Using the "leash" on children at WDW????

[GEM]

I would love to have one for my husband when we go into an electronics store . . . .

 

[Texan Mouseketeer]

My son isn't one to run away, but there was another thread on here about losing your kids, and some people discussed just getting separated due to the crowds. We used one on a very crowded day at our state fair, and even though my son held my hand the whole time and never tried to run off, it was great when the crowds got so bad that you could barely move. I knew that even if someone tried to squeeze between us, it wouldn't be happenin!!! Just having it on him helped my peace of mind and not be so worried about him getting lost.

 

[SammieG]

we always used the harness type on my son. There is NO WAY that I would have allowed him to have walked along without it.. and try getting a 2 year old who is intent on not holding your hand to hold on...

I completely fail to see why anyone would have objections to a harness? Can someone enlighten me?

Does that mean you also cant use car seat straps? High chair restraints?

 

[LindsayDunn228]

The only problem I have with child leashes is when you have a 3 year old on one and their 4-year-old sister is guiding them with it. On our last trip we got behind this exact scene. Little boy fell down hard, big sister was holding the end of the leash and kept on walking. Meanwhile, little boy is face-down on the ground screaming his head off and getting half-dragged.

I would hope parents would have enough common sense to not let very small children hold onto the leash. I could see a 14-year old, but a kid under 5?! No way!

 

[GingerbreadCoffin]

I have the Elmo leash aswell.I never use the harness though.I just put the velcro around his wrist like a bracelet and I tell him "Look you have a bracelet and Mommy has one too".He very rarely gets annoyed with it.
I can understand when people say it looks cruel or inhumane.Its for their safety though!I was actually in a mall once and heard someone tell a woman that if she couldn't control her children that she shouldn't bring them in public!
I only use the leash when we are in huge crowds like theme parks or zoos.Once a woman snickered and said to her husband "Look that chick has her kid on a leash!"...so I replied "Yeah!He is a lil rabid.We don't want him to bite anyone or pee on their leg."Everyone in line laughed and it made that rude woman shut her mouth

 

[Arielle22]

I used the wrist leash on my now 9 yr old. She would move so fast and have no fear. I told her it was for me so that I didn't get lost. My sisters used to give me grief about it. They took her to Disney when she was about 5. By then we didn't use the leash. My sisters lost her for about 2 minutes in a crowd. Her hand wasn't being held and she wandered off. Funny, then they understood!

Even today I hold her hands while we walk. She likes to look around and doesn't keep up or she will walk into something.

 

[all4fun]

I would love to have one for my husband when we go into an electronics store . . . .

LOL...reminds me when we were walking along with Brennan in his harness, I heard someone walking the other direction say "hey, we need one of those for Dad!"

I know dh wouldn't mind having one for me when we're at the World of Disney store. hehe

 

[kakiegirl]

We used the leash on dd when we went to disney and she was three. Some people do make the comments about how inhumane it is to treat your child like a pet. I think that is just ridiculous, I am much more concerned about keeping my child safe than what other people think. They are a great tool to help you keep up with your child in a crowded area just in case child does try to wander off when you are in the middle of a crowd or people try to get in between you and your child, however, they are not a replacement for watching your child, it sounds as though some of you have experienced parents that use them that way. DD is now 6 and we will be doing disney this year for the first time without a stroller. I am considering taking hers just in case, not to be used all the time, but if we do get in a very congested area I can snap it on her wrist until we get through there. I have asked her about taking it and she has not objection she dosen't want to lose me anymore than I want to lose her.

 

[Dizzy for Dsny]

Just a word of advice about "leashes". I had another mother in my son's daycare back in 1996 that had a good friend whose child was abducted with a "leash" on. The purpotrators (sp?) were working with 3-4 people and DIS said they find kids with "leashes" easy targets! What happened was that her child was in front of her and 2 people went shoulder to shoulder (leash in between them - child in front of them, parent behind them and cut the leash). They were gone in an instant. The mother was escourted to security and was told to keep her eyes on all of the monitors (entrances) for her child's face, don't look for outfit, hair color, etc... just her face. She spotted her and they caught the people, but they had already changed her clothes and dyed her hair. So, I just wanted to pass along and try to keep your kids close to your side with "leashes".

Don't want to scare anyone, but wanted to pass along info.

 

[beautybelle]

Before my son was born I used to say "Geez how awful I'd NEVER do that" well then along came Dylan. We were in a mall and Dylan wasnt very old at all and this man was following us all over the place, Ive always heard about people snatching kids so I went immediatly into Sears and bought one and I thought to myself then "if they take him, they'll have to take me too" LOL I think they are a wonderful safety device and now when I see a parent with one instead of thinking how awful I think "those people are really careful, good for them"

 

[AngieWin]

We just got back from Disneyland and my husband also though I was crazy for getting a leash for DS (22 months). It saved us so much trouble from having to chase him down. It was great! I knew he wouldn't like the harness and the wrist strap was itchy, so I attached it to his belt loop or the back of his overalls. He wasn't able to take it off or play with it, but didn't seem to mind the tug on the back of his pants. It was well worth it. We got the elmo one at Walmart. I was lucky enough to find one in the city we stayed in. And we got nothing but positive comments. And alot of people asked were they could find one!

 

[Forevryoung]

Im 20 and I need one I do not pay attention to where the rest of my group is. My nickname in the family is "pokey" (as in the pokey little puppy). I usually hold my mom's arm so she can kinda drag me along. When she loses me now she calls my cell phone and prays that I answer

 

[grlpwrd]

How timely... I was given a By My Side by Tommi Guard harness (website is www.tommiguard.com ). It's pricey/spendy, but it really works well. My 19mo takes off in the other direction so I needed it. I tried the Gerber one, but he kept escaping from it.

Better safe than sorry...

 

[tink&cinderella]

I am always surprised at all those well meaning individuals who say that leashes are for dogs - yadayadayada!!! Don't listen to them!

Do what feels right for you - every child is different. My oldest daughter never needed them but my now 3 year old - now she's a different story.

I agree that safety is much more important then people's opinion. Having said that I found the leash to be more effective if the space between me and my daughter was only a feet or so- avoids the issue with tripping as well and it is easier to control and "stir" the child.

Now my little one did not do well with a wrist like leash as she took it off but did ok with a harness type leash.

 

[gabbygrennell]

We used the "leash" last trip to wdw...
loved it!
we had both the harness, and the wrist ones...
we only used the wrist one a few time, the kids could easliy get out of those... plus the stretchy part really stretches a loooooooooooong way!
So we pretty much stuck to the harness one!
I was expecting some rude comments from some people, but on the contrary we got more wow where did you get that... we need one! comments!
My sis in law was jealous... wishing she had thought of that!

When it comes to my kids, I couldnt care less what others think/say! Their safety is #1! And as another poster said, those criticizing the "leash" would be the first to shake their heads and have a snide remark, if your child disappeared in a matter of seconds (which is sooooo possilble at wdw)

 

[tlbwriter]

What happened was that her child was in front of her and 2 people went shoulder to shoulder (leash in between them - child in front of them, parent behind them and cut the leash). They were gone in an instant. The mother was escourted to security and was told to keep her eyes on all of the monitors (entrances) for her child's face, don't look for outfit, hair color, etc... just her face. She spotted her and they caught the people, but they had already changed her clothes and dyed her hair.

That one's actually an urban legend:
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.htm

I bought the Elmo leash for our 5 yr old last year, and only used it briefly. She did a good job of staying with us. One thing I've taught her is that, no matter what else is going on, if we're outside and she hears me yell "STOP" loudly, she is to stop in her tracks right then and there. I did this because I read the book "Pet Sematary" long before she was born, and the part where the little boy is playfully running from his father and gets hit by a truck really made an impact on me. I knew we would need a signal for "we are no longer playing chase, you need to stop right now." And it usually works.

 

[Daisy'sMom]

I never wanted a harness so desperately in my life until a couple years ago my in-laws brought our niece(then 8) and nephew(then 6) up to visit and we went to Dolloywood. The ENTIRE day all you could hear from my DMIL was "stop, come back here, ok now lets go" over and over and over and over. My nephew was rarely more than 8 foot in front us and we could always see him, but my DMIL was so paranoid that he was going to be kidnapped that I searched every store at the park, praying that I could find a lease if only to get her to hush.
Now, that I've typed this I need to clarify my meaning. I know that children can be kidnapped and they should not be allowed to roam away. The problem that day was the way that my DMIL was handling it i.e. making him walk back to us only to have the whole family walk straight to where he was when she yelled stop. Poor kid retraced his steps too many times to count and I don't think my DMIL relaxed the entire day worrying about him and his sister.

And for anyone who thinks putting a child on a leash is treating them like a pet I would consider that a compliment simply b/c I put my dogs on a leash b/c they only listen when they want to and I don't want them to go running off into the street and getting hit by a car. My dogs are my children and their safety is of number 1 importance. Plus, I'd rather have the leash than having to yell at my child every five minutes to "stop, come back, ok now lets go" It wouldn't take too long before that parent lost that magic feeling.

 

[KristinU]

And for anyone who thinks putting a child on a leash is treating them like a pet I would consider that a compliment simply b/c I put my dogs on a leash b/c they only listen when they want to and I don't want them to go running off into the street and getting hit by a car. My dogs are my children and their safety is of number 1 importance.

That's exactly how I feel...Hey, I love my dog enough to want to keep her safe and nearby - wouldn't I want the same safety for my child???

 

[tlbwriter]

That's exactly how I feel...Hey, I love my dog enough to want to keep her safe and nearby - wouldn't I want the same safety for my child???

That's a good response to anyone who says you're treating your child like a dog... "What? You mean you care less about your child's safety than your dog's safety?"

 

[rumrunnergirl]

I never liked leashes/harnesses - until I became a parent, LOL! I got a harness for my DD when she started walking at 8 months, and it was a good thing because I got PG with DS shortly after and there was no way I could keep up with her when she took off. Plus it came in pretty handy at the Atlanta airport, LOL. I prefer a leash over a harness, because if the child's wrist is leashed and they start to fall, they may not be able to catch themselves.
Children can disappear in an instant - no matter how well you watch them, and my child's safety and LIFE is way more important to me than ANY bad look I could EVER receive from anyone.