Using kiddie leashes at WDW

[Ride Junkie]

My friend used to babysit about 4 children during the day. When she would take them on outings (to the store, mall, etc.), she had this long cord with clips on it, and each person would clip one onto their belt loop & walk together in a line. It was a great way of keeping everyone together, and they were all "equal" because her and the kids were clipped to it (unlike a harness attached to an adult's wrist).

I say do whatever it takes to keep you from losing your kids. I'll bet the parents who have never found their kids are wishing they had used something.

 

[Ilovemyprincesses]

Do what you need to do to keep your child safe. Who cares what anyone else thinks? It is your child.

 

[honeybee30]

I haven't read the thread and I won't pretend to have but I just wanted to chime in with my views on the topic. Do good parents use "leashes"? YES! Does using a "leash" make you a good parent? NO! ....... good parents can certainly use the "leash" in conjunction with good parenting to keep their child safe AND well behaved but when bad parents get their hands on these things they're little more then a weapon and excuse for hands off parenting. So please parents, if you're going to use these tools, use them correctly for the safety and enjoyment of those around you.

I totally agree. I've seen kids that are restrained by harnesses having a great time, and I've never thought twice about it. On the other hand some of them behave like little wild animals on a chain, which definitely says way more about the parenting than the use of a harness alone.

For instance, one morning at Boma we saw this woman jerking and dragging her toddler through the buffet line on a leash. The child was crying and generally throwing a tantrum, but instead of dealing with it, the woman yanked on the harness like you would a dog and then just went on fixing her plate of food. It was humiliating and disturbing to say the least. Obviously a misuse of what can be a helpful safty tool.

I disagree though with the idea that kids can't be degraded, as someone mentioned above. Of course children can be made to feel degraded when someone disrespects or exploits them, but I don't think harnesses are the issue here; rather it is the way a child is treated by the parents that can be degrading!

 

[Jedi_Galvatron]

I totally agree. I've seen kids that are restrained by harnesses having a great time, and I've never thought twice about it. On the other hand some of them behave like little wild animals on a chain, which definitely says way more about the parenting than the use of a harness alone.

For instance, one morning at Boma we saw this woman jerking and dragging her toddler through the buffet line on a leash. The child was crying and generally throwing a tantrum, but instead of dealing with it, the woman yanked on the harness like you would a dog and then just went on fixing her plate of food. It was humiliating and disturbing to say the least. Obviously a misuse of what can be a helpful safty tool.

I disagree though with the idea that kids can't be degraded, as someone mentioned above. Of course children can be made to feel degraded when someone disrespects or exploits them, but I don't think harnesses are the issue here; rather it is the way a child is treated by the parents that can be degrading!

My feelings exactly. People shouldn't be judging parents who use the "leash" for what it's intended for, safety, but you damned well better believe we should ALL be judging the bad parents who use it as an excuse to be an absentee parent.