Do you leash your kid?

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Replies

  • Naomi0504
    Naomi0504 Posts: 964 Member
    Out of my 4 kids, only 2 needed the harness. They are all 4 parented the same. Instructions, guidance, etc. Every kid is different and has different needs. Obviously.
  • mellyish
    mellyish Posts: 253 Member
    My sister is 2 years 10 months and super independent and loves getting into everything and anything. She is curious, smart, talks like a 5 year old, and if we don't have her on a leash when we are out, or in the cart SHE WILL RUN OFF. I mean **** she'll try climbing out of the cart too and occasionally be successful, she doesn't care how high up it is, she's a little daredevil.

    Anyways she actually likes her monkey leash cause we started using it before she was two, seriously as soon as she was born she was always moving, and as soon as she could walk well you get the picture. Everyone and her even like joking she has a monkey on her back, it's very rare we get any opposition from people in public because she's such a happy kid.
  • smokeyg01
    smokeyg01 Posts: 1,064
    Leash....no.... My kids need shock collars. And a probing stick.
  • FixIngMe13
    FixIngMe13 Posts: 405 Member
    No I don't you come up with other strategies as a parent if your really that worried, alot of children haven't had proper boundaries setting by parents. My boy knows nothing different than you hold hands as soon as you leave the car, and until your home again, I think the ones who push boundaries and scare their mums are the ones that really truly do need it so I won't judge on that, but I believe you have to start the way you continue to go on, if you don't want your child running off on you you need to teach them and set boundaries for them not to do this. Safety is most important
    Thanks Lorel
    Mother of 3 year old.

    I understand.... and of course all children are different. Setting boundaries is great... if they listen. My 2 boys... perfect listeners. My daughter? She was the exception. I'm a mother of 3 children... and it is wonderful if you have children that listen... and I'm absolutely jealous of you.
  • I think it looks funny, but i understand it. instead of sticking a kid in a cart have them walking with you is healthier for them. as well if you have two kids sometimes it may be easier to grocery shop or whatever with them on one. ive seen where one kid ran one way and one wondered off or a stroller rolled. a leash would have prevented a death. i think parents have to do what they have to do.
  • i think kids just kind of get curious. so they are tempted to walk off
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,304 Member
    (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.)


    Totally not getting this logic - how is it better for a child to be in a stroller rather than walking??

    And a child in a stroller is more restrained - but its not ok to restrain with a leash/reins??
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,304 Member
    No I don't you come up with other strategies as a parent if your really that worried, alot of children haven't had proper boundaries setting by parents. My boy knows nothing different than you hold hands as soon as you leave the car, and until your home again, I think the ones who push boundaries and scare their mums are the ones that really truly do need it so I won't judge on that, but I believe you have to start the way you continue to go on, if you don't want your child running off on you you need to teach them and set boundaries for them not to do this. Safety is most important
    Thanks Lorel
    Mother of 3 year old.

    Gotta love all these parents whose one child does xyz so they know what is best for all other children.

    So many sanctimonious know it alls in this thread.

    Yes there are other strategies but if using a leash/reins is one that works for you, use it.
    Big deal.

    Of course you need to teach them but leashes/reins can be useful for some parents and some children while they are learning.

    You don't have to have used one yourself to get this.
  • Nikoruo
    Nikoruo Posts: 771 Member
    Oh my, i saw someone today with their child on a leash. First time! and then i see this topic haha
  • ! What in the world is wrong with holding your kid's hand?

    Hold your arm up above your head for an extended period of time. Pretend you are three years old. I bet it gets tiring, doesn't it?
  • cookn_mama
    cookn_mama Posts: 228 Member
    I leashed my son when he was 2 and we went to Disney World. I had 2 other older children with also. I got a lot of stares and comments but I came back with, "If someone took him, they would bring him back in under 2 minutes flat." He was later diagnosed ADHD. Not that that is a reason to leash! But it was the only way I could control him and watch 2 others at the same time. It is helpful if the "spouse/so" is supportive and helpful. Mine wasn't so much.
    My granddaughter has a monkey leash and loves it! And so does grandma. I can take her to parades and not worry about her getting out in traffic or running after the horses or the occassional stray dog. Until the child can develop a sense of harm, urgency, listening and following commands, there is nothing wrong with leashing them to a responsible adult.
  • cookn_mama
    cookn_mama Posts: 228 Member
    ! What in the world is wrong with holding your kid's hand?

    Hold your arm up above your head for an extended period of time. Pretend you are three years old. I bet it gets tiring, doesn't it?
    Exactly!!!!
  • Madame_Goldbricker
    Madame_Goldbricker Posts: 1,625 Member
    Oh my, i saw someone today with their child on a leash. First time! and then i see this topic haha


    Apparently they've been around since the 17th Century.

    http://histclo.com/style/other/teath.html

    HBC has very limited information on children's tethers. It is definitely not a new fad. Some painters like Rubens or Pieter de Hooch have shown children on leashes and or ribbons. There is some information that they were not uncommon for extremely young children in the 17th-19th centuries. We do note images of aristocratic children wearing harnesses from the 17th and 18th centuries. The best example is the painting of Larguillière picturing Louis 14 with his grandson, the future Louis XV on reins. We do not have comparable images of peasant children. This may be that only children of the upper class, who were considered more important to protect, were put in tethers. It could be that the poorer children were no treated similarly and there are just no paintings recording it. There are many depictions of leading strings in the 19th century, although children's walking harnesses are not common. The first clearly recognizable harness we have noted was the son of Napoleon I in the early 19th century.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    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


    Why does it make you "so angry" when you see kids on leashes? Why should you care what other people do with THEIR kids??
  • emmanap91
    emmanap91 Posts: 300 Member
    It's really frakkin judgmental to start a thread condemning people with different parenting techniques than yourself.

    I don't have kids, but I was a leash kid when I was young. You know what? My mom had three small children (twins and me) to deal with, and I was a run-and-hide type of child whenever we went out. Basically, I was an *kitten* kid. My mother is not fat or lazy, and she is a wonderful mom IMO. But she doesn't have three hands (to those who say "hold your kid's hand") and all the teaching in the world doesn't take the ****ishness out of the kid (to those who said teach your kid to stay close).

    Don't get me wrong, eventually I grew up a bit and behaved - but there was at least a year-long period in which I was prone to wandering off. I don't think it's wrong for someone to leash their kid, and I don't think it's wrong NOT to leash your kid. But don't judge others for their choice when A. it's not hurting the kid in any way (unless it is, then there's a bigger issue) and B. you don't know anything about the details of their life or their parenting techniques.


    edit: mfp censors swears? seriously? what the ****?!
  • Sapporo
    Sapporo Posts: 693 Member
    I bought an Elmo backpack with a tether just to tick off Judgey McJudgersons out in public. I haven't used in the past year I have had it, thanks for reminding me of it.
  • I have not, but I caught my babysitter doing it with my son who is almost 3. I really didn't get upset with her because he has autism and he will just run off and not stop when his name is called. I thought about doing it myself after that because I will not let him play outside for that reason.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,304 Member
    My exgirlfriend made it clear she was a fan of this. I most definetly am not and everytime I see a kid on a leash I laugh my *kitten* off and take a picture and send it to all of my friends with some type of caption.

    Wow, and you are proud of yourself doing this?

    Whether or not you agree with another parenting technique, it is beyond me how any rational mature person could think this creepy behaviour is ok :noway:
  • kkerri
    kkerri Posts: 276 Member
    I love the people who say the only people who do this are fat and lazy when you can tell from the pictures that most of the people who said they have used one are not overweight, have multiple young kids, etc.


    I also love how many people criticize, but don't have kids. And, the ones that do and are older (and not from this generation of "cell phone use" etc.) were you the parent who toted kids to doctors appointments and grocery stores? Just curious.

    Like I said, I used one one time and felt silly, but was also grossly pregnant and in pain. Something that a lot with such strong opinions also don't get.
  • Blondiegrl11
    Blondiegrl11 Posts: 458 Member
    Some adults collar and leash their partners, you don't hear them complaining. To each their own
  • ThePlight
    ThePlight Posts: 3,593 Member
    Sounds easier to give them a phone with GPS and only certain allowed numbers to keep track of them lol. (But then again, I had a cellphone for the majority of my life)
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,304 Member
    Sounds easier to give them a phone with GPS and only certain allowed numbers to keep track of them lol. (But then again, I had a cellphone for the majority of my life)

    Great! - you can track your 2 year old as they are run over by a car.
  • ThePlight
    ThePlight Posts: 3,593 Member
    Sounds easier to give them a phone with GPS and only certain allowed numbers to keep track of them lol. (But then again, I had a cellphone for the majority of my life)

    Great! - you can track your 2 year old as they are run over by a car.
    Oh, you should definitely do it. Go for it, if you want to leave someone that young alone.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    I love the people who say the only people who do this are fat and lazy when you can tell from the pictures that most of the people who said they have used one are not overweight, have multiple young kids, etc.


    I also love how many people criticize, but don't have kids. And, the ones that do and are older (and not from this generation of "cell phone use" etc.) were you the parent who toted kids to doctors appointments and grocery stores? Just curious.

    Like I said, I used one one time and felt silly, but was also grossly pregnant and in pain. Something that a lot with such strong opinions also don't get.

    Yeah. I look really fat and lazy don't I?

    What makes me laugh is the amount of people judging for using reins, therefore allowing their child to be active in a safe manner, yet no-one bats an eyelid when people mention keeping a 5 year old in a stroller.

    In England, it is rare to see a child above 3 in a stroller, and if they are then they would get second glances, and at 4 or 5 you'd probably think they had some sort of special need or disability. No wonder the US has such obesity problems if it is normal for a 5 year old to sit in a stroller....

    Reins are usually used up to about 2.5 here, not usually any older. By that age they have had enough practise walking outside to have some common sense and road sense. If they were kept restrained in a stroller they wouldn't get that practise.

    I'd far rather see a child waking in reins than being kept in a pushchair. Luckily I live in England where reins are not judged like this, and people walk a lot!
  • roxylola
    roxylola Posts: 540 Member
    I live in the uk and as the previous poster said more people seem inclined to let children walk with reins here. I don't have kids, but I think it is a good idea to keep them under control and on the same basis I walk my dog on a lead as although she would walk to heel I like to know I have control I would walk kids on leads as they may hold hands but they may also just slip away very easily.

    I live in a big city and often in the city centre I am tripping over people's kids with no idea who they belong to or where they should be. How can a parent who is not in physical contact with the child stop it from getting run over? And if you are shopping or whatever surely the best most effective thing is to have reins on it. I truly can't understand why people get so horrified by it. I love my dogs and want to keep them safe so I take full responsibilty for that and put them on leads. Parents should not be relying on other people to keep their kids safe by not walking in to them, not running them over, not jostling them out of the way etc which is what you are doing if you do not have adequate restraint

    Parents also should not use prams to stop traffic. How many times do you see people waiting to cross the road with a pram and the pram is shoved out in the road so the parent can stand on the pavement and look for traffic. I would hope that the pram contains the most precious thing in your world and that you would gladly give up your life for your child's so just think about what you are doing!
  • BonnieandClyde29
    BonnieandClyde29 Posts: 1,026 Member
    I don't have kids and never intend to use one, it looks humiliating! Poor kids, yes it is understandable that it makes it easier so your kids don't run out in the road, BUT it is also called paying attention. That is what, eyes, ears, and hands are for, you can use all your senses to watch your kid and hold their hand. :laugh:
  • I don't have any children, though I did try using a leash for one of my pets once...didn't go over well. That's because my pet didn't like it. However, you see other pets with no problem using a leash.
    I think the same goes with children. I once saw a women at the grocery store who had her mentally handicapped child in a leash. The child appeared to have no qualm with using the leash, and neither did the mother. It all comes down to parenting, and just what works for each individual.
    So...hakuna matata, really.
  • NH_Norma
    NH_Norma Posts: 332 Member
    I live in the uk and as the previous poster said more people seem inclined to let children walk with reins here. I don't have kids, but I think it is a good idea to keep them under control and on the same basis I walk my dog on a lead as although she would walk to heel I like to know I have control I would walk kids on leads as they may hold hands but they may also just slip away very easily.

    I live in a big city and often in the city centre I am tripping over people's kids with no idea who they belong to or where they should be. How can a parent who is not in physical contact with the child stop it from getting run over? And if you are shopping or whatever surely the best most effective thing is to have reins on it. I truly can't understand why people get so horrified by it. I love my dogs and want to keep them safe so I take full responsibilty for that and put them on leads. Parents should not be relying on other people to keep their kids safe by not walking in to them, not running them over, not jostling them out of the way etc which is what you are doing if you do not have adequate restraint

    Parents also should not use prams to stop traffic. How many times do you see people waiting to cross the road with a pram and the pram is shoved out in the road so the parent can stand on the pavement and look for traffic. I would hope that the pram contains the most precious thing in your world and that you would gladly give up your life for your child's so just think about what you are doing!

    ALL of this! I had one kid I had to leash, the other I did not. The one would pinch and bite our hands trying to get away (she hated having her hand held!) and the second we freed our hands from her mouth, she was off like a shot. Everyone was happier when she was on a leash.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    I don't have kids and never intend to use one, it looks humiliating! Poor kids, yes it is understandable that it makes it easier so your kids don't run out in the road, BUT it is also called paying attention. That is what, eyes, ears, and hands are for, you can use all your senses to watch your kid and hold their hand. :laugh:

    Key words here - 'I don't have kids'. Wait until you do and then pass judgement thanks.

    Tell you what, you can look after my 2 year old daughter for a day and then come back to me with your opinion.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,304 Member
    I don't have kids and never intend to use one, it looks humiliating! Poor kids, yes it is understandable that it makes it easier so your kids don't run out in the road, BUT it is also called paying attention. That is what, eyes, ears, and hands are for, you can use all your senses to watch your kid and hold their hand. :laugh:

    Key words here - 'I don't have kids'. Wait until you do and then pass judgement thanks.

    Tell you what, you can look after my 2 year old daughter for a day and then come back to me with your opinion.

    Actually have several children at the same time or several different children, you know, not all of them are placid happy hand holders.
    I love the way you have no kids yourself but you know how easy it is to just pay attention. :laugh:

    If using leash/reins works for some people, good for them.

    I've seen many happy children here with those cute back packs with the long tails - they don't look humiliating at all.
    You have no kids but you know what humiliates a toddler,.
    What rot.