November 2011 Moms
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The kiddie leash...
mama&baby
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LO isn't walking yet (he couch cruises) but I've been thinking about what we'll do when he walks. Obviously, the topic of the kiddie leash came up. Every time I see one in public, I laugh and make fun (to myself, obviously never to a parent).. for whatever reason it just seems unnatural to me. However, I have no idea how LO will be behaviorally and I obviously don't want my own ideas on it to get in the way of keeping LO safe. So I haven't really decided yet-- though DH says no way. What will you do/ STMs what have you done?
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Re: The kiddie leash...
- Ava - 11-29-11
- Violet - 10-9-13
BFP #2 03/08/11 EDD 11/16/11 DD Born on 11/04/11
BFP #3 08/29/12 EDD 05/06/13 M/C on 08/30/12
BFP #4 11/01/12 EDD 07/09/2013 M/C on 12/28/12
BFP #5 04/30/13 EDD 01/03/14 DS Born on 01/02/14
BFP #6 01/11/15 EDD 09/22/15 M/C 03/09/15
Nope, it's not for us.
DS1 just turned two and he's still pretty good about riding in the stroller. When he wants to walk, we let him. If I'm alone with both boys, I wear DS2 in the Ergo and let DS1 walk. If DH and I are together, we each take a kid.
I can understand why some parents feel the need to use one, especially in a crowded public place. But, for us, if there's a place where we feel like we can't control the kids, we simply don't take them there.
If DS is a runner, I would probably consider using one. I mean, if it kept him safe, there would be no question about it.
We have family friends that have 2 year old twins and a 11 month old. They use a leash for the twins because they run in opposite directions. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to keep your kids safe.
This!
I've learned to never say never. (ugh stupid Justin Bieber ruined this phrase... lol)
We aren't planning on getting one, but who knows?
And in the case of the twins and another baby, I can totally see how it is a lifesaver!
~Working Mom~Breastfeeding Mom~Cloth Diapering Mom~BLW Mom~
Blog - No Longer on the DL ~ The Man Cave
Shawn and Larissa
LO #1 - Took 2 years and 2 IVFs ~ DX - severe MFI mild PCOS homozygous MTHFR (a1298c)
LO #2 - TTC 7 months, surprise spontaneous BFP!
also I think these are interesting.
https://www.amazon.com/Hold-On-Handles-Bizzy-Double-Handle/dp/B00466HCUK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348831329&sr=8-1&keywords=hand+hold+for+toddler
I feel like I would use something like this before I woudl use a leash. Atleast with those, you're letting LO have their space to explore, but still teaching them they have to hold on and stay close. I won't say never, but I really don't see myself ever buying a kiddie leash. I personally think they make some parents lazy. I saw a guy with his 2 year old on a leash in the mall. The kid was walking really nicely right by dad, and dad was just holding the other end, looking around talking on his phone totally ignoring the kid. I think leashes definitly have a purpose for some families, and situations, but I don't see us owning one, and if we did, I can't imagine us using it more than a couple times in certain situations.
BFP #2 March 2011, Baby Girl born November 2011!!!
I confess, I own a leash-sort of. It's really a plush backpack shaped like Minnie Mouse and her tail is the leash. So it's cute and my DD1 liked it. But I've never used it for just a trip to Target or the mall. For that kind of outing, my DD was usually pretty good about sitting in her umbrella stroller. At places like Target, she was pretty good at staying with me while walking and not overly crowded. But definitely used it during a trip to Disney World. Places that are overly crowded like amusement parks, festivals, etc if I knew DD would want to walk, I liked having that leash in my hand so I knew she was there.
She is now almost 5 and she is too old for it, but I still worry at crowded places because she tends to be in her own world and will wonder without realizing she can't see me. I hate it. But when I was a teenager, my nephew was lost when we went shopping once because he was hiding under a clothing rack! Scared the Bejeezus out of my SIL and me! So I am pro-leash.
No. With DD, if she didn't listen, or do what was safe, she went back in the stroller. We live in NYC and you need to learn the rules fast. She is now almost 3.5 and walks every where. So basically, my feeling is: no following the rules = consequences (going back in the stroller, leaving park early, etc...).
If it's a situation where I think the kids would run off, we don't go. If i HAVE to (airport for example), DS will stay in the stroller until I feel we are in a safe area where he can run off some energy.
Possibly stirring the pot a little here, but a lot of people mentioned keeping kids constrained in a stroller instead. I'm confused as to how that's better. When the kid is always in a stroller, they don't have a chance to learn how to walk nicely and stay with mom and dad. And either method could be considered lazy.
Maybe I am lazy because I'd rather take a leash to an airport than drag a stroller through security
~Working Mom~Breastfeeding Mom~Cloth Diapering Mom~BLW Mom~
Blog - No Longer on the DL ~ The Man Cave
Shawn and Larissa
LO #1 - Took 2 years and 2 IVFs ~ DX - severe MFI mild PCOS homozygous MTHFR (a1298c)
LO #2 - TTC 7 months, surprise spontaneous BFP!
I totally get your point. Personally, I feel like it's different, even though I'm not sure I can articulate why...
I guess I see riding in a stroller as a normal part of infancy & toddlerhood as small kids are simply not able to walk as long a distance as we may need to go-- many kids are more than happy to ride & think it's fun. (I'm lucky that neither of my boys really fight being in the stroller when they need to be.)
Allowing a kid to walk while pulling/holding them back by their chests just doesn't sit right with me. I'm not sure that it actually teaches them what they *should* be doing (certainly no more than forcing them to ride in a stroller would)-- I feel like it's a power struggle I'm not willing to engage in.
We try to mix things up depending on our location-- when it's safe DS walks, when it's not, he's in his stroller... I'm guessing it's this way for most people. I don't know any parent who "always" constrains their child to a stroller in public. (I agree with you, that doesn't teach kids how to walk freely in public.)
I don't think either method is lazy-- I just think that one's right for my family & one isn't. No judgement on what's right for others.
See, we only used the leash as a backup while DS held our hand. We've used it exactly twice. The aquarium and the airport. And we only used it at the airport for one trip when he was < 2 years old and walking.
We hardly ever use a stroller. It's a PITA a lot of places, like the airport, and the kid would rather walk anyways. We use it at the zoo pretty regularly (like once a month) but grocery store, mall, etc he walks and I wear DD.
~Working Mom~Breastfeeding Mom~Cloth Diapering Mom~BLW Mom~
Blog - No Longer on the DL ~ The Man Cave
Shawn and Larissa
LO #1 - Took 2 years and 2 IVFs ~ DX - severe MFI mild PCOS homozygous MTHFR (a1298c)
LO #2 - TTC 7 months, surprise spontaneous BFP!
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