Leashes on kids

[indimom]

Used one on my daughter over 10 years ago. By the time she hit 2.5 or so, the threat was enough to keep her in line!
Never needed one for my son.

 

[bas71873]

I have never had to use one at Disney or any other vaca, but that monkey backpack was a lifesaver for me when DD was little. She hated being confined to a stroller and wasn't a lover of hand holding. She and I flew together for the first time when she was 16 months old and I had a layover in ATL. That leash was the best thing EVER. She had her freedom and I had peace of mind (and she wore herself out and therefore slept on the entire flight, which I'm sure other passengers were appreciate of).

Not to flame you because to each his own opinion, but don't knock something until you have to try it.

 

[Tiger926]

Firstly, they are called "harnesses" and not "leashes." Last time I looked, I had two children and no dogs present in this house.

Secondly, it's all about safety. There are rude, obnoxious and insular adults at WDW, which makes my use of a safety harness essential in some situations. We have one that is a special chest harness - not a very long strap at all. The older models that went on wrists can be very dangerous for all parties involved.

Thirdly, not sure why anyone would feel the need to comment on them in the first place. It's just like people who comment on: strollers, wheelchairs, scooters, etc. If they are being used properly, then they are being used for safety or medical reasons and there is no reason anyone should have a problem with that.

Lastly, not sure why anyone should be commenting on something they have never tried? Why do I need approval from a stranger on how to keep my child safe? As long as I'm not harming you or your children, it shouldn't be your concern. Harnesses have their places - they ensure child safety. Not sure why any adult would have a problem with that? We have received many stares from uninformed and ignorant adults, as far as I'm concerned, while using our harness. Does it bother us? Nope! I am in charge of my child's safety and so I can handle some looks from strangers who have no business commenting on my child's safety in the first place. It's funny, last time an adult stared at us while walking through Epcot, they were smoking, in an undesignated smoking area, I might add...Now, that is something that we can have a discussion on as that behaviour affects our asthma. Totally different from parents who properly use safefy harnesses in order to ensure their child's safety.

Tiger

 

[ride on toys]

Although I've never used a child-leash on my kids, I've seen plenty of confident families using them with perfect comfort and ease.

 

[WantToGoNow]

I saw a kid that would have probably be dead now if it wasn't for a "leash". And it was at WDW. We were waiting at ASMo behind a family with a little boy about 18-20 mos. old. They took him out of the stroller and folded it up. Dad was holding him by the harness. Just as the bus pulled up that little boy dashed into the road. The dad quickly pulled him back. I'm sure the bus driver didn't see him. I personally never needed them for my kids but if you think you do, then by all means use it.

 

[mrodgers]

If it's good enough for the family dog, why not the kids. After all, from my observation, it seems that kids to most folks I see are nothing different from a family pet.

 

[::Snow_White::]

I used to hate them, but now I understand that they are sometimes necessary. I would rather my kid be safe and on a leash, than run off to where I can't find them or they get hurt.

 

[mjkacmom]

Five year olds are not wearing them - more like two year olds. Two year olds are still crapping in their diapers - do you really think that harnesses degrade them? I had really no choice but to use them with my twins (to allow them freedom from the stroller - I don't know how they would've learned not to run in the street on walks without them. They LOVED them, and the only reason I stopped using them (before they turned 3) was because I lost one, and they would fight over the other.

Kids want freedom - let them out of the stroller, and let them walk. And not everyone has the luxury of having one parent dedicated to one child. All children are different - my dd8 wouldn't dare to walk more than five inches from me - ds11 and ds6 would bolt.

 

[oXar]

We have a harness for our 2.5 yr old DD. We've never actually used it, except at home fooling around. She actually brings it to us to put it on her. We are taking it with us to WDW, we'll be there on Christmas day and are expecting large crowds. She's a runner, and given the opportunity, she'll take off. She can tolerate the stroller for so long. Personally, I find the harness to be a better way for her to truly enjoy WDW than the stroller.

I was once a harness child. After getting lost at MK once, my parents bought one, not those cute back pack ones either. I don't physically remember wearing it, but I've seen pictures, and that thing was a 'leash'. I have no psychological issues because of it, and given that I was always running (I remember hiding from my mom in the malls inside those round clothes racks), without it, I'm sure I would have been hurt or traumatized in some way had they not used it.

It's a sad fact of life in todays society that people feel the need to degrade parents who choose to be responsible by using them in a dangerous setting. Like I said, we've never used it, but we've never taken her anywhere as crowded and chaotic as MK is. I find that most people who talk negatively about them usually don't have children of their own. It is very easy to get lost in WDW, and using the harness allows the child much more inter-activity that strapping him/her into a stroller. It's not like they're being tied to a tree, or being walked to go potty, they are simply being kept safe. There is nothing more painful than to see a mother crying and screaming frantically that she's lost her child.

 

[Swmr359]

I was on a leash as a child. My mom bought the leash after I crawled under a dressing room door while she was undressed; I made it to the mall before someone stopped me. I actually have no memory of the leash, but I'm told it looked like leaderhosen and had the closures on the back (so I wouldn't undo them).
I fully support leashes on children.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

We used one over spring break this year. It wasn't because DS is rowdy, he actually prefers to wear one when we are in heavy crowds. He feels safer knowing that it will take a lot to separate him from us if he wears it and he frankly doesn't mind it.

Now, do I approve of using them to tether kids who are running like crazy? Not so much (the whole "pulling" thing does bug me) but if that's what it takes to make the parents and/or kids feel safe, I'm all for that.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Why judge someone who is keeping their kids safe. It isn't degrading the kid like the above poster will not even remember it happening. Who wants to sit in a stroller all the time. I wish when my kids were younger I would of seen the backpacks ones. My dd was only 14 months older then my twins so try to keep three young ones in line.

 

[Scurvy]

I think they are great. I used one very briefly with my son when he was 2 or so and going through a phase where he didn't want to hold hands. At Disney World once he yanked his hand out of mine and darted away to look at something, and I lost sight of him in the crowd. We found him immediately, but it scared me horribly. We used the harness just until he learned to hold our hands again. The harness was his choice - we told him he could ride in the stroller or use the harness, and he was excited to be able to "walk on his own" like a big kid.

The thing that always strikes me as funny is that some of the people who object most strongly to "leashes" are fine with using strollers. For the record, I'm fine with strollers, too. But they are much more restrictive than harnesses! The harness allows the child to have a bit more freedom but also helps to protect the child. Seems like a win/win situation to me. Maybe those people object because the harness reminds them of a dog leash. I think it's silly to disregard something as potentially useful as a harness just because it reminds you of something that people use to protect their dogs, but obviously people have the right to their feelings no matter how absurd I find them.

ETA - I think I have particularly strong feelings about this because when I was little, I was holding my grandfather's hand in the grocery store and decided I didn't want to leave the store and so I tried to pull away. When that didn't work, I sat down hard on the ground. He didn't let go of my hand and my arm popped out of joint. I still remember how much it hurt! It was just one of those freak things. I still have problems with that shoulder occasionally. I didn't want to risk something like that happening to my son when he was in his "pulling away" phase, so the harness seemed to be the best of the available options.

 

[princessmom29]

I don't personally think I would ever want to use one except in the most extreme of circumstances. I hate the look of it, and think that for some people, just some not all, it leads to them being less attentive to what is going on with thier kids because they "know they are safe". That being said there are also many parents who use them for their intended purpose. I think it is a matter that is entirely personal preference. I voted that I don't approve because it is not something I ever want to be forced to use on a child, but it is not that I have a problem with others that use them.

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

I say better safe than sorry. I have used "leashes" on all three of my children. They were not big hand holders and I felt better knowing we were still together. They had freedom but not too much.

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

I appreciate the responses. I think those are all great points and I agree that my choice of words could have given that a negative connotation. I think a stroller could be just as restrictive but would help ease the mind of a parent with a energetic child. I respect anyone who is a parent for all there hard work and ultimately the choice is yours. My intent was not to tell people how to parent thier child.

I see you are new here, so Welcome. I have to say though, a stroller is constrictive and kids climb out of them even with the buckle on them. They fall and get hurt.

 

[Erica09M]

I don't personally think I would ever want to use one except in the most extreme of circumstances. I hate the look of it, and think that for some people, just some not all, it leads to them being less attentive to what is going on with thier kids because they "know they are safe". That being said there are also many parents who use them for their intended purpose. I think it is a matter that is entirely personal preference. I voted that I don't approve because it is not something I ever want to be forced to use on a child, but it is not that I have a problem with others that use them.

At the same time, some (not all) parents are way less attentive to a child in a stroller than to one walking because they "know" they are safe in the stroller. Go shopping at the mall, how many moms do you see with their backs to their strollers as they're sifting through the clothes rack? And more times than not, wth a stroller there is no interaction... the child isn't even facing the parent in most cases. When we go out and use a stroller (I babywear most of the time) we're the ONLY people I ever see that has a stroller where the child sits facing me.

Anyway~ I don't care either way... as long as a child is safe, not ignored, and attended too.

 

[raykay23]

I used them on DS because he was (and still is) a runner. I could only use them a couple of times though because they almost caused injury to innocent parties! While grocery shopping he would move as far away from me as it permitted causing people to trip over the restraint or run their trolleys into it.

I have seen a great one for parents of twins though. A friend of mine wore a belt with a leash either side that attached as a belt to both children. It meant they were safe and she had her hands free.

 

[C.Ann]

People use them on the best trained dogs to keep them safe - is the safety of a child "less" important?

I'm 60 - my mom had to use a harness on me when I was a toddler (I was a speedy "wanderer" - LOL) - and I survived just fine.. No feelings of "degradation" at all..

Parents need to do what is best for "their" child.. Doesn't matter what others think..

 

[waltskids]

I have not and will not use them on my children. I don't approve of them for my family, but to each his own.