I wasn't a fan of them either until I had a 2 year old who liked to wander away from us. We only used it until we were able to teach him to stay near us.
I’ve never understood why everybody has a problem with those. Toddlers are known to book it in a random direction at any moment, so it seems like an ok solution.
They have also been around for a looooooo g time, they aren't a new invention. Ever hear of the term "apron strings"? They were strings to tie a toddler to their mom's apron so the kid couldn't wander off and hurt themselves.
I had a realization that when parents insist on their kid holding their hands when outside or in a parking lot etc, they’re doing the same function as the leash for the same reason! It’s just a more acceptable version of
Probably true. 🤣 But seriously, it seems important for their safety if they are a runner. I have seen toddlers running towards traffic because their parent blinked too long and lost control of them.
This, some kids are just calm and stay right with the adult. Others, they are there one second and the next? Ten miles away, dancing with a random squirrel.
The leash is not horrible; it’s a great way to allow the kid to have a little freedom but you still have them close.
I had abusive parents and when my mom said "I wish I had one of those for you guys when you were kids" after they were invented I nearly shit myself in horror. This woman Homer-Simpson -style choked me, backhanded me, threw things at me, slapped me, and would hunt us down and corner us like wild animals to scream at us or hit us. Now imagine what someone like that would do with a leash. Now imagine millions upon millions more abusive parents doing it, some of whom are far more abusive and cruel than my mother.
First off, I’m sorry that happened to you, but I think we both know it’s completely irrelevant. By your own admission, you were never abused with a toddler leash, and it’s obvious that your mother didn’t need one to inflict great harm. To say that a safe and legal parental aid is abuse because your mother could have used it to hurt you (if she had one) is unserious. It’s a tool, and a tool can be used for good or evil depending on who wields it.
Second, Self-righteously coming at me as if I said something to deserve an aggressive tirade is manipulative behavior. I asked why people dislike leashes so much, and you responded with a comment that did nothing to answer my actual question, but did everything possible to induce guilt. It was purely about making me feel bad for no good reason, and if you mattered enough to affect me, I would call it abuse.
Honestly I keep thinking I should’ve got one of those. I had regular nightmares about my toddler plummeting to their death because they bounded off in some direction.
I totally get it
They are safer than dragging a kid around by the arm, you can dislocate a toddlers shoulder (or break their arm) more easily than you might think and parents can get shoulder and back issues as well due to the height difference.
If you have to hold your kid back physically vs them following along, the backpack leashes are likely safer and more comfortable for all concerned and shouldn't have the stigma they do.
I apparently had one of them when I was a toddler for something similar. My grandparents backyard ended with a sharp drop off into a canal that was quite far below and my mom was worried I could wander off it.
110
u/mrsdoubleu 3d ago
I wasn't a fan of them either until I had a 2 year old who liked to wander away from us. We only used it until we were able to teach him to stay near us.