What do you think about baby leashes?

[Luke's_mummy]

So i guess you would say stairgates/baby monitors/ plug covers/draw locks ect are all just parents being lazy rather than wanting to protect their child

Is that what I said? You CAN'T be with your child 24/7 in a house, you need a baby monitor because you can't be in their room all the time when they're sleeping. Plug covers, in a home environment its diffrent, I'm sure that you tidy up or go on the internet whilst your Child is playing, they get around a living room efficently, and you shouldn't need to worry about where they are going in your own living room, the same goes for draw locks or stairgates. However when you leave the house, you are not in the same comfortable home environment, once you have left the house with your toddler you have taken on a huge responsibility, the first thing we learn is that the world can be a dangerous place. The first thing that you should teach a child is how to cross the road. A leash does not enforce this! It enforces recklessness, how are you gonna learn something when you know that you can do no wrong, when at the end of the day, the child is quite literaly on a short leash. So what, are you going to drive your child to school till their 15, because IMO its the same thing!

 

[Luke's_mummy]

Oh, and with regards to not being able to 'catch up with them'. Your job as a parent is to keep them close and not allow them to run off!

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

we always used them lol, They are not wrong or reckless, just safe when they are to young to understand. My lad was walking outside from 10mths old. No way he would have understood!

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

and we walk to school, every day, 2 miles each way across roads, I used reins till they were about 2.5 and both mine know the green cross code, how to cross safely and always hold hands on a road.

 

[babyblog]

I agree that sometimes they are used incorrectly and I also agree they should be like a last resort eg pregnancy, multiple children etc but I also notice that even some moms who hold their LOs hands drag their children so its not really a problem that is caused by leash use but rather by parents.

I'm interested to know why there is any negative thoughts towards the use of reins. Why are they a last resort? It's something i just don't understand. My LO started walking at 1, he is too young to understand the dangers of rivers/roads/dogs etc, so when we go walking, i generally use reins. If you don't use reins what do you use? Or do people just keep their toddlers in their pushchairs all the time?

To me, reins are a great way to give your young toddler some independance and it saddens me that others would view this in a negative light.

 

[babyblog]

I HATE them! IMO it doesn't teach a chid independance it does the oposite, how can you say it teaches a child when they wont learn anything, you're just pulling the child out of the way of this and that and stopping them from falling ect ect, they wont learn! Children need to learn to be safe, they need to learn to cross the road, they need to learn to take responsibility, IMO if they aren't old enough or smart enough to know that they have to hold hands/hold the buggy/ stay close to mummy, then they should still be in a buggy! Not on a LEASH! It's a child, not a dog.

Can i ask what age child you are thinking of when talking about your hatred for a safety device? My LO was walking at 1, two weeks older than yours is now by the looks of it.Is yours walking yet, because as i'm sure you know, at that age they are not able to fully understand and obey instructions.How would you allow your 1 year old to walk safely by a road if you don't use reins?

My LO will learn road safety, but he doesn't understand it yet.So is it better to leave him in a buggy when he could be exercising and enjoying walking along picking leaves off of bushes?

And for those that say reins are a lazy way of parenting-i would suggest the opposite is in fact true.To me, lazy parents are the ones who bung their child in the buggy when they could actually be walking. (i know at times you need to get to places quickly,but i'm referring to times when you aren't in any rush). I'm am taking time out to allow my child to gain indepdendance, as when he is walking he doesn't realise he even has his reins on.

 

[Blah11]

I dont think leash is a very nice describing word but hey ho.

I think they're a great idea. I'd rather have something that doesn't look so nice than a snatched or ran over toddler.

not sure how they're supposed to 'learn' how to do things whilst being strapped into a pushchair anyway. That was really offensive Lukes mummy. Shame on you Is your LO even walking yet? Do you have any idea what its like to have a toddler?

My LO is perfectly independant now but whilst she was learning to walk, she was still testing boundaries and I'm sorry, i won't take the risk of her running onto the road. It just takes their little hand slipping through yours and that's it I don't use them now as she knows not go to onto the road but whilst she was LEARNING road safety, they were a godsend.

 

[Luke's_mummy]

no he isn't walking yet ( a few step here and there but not really walking) but I can safely say that I wont use them. I'm not saying you should leave them in a buggy all the time but, if they aren't old enough to understand then why would you take them walking by a busy road? And Luke is able to undertand simple instructions like no, stop or give that to mummy and he will do as he is told. If he has something he is not alowed and I say no he will stop and give it to me.

Shame on me? lol. I'm not trying to offend but I thought this was a DEBATE part of the forum? Sorry if I'm mistaken, IMO it is lazy. It is your JOB as a parent to teach your child but by putting them on a leash then you aren't teaching them. Not really.

If my child was 10 months old, like someone said and walking, no WAY would I have them walking on roads! They could walk in the park or down a lane in the forest ect but not on the roads. Personaly. If I couldn't TRUST my child to stay close to me when walking then I wouldn't have done my job right.

 

[~KACI~]

Just wanted to say this

And Luke is able to undertand simple instructions like no, stop or give that to mummy and he will do as he is told. If he has something he is not alowed and I say no he will stop and give it to me.

could change in a few months

I used reins with kieran when he was getting to the age where he wanted to walk but i still had paige in the pram. Protected him and he is very good near roads now

 

[sophxx]

i think there fab and if we need them with lo while hes learning how to act saftely beside the road we will def use them

a little girl in our area got run over and sadly died as she wasnt on reins and crossed the road her mum had a baby in a pram and she was just lagging behind alittle her hand lipped of the pram

it happens in a flash second and to me i would never put my child in a situation like that as that makes a bad parent imo x

 

[Luke's_mummy]

but it could equaly not change.

I won't allow it to change. He is at an impressionable age, he may want to exercise independance, but they don't exercise resiliance/ a blatant disregard of their parents till much much older. In 2 months time, he's not going to be old enough to know how to rebel.

 

[Blah11]

You can have a debate without offending people. You basically implied those who use reins are lazy and treat their children like dogs. Very rude.

You seem to be contradicting yourself too. One minute harping on about independance and the next saying he wont be allowed to exercise 'resiliance'. + Trust me, a one year old DOES rebel.

 

[Luke's_mummy]

I didn't imply anything. I said that it was my OPINION. Never said it was fact. Just said that was what I thought. If you chose to perceive it that way, thats not my problem.

 

[Blah11]

mmhmm Well, I hope you won't be eating your words when you have a pram and a toddler.

 

[Luke's_mummy]

I can guarantee I wont.

 

[Blah11]

Well, not really as you have NO idea how he'll be in 7 months time, lol.

 

[Luke's_mummy]

I can guarantee I wont. 7 months time or not.

 

[Blah11]

Oh okay. Didn't realise you could see into the future. my bad!

 

[Luke's_mummy]

I can't see into the future, but he's my son. I know MY son. I know MY parenting. So I'll repeat again. I can guarantee I wont.

 

[lesleyann]

blah i think its a lost case here, even other people in this thread have said pre-children would hate them but now are a godsend.

To me tbh and no offence ment to anyone but if your going to call this lazy parenting i would say that stairgates ect are just as "lazy" in that case since some parents manage perfectly fine without them.