Ok, I stole the idea of a controversial post from a friend's blog, but recently a co-worker and I talked about child harnesses or "leashes" and I am not really sure what I think about them. On the one hand, leashing your child seems a little uncomfortable, but on the other hand it allows safety and freedom for active toddlers. I think it would be hard to say they are never a good idea.
Here are some examples of a few of these harnesses I found on Amazon:
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| Monkey Harness |
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| Mommy's Helper |
| Electronic Child Leash |
I found an article in the NY Times from this past March about a Parenting Magazine article that caused a lot of controversy and many letters from upset readers. The article is titled "Are Leashes for Children?" and it also sparked a lot of heated debate. You can click on the link to go to the article if you are interested. What about you? What do you think?
5 comments:
I think this is something people get a little too worked up about. Seems to me like a reasonable option when trying to let your child run around but not wanting them to run in the street.
Okay, so here are my (admittedly scattered) thoughts on the subject:
1) My husband's parents used a leash on him when he was little and he wasn't scarred from the experience. He actually finds it amusing.
2) I liked some of the comments at the end of the article you posted. Like the guy who said his dad used to leash him to the backstop while he played rec-league softball. Also the person who said, "And if you ride the subway, don't forget the muzzle." Awesome!
3) Not sure how the electronic leash works, but my first thought when I saw the picture was that it might be like one of those invisible fences and that it would shock the kid if they got too far away. But I'm guessing that's not it, huh?
And 4) The real issue here shouldn't be what other people think or whether it reminds someone of a dog. The question is, will it harm your child mentally, emotionally or physically to use a leash and frankly I can't see why it would... unless they get tangled in it and strangle to death, at which point, yeah, then you should have been paying more attention.
We had a leash for Abby. She loved it and begged to wear it around the house because it had a stuffed monkey on it. I loved it because we walked along a busy street and I could loop it around my wrist while using my hands to push Hannah in the stroller. It was also great for places like the State Fair where the crowds were dense. I did, however, get some dirty looks and one guy who swore at me and told me not to treat my child like a dog. (I don't think he had kids.) Still, I think they can be great and I'm pretty sure my girls only have fond memories of wearing their monkey because they occasionally still strap it on themselves.
Hi Katie! In all of our computer turmoil I keep losing your blog...We used a puppydog backpack leash thing for one of our kids who was prone to wander. He didn't mind it. We only used it in crowded/big places (like IKEA)- not on routine trips to the grocery stores.
If you have a wanderer, a leash seems less cruel then always grabbing them and trying to restrain them.
Thanks for all your thoughts!
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