"I love my dogs and I put them on a leash to keep them safe.  The same applies to the kids."  That response has gotten me some real interesting reactions. 

I thinkg they are great.  Certainly do not drag you kids around by them, but it keeps them from wandering. 

This spring we were on a family vacation.  We were walking down a sidewalk in Virginia Beach when my daughter suddenly veered onto the roadway.   I suppose I could have also been holding her hand but we all know how well that goes over with a curious toddler.  I say if it keeps them safe then keep on using it.

hey if it works for you and your child what the heck

There is nothing more terrifying than losing track of your child. My daughter was about 4, and I was pushing my son in his stroller (tram, I think, to you good folks on the other side of this rock) with her holding on to it. We were in a very busy shopping mall. She saw something that caught her attention. In about 3 seconds, I traveled about 15 feet without her before I noticed she wasn't there. The two 360s I did before I saw her took about 5 more seconds in real time but a lifetime in the slow motion agony I felt, looking into the abyss of life without her.

The chances of anything bad actually happening is remote, or course, but anything that eliminates those few seconds of terror is well worth it.

if it keeps them safe y not!

xoxo

i dont think anyone should judge you for using this it sounds like a good idea for really busy places.

i wouldnt use one myself unless it was for a festival or a market or something super busy i dont think but who knows i may change my mind someday......

I just wish we'd had such great looking "harnesses" when our daughters were at that age! Fantastic idea...

... and I think the Minti community has spoken clearly: don't let ignorant looks or comments from others phase you... giving those that actually voice disapproval a polite but firm reply that it is about keeping him safe, should 'put them in their place' ... or even educate them a little!

I don't think anyone who uses harnesses should have to answer to anyone at all. I say smile and then move on. And those who lack understanding on the use of such harness...well, I say good for them that they didn't have to use one.

My son is highly independent, even before he was 1 year old. I took him to a park once and he ran off from me (about 20 feet) to look at something and he never turned back to look for me once. At about 15 minutes, I took him to get him new shoes. And being that we were in a fairly small store, I was confident he wouldn't run away without me seeing. Everything was fine until I had to pay for the shoes. As I was reaching for my wallet to get my credit card out, etc, he had ran out of the store into the mall. Thankfully, the store was in the mall thankfully, people were kind enough to stop him getting too far.  (I have the same monkey leash on the picture above).

Now I have 18 month old twins. And as much as they are much more subdued than their big brother, there are 2 of them. Once they run off in 2 different direction, I can't keep up.  When my husband is with us, then we can play one on one defense, but when I'm by myself with the twins, or with all 3 of my kids... it's whole different game. 

For my twins, I have the dog one (the 2nd picture above) and I bought a bear one. I couldn't use my son's monkey one because once he saw that his sisters were wearing one, he wanted his own. (Though of course now I don't have to hold on to his, thank goodness!).

I think this is as much question as advice, but I totally agree withyou. How about the thought that he's scared of getting lost, and this gives him the confidence to be curious without being afraid of being lost!

 I think they are a great idea, especially in  our society of stranger danger. I would rather know my child is close to me when we out and about. And they don't look like the old leashes far from it.

Thanks for sharing.

Janice

I have the puppy backpacks.  My Mother In Law bought them for us when my twin boys were 12 months old.  I have not had any negative comments but if I did I think I would respond by letting them know that perhaps James Bulger would still be alive if he had a harness on.  At the end of the day no matter how well behaved your toddler is all it takes if a moment of inattention for someone to snatch them away or for them to suddenly run in front of a car.  All that really matters is that your son is safe. 

I think they're a great idea, especially now that they have the fun and cute aspect to them with the dog or monkey. I would much rather deal with comments and looks from strangers then to have anything happen to my kid's. People are always quick to judge. I know I'll be using one of these in the not too distant future with my brood doubling in size soon.

xxxx

After my daughter was almost taken from us from a popular  place here in perth, I quickly went out and bought onw of these leashs and my kids were both fine with them. I feel they give the child some independance with full control for the parent. Also witht hese cute ones like the doggy one, they can have a few things of their own in their bag.

these days they are for safety and not for control.

When my second child arrives I will get one of these for sure. Keeping ahold of more than one child is just a nightmare in my opinion. Young and fit though I am, little ones are very tiny, very wriggling and VERY very fast. It only takes one second and they could duck behind something and dissappear. Both my sister and I had these when we were little and neither of us suffered. My response to people who say it is cruel? "It is more cruel to put a child in danger from passing traffic or strangers." I also prefer to call these items a 'safety harness' a far less perjorative term than 'leash'. Why do we restrain our pets? Because we love them and care for their safety and the safety of others. Same goes for kiddies, even more so IMHO. Good article- and I love the monkey backpack!

I had a harness for my daughter because she was always running off. I found that if she touched something I couldnt afford to pay fro if she broke it I could use the handle to rap over hand. It came in handy if I was doing things as she wouldnt sit in a car seat (escapee) and hated the pram unless she was tired. I continued to use it until she was about 4 or 5.

I have 3 cherubs under 4 and I have always used one of these...Ours is also a doggie backpack....These are so useful as I can not oush a double pram hold a walking cherubs hand and shop...At least I know where the walking cherub is at all times and I am not constantly yelling at them to come here. or having to keep a extra eye on them which is hard when you are trying to shop for food as well.....

I am lucky to not have had any negative comments but have only had positives and people asking where to get them from.....I know they are available from TOYS 'R' US and from some specialty kids shops...

I now even get my 2 yr old asking for the doggie and my 4 yr old having an argument about who is wearing him today....(Time to get a second one????)

I think they are great and would not be with out ours and also for the reason that it does only take a moment for someone to grab our precious babes if we are not watching just for a moment....At least I know they are safe and my mind is a little less stressed about having to worry where they have wandered to now......

Cheers Spinnychic

Not a fan, then again I am fit and healthy and can easily out pace my son in a couple of steps.  He is also under strict instructions to hang on to me at all times, (he hates me holding HIS hand, though I am only millimetres from grabbing it anyway).  However that is us and our situation, with only one child, so other parents do what they need to do.  I really think the sound of this little backpack thing is cute... Do you have a picture that you could add to the advice?