Tried out the "Kid Leash"

[wendra]

We're leaving for Disney on Tuesday and I bought a "Kid Leash" for my DD who is 16 mos. It's really cute - it is a little pink purse with a strap across her chest and around her waist (it's new at BRU). We tested it out at the mall on Friday and I found out how CRAZY she walks! She walks, stops, turn, walks some more, zig zags, runs, walks, stops and turns. It was hard to walk at the same pace as her! I didn't want her to get jerked by the strap.
I'm planning on bringing it with us, but don't know if we'll actually use it. She does like the purse, though.
Wendy

 

[MartDM]

Some here are very opposed to these but I say do whatever it takes to keep you kid safe in a crowd! Have fun!

 

[Aristomommy]

DD had one with a fanny pack and she liked it and didn't notice the strap. DS has one that is supposed to be a wrist strap, but I hook onto his belt loop in the back of his shorts or pants. Do whatever you need to keep your child safe and allow them some freedom at the same time. Just don't get tangled up with strangers and keep the strap short

 

[raysnkaysmom]

If you're comfortable with it...go for it. There are alot of people who criticize those who use leashes...blaming bad parenting or say you are treating your dogs as animals (just forewarning)...
I've never personally used one... but I am ALL FOR using it if I feel my kids may wander. Lose your kid in a crowd one time (did it at Disney once...AWFUL!!) and you'll gladly allow onlookers to roll their eyes....at least you know where your kids are

 

[snugglepeas]

If you're comfortable with it...go for it. There are alot of people who criticize those who use leashes...blaming bad parenting or say you are treating your dogs as animals (just forewarning)...
I've never personally used one... but I am ALL FOR using it if I feel my kids may wander. Lose your kid in a crowd one time (did it at Disney once...AWFUL!!) and you'll gladly allow onlookers to roll their eyes....at least you know where your kids are

Disney is one of the few places that most PARENTS dont think anything of seeing a "leash". being the parent of a almost 16 month old daughter who takes off very quickly I will be bringing a "leash" in 2 weeks for my daughter. Ive found that most of the looks you get are from people who dont have kids and dont have any idea what it's like to worry about loosing track of a fast little one. just do yourself a favor and dont try to use it in a large crowd where she could get stepped on, due to her zig zagging and stopping and starting.

 

[nicolbw]

I'm not for or against leashes for kids, but I do have one piece of advice.

I agree with the other poster. Please be curtious to the other people in the area and don't let the strap get too long in a crowd. You wouldn't want your child to run off and wrap the strap around someone possibly hurting them, especially if they don't see the strap.

We just got back from our trip to WDW and I did see quite a few leashes being used. Most people are very nice about it and still keep an eye on their child. I did see one who barely paid attention to their child. I guess she thought since he was on a leash she didn't have to think about anything else he was doing. Of course you see this with families that aren't using leashes as well.

I hope my post wasn't offensive to anyone. I didn't mean it that way.

 

[aprincess'smommy]

Just to let y'all know. We just got one for our trip as well. I found it on Ebay and I was very impressed. It's called the Hold My Hand baby. It's actually a wrist leash which I was a little leary of. Most of them are just velcro bracelets that most toddlers can figure a way out of. Not this one. It has safety clips wrapped around the cushioed wristband that only an adult can remove, and the tether only extends to 2 ft max. They offer a ton of colors as well. This way is more discreet than her bear hug harness, and she can wear it with a coat

 

[Applemomma]

I never used a tether for my kids but by the end of last week I was threatening to use one on my husband! talk about wandering! Argh....

Anyway, I actually saw a combination last week of two of the most controversial kid related topics....heelies and tether straps.

Believe it or not I saw two kids at least AGED 10 rolling in their heelies with leashes attached to their backs!! Now there's an accident waiting to happen!

They were the only heelies I saw all week though and all other leashed kids were age appropriate Loved those little monkey and bear hugging ones though they looked like they might be a bit hot for the kids. Sure beats hollering constantly at your kids to come back here!! I was the only parents with two kids in the park for most of the week and I'm sure that the way my daughter used to wander as a toddler the tether would have been the only way for me to successfully keep her near me. Even this time she was at times absolutly refusing to hold hands.

 

[Scuttle]

I absolutely believe that you should give it a try in WDW, especially to allow your child a chance to walk and "be free" but to also give you the piece of mind that she won't wander off.

I never thought that I would be "walking" my children on leashes BEFORE I had kids, but these leashes were very crucial in our ability to get out and still be safe at the same time. I wouldn't worry about what anyone has to say, what's the chance that you will see any of these people again anyways?!!?

 

[Tink561]

At 16 months she won't be walking for long periods of time will she? Are you planning to use a stroller at all? I've never used a leash but it just seems easier to use a stroller.

 

[elderfam]

While visiting relatives in LA in 1988 someone had the brilliant idea of spending christmas day at disneyland.
The crowds were crushing and you couldnt see your child more that two steps in front of you, I know she grabbed someone elses pants thinking it was me at one time..surprise!
I had been given one that velcroed to her wrist and to mine. It saved this Mom from a mental breakdown!
I am all for it when you are someplace with large crowds. I agree though, keep them on the short side. ( you could find yourself tied up if your not careful!!)

 

[KandiB47]

OP maybe your dd ran all over like that because she was so excited to be free and run. Maybe practice a little more with her running, walking on her own in public places before you go to WDW. She is just at a cute age where she wants to take off and be free and won't necessarily listen to, "Stop" "Don't run" etc. so a leash may be your best bet.

I will be a first time leash user a WDW in October. DS is 17 months and a busy body. He gets very unhappy and screams in shopping carts and strollers. He wants to run. The leash is a compromise between us. I will be able to let him walk with us and not lose him The "leash" looks like a backpack with a cute little dog on it. The dog's tail is the leash.



Oops, I see you are already probably at Disney. Let us know how it went!

 

[t-beri]

At 16 months she won't be walking for long periods of time will she? Are you planning to use a stroller at all? I've never used a leash but it just seems easier to use a stroller.

Yeah, a strollers MUCH easier. I your kid isn't screaming at the top of his/her lungs "get me outta here!!" which is what my dd2 does. Her first WDW trip she was 3 months old and refused to be in her stroller- even then, though less verbally. The kids feel like they are excluded in strollers sometimes (don't get me wrong a lot of kids are perfectly fine in a stroller) but I've found that my kids wanted to be where they can see mom and dad's faces. Not to mention, you try to sit still for 24 hours. Think of all the sitting we make our toddlers do for vacation. sit for an hour in the car on the way to the airport, sit for 2 hours at the airport (we wouldn't want anyone to think our children were ill-parented) Watch TV at the hotel so we can unpack and then go to bed. The first thing they get to do when they get up is sit through breakfast, and on the bus to MK then you want them to sit in a stroller all the live long day, no wonder they start to freak out!!
I have never used a kid harness. I've never had to, but DD2 is a new ball of fire in our family. She is not nearly as calm and attentive as my son was at that age. NOPE Princess Lily, she's a runner. she runs at every opportunity. She will NOT be confined to a stroller (I'll take one anyway, she's bound to get tired eventually!! ) so if a harness will keep her from being lost or stolen- I'm all about it!
I agree, parents who leash their children should still be attentive and thoughtful of other guests- that's common sense, I don't for a minute believe that you intend to use a harness as a baby sitter. You're a concerned parent trying to keep her kid safe. So do whatever you need to to accomplish that. I met a mother last year (our kids were running over ,and over and over the bridge that's in the wilderness lodge lobby.)I said I hadn't used a harness before but might need to this year for the girl, we agreed that we both used to see ppl w/ harnessed kids and think how unfair that is to do to a kid. But having a "runner" changes your perspective a bit, I'll deal w/ the criticism and dirty looks if I can keep my kid safe!!!

Best of luck w/ your dd at wdw-Have a wonderful vacation!!
I'm going to keep my eye out for that purse harness, DD LOVES purses, she'll be thrilled!!!
...t.

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Some here are very opposed to these but I say do whatever it takes to keep you kid safe in a crowd! Have fun!

I've never used a leash, BUT if I did I honestly couldn't care less what others on this board would think about my decision. I'm not trying to be rude or obnoxious but if a parent feels like using a leash for their child, that is their business and to heck with what anyone else thinks. So to sum it up, I totally agree with you - do whatever you feel is right to keep your kids safe!

 

[mapstangelo]

Why is everyone calling them leashes? I have always used the term "harness". My grandmother used one for me and I have no problem using one for my children, I would rather keep them safe then loose them in a crowd. We are taking ours for our DS (14 months) next week (just incase) but he will probably be in his stroller most of the time.

 

[Daydreamer64]

We've used harnesses on all three of our boys-

The stroller is our first choice, of course, for travel between rides because it is easier to navigate. You can't reasonably expect a toddler to remain in their strollers for days on end during vacations. We really liked using the harness while waiting in the lines- it gave the boys the freedom to stretch their legs a little bit, kept them close to us without breaking our backs to bend down to hold their hands, and allowed us to try to stay cool- those hot temps are murder when you have to hold a wiggly 24lb toddler for 30 mins. or more in line while sweating to death, or try to keep ahold of their hands when they want to spin, hang on the poles/fences ( no- I don't allow the kids to climb the pole/fences but they tried when they were small ) and just generally want to be free-

I never allowed my kids to tour the parks on foot- too many inconsiderate adults run over them when they apparently don't see the kids - I even had one adult ( not teen ) run through my hand and child's hand- we were not using a harness then- they just wanted to get somewhere fast and weren't looking out where they were running- they fell all over the place and hurt the baby and me- the baby had skinned knees and a banged head, I had pulled muscles after I literally grabbed the idiot and snatched them up- I was ready to hurt them- there was no reason for this to happen! So, as much as the harness can get tangled if the baby is three feet from you- sometimes it's just inattention on other's parts- as I said, we were not using a harness at the time, just holding hands-

Also, until I had kids I held a different opinion of these- now I know that parenting is a 24/7 job and any "tools" that are useful should be taken advantage of!

Have a great trip!

 

[KerriSue]

I had one for my kids when they were little. It was a life saver. If ever I was alone out shopping with both kids it would never fail that one wanted the stroller and the other to walk. I would hook the "leash" to the stroller. This worked out perfect. If both kids wanted to walk I would hook them together. I always thought with them hooked to each other I wouldnt loose them. It was all or nothing.

 

[TheRatPack]

I was sooo undecided on these a few years ago but now that I'm parenting 5 (we were placed with 3 siblings through adoption) I'm totally sold on them LOL My first 2 loved their stroller, so it was never an issue. These three like to walk walk walk LOL and it's now my teens that want to sit in a stroller LOL

It's good for them to walk too, as much as they want to and then we get them in a stroller. But it's hard to hold their hands 24/7 through a crowded park and your hands get sweaty...etc. then they don't want to hold hands anymore LOL I like the idea of these now and I plan on getting a couple for our next trip.

 

[DisneyMagicMommy]

Just to let y'all know. We just got one for our trip as well. I found it on Ebay and I was very impressed. It's called the Hold My Hand baby. It's actually a wrist leash which I was a little leary of. Most of them are just velcro bracelets that most toddlers can figure a way out of. Not this one. It has safety clips wrapped around the cushioed wristband that only an adult can remove, and the tether only extends to 2 ft max. They offer a ton of colors as well. This way is more discreet than her bear hug harness, and she can wear it with a coat

I have to say I absolutly love the Hold My Hand baby ones. (there are 2 kinds so make sure you look at the shorter ones). We haven't actually used it yet...we just ordered it but i'm so thrilled with the way it works. I was worried about the others because they are longer but these are nice and short so they keep you kids right next to you. Also they look like they are more comfortable than some of the others i've seen. Definety glad this one was mentioned...so I just had to say Thanks!!! These will be a lifsaver with 3 boys under 5.

 

[Gillian]

We're leaving for Disney on Tuesday and I bought a "Kid Leash" for my DD who is 16 mos. It's really cute - it is a little pink purse with a strap across her chest and around her waist (it's new at BRU). We tested it out at the mall on Friday and I found out how CRAZY she walks! She walks, stops, turn, walks some more, zig zags, runs, walks, stops and turns. It was hard to walk at the same pace as her! I didn't want her to get jerked by the strap.
I'm planning on bringing it with us, but don't know if we'll actually use it. She does like the purse, though.
Wendy

Did you come back yet? How was it? That sounds like a very cute harness!

It's funny/sad that even this short message has people feeling like they might be attacked for using a "leash." It's happened so many times before.