to wrist leash)and she managed to wriggle her way out of her end while I was talking to my husband. She spun around to the crowd behind us, put her arms up in the air, & yelled TAA-DAA!!!! Everyone got a big laugh out of it! :D I thought it was pretty funny myself.

She could get out of the wrist to wrist leash in a flash though so I just wanted to let you know that the fanny pack version is muuuuuch better and more comfortable too. We used that one the majority of the trip & never had any problems. =)

Bridget
Mom to Moira (8/27/97)
Egghead #2 Due (7/11/02)