Toddler harness?

[AimKo]

We got the animal/backpack/leash for my DS when he was that age....tried putting it on him once and he fell to the ground like a writhing mad animal caught in a trap...needless to say it didn't work for us!

Instead we ended up using one of those hiking style backpacks (that the toddler sits in)...best money ever spent!

It had a nice shade canopy....it gave him a great view of everything...and we were able to keep it with us in line, pop him out and take it with us on basically everything, so no hunting for a stroller later. We used it for every festival, hike whatever... we loved it.

 

[mirak]

We got the animal/backpack/leash for my DS when he was that age....tried putting it on him once and he fell to the ground like a writhing mad animal caught in a trap...needless to say it didn't work for us!

Good for him. You don't put humans on leashes, no matter how young.

 

[tina.tina]

I never used a harness for my first kid. I rarely had to hold her hand. She was glued to me. My second is completely different. We were in the Dollar Tree at our local Walmart shopping center. They had the doors propped open and he suddenly took off. I caught him by the back of his shirt as his feet hit the very busy "street" that goes right in front of the stores. Even after that, I never used one in regular errands or mall visits. I just realized that I needed to be more vigilant- especially in cases of open exits.

If you don't use on at the grocery store or mall in your hometown I dont see the need for one.

I've only used a harness where there were crowds. It's difficult to quickly dodge people in crowds. I've had people try to step in front of me & try to confront me when they've thought I was trying to "cut line" while I was trying to retrieve my DS. In a place with lots of tall people blocking your view and multiple doors and corners to disappear around, it could take just a couple of seconds to lose the trail!

I think they could be helpful. The only thing that might be tricky using them in crowded areas of the parks...probably not good for that.

I haven't seen many of them at WDW actually now that I think about it.

I think they are especially helpful in crowded areas if a kid isn't in a stroller. You can hold close to the animal part of the harness and have a better grip on your kid than if you were holding his hand and be just as close to him. It's easy for a kid to take his hand out of yours unless you're constantly hyper-vigilant, which is an exhausting way to spend your vacation. One side benefit of a harness is that you're not constantly having to hold hands, which can get sticky and sweaty for parents and kids.

If you are going to use one, I recommend one of the wrist strap tethers vs. The backpack. No so hot, and is closer to holding their hand. Plus it looks less like a dog leash.

The dog leash idea may have a negative connotation for you, but I have a different view. People love their dogs enough to put them on leashes so they won't get lost or run away. I definitely love my kid that much!

Both my kids could get out of their car seats at young ages. I first tried something on my DS's wrist and he easily took it off. He liked his "monkey backpack," though. I told him I got him a new stuffed animal and he could even wear it like a backpack when we went to Dollywood. He was thrilled. We would just wrap the strap around the animal when we would ride rides. It stayed in his toybox when we weren't using it and he would just put it on around the house because he liked the monkey. He is 9 now and has always wanted to keep it in his toybox for sentimental reasons. Just after Christmas when he was making room for new stuff, he consented to get rid of it. He said he had a lot of fun with that monkey but some little kid could use it now.

 

[g8torphan]

Would any of you liked to have to wear one when you were a kid?

Most kids have two leashes built in -- their arms and hands

WDW existed for decades with kids running around before these demeaning things were invented.

 

[Bluenose62]

My son (now 21) was such a runner that we called him the happy wanderer. I was a runner and just as gregarious as he was. I never took him to Disney when he was little but if I had.....Yes! - use a harness but take heed. When Max was little there were velcro ones....He could undo velcro in seconds at the age of 18 months (he could climb out of his crib and open doors as well). We shopped around and found the same kind my mother used in the 60s - a leather harness that goes around the body and buckles - kind of looks like the ones people use on small dogs. My mother advised in addition that we buckle it upside down because apparently I unbuckled mine at the age of 3 in a department store (in seconds) and by the time they found me I was in the mall suggesting that some kind stranger might like to find my lost mother.

 

[Bluenose62]

And I just saw the previous post about how people managed before these devices were invented.

Shall I specify - My mother used one on me pretty much as soon as I started walking back when JFK was still your President. I used one my my DS who was born in 1993.

They are not a new thing. If you have never had a wanderer....don't judge. They can be gone in seconds.

 

[mirak]

The dog leash idea may have a negative connotation for you, but I have a different view. People love their dogs enough to put them on leashes so they won't get lost or run away. I definitely love my kid that much!

Two problems with that comparison. (1) Dogs don't walk on 2 legs. (2) They're dogs - not children.

If you've got a wanderer, hold their hand. If they don't want to hold your hand, they go back in the stroller. they can whine and fuss as much as they want - that's the rules. Sooner or later, they'll figure out that it's better to hold a hand than be cooped up in the stroller.

Modern Family nailed it. Putting a kid on a leash not only looks absolutely ridiculous, it's a PITA for everyone else in the crowd trying not to get tangled up in your bad parenting.

 

[WillAustin]

Do whatever make you most comfortable. Don't worry what others think about your choice.

 

[g8torphan]

Modern Family nailed it. Putting a kid on a leash not only looks absolutely ridiculous, it's a PITA for everyone else in the crowd trying not to get tangled up in your bad parenting.

And Modern Family is owned by Disney....even they think its rediculous.

 

[bumbershoot]

And I just saw the previous post about how people managed before these devices were invented. Shall I specify - My mother used one on me pretty much as soon as I started walking back when JFK was still your President. I used one my my DS who was born in 1993. They are not a new thing. If you have never had a wanderer....don't judge. They can be gone in seconds.

Exactly. I was born in 1969 and my mom used harnesses with us.

There is absolutely no problem with the comparison to dogs. I'm not insulted at all by it. My mom sometimes had four of us on harnesses. The two malamutes and the two kids. She loved all of us and wanted us to all be safe.

With dogs and kids harnesses can be used wrong and they can be used well. A parent who uses a harness poorly is a parent you definitely don't want holding a child's hand. Kids can be hurt with arm yanking. Nursemaid's Elbow is a real thing.

Kids have slithery little hands. Not all but some, and having an arm up in the air all day isn't good for a person.

I love a proper harness on a child. Alas DS didn't go along with the program; he acted like the sled dogs I was raised with, needing to break a sled free from the ice. Would slam on it and tip to a 45 degree angle while I had to figure out how to haul him back safely. Injured my shoulder and looked just awful.

 

[Bluegrrl]

I was always the one who thought I would NEVER use a leash, ever. I thought it looked stupid and was for lazy parents who couldn't keep their kids under control.

Now I have a very speedy, curious and active little boy. Super sweet, but as fast as the Flash. We got the monkey leash. Since he's thin, the leash barely fit him, and he sometime threw a fit and laid down. But now he is used to it, and likes it.

We don't drag him around like a dog, we just put the harness on and he is free to walk anywhere he wants. No worries. We have always asked him to hold our hand or hold the stroller, which he does. The harness is so if he wanders away we have a radius in which he can move.

In fact, when we DON'T have the harness is when we have problems. If he runs, I have to dash to get him and sometimes all I can get is his collar! If I'm trying to do something that needs two hands, the harness keeps him close to me. When we were at Disney, we forgot to pack the harness one day. DS has gotten bigger, and doesn't like being held for long or hold hands too much now. He wants to RUN. And run he did - from the back of the HM line all the way to the doors. It wasn't my fault - I am extra careful, he is my first after all! He just got away from me in a crowed line and he moves FAST.

Bring a monkey harness. And practice beforehand. It's not a punishment, it's a way of keeping safe in a big crowd. We only use monkey at Disney because it is so very crowded.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

NMS. We figured that Disney was the safest place for our toddler to get a lesson in the natural consequence of not sticking close to us. He "lost" us once at Disney (though we could still see him, he couldn't see us) and that was enough to teach him not to run off.

I should say that we're stroller people, and if we're going into a really crowded situation (like fireworks), then the stroller become non-negotiable. If you're not using a stroller, than a leash would have more value to me, but part of our use of the stroller is simply protection for our kids--there are so many big people who just don't look down at Disney, who will literally run over a kid. A backpack leash isn't going to protect your kid from being knocked to the ground by someone who's not paying attention.

 

[irishdancemomma]

Would any of you liked to have to wear one when you were a kid? Most kids have two leashes built in -- their arms and hands WDW existed for decades with kids running around before these demeaning things were invented.

Maybe not. But I know my son prefers it over the stroller and holding hands. His arms get tired of reaching up for long periods of time and aren't as long as the tether so he doesn't have as much slack to explore. I don't see how these are any more demeaning than strollers. If fact, I'd say they are less demeaning because you are telling your child that you trust them to watch where they are walking and do a bit of exploring on their own but you still want to keep them safe. I don't have anything against strollers, but I also don't see what the big deal is with using a tether if it is what makes everyone happiest and most at ease.

 

[AimKo]

What works for one kid won't necessarily work for another. My son too was a runner....we dressed him in orange shirts for years so we could spot him if he made a break for it.

I would have tried the monkey/backpack/leash in the park for my own peace of mind, but he clearly hated it....and I didn't want the trip to be a misery-fest.

The strollers were equally hated...he hated being confined. I hate trying to navigate those land yachts.

The hiking pack was great. Son was confined...but had a view of everything...not just everyone's kneecaps. We were able to keep moving without lugging a stroller.

We just looked for confined places like Pooh's Thoughtful Spot where he could run free without breaking into the crowds. Now that place was heaven.

Do what works best for your family.

 

[Kohara]

Yessssssssssss!!!!!! There is no amount of dirty looks that could ever stop me from using it.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

My girls are 25 and 27. I will not be using it on them on our Disney trips.
But when they were small the older one would take off when I was nursing or changing baby.
The leash enabled me to take them to zoo and places I would not have without having it. I called it our buddy rope because it held two buddies together and she was fine with it.
Now years later I have a just turned 2 grandson who thinks running away is the funniest game. He took off from my DH on a crowded parking lot.
We have APs and take him to Disney or other parks often. If it is both of us, we do not need it. We will be going in a bit and DH will be in conferences all day. I am considering getting one to have while I fold stroller to get on bus, get food at a counter serve, and such times when I alone don't have enough hands. His mama is pregnant again so it will come in handy as I keep him/them while the parents work.
Where do you buy the monkey one?

 

[tina.tina]

Two problems with that comparison. (1) Dogs don't walk on 2 legs. (2) They're dogs - not children.

If you've got a wanderer, hold their hand. If they don't want to hold your hand, they go back in the stroller. they can whine and fuss as much as they want - that's the rules. Sooner or later, they'll figure out that it's better to hold a hand than be cooped up in the stroller.

Modern Family nailed it. Putting a kid on a leash not only looks absolutely ridiculous, it's a PITA for everyone else in the crowd trying not to get tangled up in your bad parenting.

Like I said, children aren't dogs (I'm not going to try to guess what the emphasis on the number of legs is about). My kids are much more dear and valuable to me. I try not to judge people. If I find myself doing it, I remind myself that I am not omniscient. I'm going to make my parenting decisions based on my real life experience- not a fictional television show trying to make people laugh.

Our monkey backpack came from Walmart.

 

[HollieS]

I've got three young, active, speedy boys, and I would never consider putting them on a leash like a dog. Please reconsider. I don't care how "cute" they try to make the harness look - it looks ridiculous and it's degrading. I can't believe people buy these things.

degrading




A toddler would have no idea whether or not leash is degrading. My child spends a good portion of her day pretending to be various animals. She would find it far more "degrading" to have to sit in a stroller while everyone else has the luxury of walking.

 

[WillAustin]

You're certainly not damaging the psyche of your toddler by putting a harness on them or strapping them into a stroller.

 

[mirak]

Like I said, children aren't dogs (I'm not going to try to guess what the emphasis on the number of legs is about).

Because toddlers walk on two legs - not four - there are two arms available for hand holding. Use those like a good parent instead of leashing your child like a dog.

for goodness sake, even cats have enough dignity not to tolerate this. And of course your toddler won't know that they're being degraded, but that's no excuse to do it anyway. Children can be - and sadly are - degraded in all sorts of ways that they probably won't personally notice due to their age, but that doesn't make it right.

If it sounds like I'm being judgmental, that's because I am. At least in this instance, I'm going to be very judgmental. Say NO to the leash!