Freak on a leash

Have we talked about baby leashes here?  Or is baby harness the more PC term?  I tried scouring our archives of 1,236,964 posts (Whit, can you please slow down just a bit?) and started to get blurry-eyed around 700.  So, in short, if we have discussed this here, I apologize for being redundant.

I have never been a big fan of them.  I've thought they were silly.  Some people think they're inhumane, though I'm not willing to go that far.  I just think that a toddler is a little too young for that lifestyle.  Um, anyway.  Like I said, I've never really been keen on attaching a harness to my child.  That being said, I can say that I might actually be able to see the wisdom in their use.

The Dubyas have been doing some traveling as of late - Florida, California, Pennsylvania - and there have been airports and wide-open spaces.  Little Dub, being the two-year-old he is, has been exhibiting some stroller aversion at times.  I'm not sure what his problem is: sit in the seat shaded from the sun, sippy-cup in hand while someone else pushes you around, sounds like a good deal to me, as do naps, but that's a post for another day.  Ok, back to the aversion.  When he starts to get feisty, I usually take him out and carry him for a bit or he'll walk while holding my hand, however, both are only short-term solutions at best - he gets heavy after a while or there's something shiny that catches his eye and his little hand slips my grip and then it's like trying to catch a squirrel.  I know it's all about shedding the confines of the stroller and experiencing the world around him, but while he's running and looking at things on the ground, he's causing people to look like they're doing tire drills or their best Heisman impression.  Amusing, yes, but still a tad disruptive.  It is during those times I see the wisdom.

As I mentioned, I haven't entirely come around to the idea of actually using one.  That being said, I have noticed how varied they are in style.  The Road Warrior-version aside, there's the standard nylon type (though I'm not sure if "restraint straps" in the description is a great marketing ploy - sort of conjures up images of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) to the harness/backpack, cute and cuddly style - it does bring new meaning to "monkey on your back."  If I were to get behind one, it would be the latter, but I'm still not sold.  How about you, fans of DadCentric?  Freedom to safely run about or an early intro to BDSM?

Comments

[Ryan]

We have a kid leash of the backpack type (a dog, in our particular case) but have only used it once and with limited effectiveness. I don't have any problem with people using them per se, but neither have I ever been in a situation where I thought "man, I really wish I had that kid leash with us right about now".

As for getting weird looks from people, the backpack ones will probably get you the least amount of someone-should-call-DSS stares and comments.

Also with the bear/dog/whatever backpacks, the "face" of the animal tends to bury itself into the back of the kid's neck, irritating the child. So that's something to think about too.

[Ryan]

...actually now that I look at your link, we have the exact model shown in the "Better Together" section, that beige dog.

[Daddycj]

I hate them.

That being said we own two of them, and use them. One cute little puppy, and one with fashionable blue nylon restraint webbing. We generally only break them out in crowds such as last week when we walked the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan with 50,000 other people. Didn't want to lose the boy there.

Most times it stays stashed away but if paranoia, fear, and/or common sense step in we have it at the ready. Also the little one likes to wear the puppy often just as a backpack,we stash the "leash" in the zippered pocket and if the need arises we hook it up and are safely tied to the boy.

[Angela]

I think they're fine, and a good idea in situations where you're in a large crowd. It's just scary out there sometimes and those little hands can pull away quick.

That said though, my little sister was 2 when I was 14 and we had one of those that had a long leash like a phone cord. I had the other end in a department store and she ran across the aisle and wrapped the cord around a group of three young adults walking together. I was so mortified. It wasn't the only time she did it either. Once my mom was on the other end and my sister wrapped up an elderly man. Nice. It was thrown away after that trip.

Lesson: Keep the lead SHORT.

[Holmes]

Wow, call me out of the loop...this is the first I've seen of the modern versions of these things. My memories of them are from seeing little kids at the mall attached to their parents via old school phone cord.

[Jason]

I'm with you: pre-kids I was appalled and though 'how terrible', with a 23 month old daughter, I can't fault anyone for having one. We just went to Disney last month and for the little girl it was a week spent mostly in the stroller.

[William]

We've got a set, the cuddly ones, but they dont get much use. However, since we've got twins my wife cant keep both of them close if she's out by herself and they arent in the stroller. So on those occasions, the leashes are a huge help.

[Will L.]

Personally, I'm a big believer in the old Karma truck. Knowing that one day my kids will be taking care of me, I don't think a personal restraint device is what's best for my dignified twilight years. How do you expect me to chase tail around the Golden Dawn Assisted Living Center all tethered up?

[Jeff Herz]

We have survived so far without using a leash for our kids. I have to admit I am always ridiculing those parents i see doing it, but on the otherhand, you know your kid is not going to run off by themselves

[dgm]

No matter how opposed I was before kids, I ended up getting one with my second kid for use in the airport. When you're dragging luggage and trying to keep track of kids, including a curious toddler, that thing is a must-have. Any parent who has ever lost a kid in a public place, even for a few minutes, knows the panic. Why risk it?

[Scott G.]

At the risk of pissing people off with my first-ever comment here...I think these "leash" devices are just another way parents are failing to parent.

While advanced in childcare equipment have benefited us all, this device is ridiculous in my opinion. How does the child learn (at any age) to obey their parents and to listen?

Just my take...but today so many parents refuse to parent. They want the path of least resistance. To me, that's a path to trouble later on.

[Wolfie]

I'm about to take a 4 year old and a 19 month old camping up in the Tetons. The 19 month old is definitely in need of leashing but I can't bring myself to buy one. Instead, I might resort to the overalls-with-dog-leash-attached-to-a-tree method or even the direct dog-harness-on-kid-with-leash-while-out-enjoying-the-wilderness version. I'm already having a bad time and I haven't even begun the four hour drive to get there. What were we thinking when we made these plans?