Rein/harnesses for children

Sligo

My son used to keep running, his legs would flip back and he'd end up suspended like a mini helicopter with his legs still pedalling. He was another "Houdini". I tried the wrist strap and he used to hang off it or run around me and wrap it round my legs!

They may look a bit off putting but if you have an "escape artist" it's about trying to keep them safe. Many's the time he got away on me and I can still see his little laughing face looking back at me running after him as he hurtled towards a road/river/cliff!!

LannieDuck

We have the little backpacks with a lead. My LO *loves* hers. She'll often try to put it on and wear it around the house :rotfl:

The roads where we live are quite dangerous. She wants to walk, and we want to teach her about road safety, but the harness/lead is a great safety net.

pulliptears

Sligo wrote: »

My son used to keep running, his legs would flip back and he'd end up suspended like a mini helicopter with his legs still pedalling. He was another "Houdini". I tried the wrist strap and he used to hang off it or run around me and wrap it round my legs!

They may look a bit off putting but if you have an "escape artist" it's about trying to keep them safe. Many's the time he got away on me and I can still see his little laughing face looking back at me running after him as he hurtled towards a road/river/cliff!!

I recall one summer we'd gone to Tenby with the in laws, DD was about 2 1/2. I'd told MIL that she found it funny to vanish and she MUST be kept on her link. MIL had a thing about reins and disagreed with them but OH and I insisted that she be kept on this link if she was taking DD out.

Well, she took her into town and as soon as OH and I weren't there off came the link. They were in a shoe shop when she did her vanishing trick. My sis in law later told me the full story...

MIL told her to 'sit there and dont move'. DD of course didnt and when MIL turned around she'd gone. They couldn't see her in the shop so both MIL and SIL shot out of the shop in opposite directions. SIL noticed a small group of people standing laughing at the shop window and as she looked in there was DD wearing odd wellies dancing in the window display with an umbrella up.

Hilariously funny, but MIL almost had a heart attack and thankfully then learned that DD needed a wrist link.

mumonashoestring

Definitely agree. Our front door opens right onto the street and there's plenty of narrow pavements on busy roads and parks without gates around here. As long as you're responsible for the safety of a tiny crazy person with the attention span of a gnat, the coordination of a drunk and no understanding of danger I think anything that evens the odds is a good thing

Tenyearstogo

I didn't use reins with my first child, my second child had one of those backpacks with a lead. I've always preferred hand holding but both mine were road savvy early on. Neither have ever run off.

There is seven years age difference though between my two, so I never had to deal with a toddler and a pushchair.

Caroline_a

I always used reins with mine, and a friend of mine used them on her 6 year old when he refused to walk with her and kept charging off. He soon stopped that!

Holding hands is fine, but sometimes with toddlers their tiny hands can become slippy when it gets hot (no idea when that will be!!), and one tug and they're off.

Kayalana99

Thier's 2 men and a 1 woman trying to kidnap children in our area atm its even circled on facebook (as far as I know they havnt been sucessful as of yet!! )

My MIL's friend was victum to an attack and she had her child on a rein. This woman picked up the child and was kissing her like she was a friend and started to walk off and trying to pull the reins out of hand. She didnt let go obvouisly and some people got invovled eventually and managed to help her.

She says if it wasnt for the reins she would of lost her daughter..

londonsurrey

They're short critters. If you try holding hands with one, you generally end up stooping.

This is not a problem for short periods of time, but holding hands continuously for extended periods of time is more logistically difficult, even if the other party is an adult.

Reins are misused if the carer yanks on them a lot, but otherwise, they offer a range of benefits to child and adult.

Tenyearstogo

londonsurrey wrote: »

They're short critters.

Unfortunately, so am I.

fashionlover10

I find it interesting to see how many people on here are pro reins and yet when I walk around the town centre reins appear to be something people with toddlers have never heard of.

I think they're a fantastic idea for letting a toddler have the freedom to roam around a bit without the parent losing sight of them/the child ending up in a road/the child tripping other people up as they race around.

I don't have any children yet but I wouldn't hesitate to use reins when I do. My mother used them on me and I certainly don't remember feeling like she was being 'barbaric' towards me lol.