Those curly leashes are a hazard!

[DisneyOma]

I haven't seen those curly plastic leashes on kids in the parks for years, but there was a plethora of them this past week. So many accidents with them - kids tripping on them and falling down, parents accidentally tripping the kids with them, and one woman yanked one until the kid fell down! Luckily, no one got clotheslined on one this trip, that I saw. But they certainly did not look safe?

 

[AgentMama]

One of my kids was a wonderer/runner when he was little, I bet for some of these parents, the leash is safer than the alternative of possibly losing your kid in a very crowded park.

 

[maxiesmom]

It sounds like some parents were using them but not paying attention to their child. And they need to do both. I've seen stuff like that happen at the mall.

 

[NotUrsula]

I hate those things ... but you probably won't guess the rest of what I have to say.

I am a HUGE supporter of walking reins for toddlers in public places, but NOT that kind. To work properly and be safe for the child, reins need to be no more than about 3 feet long, and 24 inches is actually about optimal. For safety they should be attached to the back of a chest harness, not the child's wrist. I used reins extensively for my kids at that age, and no one ever tripped over them, because the ends of the rein were attached to the toddler behind the armpits on either side, and the middle looped down no further than a bit below the back of the child's knees. This is what a good rein design looks like: