Kids on 'leashes'

[mm1971]

Plead please please--- I know this can be a hot button issue but I'm just need advice.

I have never used any form of child harness and to be honest neve liked the idea. With my girls I rarely had to hold their hands as they would just walk next to me. HOWEVER my 2.5 year old has in the last month developed a running habit...car, park, grocery store....pretty much anywhere.

So I'm thinking I need to do some sort of leash for our trip next week. For anyone that has used them before---any tips, brand or style? Thanks

Heather

Haha. Sorry, your topic reminded me of the "Modern Family" episode where they went to DL. They had the little girl on a leash restraint and kind of made fun of it. By the end of the show, they just put her in high heels and she couldn't run in them.

On a serious note, it is your child and you know how to protect him/her. There is nothing worse than the feeling when your child is lost or missing. I will say that with all of the stimulation, and a carriage, you may not need it. We never had to use one and my kids tended to be very active all the time. I remember seeing the ones with the Monkey backpack at Walmart and I have seen kids with them at the parks. Good luck!

 

[dlove28]

totally with you, my wife and 8 also secretly mock people. Now DD is 5 and her twin sisters are 16mos. When they get excited they run in three different directions. Now that are in a zone defense what do you do!? I can see us breaking down for the tether.

At 2.5 more important is going to be a stroller (with a seat belt of course!). Your child will be tired from all the walking so hopefully won't have the energy to run in the latter part of the day. Early in. The day the tether may be necessary. If they don't like it the choice is holding hands or the stroller. Wish I had that choice!

 

[kmb584]

A couple of years ago I purchased a Minnie Mouse one at Kohl's and used it on numerous trips with DD. She was a runner. If an ant crossed her path she took off after it. A lot of people are opposed to using a harness but I prefer knowing that my child is safe. On our last 2 trips it wasn't needed at all, woohoo!, as she's become quite amicable to holding hands and staying close.

 

[starsweeper]

There is one available at Target that has a monkey or a dog as the backpack. It is very soft. We only used it once with my daughter at the zoo but luckily she quickly learned to either hold our hands or learn to love the harness. She chose to hold our hands

I had these for my two older kids and had to use them for about 6-9 months until they agreed to hold hands and stay by me consistently. Be prepared for some nasty looks and comments. I got used to saying, "You try chasing two toddlers running in different directions and see how you manage to keep them both safe." The comments usually came from mothers who obviously never dealt with a twin situation.

 

[fitzperry]

Haha. Sorry, your topic reminded me of the "Modern Family" episode where they went to DL. They had the little girl on a leash restraint and kind of made fun of it. By the end of the show, they just put her in high heels and she couldn't run in them.

I loved that . . . particularly when she started barking and jumping while her dads were trying to be discreet about it.

 

[eliza61]

I swear my son is so weird, he loved his leash. At 4 my youngest was a major Bolter boy would take of in a heart beat. I was not spending my holidays chasing and yelling. Never gave a moments thought to what other parents thought. My son would never hold my hand.

 

[bellenbuzz]

Think of it this way....Your child is the smart one and decided that they better keep Mom & Dad close by using a backpack so Mom & Dad have something to hold onto so they don't wander into gift shops or restaurants....Your child knows where they are, it's Mom & Dad she has to keep an eye one...
Enjoy you magical vacation

 

[3_disprincesses]

I had one for my youngest that was a fanny pack style. At 2.5 she loved wearing it to keep her money or other small belongings in. It was very comfortable for her.

 

[rizzo0904]

I have two crazy boys...ages 2 and 4. We went to DL in May and they were actually really good. Neither one ever ran off on us, which was strange. I think it was all the Disney excitement and so much to see everything, they never had to take off to find something that was interesting to them. It may be easier than you think.

 

[nchulka]

I find the comments about how the child used the leash until he learned to hold mom's hand interesting. If I were a kid I would much rather be wearing a backpack with a leash than reaching UP to hold an adult's hand and standing directly next to them all day! If those are the only 2 choices I'm taking the one where I have a few feet to move around freely and use both my hands! That said both my kids generally stayed near me (also I really didn't mind them wandering away a bit-I'm big on independence) so I never needed one. If I were a parent who wanted my child to be walking near me I would think the leash gives much more freedom for the child than holding a hand!

 

[M2B]

I like the back pack idea. When I used one with my oldest the harnesses were still new and were exactly that -- harnesses. I used one because A) he didn't like to stay with me and B) a lot of adults don't look where they are going. It's scary as hell to be in a crowd and have some ignorant adult push between you and your child, separating you. I wouldn't be surprised if the ones who do that are also the ones who judge parents for using a harness.

 

[jamimb]

Ive never understood why using a harness on a child is such a big deal! We used one on our youngest daughter the 1st time we took her to WDW(she had turned three the week before). She has always loathed strollers so we figured using one of these was a win win for us. We still had control over her and kept her safely with us and she had freedom of movement to explore. I think these things are great!

 

[BonnieA]

I used a harness and leash with my son 40 yrs ago. I'm sure peoples opinions back then were not as open minded as most are today. But I never noticed anyone staring, or whispering about my parenting. And personally I didn't care. It was my business and I did what I had to do.

 

[letsgoreds]

I would bring it with you, but don't tear the tags off...he may surprise you. I also suggest writing his name and your cell phone # on his hand/arm in sharpie. Or buy one of those tags/bracelets that they sell so that if he escapes, he can be returned quickly.

Good luck!

 

[Belle72]

We used the backpack kind- ours was a stuffed puppy. My DS loved it- I never needed one for my DD- because I told her to stay nearby and she would. Then came DS! His running off only lasted 6 months or so but it was scary. I didn't use it instead of parenting, I used it because I was parenting. It kept him safe until he was developmentally ready to learn my rules concerning crowds and parking lots etc...

 

[2binak]

We used a backpack harness like this one when we took DD to WDW when she was 1.5 years old. We only used it in areas that weren't croweded and we only let her walk next to us, not at the far end of the harness though because we didn't want it to become a tripping hazard. It worked out well - she had some freedom and we had security knowing that she was only a couple of steps away.

http://www.amazon.com/Eddie-Bauer-B...d=1357746023&sr=8-9&keywords=backpack+harness

 

[bookgirl]

I used them with my twin nephews (two boys, two directions, one me). We actually had an actual harness. I don't think they would have worn a backpack as they didn't like bulky anything. I also used them often in special ed as my students had them on field trips and most of those parents found that the less bulky the better. One actually did use a dog leash. She clipped the end to the kids belt loop as he didn't like anything on his body but would not only wear it on his belt loop but later prefered to give his mom the other end then hold on to his end and learned to walk that way and to stay within reach of the lead, he seemed to like knowing what his boundry was.

As for my two they were both strong willed and never gave me a moments fuss about the harnesses. They loved them actually. They knew when I told them to get them that we were going out.

They were light blue and minimal and unless I actually had the strap/leash on they weren't even noticable. I did often let them go without to try them at staying put, but the moment they wandered they went right on and the kids just seemed to accept it. I just clipped them on and we walked the mall/store no problem.

My peace of mine/their safety were way more important than what some judgmental idiot thought. But I'm the type to take the looks and comments that others make with an 'up your's' attitude.

YOU do what makes your kids safe, that's all that really matters. Try both, some kids really like the backpacks but others do better with minimal extra material/bulk. Try both at the local mall first to see what he tolerates better.

 

[LilyWDW]

We used a backpack harness like this one when we took DD to WDW when she was 1.5 years old. We only used it in areas that weren't croweded and we only let her walk next to us, not at the far end of the harness though because we didn't want it to become a tripping hazard. It worked out well - she had some freedom and we had security knowing that she was only a couple of steps away.

http://www.amazon.com/Eddie-Bauer-B...d=1357746023&sr=8-9&keywords=backpack+harness

Thank you for bringing up part of what I was thinking. Please keep the lead short if at all possible. I have seen parents who put the harness on and then just ignore their kids as the kid runs around. They then wrap themselves into groups or trip people. Especially in large crowds.

 

[ItsNotMuchofaTail]

I find the comments about how the child used the leash until he learned to hold mom's hand interesting. If I were a kid I would much rather be wearing a backpack with a leash than reaching UP to hold an adult's hand and standing directly next to them all day! If those are the only 2 choices I'm taking the one where I have a few feet to move around freely and use both my hands! That said both my kids generally stayed near me (also I really didn't mind them wandering away a bit-I'm big on independence) so I never needed one. If I were a parent who wanted my child to be walking near me I would think the leash gives much more freedom for the child than holding a hand!

My DD didn't like hand holding much, and absolutely hated a stroller, LOL. She mostly walked next to me. I am big on independence too, as often as its safe. As I posted, I used a harness when we were visiting in a town where the big busy road was right next to the sidewalk in a shopping area. Not enough time to grab her if she ran, hence the harness.

I also don't get why people think holding an adult's hand is a comfy position for a child.

I think in the end, we should should judge less whenever possible. Most people are doing the best they can with the information they have, KWIM? Safe is better than hurt or lost any day of the week.

Oh, and I LOVED that Modern Family episode. Hilarious!

 

[DisneyNutMary]

I used a leash on my younger DS, who is now 14. He was just a wanderer, and hated being tied into a stroller. It worked out perfectly for us, he was able to think hr had freedom, and we always knew he couldn't get very far.
There is a perfectly good reason why manufacturers make leashes for children- better a leash than a trip to the er, or worse.