How do you feel about child harness?

[wdwmom0f3]

When I first saw one I didn't think the parents were bad but I thought it was just the most rediculous thing I had ever seen. I remember laughing a little about it! I never had trouble taking a child anywhere! I didn't really understand it! Since then I have had a grandson who after learning to walk hates his stroller , hates his hand being held, isn't afraid of strangers at all and likes to run from you! He doesn't see any danger at all! Well, now that leash or harness or whatever you want to call it doesn't look so bad to me! LOL! So I went and bought my grandson one. Now I think they are the greatest thing you could ever buy for a child! LOL! What ever it takes to keep your child safe is smart to use! Your childs safety should come first and not what someone else thinks! At any amusement park it would be so easy to loose a child because of crowds and other distractions. A child can be taken or disappear on their own in a second and you may not be one of the lucky ones to ever find them. I can't even imagine what someone goes through. It is also wise to take a picture of them, write your cell phone number on them somewhere like a bracelet , their shirt or shoe. My dad used to have a saying "After something happens its to late to worry about what we should have done then".

I felt the same way at fiirst and I didnt have to use it with my girls but I sure did with my son, and I was more than thankful for having it too. The only place I used it was for our trip to Disney World when he was little. It really helped me a lot.

Here is a funny picture I got of him while at Disney. She holding the harness and was saying "nice baby" or something like that. We were cracking up! He was doing his best to get away!

 

[shortbun]

so before I had my son I thought those child harnesses where the child wears a back pack and there is a "leash" attached were crazy. I use the word leash for lack of another word. anyway, we are going with the world with my 14 month old son who hates being in the stroller and is a runner, not a walker, he just runs all the time. what do you think about those things? I swore I would never use one but never thought my child would be so active

We had the same child. We travelled a lot and we really needed a harness through airports because our toddler was climbing out of strollers and squirming from being held way too much. We used it in zoos and museums too. He was happy, we were happy. Opinions from strangers are invalid. They don't know you or your child. I never noticed anyone judging us because we were too busy loving our child and moving through airports, museums, parking lots and other very busy places where he insisted on walking. I actually finally bought an old plastic stroller from the thrift store and put Pokemon stickers on it; he loved riding in that when he was 3-4 at WDW. Saved our lives. People constantly aproached us then wantng to know where we got it.
Positive input from strangers rocks!

 

[superme80]

Love the pic! I have used one on my oldest and will use one on DS #2. Both love to explore and get away. DS #1 is almost 4, so he gets the staying by my side. DS #2 is almost 2 and does not. I would rather give my kid some controlled frredom than have them scream in the stroller or stay home.

 

[tigercat]

I have a brother who had 2 very angelic children. They were perfect and he knew how to parent. They did just what they were told and stayed where they should. He would often say that it was just how you parented your children. Then he had his 3rd child another boy. He had a boy and a girl at first so he knew how to handle boys. It was really fun watching him have to deal with a really energetic, wild imagination, running devilish little one. He was a real handful and I took great pleasure telling him that it was all in the "parenting".
My daughter and I have used it on her oldest daughter a couple of time and when my daughter was pregnant with her 2nd and the first was 16 months old. My granddaughter loved it and would ask for it. It doesn't seem to have damaged her at all.
tigercat

 

[Emteach]

My sister was perfectly content sitting in a stroller, holding hand or being carried. My brother was another story - he did not like anything that confined him! He was also a bolter from ages 2-3 and FAST. He LOVED the freedom that the harness gave him and we just called the least part the horsies tail.
It kept him safe and happy so not sure why anyone would have a problem with this. Some children no matter how hard you try dont do well with strollers or hand holding... we had maybe a handful of people say something but usually just ignored lol.

I also had a harness that was much less fun as the animal ones now a days and I grew up no worse for wear!

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

I got a harness for our DD's first trip to the World...she was 15 months old and a runner. She HATED the stroller. She'd nap in it but that was it. I didn't care what people thought...she was happy, and thoroughly enjoying the environment. It also meant we had to slow down, take things at her pace, let her stop and look at things...which if we were whisking by in a stroller, we wouldn't have done. We only used it at WDW and at DL.

DS, on the other hand, loved the stroller and never gave us a moment of trouble, even at DL/WDW. I took the stroller away when he turned 4, and we just took things at his own pace. He was happy to hold my hand or let me know when he wanted to rest, look at things, etc. Same parenting, two very different kids.

OP, if you feel the leash would be beneficial then by all means use it! Who cares what anyone else thinks?

 

[S. C.]

I never needed to use them with my girls, but if they were runners or wanderers I would have. When you think about it, a leash is just an extension of hand holding. I've seen lots of children fussing at the end of their parent's hand, wanting to get away and run around. I've never seen a child trying to get out of a leash. I truly don't think kids mind them.

I think the leash gives kids just enough freedom to not feel confined but still keeps them safe.

Nicole

Well said!

 

[badblackpug]

I dislike them, I have never used one and won't ever use one. My youngest is a runner. He can actually unbuckle the seat belt on the stroller and get out while it's moving. I still won't leash him. We have just learned to stay hyper vigilant of him and reinforce hand holding when he is walking.

 

[Mermaid02]

If a child can walk and wants to walk, why not tether them to you so they CAN walk? Why make them ride? The kids in this country don't get enough exercise as it is... start them young!

 

[labdogs42]

I'm wondering now what the anti-leash people think about writing your phone number on your kid with sharpie or those child safety tattoos. Discuss. (and where the heck did popcorn smiley go?)

 

[ilovefh]

What a timely thread! We used one for DS for the first time last night. He's 17 months and wants to walk all the time. When you try to hold his hand he lowers himself into a crawling position to get away from you. He's little and very curious! We used it in the UK where it wasn't so crowded. We also used it on the bridge to France. Once we hit crowded France he went into the stroller.

He seemed to like it and so did we. He doesn't understand "stay close" yet so this protects him until he does.

So if you were at food and wine last night and saw a little boy with his monkey backpack running back and forth with his dad in tow near the band in the UK that was us. We also used it to let him walk around before the 8pm Sugar Ray show.

And I will say we may have gotten dirty looks but I was too preoccupied following him around to notice!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

OKay- I have a question for harness/leash users. If you say that your child is a runner and it is impossible to keep him/her contained what happens when the leash is on? Do they just keep trying to run while straining against the harness? Do they bolt off and when they reach the end of the leash get pulled back? I am not trying to be rude but imo and has been stated by users they are just like a dog's leash. So can anyone explain this to me? Thanks!

 

[mjkacmom]

OKay- I have a question for harness/leash users. If you say that your child is a runner and it is impossible to keep him/her contained what happens when the leash is on? Do they just keep trying to run while straining against the harness? Do they bolt off and when they reach the end of the leash get pulled back? I am not trying to be rude but imo and has been stated by users they are just like a dog's leash. So can anyone explain this to me? Thanks!

Nope, no pulling. I used them on my twins with walks in the neighborhood on the sidewalk, to keep them out of the street, and off of people's lawns. Dd was a big runner and escape artist, but he knew he wasn't going anywhere with the leash on, and walked nicely (they were under 2). For the amount of times he escaped from the house (before we got door alarms), we should've kept him attached to something indoors, as well.

Dd probably would've been fine, but we lost ds several times when he wasn't leashed, usually when we had more than one or two adults, if no one was actually assigned every minute to watch him. It's amazing how much security some places have behind the scene, that come out when a child is missing!

At 9, he is much better, but will probably have to be medicated for ADHD in the future (if his grades are affected, like his big brother). Impulse control issues can be hard, even with awesome parenting (my girls never had a problem walking right next to me, even as toddlers). It's always a work in progress.

 

[jkjs]

We just had this discussion during our last visit. We saw a family with a little boy (two-ish) and a girl who we thought was about 7 or 8.

The boy was in a harness that strapped across his back and was connected to a leash. These we can see/understand.

The girl had a strap that ran from her arm to her mom's. It was very short, maybe 3 feet. We thought it was outrageous. As they were walking, the mom would be pointing at stuff and the girls arm would just flail about - like a marionette.

 

[Suellen]

I'm wondering now what the anti-leash people think about writing your phone number on your kid with sharpie or those child safety tattoos. Discuss. (and where the heck did popcorn smiley go?)

Not exactly anti leash - because I don't care what others do just never would use them for my kids.

I also wouldn't bother with this - only because I have several CM friends that have told me it is pointless. CM are not allowed to touch the child to say lift a shirt or sleeve to find it....both have also told me that it has never gotten to a phone call point when she was in charge of the lost child.

So I have nothing against it... I just wouldn't bother.

Curious though - is Sharpie OK to use on the skin? I mean does it seep in? I probably would not put sharpie intentionally on my kiddo - if I were going to tag them I'd use the tattoo.

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

Just to preface this: I have not read the entire thread, only a few pages.

I'm not a fan of the harnesses, but I completely understand that they are necessary and work beautifully for some children. And I don't have a runner, so I haven't had the need for it. If I did, I am sure I would use it.

However, just as another option I wanted to see if anyone suggested this yet:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/pro...m_medium=cpc&gclid=CIrXvfff4rICFah9OgodCEEAcQ

We got it for DS just before he turned two and we love it! We give it to DS as an option when he doens't want to be in the stroller. As in: You can hold a hand or your ladybug handle. He almost always picks the handle. He has a bit more freedom that way. If I am holding the other end (as opposed to being clipped to the stroller or something) I can feel if he lets go instantly. There are a bunch of different colors/animals. We love it.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

Absolutely get a harness. We were at WDW in August and my precious DGD is so active and doesn't always care to be in her stroller, wore one for our trip. She had the freedom to move around and explore (albiet not far).

No one made any negative comments and we received comments from parents saying "isn't that a great thing to have". Referring to the harness.

Most parents are going to absolutely relate to people using them. The safety of our precious ones is our number one priority.

 

[MissMichigan]

I think they're a little weird, but totally understand the need for them. (even more so somewhere like a Disney park) I'm not sure if I would ever use them on a kid or not, I'll have to wait and see how my future kids act as far as running off goes. To each their own. If you feel your kid needs one in order to keep them safe, you'll get no judgement for me. Honestly, i'm more likely to judge you if you don't keep in your kid "in tow" and they are running around like a wild animal disrupting everyone around them. THAT will get you a dirty look.

On the other hand, DB says he's going to get one for me, since I have a tendency to wander, lol.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I read about half way through and stopped.

Here's one thing I noticed: those who oppose them seem to do so either because a) they look silly/stupid/lazy and make the parents look silly/stupid/lazy or the kids look like an animal and b) if they had a "runner", they would make the child listen to them so a harness would not be necessary/they have control over their children so one is not needed.

If those things aren't of concern to you, then you should use a harness if you think one is needed. Personally, I don't care if someone thinks I look silly or thinks I'm a bad parent with no control over my child.

My son has ADHD (among a few other things, but they wouldn't cause the need for a harness. He had it when he was born, it didn't magically appear when he started school. He was a runner. He was, and still is, very impulsive. It's part of the ADHD. It's something we struggle with and he will always struggle with it, though hopefully it will get better as he ages and learns how to control himself.

We had a harness for him, but only used it for Disney World and for hiking. He didn't mind it and it helps us be able to enjoy ourselves and our children, without worrying that he was going to get hurt or lost. We still paid him the same amount of attention (and if we're accused of anything, it's being too attentive to our children, certainly not ignoring them).

Because I know there are a couple on here who are thinking it: yes, we do discipline. We've tried several different measures of discipline. It has always been our expectation that our children listen to us and other adults who are in charge of them. Yes, they have consequences if this does not happen. Currently my son has lost all his privileges (no computer, no video games, no tv, no friends over and even lost his bedroom door) due to some bad behavior at school. It is not due to lack of discipline, I can assure you. Because of his disorder, it is much more difficult for him to learn to control his behavior. He still is expected to do his best and when he doesn't, there are consequences.

 

[Liberty Belle]

OKay- I have a question for harness/leash users. If you say that your child is a runner and it is impossible to keep him/her contained what happens when the leash is on? Do they just keep trying to run while straining against the harness? Do they bolt off and when they reach the end of the leash get pulled back? I am not trying to be rude but imo and has been stated by users they are just like a dog's leash. So can anyone explain this to me? Thanks!

My son rarely used his, but when he did he didn't pull on it. He's very intelligent and didn't forget it was on , so he knew he couldn't run off and it helped him to control his impulses.