Toddler "leashes"

[magicmato]

It's not *you* that's so capable of staying safe without the walking reins (their proper name, BTW), it is your children. Your children are different than the children of other parents, and your children apparently have not chosen to be devious enough to consistently escape from you in dangerous situations. You got lucky. Many parents over the centuries have not been so lucky, which is why the concept was put into practice so long ago that no one can pinpoint exactly when it was. (As long ago as the 14th century, they were built into all toddlers' clothing; they were known at that time as leading strings. Separate harnesses became popular in the 19th century, when they came into use to keep children from falling out of the then-newfangled strollers. European harnesses are still sold with two sets of straps, one for walking, and one for use with a stroller or highchair as a supplemental restraint.)

Thank you NotUrsula for clearly expressing what a lot of us are thinking. His children are NOT our children. Yay for him for never needing the harness! I would love to have my second child be as well mannered as my first, but at the same time, I love her brave and daring spirit and would not wish to crush it. I work every day, every chance I can, with her on her needing to stay with us... but at 20 months old, she just is too young to understand.

Also, my 4 year old is rather clingy and likes to hold my hand, or, if we are stopped, she often will have her arms around my leg or her fingers through my beltloop... so, if the little one tugs her hand from mine and bolts, I have to disengage her sister before I can go after her. In some situations, those extra 2 seconds can be deadly.

I bet this poster would also be one of the ones scowling at me for trying to carry a screaming, wriggling toddler, or trying to strap her into a carriage or stroller when she wants to walk. Oh yes, I get caught in that catch-22 all the time. Sometimes I just have to grin and bear it just to go grocery shopping!

Congrats to anyone who can manage without ever needing a harness, but for gods sake, don't look down your nose at other people until you walk in their shoes. Somehow I think you would be surprised at just how different parenting other children would be.

 

[GEM]

I think the use of child harnesses is degrading and disgusting and is a lazy short-cut for proper parenting.

. . .we've never stooped so low as to "leash" them like animals . . .

For the record, Eric, the above statments are not good examples of the polite disagreement you claim to be in favor of. They are rude, inflamatory, and insulting remarks.

If you had said that you didn't like harnesses and didn't believe in using them on your own children, that would have been fine. No problem. You make your choices and I'll make mine. However, you didn't do that. You used words like "degrading", "disgusting", "dehumanizing", "lazy", and "animals". You clearly indicated that you had never "stooped" as "low" as the parents here who have used a harness on their child.

This is not best way to carry on the "exchange of ideas" that you go on to promote in later posts.

But, a respectful exchange of ideas in a forum such as this is a good and healthy thing, 'cause it helps us understand each other better even if we disagree.

Since when are words and phrases like the ones above considered "respectful"?

An example -

I'm a huge advocate of breastfeeding. When I post on a thread about nursing, I always say that I think it's a wonderful thing and that it has definately been the best choice for our family. I say that I think it's healthier for babies and for moms and has all kinds of great benefits.

I do NOT say that I think moms who use formula are lazy, don't care about their children's health, etc.

It's all in the way you choose to express yourself and your opinions. You, frankly, chose to express your ideas on this topic in a rude, obnoxious, self-ritcheous way. Please don't be surprised if that ticks people off. If you truly just want to express your opinion, a little tact would go a long way. It would make people much more likely to at least consider your opinion, as opposed to writing you off as an arogant jerk.

Oh, and, of course I'd never say any of this to your face. That would be rude, wouldn't it?

 

[jill9072]

When i started this post, I was hoping for the positve feedback i was looking for. You all have one thing on your mind like me....YOUR CHILDS SAFTY!!!
I hate to even think about doing it to him, but i dont want to panic during my vacation. So i remembered i had that "restraint" for better words for some of you all. I am so afraid he will take off on me. He does listen well, but so much excitement down there, who know what will go thru his little head(20 months old). I think i am going to carry a bright neon yellow sign around with me saying "yes i harness my child because i love him and want to protect him!!!!!" P.S Look for that sign in december LOL. thank almost all of you again!!

 

[CleveRocks]

It's not *you* that's so capable of staying safe without the walking reins (their proper name, BTW), it is your children. Your children are different than the children of other parents, and your children apparently have not chosen to be devious enough to consistently escape from you in dangerous situations. You got lucky. Many parents over the centuries have not been so lucky, which is why the concept was put into practice so long ago that no one can pinpoint exactly when it was. (As long ago as the 14th century, they were built into all toddlers' clothing; they were known at that time as leading strings. Separate harnesses became popular in the 19th century, when they came into use to keep children from falling out of the then-newfangled strollers. European harnesses are still sold with two sets of straps, one for walking, and one for use with a stroller or highchair as a supplemental restraint.)

Of course I don't know any parents on this board nor any of their kids, so I can't actually compare, but I can compare my kids to others in my community. My son has always been pretty "average" in terms of temperment, but my 3 year old daughter is as deviant and feisty and headstrong and bright and FAST as any I have seen. On top of that she's a bruiser and an instigator. I'm blessed and lucky in that she's healthy and (apparently) happy and (usually) loving, but I didn't get lucky in the other ways you mentioned above. If you only knew ....

I'm impressed with your knowledge of the evolution of walking reins. However, citing something as useful in contemporary American society because it was used in Europe 700 years ago is hardly convincing to me. Leeches, anyone?

-- Eric

 

[CleveRocks]

For the record, Eric, the above statments are not good examples of the polite disagreement you claim to be in favor of. They are rude, inflamatory, and insulting remarks.

If you had said that you didn't like harnesses and didn't believe in using them on your own children, that would have been fine. No problem. You make your choices and I'll make mine. However, you didn't do that. You used words like "degrading", "disgusting", "lazy", and "animals". You clearly indicated that you had never "stooped" as "low" as the parents here who have used a harness on their child.

This is not best way to carry on the "exchange of ideas" that you go on to promote in later posts.

An example -

I'm a huge advocate of breastfeeding. When I post on a thread about nursing, I always say that I think it's a wonderful thing and that it has definately been the best choice for our family. I say that I think it's healthier for babies and for moms and has all kinds of great benefits.

I do NOT say that I think moms who use formula are lazy, don't care about their children's health, etc.

It's all in the way you choose to express yourself and your opinions. You, frankly, chose to express your ideas on this topic in a rude, obnoxious, self-ritcheous way. Please don't be surprised if that ticks people off. If you truly just want to express your opinion, a little tact would go a long way. It would make people much more likely to at least consider your opinion, as opposed to writing you off as an arogant jerk.

You are correct. I realized that a while ago when I changed my tone, subsequent to that admittedly obnoxious first post of mine. I don't disagree with anything you wrote in the post I quoted above.

-- Eric

 

[iliketoby]

OK, Eric. I can't figure out how to do that quoting and disputing thing. Will you please explain how you do it so that I can yell at you some more?

Seriously, you aren't against the idea of restraint. I think you see that these kids aren't more restrained than those held by the hand or in a stroller. In fact, they are less so. It's the idea that people are treating their children like dogs that you can't get past. But it isn't like these folks are letting the kiddies poop out in the backyard and eat grass. And I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts people leashed children before dogs.

Maybe if you let our ideas roll around in the back of your head for a while you'll come to see the other side of this. I don't think you were TRYING to insult everyone. I hope you don't think we're all TRYING to insult you. But, geez, you did kinda ask for it.

I asked about your name because I'm from Cleveland (Go Tribe!), but west side, so I only go to Cleveland Heights every few years when I'm in the mood to get lost. You're right, it is our unoffical song, and I grew up hearing it. The official one - God help us - is "Hang on Sloopy." And mega-props to you for saying nice things about our dying city.

Now I have to go get my nephew and teach him how to bark like a dog so that when he's on his leash and folks glare at him, I can give them something to talk about!

 

[iliketoby]

So i remembered i had that "restraint" for better words for some of you all.

I use the word leash, because that's what we call it in our family. Some of them have harness things that wrap around the chest. Some of them, like my nephew's, wrap around the child's wrist, so there is no actual harness. Calling it what it is, a leash, does not mean there is anything wrong with it. A rose by any other name, and all that.


Also, SUPER-MEGA PROPS to all you breast feeders!!!! It is SO good for the kids!

 

[WIcruizer]

All I can do is base my opinion on what I see in GENERAL at WDW. Most of the leashed children I see are pulling their parents around. Not the other way around. So yes, I do bring parenting skills into question. The other thing I see quite often is parents "doing their own thing" while the leashed children run back and forth tangling passers by. So it's not a matter of safety, it's lazy parenting.

Now I realize that doesn't apply to EVERYONE. Yet I find it difficult to believe that all of you saying "oh, no not me" are being entirely honest. If I had 4 toddlers at WDW, maybe i would think about it. But the vast majority of the time I see 2 parents and 1 or 2 kids. I just think it's frankly...dorky...and lazy to strap a device to your kids instwad of teaching them to stay in the stroller, hold their hand, etc. In fact, why even hold their hand 100% of the time. When your in line...have them right in front of you. Same with walking somewhere. It's a habit like checking the rear view mirror. Have them right next to you, and you're constantly checking.

 

[CleveRocks]

Seriously, you aren't against the idea of restraint. ... It's the idea that people are treating their children like dogs that you can't get past. But it isn't like these folks are letting the kiddies poop out in the backyard and eat grass. ... Maybe if you let our ideas roll around in the back of your head for a while you'll come to see the other side of this. I don't think you were TRYING to insult everyone. I hope you don't think we're all TRYING to insult you. But, geez, you did kinda ask for it.

You've got it exactly: When I see a "leash" I automatically think "pet" or "animal," and I can't get past that, which to me is an affront. I "see" the other side, I just disagree with it. And like I said before, all of you who use these devices are incredibly great parents compared with the neglectful parents who don't care enough about their kids to go out of their way to protect them from harm.

No, I didn't think anyone was trying to insult me, but thanks for asking. I did get misquoted a few times, which annoys me, but I never felt insulted. I'm a big boy and can take honest criticism and disagreement; if I was too fragile to take that I have no business posting a contrary opinion in a thread like this.

I asked about your name because I'm from Cleveland (Go Tribe!), but west side, so I only go to Cleveland Heights every few years when I'm in the mood to get lost.

And I only went to the West Side for West Side Market (every Saturday), Great Lakes Brewery restaurant, Luchita's (on West 117th Street) for Mexican food, Honey Hut for ice cream, and of course the good side of The Flats. Oh yeh, and Parmatown, South Park, and Great Northern malls. We were East Siders because my wife had a very grueling job at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital and I wanted her to have the shortest possible commute after working 36-hour shifts. I learned to love the East Side, even the lake effect snow. I lived walking distance from Coventry, which as a man in my late-20s had its advantages -- way too much time spent at BW-3 and the Winking Lizard while my wife and most of our friends were working those disgustingly long shifts. I really miss Cleveland. Almost all of our friends were like us, temporary transplants there to work and train for a few years, so there's hardly anyone for us to visit and thus we've only been back once, but boy do we miss it. Everytime I feel a chilly wind and see a grey sky I get a little homesick.

-- Eric

 

[iliketoby]

You've got it exactly: When I see a "leash" I automatically think "pet" or "animal," and I can't get past that, which to me is an affront. I "see" the other side, I just disagree with it. And like I said before, all of you who use these devices are incredibly great parents compared with the neglectful parents who don't care enough about their kids to go out of their way to protect them from harm.

No, I didn't think anyone was trying to insult me, but thanks for asking. I did get misquoted a few times, which annoys me, but I never felt insulted. I'm a big boy and can take honest criticism and disagreement; if I was too fragile to take that I have no business posting a contrary opinion in a thread like this.
And I only went to the West Side for West Side Market (every Saturday), Great Lakes Brewery restaurant, Luchita's (on West 117th Street) for Mexican food, Honey Hut for ice cream, and of course the good side of The Flats. Oh yeh, and Parmatown, South Park, and Great Northern malls. We were East Siders because my wife had a very grueling job at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital and I wanted her to have the shortest possible commute after working 36-hour shifts. I learned to love the East Side, even the lake effect snow. I lived walking distance from Coventry, which as a man in my late-20s had its advantages -- way too much time spent at BW-3 and the Winking Lizard while my wife and most of our friends were working those disgustingly long shifts. I really miss Cleveland. Almost all of our friends were like us, temporary transplants there to work and train for a few years, so there's hardly anyone for us to visit and thus we've only been back once, but boy do we miss it. Everytime I feel a chilly wind and see a grey sky I get a little homesick.

-- Eric

Luchita's! I absolutely adore it. South Park mall changed its name to something that starts with a W (guess they don't like Cartman). And so many people were getting robbed/beaten/killed in the flats that the new cool place is the warehouse district.

Chilly winds and grey skies -- that's us! And don't forget the Free stamp!

 

[CleveRocks]

Luchita's! I absolutely adore it. South Park mall changed its name to something that starts with a W (guess they don't like Cartman). And so many people were getting robbed/beaten/killed in the flats that the new cool place is the warehouse district.

Chilly winds and grey skies -- that's us! And don't forget the Free stamp!

Never been in the main library. To me, the Free Stamp was something to walk past on my way between the Rapid station (Blue Line) under Tower City and the Rock Hall. We renew our membership there every year.

-- Eric

 

[Rella Bella]

Okay... we've been here before. Raising one child is not the same as raising another. How can anyone say 'good parents' do this or don't do that. Good parents are simply parents who know thier children and know when they need help! Let's give each other the benefit of the doubt.

My child was so fast at 18 months he could out run both of us! And strong enough to twist out of my grip in an instant if he saw something that caught his interest. Sure he'd stayed in his stroller but as the OP said 'why coop him up in a stroller all day'. Isn't it just being a good parent to know what it takes to keep your child safe? If it's never crossed your mind to use one understand one thing... you have a compliant child. No, you say,... well I guarantee she/he is at least more compliant than mine.

We used the velcro wrist style with our son. But I hooked it to the back of his overalls. I put it on his wrist at first... took him all of 10 seconds to figure out how to get it off!! But on his back it worked great! This child restraint was a god-send! Why would it be considered lazy parenting to not want to run a 50 yard dash 20 times a day to keep a kid from danger?

 

[TinkerPixxie]

I keep seeing the words dehumanizing and degrading. First of all the actual meaning is "not worthy of or not conforming to the needs of human beings". So I ask how a parent who can openly and honsetly say that they would rather the safety of a harness {based we can all assume on knowing their own children and their own capabilities} be committing an act of not conforming to the need of a human being? Is it not the parents choice to decide what their childs needs are? You assume it is to fit the needs of the parent, and in part Im sure that factors in. However to suggest children on harnesses are NOT recieving what they need is simply ignorant.
Just think for a moment of how others situations may require such a device.
Myself for instace am disabled, I have 5 children 4 of whom I would like to take to Dis. Because of a combination of both my childrens curiosity and my inability to physically keep up with them should I not use such a device and take the chance a child gets lost or gets hurt? Perhaps they just dont deserve to go?? I guess we would have to take that up with the driver who took my abilities away from me. Then tell the children how buying a simple elastic that goes on the wrist and ignorant peoples opinions of that kept them from experiencing a few days of magic. Yes that sounds like a much better idea.

You are stonger than me, I can almost garuntee you of that based on your report of happy moments where you were able to physically keep up with your kids. Something some of us wish we could do, and others take for granted.

Lastly, in case you are not aware of this, not every child poses the self restraint we would all like, particularly when they are excited. This does not make me a poor parent, nor does it make me a less diligent parent than you. If children could just be told what to do and not to do and that was that, we could just allow them to move out at say 4-5 years old, get jobs, etc etc.. unfortunatly they dont, and that is why we are here. You just seem to be under the impression that all parents are physicaly the same and all children hold an incredible amount of self restraint.

So again I say: If dehumanizing = "not worthy of or not conforming to the needs of human beings".

How can you judge anothers needs?

Respectively

Tink~

 

[Rella Bella]

WooHooo!! Yeah Tink!!! You go girl!

 

[GEM]

Just think for a moment of how others situations may require such a device.

Like I said earlier, I have a very, very active and very, very fast 26 month old. He was a micropreemie and is about the size of an average 14 month old as far as height and weight go. However, as far as mobility goes, he is all two year old! He is also slightly speech delayed.

I don't expect him to spend all day long in his stroller. In my mind, that would be cruel and inhumane. However, I also can't walk around for more than a few minutes holding his hand. It requires me to stoop over and him to stretch his little arm straight up in the air - not comfortable for either of us. I also can't trust that he's going to stay close to me in a crowd if I don't have hold of him. Afterall, he's two - and a bit delayed at that! I personally am not ready to put his safety into his own hands by assuming that he's going to stick right beside me as we walk along. That seems an unreasonable thing to expect of him.

So, for us, the harness works great. He can walk along beside me and I know that he can't dart away into the crowd and get lost.

As I've said before, I don't really care much if you find that degrading, dehumanizing, or whatever. I'm pretty sure that he's not walking around the park at two years old feeling humiliated. If I'm wrong, I'll pay for his therapy on down the road.

 

[CleveRocks]

Is it not the parents choice to decide what their childs needs are?

Of course! I've said from the very beginning that we as parents get to make choices on how we parent. I never suggested BANNING the darn things!

Just think for a moment of how others situations may require such a device. Myself for instace am disabled, I have 5 children 4 of whom I would like to take to Dis. Because of a combination of both my childrens curiosity and my inability to physically keep up with them should I not use such a device and take the chance a child gets lost or gets hurt? Perhaps they just dont deserve to go?? I guess we would have to take that up with the driver who took my abilities away from me.

Sorry to hear about that. I never once considered the impact of disabilities. Of course, neither did any others on this thread until now. As a society, we need to adjust our demands and expectations when individuals have disabilities; in a legal sense, this was codified in the "reasonable accommodations" clauses of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

All the people who posted before you, all the people who advocated for child leashes/harnesses, none of them cited a parental disability as a reason for a leash's/harness' utility. You are the obvious exception (on this thread), and of course I agree you need to use any and every method you can to help yourself function as fully and independently as possible.

Maybe my visceral, emotional negativity about the use of leashes/harnesses stems from my background of working with people with disabilities. SURPRISED? Oh my, you have no idea the can of worms you just inadvertantly opened!

When I was just a young pup freshly out of college and into graduate school in the late 1980s, I worked as an internal consultant for a non-profit agency that provided group homes for individuals with mental retardation, as well as a few faciltiies for individuals with mental illness. For decades and in fact centuries, people with all kinds of disabilities had been, yes, degraded and dehumanized. Most old psychiatric hospitals had ward rooms and hallways that had ceramic tile on the walls up to about shoulder height. WHY? So the patients could be hosed down every now and then, rather than be allowed to bathe like anyone else in the world. This is just one example of MANY I can think of regarding degrading and dehumanizing practices. Are you familiar with the expression "the pendulum swinging the other way?" Well, starting in the late 1960s but really taking off in the 1980s was the pendulum swinging the other way, in which very well-meaning people advocated for making everything for people with disabilities as mainstreamed and non-judgmental as possible. The pendulum swung WAY too far the other way, and here's an example we can ALL appreciate. I had to advocate for a 30-something year old man's right to have a Mickey Mouse poster in his group home bedroom. I was there when an official from the State of Pennsylvania came for the typical yearly inspection. She cited the agency for treating the man like a child by hanging a Mickey poster in his bedroom; my employer was about to receive a hefty fine, and that man was going to have his poster taken away from him by the government. I had to step in and explain to the inspector that that man had a right to love Mickey Mouse enough to have a poster on his wall, and that if that man did not have mental retardation then surely there'd be no policy against his having a Mickey decoration in his own private home! In the late 80s or today, if any staff person of a group home or other facility had a leash on adults or children in their charge, they'd be summarily fired, no questions asked. FIRED.

Like I said, the pendulum swings so far the wrong way sometimes it's ridiculous. Starting in the 80s we were not allowed to call the people we served "patients" because "patients" are sick and someone saw that as somehow lesser than non-patients. The accepted term then changed to "residents," but through overuse that, too, came to have a negative connotation to some people. The next word used for many years was "client," which I happen to like. Lawyers, accountants, stock brokers, they all have clients -- to me, nothing degrading about being a client. BUT, lots of people in the country disagreed. We tried "consumers" for a while, but after a while that also had a negative connotation to some people, who thought it was degrading to call people with disabilities "consumers." The last I paid attention to this mess, the word "individual" was used, which is totally ridiculous to me. When I was consulting in the Cleveland area I saw an agency had a flyer for it's "Individual Picnic." I really thought it meant there would be a picnic for one person at a time!!!

At the present time, I work one-on-one every day with people with a so-called "hidden disability," many of whom ended up that way due to motor vehicle accidents. I sometimes spend a lot of time advocating for the essential rights of individuals with disabilities, either in a formal sense with employers or in an informal sense with their neighbors and friends. In the background of all of this is the core idea of making sure people with disabilities are not stigmatized and are permitted to function as independently as possible without others degrading or dehumanizing them. I still hear way too many people telling me "those people should be locked away somewhere, they shouldn't be out here with the rest of us. It's such a sin."

THIS IS MY BACKGROUND. THIS IS HOW I WAS INDOCTRINATED INTO MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE, so I guess this is my reason for seeing leashes as degrading. I've had to function in a system where words like "patient" and "client" are considered abusive and disrespectful (not by me, but I've had to conform to the system). So you can now imagine my emotional reaction to seeing leashes and harnesses. All of this hadn't occurred to me until the subject of disabilities was raised.

The question is, who do I pay for this hour of psychotherapy?

-- Eric

 

[Nancyg56]

Perhaps lazy is too strong a word. Perhaps not. Certainly an arguable point.

Not at all an arguable point. A matter of opinion....yours.


I never said that I have superior powers of vigilance, or that my cognitive skills in general are superior. It's just that a parent who is not physically attached to a child by an inanimate apparatus must pay more attention, must be more vigilant, in order to protect against separation from the child. I believe I said I have to expend more cognitive and physical energy -- I never said my skills were superior. Let me put it in a manner that you might understand better: If you have to carry 20 pounds from Point A to Point B and I have to carry 50 pounds from Point A to Point B, I have to expend more physical energy to do so. Does that assume I'm stronger than you, that I have superior physical skills or strength than you? Of course not! It just means I had to do more lifting in that instance.

Please don't misquote me and accuse me of saying I'm superior to anyone here. I don't think that different opinions make someone superior or inferior to others, just different.

-- Eric

You did not state that you feel that you are able to walk and chew gum at the same time.....but your inference was clear. You may not state that you feel that you are the better parent because you refuse to use a harness in crowded situations, but your point is very loud. I don't care what any parent does in order to maintain peace of mind, and I also welcome discussion, but when a discussion turns to snide remarks belittling anothers method, I start to become offended. You may raise your children in any way that you see fit. You may think anything that you want of anothers manner of safegaurding their children. I pray that your family is not on national news shows begging some child rapist to return your precious baby because an event occured that you had no control of. We do not live in the world that we grew up in.

 

[Nancyg56]

It's all in the way you choose to express yourself and your opinions. You, frankly, chose to express your ideas on this topic in a rude, obnoxious, self-ritcheous way. Please don't be surprised if that ticks people off. If you truly just want to express your opinion, a little tact would go a long way. It would make people much more likely to at least consider your opinion, as opposed to writing you off as an arogant jerk.

Oh, and, of course I'd never say any of this to your face. That would be rude, wouldn't it?

I wish that I had said that! It is what I thought, but could not stop spitting to express!

 

[CleveRocks]

You did not state that you feel that you are able to walk and chew gum at the same time.....but your inference was clear. You may not state that you feel that you are the better parent because you refuse to use a harness in crowded situations, but your point is very loud.

Your skills as a mind-reader are in doubt. Don't quit your day job.

I pray that your family is not on national news shows begging some child rapist to return your precious baby because an event occured that you had no control of. We do not live in the world that we grew up in.

Thank you for your prayers. I'll take all the help I can get. If I were more cynical I'd read between the lines of what you said, but I'm not a skilled mind-reader, either.

We can all agree we all love our children and we all do what we think is best for them and for us. PEACE.

-- Eric

 

[Diz-Mommy]

Okay, I know I'm going to get flogged on here like dear Eric did, but I can't help but stick my two cents in. I find the leashes, walking reins, harnesses disturbing at best. I can highly sympathize with having more than one child to hold onto as I take care of several toddlers for a living. We've gone all over the place: the zoo, children's museum, and pottery classes etc...and I have never once had to tie any of them up. Never lost anyone either.

IMO, I think all parents should spend more time learning to communicate with their children and teaching them boundaries. I don't automatically think anyone using a leash is a bad parent, but my hope is if you use a leash that you don't have a false sense of security OR don't trip me or my family with it because your tether is too long. Let's not forget the poster who said they saw a kid un-strap himself and tie his mother to a clothing rack!

On the other hand my husband thinks the leash is a great idea and threatens to buy one for our son when he starts walking. Not in this household...

If you think using a leash will keep your child safe please by all means do. Last time I checked WDW was in America where we all have the freedom to make our own individual choices on how to raise and care for our children.