Walking harness/"leash"

[Lee-Bee]

I think if used right, teaching boundaries is the same without a harness BUT you have the added reassurance of the leash if they dart off.

It actually annoys me more to see a child in a stroller/wagon/shopping cart that can clearly walk on their own and are old enough to know the expectations. Of course, different situations and kids require different techniques though.

It's just odd/funny to me that for the most part, harnesses are the only form of restraint that are looked at with such controversy even though IMO, they're all the same

I don't care for strollers for walking age kids either. There is a time and place for them but kids really shouldn't be in them more than needed. I think we need to get kids used to being active really young as it also doesn't get any easier when they are older. Our just turned 3yr old can bike (balance bike, no peddles) 4km roundtrip to the park on her own because she's been working up to it since she could first walk. She can walk (and snowshoe) equally long distances (2+ hrs) when we provide the time she needs.

It all depends on whether we use these instruments (strollers and leashes) as a teaching tool or as a 'make life easier for adult' tool. Again, we need to be thinking ahead as to what we want and expect the child to be capable of in the coming years and work towards that now.

While I think the look of the harness elicits negative reactions I suppose it would in fact be better than a 3 yr old strapped in a stroller because at least they are moving!

[Suzie_Homemaker]

I use them for older children if walk on main road. It only take split second for something bad happen and when more children than hands, these are useful. That said, once we off road on onto tracks they come off but children know that whenever their traffic, these are used. Once child is 3+ depend on personality, I not so rigid with using. For me, it's more about the wobbly 2-3 year old that stumble and can easily trip into road.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Lee bee, I agree, kids need to be active as young as possible so it becomes their lifestyle! Obesity and lack of exercise in kids is rising. Yes, the strollers/wagons come in handy and are sometimes needed but I don't think they should be used all or even most of the time.

Suzie, we sound alike I think I've told this story before but one day when crossing the street, 2 of my kids would have been run over by a car with a distracted driver. Had they not been wearing harnesses and I pulled them back, things would have been very different! It's not just the kids that we need to trust/watch over, it's the idiotic drivers too!!

[Van]

I LOVE them LOL I take care of infants and toddlers so it comes in very handy for me as the children learn how to walk and be safe on a street even if it is quiet
distracted drivers are just the worst !!!! they should turn off their phones as it is just not worth being on the phone for a second and then killing or injuring a child or person while they try to cross the street

[flowerchild]

I was never a fan of them until I had three kids under 4 and my 21 month old ran away twice between the car and the front door to Walmart. I went right in and bought one of those animal backpacks with the tail that is a leash. My youngest was a runner...the kind that would catch your eye, laugh, and then deliberately run into the street.

They didn't like wearing it, so my rule was if they could walk nicely beside me and hold my hand I wouldn't hold the tail. If they started to run away or fool around, I held the tail. My middle child only had to wear it a few times until he caught on and would walk safely. My youngest had to wear it a lot. She was (and still is) a limit pusher and has to learn things the hard way.

Quite frankly, I don't care if people think using that made me a lazy parent. I'd rather people judge me for "leashing" my child than be burying my child because she ran into the street and was hit by a car.