Leashes on kids

[Mouse House Mama]

I do have to question something about the leashes. For the people that use them they say it gives the kid freedom etc. and they can't run away. What happens when the kid tries to run? Do you yank them back? Do they run to the end and then strain against it? I am not being snarky but I don't use them and can't see how they could be any different than having the child next to you. This excludes developmentally disabled children of course.

 

[sl_underwood]

I think many parents feel it gives the illusion of freedom while keeping them safe. I only used ours for safety while teaching my child to stay with me and hold my hand, cart, etc. As for pulling, I never gave my son any room to run. The leash was wrapped around my waist to keep him no more than arms length from me. It was a very helpful tool in teaching him to stay with me without the fear of him being hurt if I couldnt catch him fast enough.

 

[Blurrysmom]

For my youngest DD who is 22 months I use a leash. She is full of energy, a strong will, and refuses to be in a stroller. She would rather be able to have the freedom of walking around than be strapped in a stroller. By using a leash it makes me feel more comfortable knowing that she is safe and it allows her to be happy!

Amen to that. My son who will be 20 months when we go is exactly the same - opinionated, curious, and hates to be confined. He is the size and strength of a 2 1/2 year old but obviously doesn't have that level of obedience or self-control. I hold his hand, but like to have the monkey "tail" on my wrist anyway in case he breaks/squirms away and shoots off into a crowd (which could happin in a nanosecond).

 

[la79al]

I have a runner, we have a leash. We haven't actually used it yet though. We got it more for the airport (to wear her out so she'll sleep on the plane). I have a feeling in the parks she will feel safer in the stroller.

 

[jenrose66]

I'm fine with the kiddie leash. Kids are quick and they are small and they can get away from you even with the most vigilant supervision. I feel like the leash gives them extra freedom because it makes them feel a little more autonomous because a parents hand isn't always on them.

I wanted to use a leash with my first DS, but it just didn't work out for us. I got him one of the Monkey backpack ones and we just never got the hang of it and it's packed away somewhere.

 

[newbydisney]

I am for anything that prevents even one more child from being snatched.

 

[Scurvy]

I do have to question something about the leashes. For the people that use them they say it gives the kid freedom etc. and they can't run away. What happens when the kid tries to run? Do you yank them back? Do they run to the end and then strain against it? I am not being snarky but I don't use them and can't see how they could be any different than having the child next to you. This excludes developmentally disabled children of course.

I only used one briefly, after my son yanked his hand away from mine and vanished into the crowd at WDW. We found him when he tripped over something (or someone) and fell and hit his face. We used it in addition to holding his hand, because I didn't trust him not to try it again. We didn't ever "walk" him on it like a leash, it was just an added level of security. When he did jerk his hand away again, I had the harness and he couldn't get far. So I did pull on it then, but it wasn't a prolonged thing. It just slowed him down enough that we could easily pick him up and talk sternly to him about trying to run away from us. He didn't love having to hold our hands and stay right next to us, but he liked it more than staying strapped into a stroller or being carried all the time. And that way I didn't feel like I had to keep such a death grip on his hand all the time when he was in his running phase. He learned quickly that there was no point in yanking his hand away - he wasn't going to get away!

ETA - I forgot to mention that when he was wearing the harness, we didn't make him hold onto our actual hands the entire time. He had the option of holding onto the leash or part of the bag we carried if that was more comfortable. He was only a few inches further away when he did that, so it wasn't a tripping hazard for those around us. That way he didn't have to hold his arm at such an awkward angle all the time but we still didn't have to worry about him getting distracted by something and darting or wandering off.

 

[2binak]

We bought a backpack harness for our DD to use at Disney. We practiced a few times at home with it so that she would be used to it by the time we went on vacation. She ended up loving it! We used it several times a day while at WDW and got many comments from other parents saying, "I wish I had one of those right now!" or "Why didn't I think of that?" I'm sure there were just as many people shaking their heads and making comments about how horrible we were for making our DD wear that awful thing but oh well.

We did not let DD walk ahead of us while the harness was at full length, we did not pull her along behind us and we did not yank on it if she started to wander...we simply held the harness close to us and allowed her to walk beside us. If she started to wander too far, we would take her hand and say, "Stay next to mommy (or daddy) please." If she got to where she didn't want to listen or walk next to us, in the stroller she went. It was nice not having her confined to the stroller all day and even nicer knowing that she was always within reach and out of other people's way since she wasn't wandering all over the place.

 

[princess pooh]

DS isn't a runner but I got him a leash anyways. He's shorter than average and I feel bad that he has to hold his arm up all day to hold my hand.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Loved my leash! I used it with both my daughters when needed. This was before the cute little monkeys and backpacks and such. Just a "harness" that went around the chest and secured in the back and the least attached to it-- it could also be used without the harness and just put on the child's wrist. They were difficult to find at that time.

It helped to insure that they wouldn't be able to run out into traffic if they got away from me. or that I couldn't lose them in a crowd. And they loved to walk "by myself" without holding my hand. Think about the position a child is in to hold your hand-- their arm ends up straight up over their head with all the blood draining out of it. Try to walk around with your arm in that position and see how that hour long shopping trip feels! The "leash" allowed them to walk comfortably next to me and did make me feel more secure.

I found that those that made the rude, horrible remarks were young people-- high school/college aged that obviously didn't have kids! Easy to ignore! I had so many Grandmotherly types tell me that it was such a great idea and they wished they had them when they had kids, and I had mothers ask me where they could get one!

On our first trip to Disney I took it for my 3 year old in case we needed it. Leaving the parks at the end of the night when it was a mad crush of people (we were too stupid then to just wait back until the crowds cleared!) my 8 year old asked to put the leash on herself so it was attached to her wrist and mine--she was scared of getting seperated from us and getting lost. Even holding her hand the push of people made it hard to keep hold of her.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I used a wrist one for my daughters wrist and my wrist mostly at night.
She has autism so cannot figure to get help and does not look like she needs help so it would be a terrible situation should we be separated.

The other thing is it is so hot and humid in FL that my hand would get so sweaty holding her hand it was easy for her to slip away. With the wrist strap I had a second layer of protection.

I can't say I'm a kid on a leash fan, but in some cases like mine I had to have a way to keep her with me in dark crowds.