Do you leash your kid?

This topic has already been discussed on here and it did not go well.

Some children don't hold hands well and slip out of their parents grip and if it came down to putting your kids in a backpack leash or them dying by running in front of a car or getting stolen, I would go with the leash.

How about you not judge other parents?

Or you could just train the kid to behave better. I think that's better in the long run.

Or you could understand that there are special needs children, like say those with Autism, who can very easily get away from their mothers.

I considered it, even bought one. But I never used it. It's really only applicable for children who can or should be in a stroller anyway.

I couldn't find the gif I wanted, but I stumbled on this one.



Some kids never grow out of it.

all i can say, is that as a child i frequently had to have stores shut down and locked til people found me hiding in the clothes racks and my mother was very very attentive. after about the third almost heart attack i gave her, i started to have to wear a little bracelet that connected to a bracelet my mom wore. or by definition on this post, "a leash".

i dont think it was bad, or degrading. i think i was a wanderer and she did it for my own safety.

But when I see kids on a leash, I just figure the parents are doing what they think is best for their kids. One size does not fit all.

I agree with this most of all

Mine is older too but I would have never leashed her. Duct tape her to a chair? Yes. Leash? Never.

I agree with this,lol.

I considered it, even bought one. But I never used it. It's really only applicable for children who can or should be in a stroller anyway.

Yup, because we are all going to drag out the stroller every single time we get out of the car to go somewhere... Yeah, no. And my daughter has now learned the "stiff as a board" trick and she is really good at it (hell she pulled it out on my this morning when she all of a sudden decided she didn't want to go on a specific toilet in our house and wanted to go in the other one)... if she doesn't want to sit there is no amount of making her that will get her to sit. I will gladly let you try getting her to sometime.

Or you could understand that there are special needs children, like say those with Autism, who can very easily get away from their mothers.

This.

Four kids, all adults now, but I only HAD to leash one of them, and just for a short period of time. My husband was working out of town for a few months and I took all 4 to the grocery store. I had two 6 year olds, a 3 year old and an infant. The 3 year old wanted to run, kid just never walked. One of the 6 year olds kept chasing him down and brining him back, but my fear was someone snatching him or snatching the baby if I left her with the twins to go catch him. Next week I took one of the dog's leashes, showed it to the 3 year old, told him if he ran away from me I would leash him to the cart. He was 3, he ran, I leashed. He hated it and it only took about 3 or 4 weeks in a row to get my point across. He stopped running away and stayed close enough for me to reach him at all times. No more leash. BTW, I tied the leash to the cart and clipped it to the back belt buckle on his jeans, never really on his body. I got some comments, but you know what? I didn't care then and I don't care now. It kept him safe and that was the important thing.

Seeing kids on leashes makes me so angry! I DON'T GET IT

Agreed, why can't you just hold your kid's hand? If you leash them that doesn't teach them anything about respecting you as a parent. I also think there is much to be said for physical contact/human touch from parent to child. Putting a leash between you is just weird.

Edit: I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be judging other parents, I feel bad about feeling this way but it's just a pet peeve of mine

Pro tip: If you know you shouldn't be judging, then shut the hell up and stop judging.

I am not against using a leash.

I put reins on my son because he started not using a buggy way before he turned 2 and he was a terror and would run off and I was pregnant! When he was 22 months old my daughter was born so I could hardly run after him and look after my newborn at the same time. Also, we get the train a lot and there was no way I was having him loose on a platform. He stopped using reins at 2.5 and was able to be more sensible then.

Ridiculous people saying parents are lazy and on their cell phones etc. I rarely use my mobile phone when I'm out with my kids, and I take my kids out all the time. I just happen to care about their safety. Far worse are the parents who keep their children in pushchairs when they're far too old.

I put reins on my 2 year old daughter sometimes, but usually hold her hand, just have the reins there to grab if necessary. She can be really naughty and run off when she feels like it. I don't particularly want her run over just because she didn't have reins on, so judge all you like!

My kids are active and independent, and safe!

I just read a comment saying put the child in a pushchair instead? Hmm, yeah, because that isn't lazy of course! Far better to et children walk in a safe manner than keep them in a buggy.

My daughter has a leash, she is 18 months old. I'm in no way ashamed of using her leash. I would much rather have my daughter on a leash, than on the front of newspaper headline reading "child kidnapped" or "child ran over".

Opinions are like butt-holes. Everyone has one, most of them stink.
That being said, people are all so very different, that there will never be complete agreement on any one subject. Calling someone fat and lazy just because they have a differing opinion is ignorance.

I'd use a leash or whatever was necessary to keep him/her safe. No way would someone else's opinion bother me as much as my own terror and heartbreak if my child got away from me or was taken from me.

There was a three year old girl that was killed by a car where I live very recently. She ran away from her parents out into traffic on our busy main street and was hit and killed instantly. If putting a safety harness on my child could prevent something like that from happening, then so be it. People who have never had children or who have never had a child that likes to run away (or even hide) have no right to judge. Just wait till you get your own children and see what happens. Little toddlers are often very defiant and have no concept of what can hurt them. Every child is different dependence wise as well...some listen and others do not. I had one child that would never run from me and my next was the exact opposite. I would rather be safe than sorry. A safety harness worked wonders for my 2 year old in crowded stores as she couldn't stand sitting in the shopping cart or stroller. She got some exercise/independence and she was safe. I pick my battles with her....letting her walk was better for all of us in the long run. Bottom line....unless you have walked in my shoes with my particular kid in tow, mind your own business.