The Toddler Leash…A Go Or A No?
There are a few things that spark a hot mama debate faster than the topic of a toddler leash. I was checking in with one of my favorite bloggers who is in favor of a toddler leash as a way of protecting her son and it got me thinking about my own opinion. What do I think about the idea of snapping the Bean into a toddler leash? This is a topic, like so many others, that I had a black and white opinion of before I became a mom. I rolled my eyes at the idea of lazy parenting. I could not believe people would treat their children like animals and then I became a mom.
The Bean is fifteen months old and the last time we ventured out to the mall, I pushed the empty stroller ahead of me while holding onto her little hand as she walked authoritatively through the stores. She loves to walk and there are times where letting her out of the stroller is all it takes to prevent that infamous toddler tantrum that will inevitably draw judgmental stares from every passerby within earshot.
The problem is that she fights to walk without holding my hand, which is simply not going to happen. Last week during our walk through the mall, the cup holder on my stroller tipped spilling my coffee. As I knelt down to wipe up the coffee, the Bean let go of my hand in less than a second was ten feet from me walking at quite a clip into the mall crowd. Now we were at the mall mid week, and mid day so the crowd was thin but the panic during those couple seconds made me feel like my heart was stopping. The toddler leash would have kept her near me without stomping on her toddler independence.
The problem is that she fights to walk without holding my hand, which is simply not going to happen. Last week during our walk through the mall, the cup holder on my stroller tipped spilling my coffee. As I knelt down to wipe up the coffee, the Bean let go of my hand in less than a second was ten feet from me walking at quite a clip into the mall crowd. Now we were at the mall mid week, and mid day so the crowd was thin but the panic during those couple seconds made me feel like my heart was stopping. The toddler leash would have kept her near me without stomping on her toddler independence.
My husband and I joked about needing a toddler leash on the beach as we watched a family members puppy run and play around a leash staked in the sand and while that is probably not a good use of a toddler leash, as a mom with a busy toddler, I am beginning to think that I may have been a bit quick to judge. I may not be running out to purchase a toddler leash for myself just yet, but if they come out with a designer leash (I mean how cute would Bean look on a Burberry leash) and it hits one of my many deal sites, well it will certainly be a consideration that I may not be able to pass up.
I had a leash for my daughter when she was little simply because one day in the grocery store my husband turned his head and she went missing. Back then there weren't as many choices there are little backpacks that look like animals with the lead on it that the parent can hold these are cute and the children actually seem to not mind these. At least then they think are walking unaided and you have peace of mind.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was pregnant I swore up and down I would never put my child on a leash because a real parent watches their child's every move, and controls every situation (yeah I was delusional). For her first birthday she got one of the monkey backpack leashes as a present. I still didn't want to give in, so I took the leash off and let her wear it as a backpack.
ReplyDeleteThen a few months ago we took her to the zoo, and I found myself pushing an empty stroller while being she drug me around by my hand. Hubby tried carrying her, but she would pitch a fit. Then he went to the restroom while the LO and I bought a snack, and as I let go of her hand to pull my wallet out of my purse she took off running. Thankfully another mom saw what happened and stopped her from tumbling down some steps as I ran after her, but that was all it took for me to give the leash a try.
She's 2 now, and we still only use it when we're in large crowds, but no matter how many people I see eye rolling and pointing (it happens a lot) I have peace of mind knowing she's not going to take off in a split second and get lost or hurt.
I do recommend one of the animal backpacks. Most of the time she thinks she's leading me around! She holds onto the leash part, and tells me "Come Mama"!