Kid "leashes"??? help

[Tigger&Aidan]

I too said I'd never get one, but that was before kids! We actually don't have one yet, but may for our trip later this year - depends on how DS can do with hand holding and such - he now says "no, mommy!!!
I'm sure pp already mentioned these, but i've seen them at Target or onestepahead.com.

Erin

 

[rie'smom]

My mom didn't lose us(5 of us) and believe me,my brothers weren't the kind to stand still. My husband is one of 10 and his mom didn't lose any of them either. I have 3 kids-2 sons who were extremely active-1 ADHD- and I never lost them.
IMO,the leashes,harnesses,whatever you want to call them make a child look like the family pet. It's degrading. If a child is too young to listen,I would wait until he/she is older.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

My mom didn't lose us(5 of us) and believe me,my brothers weren't the kind to stand still. My husband is one of 10 and his mom didn't lose any of them either. I have 3 kids-2 sons who were extremely active-1 ADHD- and I never lost them.
IMO,the leashes,harnesses,whatever you want to call them make a child look like the family pet. It's degrading. If a child is too young to listen,I would wait until he/she is older.

Well, that's your opinion. I have lost my 2yo and it's absolutely terrifying, I'm sure it would be even more so at WDW or anywhere else with that number of people, as a parent I will do whatever necessary to keep my child safe. My son also plays in a fenced backyard, as would a pet. As I said, I have 5 kids, I had never lost any or had any problem keeping any with me until my 5th. It's not because I have so many, it's because he's so much more active and so much faster than they are. Plus he's a climber, it's just too much to risk for me, plus if I'm not holding his hand he feels like he has more independance/freedom, instead of feeling restrained so he doesn't try to pull away.

 

[GraysMom]

I got a nylon strap harness through Freecycle, which I think is what we're going to take on our trip at the end of this month. I bought the puppy backpack one at Target (exact same one as Walmart has, and the same price) but I think I'm going to take it back. I have a feeling it will be too hot to wear it, plus it will take up a lot more space in the luggage/diaper bag. DS2 will not be content to sit in a stroller for several hours at a time, and I'd like him to be able to get out and safely explore. Hopefully we won't need it, but I just feel better having it in case we do.

 

[mitushib]

If u think u need it buy it; go to the parks see how ur kid reacts. I bought one out first trip Took it with me to MK then realized my son was so overwhelmed with the crowds that he was staying close to me. This was a kid who I was planning to enter into the 100mtr sprint in the olympics. Sometimes kids r opposites of what u expect them to be in a new place.

 

[bellesnow]

I have a Safety 1st harness that you slip over the child and it velcros in the back. I bought it at babies r us. I tried the wrist kind and my DS who is 2yrs would get it off.

 

[reginaastralis]

Add me to the list of "I'll never have one of those for my kid!"

Well, that was until my parents bought her one before going on her Disney trip.

It was a BLESSING. We call Julie "driven" which really means, she pays no attention to what I have to say at all. She knows what she wants to do and does it. We go often, and I whenever I say "Julie, wanna go to Disney" after she gets all excited about seeing Princess Rella's house, she asks "Where's my monkey?!?!!?!" She doesn't like to sit in the stroller, she wants to be on the go.

I don't know if anyone's ever said anything negative or looked at us funny, but I can tell you the times I've been asked where I bought it count to more than 20, atleast.

Also, we live in Florida, so we're used to the heat, but Julie wears monkey in the middle of the summer and loves it. Monkey also comes with a little zippered pouch where Julie stores her princess toys. This May, I am going to try the first half of the day without the stroller, I'll call you guys after they get done admitting me.

 

[shelemm]

My mom didn't lose us(5 of us) and believe me,my brothers weren't the kind to stand still. My husband is one of 10 and his mom didn't lose any of them either. I have 3 kids-2 sons who were extremely active-1 ADHD- and I never lost them.
IMO,the leashes,harnesses,whatever you want to call them make a child look like the family pet. It's degrading. If a child is too young to listen,I would wait until he/she is older.

If a child bolts, that is a real danger, especially anywhere near cars. It's a possible life saving device. We got one after an incident with our son in which he bolted while we were in line at a Boston Market. He ran full speed into a railing (there was nothing underneath) at forehead height. Wham. It was an absolutely awful incident. If we didn't have it, he could have certainly bolted into traffic on many occassions. Oddly enough, he was an unusually cautious child who was othewrwise too timid to do anything physical for himself.

 

[wehavesix]

I teach pre-k (4 & 5 y.o.). My assistant and I have 20 children in our class each year. Last year we had a special needs child who also tended to run off from the group. When we went on field trips we used a harness on this child. This allowed either me or my asst. to have him attached to one of us at all times yet still gave us the freedom of movement we needed to attend to the other 19 children. This little one's mom knew of and approved our use of the harness, especially since she had also had problems with him "escaping" when her back was turned. The only other alternative would have been to exclude this child and that was not acceptable to me. We often got some strange looks from strangers but we didn't care as long as this little one was safe, it didn't matter. The harness may not be cute but it is effective and necessary for some children in some situations. The safety of your child and peace of mind so that you can all enjoy the Disney experience is the most important thing anyway. Have a great vacation!

 

[TinkerbEllnor]

You know your child the best whether they need one or not. People with no children and those with children who don't bolt may be quick to judge you for your use of it, but (not trying to be flip) why would you care what they think? Don't let anyone make you feel like a bad parent for keeping your child safe. That makes you a GOOD parent IMO. And truth be told, you will most likely not ever see any of them again, so don't worry what they think.

I used one on my 3 yr old DS on our most recent trip. We found that we didn't need it when the adult to child ratio was 1:1 or more. So if you are 2 adults and 1 child, you may find it not necessary at most times. However, when my DH was at his conference and I was outnumbered by the children, DS was not allowed out of the stroller without it on. I would not be able to keep up the chase while carrying 1yr old DD if he ran off.

This rule came into effect when I made the mistake of taking the harness off DS in the Boneyard at AK. He took off and I lost him within 10 seconds of the harness coming off. I was petrified but somewhat assured that he was at least fenced in. I could not imagine the horror if he had done that out and about in the park. It stayed on the rest of the trip.

Good luck and have fun

 

[jennilouwho]

I'm also going to do the backpack "leash" for selfish reasons. I don't want to have to walk all hunched over to hold his hand the whole trip and my husband is 6' 4" and would be very uncomfortable. Maybe he'll be tall enough by then that it won't be so ackward, but right now our hands don't meet comfortably. I'm actually pretty strict and very much insistant on having a child stay with me and hold my hand, but for that much walking for a so many days, it just seems easier to give him a little freedom. It's my vacation too! He loves his stroller now and hopefully he'll ride in that a lot, but I want him to walk as much as possible.

 

[graygables]

I grew up in Germany and we had a harness thingy that was my seatbelt in the cargo area of our Fiat station wagon. When we travelled, my parents generally just left it on me b/c it was a pain to get it off. It saved me on more than one occasion. Kept me from wandering off in a Turkish market, kept me from getting lost in the Roman catacombs (still have nightmares about THAT one), and kept me from falling over the White Cliffs of Dover (I got too close and started to slip). I used it until I was 12. I'm 42 and my parents never had to pay for a penny of therapy b/c of the harness (and mine was bu-tee-tee ugly black mesh, not the cute ones they have now!) I used harnesses for all 4 of my DDs. Better safe than sorry!

 

[Dad_Z]

I can't help but notice that the people who did not like the idea of using a harness seem to get "posted down" by others. Someone posted a request for opinions, and it is perfectly appropriate (desirable even) for people who disagree with the use of these devices to say so, and why. Just as it is perfectly appropriate for people who love them to say so, and why. Presumably the person who started the thread was looking for honest opinions.

DW and myself have always said we would never use the devices. We have seen them misused too many times by parents who are just not paying close enough attention to their children (I am sure that that is not always the case - especially when you have several kids or medical issues). Now, the Disney parks are different from day-to-day living, and I can easily see the value of the devices (even if they still do make me uncomfortable). We will soon be going to Disney with DS (3.5 years), and while I never even thought about the devices, after reading this thread I must say that I will probably discuss it with DW again.

 

[qtwns]

My boys hated our "leash", but they knew I'd use it if I felt I needed to. At 2 yrs old I used it quite often with them. When they were 4, we kept it in the stroller basket. We told the boys that we'd use it if they caused us to need to. Our 1st morning at MGM it got taggged "The Teather of Terror!" When they were out of the stroller (which we called the "Rock N' Roller Stroller!")they'd assure us that they knew they had to stay close (I had to be able to reach out and touch their heads at any given moment) or they knew the "teather of terror" would be used. Never had to use it!

 

[Mickey'sMainMami]

My brother and I when we were younger used to make fun of the parents who would have their kids on the "leashes", but, now we fully understand why people have used them. While some people may not like them, if you feel that you need to use one to maximize your childs fun while feeling safe that he won't wander off and get lost, then I say more power to you! My brother used one for my 2 year old nephew on our last Disney trip in September, I know what a hypocrite! Just kidding, but you do what you need to do to keep your children safe in this crazy world. These may not be for everyone, but if you feel you need it then go ahead. My brother got the kind that also looks like a monkey and my nephew loved it and people were sayin how cute it looked, because it didn't really look like a "leash". Have fun!

 

[Sparkie]

Having "lost" a child - briefly - when we went to Disney 2 years ago and having used the harness myself when my children were younger I am in the FOR category.

The lost child was 10. We were entering MGM, in the morning, it was raining and everyone looked the same- all those yellow ponchos. She bent down to tie her shoe and we didnt hear her say she needed to stop. She stopped shortly after the enterance and we didnt miss her until we got to Beauty and the Beast show. I spent a very terrified, gut wrenching 30 min looking for my niece.

I always used the wrist type for my youngest daughter. When we added in the third child my DH and I realized we were out numbered and Kids are fast! I was greatful to have it on our trip to Niagra Falls. I would have hated to lose her over the falls. - I did have to put the wrist part around her stomach under her romper- she was only 2 but learned quickly how to undo velcro.


So . . . My Point- Disney is crowded, its exciting for little ones, and it only takes a second for your precious to slip from your sight- IMO better safe than sorry. And trust me you dont want that 30 min of panic in your heart- I remember it vividly.

Also- make sure your kids know if they do get separated- go to a cast member- they will take your child to guest relations- that is where we found my niece.