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View Poll Results: Thoughts on Leashes?

104. You may not vote on this poll
  • They're fine

    68 65.38%
  • They're bad or cruel

    18 17.31%
  • No opinion

    18 17.31%
Results 26 to 30 of 41
  1. #26
    Join Date
    Jan 2012

    Samuel * Thomas * Charlie * Reuben * Oliver * George

  2. #28
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Flyover Territory
    I used to judge people using harnesses, reins, etc pretty harshly before I was a parent. Let's be honest, we were ALL perfect parents... before we had kids I hate to hear people who are parents still judging the parents of a kid in a harness. Odds are, said judgy parent just doesn't have one of THOSE kids. DD has never tolerated the stroller, so I wore her well into her second year. Now that she's 30 lbs, I can only do that for short periods of time. She is wonderfully adventurous and terribly fast, so if I lived in a city, I wouldn't hesitate to harness her. I wholeheartedly agree that having a discussion with your child about the rules and all of that is incredibly important, so that they learn over time. However, those discussions don't mean a thing to a young toddler with limited language, so I wouldn't trust my parenting over their instincts in this regard.

    On the whole, I see more kids being dragged by a good old-fashioned arm than a harness. :/
    Tara, proud mama to a Honey Badger
    ... and a Badger in Training

  3. #30
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Santa Clarita
    "Odds are, said judgy parent just doesn't have one of THOSE kids."

    Hahaha. Maybe I should go through the Flip video clips we took of him when he was a toddler and pick one to post. I was worried about him developmentally for awhile because toddlers of a certain age, when taken to an unconfined space, tend to run only so far away before turning around and looking at mom/dad. Let's just say my oldest is almost nine and I still long for a leash on him every once in a blue moon; he was a sh*tstorm for awhile when he was a toddler. And our middle son was even faster and more daring. Thing 1 and Thing 2, they were. It's (mostly) temporary. Hard to believe, but someday they will actually listen to some of the things you say when they go places with you!

    I'm not saying you're a bad parent if you use a leash with your toddler. I'm saying that maybe it's a necessarily difficult time, as it is totally developmentally appropriate for toddlers to experiment with separating from you.

    Taking the long view for a minute....If your kid never gets lost for a few minutes at the grocery store, how will he/she learn to pay attention to surroundings and that Mom is ultimately human? Conversely, he also learns to trust that you are there for him and anxious for him to be "found", etc. Your heart stops and your blood runs cold and time stands still while it is happening, but this experience is an essential part of his life, IMO. Plus, he gets to talk with you later about what to do (you could tell him, "freeze and stay right where you are" or "find a mommy with a stroller and tell her you don't see your mom"). A stranger kidnapping a child during one of these moments is, fortunately, rare.

    Current faves:
    Thomas, Henry, Orin, Arthur, Samuel

    DH's "approved" list:
    Thomas, Martin ("maybe")

  4. #32
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    It's interesting that a lot of people seem to view leash-users as lazy parents. When I'm in a lazy mood or just need to get where I'm going, I strap my 1.5 year old into something, be it a stroller, car seat or hiking back pack. The leash, for me, is for exploring and getting outdoor exercise and learning how to properly walk on the street. It keeps me from having to walk many blocks in a crouched position while holding my tiny daughter's hand. I also think it's great that she has that feeling of freedom to explore.
    I agree with the poster who mentioned that a lot of typical baby things- wearing a diaper, being strapped into anything, would be "demeaning" for an adult just as much as a leash!

  5. #34
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    I used one for my son when we went to the Ravens Super Bowl Victory celebration at the stadium. There were over 200,000 people and I had the baby strapped to me in the Ergo carrier and my son was walking. If my husband had been with me we would have brought a second carrier and each carried a child. I couldn't have brought a stroller because it would have been impossible to fit through the crowds or up the steps in the stadium to find seats. I wasn't worried about him being kidnapped or anything since that is rare. But in a crowd that size if he had wandered off he could have been lost for awhile, which would have been a really traumatizing event. I was glad I put one on him because while were waiting for public transportation afterwards the crowd shifted and he got slightly pushed away from me towards the edge of the platform. He was never in any danger or going over the edge but he was fairly close and having the leash helped me not entirely freak out. While I will admit my son isn't the best listener usually I can manage without a leash but in a situation with a huge crowd of people I think it is necessary to help keep them safe. His leash is a cute little monkey backpack with a long tail. He loves to wear it especially when I'm wearing his sister because I've presented it as though he's carrying the monkey. We also brought it for the much less crowded St. Patrick's Day parade but my husband was with me for it so we just put the backpack on him and didn't use the leash.
    Also as far as the whole idea of just hiring a babysitter that really isn't something we can do financially on a regular basis. And for some events it's things your child will enjoy attending. My son loves to attend parades especially the St. Patrick's Day since with his name being Patrick he thinks the parade is all about him.

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