Backpack Leash thingy

[Nettaboo]

Do you plan on getting one or have you used one for your trip??
I am thinking about it because my dd(2 1/2) likes to take off running, but I don't want to "traumatize" her..
I have heard good and bad things..what are your thoughts

 

[tadamom]

I've never had to use one b/c neither of my kids were "bolters". During our recent trip to Disney in May, my DD2.5 stayed right with us if she wasn't in her stroller. She is very good to stop if we say "stop", so I never had to invest in one. Now my niece (who is also 2) needed one!! She is a horrible bolter and doesn't stop when you say!

I used to think the leash/harnesses were horrible and I would never put my child in one but for safety reasons -- if they needed it, I would use it.

The ones that I have seen parents using recently are the monkey ones that you can get at Wal-Mart. They are super adorable and the kids don't seem to mind them at all!

Good luck!!

 

[ampooh]

DS is a bolter and I do intend to us eit again this trip. i have a puppy dog one from Target.

 

[katielou]

I thought I would be against them until I had a daughter that was very independent at the age of 3. She would not stay in the stroller and also was not afraid of a stranger. She would have gone with anyone who talked to her. We made a game out of it. We would tell her that she needed to have her " Power bracelet" on so she could be free. She had the power to walk without needing to hold hands constantly and she knew that if she didnt want to wear it she would be in the stroller. She knew that mommy had one end of the power bracelet and she had the other. We had more people stop us and ask where they could get one for their toddler. It was the best $10 we could have spent for the trip. IMO. Hope this helps.

Beth

 

[mom2aredhead]

I too was blessed with a non-bolter. If you can imagine, he would actually walk and hold on to the side of the stroller while I pushed it from around age 2-ish. He's now outgoing the stroller and wants to walk, but is really good about holding someone' s hand.

That being said, if he was a bolter, you could be sure he'd have that cute little monkey backpack on him and I would be holding the string on the other end.

 

[jagafen]

I bought 2 of something similar, and our son pitched a fit as soon as I put it on. Both the chest harness style and the wrist style. I did see something on Ebay that was a "cordless" system. Parents could program in a "safe distance" e.g. 15 feet, and an alarm would sound if the child wandered away from the parent. Kid wore a watch or a clip on sensor, parent wore a small monitoring unit. Ran about $25.....I think I searched child harness...

 

[Schmeck]

Electronic devices are not going to help you actually keep your kid close though - it just lets you know he's gone... And it can give you a very false sense of security.... And it doesn't help when the kid gets lost or taken in a loud, crowded area (like WDW)...

To the OP - what would traumatize your child more, being restrained or being lost?

ETA - just don't get the kind with the elastic, coiled cords - seen two nasty accidents at WDW invoving those types of harnesses!

 

[NotUrsula]

The ambient noise level in WDW parks is too high for those cordless alarms to be of any use -- you just can't reliably hear them.

Safety reins do not traumatize children; they are a safety device just like a carseat is, and if your child needs them to be safe it really doesn't matter whether or not he likes it. For best acceptance it is best to begin using them in public places as soon as a child begins cruising, so that at the age they are most useful, children don't have any recollection of walking in public without them.

For most healthy kids, age 3 is usually about the upper limit for needing reins to curb the darting impulse, though children with developmental or sensory issues may still need to use them at places like WDW when they are a bit older.

A properly adjusted rein will fall just to the tops of a child's ankles if you let go of it; it should not be long enough to hit the ground. This length is far enough to let the parent's arm hang at rest, but not long enough to create a trip hazard for other people by putting too much distance between the parent and child.

 

[katybugsmom]

Before I was married and had children I thought the harnesses were horrible!!!
I have learned to eat my words!! My DS(2 1/2) wore one for the first time to the zoo and walked the entire time we were there! He loved the independence it gave him and I knew he was safe. He didn't mind it at all! We also bought the monkey from Walmart. It's very plush-even the strap is made out of the same material so it's very comfortable to hold on to! Walmart has several different animals-dog, monkey, and panda. We chose the monkey for the dark fabric-shows little dirt and wear and is also easy to clean. I did get a few "looks" while we were at the zoo, but I knew my son was safe and that's all that counts in my book! We are going to WDW in September and will use it there too!!!! Hope this helps!!!!!

 

[Hannathy]

Never planned on using one and NEVER did, I absolutely hate them.

 

[bumbershoot]

I think the only way a kiddo could be traumatized by a harness is if you were already an abusive parent who used it in an abusive way. But in that case, it's not the harness causing the trauma....

I own two, but alas, they don't work for my kiddo. He likes to run to the end and SLAM into it. My shoulders can't take that, so we don't use them. But the one that looks like a teddy bear hugging his back is SO cute!

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh, and I bought them anticipating using them because my mom used them with me and my brother. Nothing bad about them at all. They show caring and love, and a lack of extra hands. In my mom's case she had the two of us, 2 years apart, as well as two Alaskan Malamutes, and we all liked to go to the beach in the Monterey area, and harnesses for us ALL were absolutely needed, if my single mom were to contain us. Scary rocky wild beach, scary two-lane highway to park on and cross or walk along...definite need for some sort of control! We never went to Disneyland when we were that young, but I'm sure she would have brought them as a "just in case", if we had gone then.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I used to think the leash/harnesses were horrible and I would never put my child in one but for safety reasons -- if they needed it, I would use it.

I used to think the same thing too-of course I was young, ignorant and childless at the time! Now that I am older and have kids that can sometimes be a handful, I too see that they are not terrible at all and sometimes very necessary.

I don't think using a child leash is traumatizing, but that is JMO. I'd think it would be far more traumatizing if the child ran off and got lost. You do what you have to do. I think the monkey kind that someone mentioned actually sounds kinda cute!

 

[jcc0621]

And it gave us a sense of relief and DS a little independence. He xould walk without holding our hand the whole time, but he couldn't get too far away. He is 3.5 and for a while there if we were somewhere , where there was a big crowd he would ask us to put it on him. Now, not so much. I am taking it when we go in August, but I don't really think we will need becasue he is pretty good about staying with us. You need to do what you are the most comfortable with.

 

[Nettaboo]

WOW..thank you so much for the responses..
I was thinking i was going to get slammed...
I really apriciate all the comments. My dd loves to be free so I think this will be best for us. I will get one of the back pack ones.

 

[MandM-Mom]

We used the wristband Elmo one with my oldest DD when we went on a cruise she was only 1 and it worked perfect, we even used it on a trip after that because its perfect for the Airport, it only takes a minute for them to get quite far and with all the luggage and things she could walk right with us. We have the Eddie Bauer backpack animal buddy for my 3 year old and its perfect for her, she is definitly a bolter, the wrist band didn't work for her she would just take it off.