Baby leashes- does anyone use one ? Are they helpful or not?

[zane]

My 13 mth DD is crazy, runs off in all directions if given the opportunity, Are these helpful or just more stress ?
TIA
zane
zane

[hhl2]

Hi Zane! I prefer the term "harness"! ;-) I used one for my 3 year old DD in Disneyland and it was great! She was 2 1/2 at the time and ran all over the place no matter where she was, so this was a must. I think I got mine at the Right Start or maybe One Step Ahead. It was definitely a life-saver for us! I was so paranoid about her running off and with so many people in Disneyland it would have taken her no time to disappear.

Ours has the harness part that the child wears and then the "leash" part that attaches. What we did is put the harness on her first thing so she wore it all day, then when we needed to harness her all we had to do was clip the other part on. It was much easier than taking the harness on and off all day.

We actually saw several people there with them. Some people give you dirty looks. My thinking was, well if you think I'm a bad mother because I have my child on a leash/harness, how would you think about me if I'd lost her???

Good luck! :-)

Heidi

[mama2be]

YOu know some folks just want to critique or have opinions about everything under the sun...how anyone can give a loving parent watching out for their childs best interest (and of course that is exactly what you are doing) a dirty look is beyond me...

I think if someone said something to me I would tell them some made up story that I had a child that came up missing before and this is why I did it...that would shut them up pretty quickly wouldn't it????

I so worry about becoming a mommy in Feb I swear it seems to become a mommy is to forever feel guilty about making decisions that you feel are in the best interest for you and baby...

I would harness a child in a heart beat if I felt I was in a place to keep them safe...

[egoldber]

Well, my 15 month old isn't walking yet, but as soon as she does, I plan to purchase a "harness". To me they seem like a wonderful invention! If anyone who has used them knows any reasons why they are NOT a good idea, I would also love to hear them.

People are going to critique your parenting no matter what you do, so I decided to stop worrying about that ahile ago!

[twins r fun]

I am scared to death of the day my twins start walking or more specifically running. I just picture them taking off in opposite directions or one of them taking off and me not being able to get him without leaving the other one. The minute I see the need for a harness, I'll be at the store buying two of them. Unfortunately, that doesn't help you at all Zane, but I'll be interested in reading the responses to your post.

Nicole

[KimberleyDawn]

Go with the body harness and not just the wrist kind!!! My son was an adventurer and our harness was a MUST!!! You WILL get dirty looks from people and some may even feel the need to comment:(but in the end it doesn't matter because you are doing what's safest for your baby:)!
Kim

[nigele]

A few years ago, my sister and I took my 2 year old nephew to Target. He was walking in front of us on the sidewalk in front of the store. Suddenly, he started running as fast as he could in a bee-line towards the door. Of course the doors opened automatically and he zoomed inside before we could catch him then he disappeared. We were frantic trying to find him in such a big store. Finally, a sales associate saw him crying and brought him to customer service where he was reunited with his panicky Mom. This had a happy ending, but just wanted to share this story to reinforce your decision to buy a harness.

[Caroline99]

A friend of mine has the harness one (goes around her torso instead of wrist) for her 20-month-old. Her daughter won't let you hold her hand (or her coat or her clothes) on outings and I refuse to go anywhere with her if she doesn't have it on. Before I hung out with this particular toddler, I thought the harnesses/leashes were inhumane and a sign of bad parenting, but now I understand!

[MamaKath]

They are awesome! We tried a few kinds with dd. We were most successful with ones from buybuybaby. I don't know if they have them on their website, but they look like a little hip bag, and have an elastic with a "leash" coming off of it (the hip bag comes in teal/royal or red/royal and cost around 6.95? I think, if you call the store they would ship). It was wonderful for me and dd, or when my mom went out with her. The harness ones are okay, but they attach with velcro. If the child throws dead weight to the ground, the velcro opens and they are out! Not fun in a crowded mall!

Now we can't get her to use it. DH didn't feel "comfortable" using it. So he would laugh and talk about the leash. Well he said it in front of her, and she thought he was going to put it around her neck (her experience with leash is that of the DOG!!!). Well now she just freaks out if you talk about it. I even took her to the store to pick out a new one, which she did, but she still refuses to wear it, and at nearly 40 lbs. it is a rough wrestling match!

Anyway hope that helps. Check http://www.buybuybaby.com/main.asp?uid=084E4868-6D3D-4CDE-B928-642C6D90B4B7-32467198

[llee88]

Yes, they are extremely useful. I have 22 month old twins. They are very active so the harnesses are essential whenever we go out to anywhere (e.g., the malls or the store) that is crowded and where they are walking around. They usually hold our hands but sometimes, they would see something that interests them so they would head off in a different direction.

As for responses from strangers, I have gotten some dirty looks (especially when one of my kids decides to crawl on the ground) and a lot of people coming up to my husband and I inquiring where to purchase the harness. I really don't care what strangers think since it is obvious that they have not been in a situation where they could lose a child or have twins.

We got ours at Target. I have seen them at Buy Buy Baby, TRU and BRU. Also, get the body harness, not the wrist one because those come off very easily.

Hope this helps.

Linda