Any Experience with Toddler Leashes?

I used the harness kind. don't recommend the kind that attaches to the wrist b/c it can put them off balance if they get tugged by the arm like that. Other than a woman asking my husband if he rolled over and did other tricks, (my husband calmly responded "no, but I always know where he is.")we absolutely loved the harness. Get one and begin using it right away. Put it on him at home and just let him wear it around to get used to it. Drew was a very very busy toddler and this was so helpful in keeping up with him. It worked so well, he graduates HS in 3 weeks and doesn't need it anymore. LOL :-D

I used the monkey backpack harness leash from Walmart with my oldest daughter. I loved because she could put stuff in it (I usually put some small snacks- this made her feel important that she got to carry them herself). She loved it. I like that the leash part can come off and she could still wear the monkey. I think it'd be great in a place like Disneyworld because there are SO many people and kids get so excited. It's better to be safe than sorry. Have fun! :-)

I used one with my now 6 year old who always was darting out or running off. The one I had just went over the shoulders and velcroed in the back. I think the piece of mind of knowing they can't run into a crowd and get lost is worth it. My son got to hate it as he got older but I don't think a two year old will mind it too much. Just tell him it's to keep you from getting seperated or lost in the crowd.

I LOVE my child's harness. And so do my kids. We used ours so much with Child #1, that he'd ask for it before trying to get out of his stroller. It's a wonderful piece of mind for Mommy/Daddy that gives your child freedom and exercise.

I bought mine at Walmart, it's red with Elmo on the front. It has a wide waist band that velcro across the back with adjustable shoulder straps. Very durable. I've even used mine to when shopping and tethered my child to his stroller.

Best of luck!

We have the same one Gail suggested and my three year old is excited anytime he gets to wear his monkey pack. We have made a big deal of it and it is a treat to get to wear it-it even has a pouch to hold a little bottle of juice or something so he is pretty happy with it.

Actually I would totally recommend a toddler leash. I used one that attached to a backpack on my child's back when we were in big crowds. What people don't realize is that you aren't pulling your child along with these things, it teaches them to stay close to you, which is so important in big crowds. The amount of sanity it saves will be well worth it, and it will keep your little one safe.

Have a great time! :)

I have received a lot of negative feed back when I do use it, but I find that the comments come from people who do not have children. I would strongly suggest getting a harness. It is a matter of how you approach it with your child. Like previous posts, it's a stroller or a leash, The kids tend to figure out they can roam better on a leash and take it over the stroller. I love the "back pack" looking leash's, but I have a Walmart special with Elmo on it as that was all that was available with my first child. It straps on like a harness with the Leash attaching to the back of the child. You can also take the Leash part off and attach it right to their wrist. I have (and can't remember where I bought it) a wrist strap that is elastic, so it gives and takes as they roam. My kids actually prefer this one over the body harness.

But my motto is: smart parents use leash's! It's a good peace of mind.

I also have the monkey one from walmart. I used it at Disneyland and it was great. I don't recommend the velcro ones. I tried one of those first and it took about two seconds before my son figured out how to take it off himself.

We bought one for our son for the same reason. I got one that was a backpack style, I believe it was a dog. We put it on him before we left and he absolutely hated it. So needless to say, we didnot use it. But when we got to Disney World he was so overwhelmed with all the people that staying next to us, was not a problem.

i haven't read all the posts so I don't know if anyone has mentioned these. In addition to a leash, of instead there is a new product called Safety Tats. They are temporary tattoos that you have personalized with your name and cell phone number, put 'em on your kids arm or whatever. My sister told me about them. I think they are relatively inexpensive. just google them. good luck.

I was thrilled to hear how mainstream these are now! When my three kids were little we traveled a lot in busy airports and I always had them on leashes. I would definitely get lots of negative comments from people that didn't have children.

I asked my kids now (all teens) and they say they loved them. They felt freer and safe at the same time. They never once related it to being treated like a dog. (although they said that people put leashes on their dogs because they love them!)

So, enjoy your vacation with peace of mind that your child is safe, having a great time, and that there will only be fabulous memories when they grow up!

Are you just taking 1 child? Maybe the stroller would be enough? I personally like the wrist straps that attach to both parent and child. It gives the feel of always holding a hand, I would think that would be better then an actual "leash". Good luck! Have fun!!!

I found the funnest thing at walmart, they have a backpak thats a monkey, I think one of a dog The are located in the toddler/ baby department. They have long tails that you can hold onto, I have seen some people that have them on the front of the child instead of the back.

The kid leashes are very common in Europe and are a great tool to keep your child safe. You'll get "looks" from people, but I'm sure their kids are perfect : ) Have a great trip.

I am all for anything that keeps my kids safe. I had a simple wrist strap that was very inexpensive. I would recommend it. Have fun!

Hi I've got one for my younger daughter. The older one would always stay by my side; this one has no fear and tries to run away. I got an Eddie Bauer harness from Target, it looks like a Monkey and she loves it.
Good luck with it, and if anyone makes remarks about it, ignore them, better safe than sorry.

K.

the little monkey or bear backpack, you can get at target, is cute and useful!!! In a crowded place like that with a two year old, i'd take the same precautions. the nice thing is once you don't need the leash anymore, it has a tiny pouch so it can be used as a backpack in future years. but you can just market it as "time to put on your backpack" maybe even let your tot pick a few snacks to stow in there each day of your trip?!!! Have fun!

We use the doggie backpack / tail is leash from Target w/our son. He loves the doggie on his back and the feeling of freedom, and we feel better knowing that we can't lose him in a crowd. We mainly use it for travel, or museums.

go to babies r us they have the best ones there, they are a harness wich is what you would want the wrist ones are to easely removable. but they have one that is a small back pack wich is perfect for snacks and small toys to keep them intertained. they also have one that lookes like a minnie purse wichs also atached to a harness. those would be the bestr ones i could recamend. my son loves his and the leash part can be removed so it can be juat a back pack. go luck and have a great time on your trip.

Hi Aimee
my little guy is 5 and we still occasionally have to get out the harness when we have a long or superbusy day contrary to what many people think and have said to me it does not huniliate him and actually gives him more freedom not less as he would have to sit in a stroller or hold my hand constantly if he did not have it he likes being a big boy and being able to walk and not have to stand right next to me one thing though I would recommend you get the harness that fits similar to a backpack (his is a dog) rather than the leash that just wraps around his wrist if he gets excited and tries to pull away from you the leash that just fits the wrist can knock him off balance and make him fall

I know this can be a controversial topic, and I felt VERY strongly against toddler "leashes"...until my son was almost hit by a car. He just got away from me. After that, I reconsidered. I personally like the ones that look like little animal backpacks where the tail is the "leash" part. The tail can be removed and they can use them just like a regular little backpack. My son LOVED his. He'd wear it around the house all the time and would want to wear it in the stores, even when he was riding in the shopping cart.

They sell these at Walmart, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, and I've seen them other places, too. They're pretty inexpensive, also.

Another thing I just recently got that I LOVE is a little device where you clip one sensor on your keychain and one on the kiddo. You can set the sensor sensitivity for distance, and it sets off a little beeping alarm if they get too far away from you, or even if something is blocking you and the child (a group of people, etc). My son is five, but at the zoo, museum, etc. when it gets hectic, I love having this tool. I got it at Target for around $17 in the child safety area.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

My kids didn't mind the leash too much, because it meant they could get down and walk instead of being carried or riding in the backpack. If they fussed about it, I'd just remind them of the alternatives. I don't know what kind we had. I think I found it somewhere like Target in their baby section. I would recommend the kind that go over the shoulders and around the chest/waist, and have the connector in the back.

The peace of mind was WORTH IT. And I didn't have anyone say anything mean to me. I did have a couple people who said "what a clever idea! I wish I'd had that for my kids." or they'd talk about when their kids were little and how the leash was so nice to have.

we use a monkey that looks like a backpack from walmart child likes it and it works really well walmart also has other than the monkey so the child can pick which one they want.

We used one on our son when he was 2 during a trip to Kansas City. We were traveling through a couple of very big airports and I was scared he would take off. It worked great! He felt like he had the freedom to run and I felt like I had control over where he ran. We bought one of the monkey backpacks at Target. He thought that was pretty cool too. I would recommend getting one! Deffinately worth it!
Good Luck!

I used one with my second daughter and we BOTH loved it! I got mine at Wal-Mart (around 2 years ago) and it can either go around her chest or just around her wrist. She would actually ASK to put it on. Crazy I know. Now they have cute ones that look like Teddy bears...ours is just plain blue.

I think as long as you don't make it a *punishment* type thing ("if you don't do this you have to wear this" type thing) Your kid shouldn't have a problem.

As a long time Disney traveler... I would say that the lease is a great idea. It is very easy for the kids to follow the wrong pair of legs and end up lost. I would also that say that a stroller is an absolute must. We actually end up carry our kids alot, but the stroller is invaluable for carrying coats, snacks and drinks.

Have fun!!! Disney Rocks!

We got one for my daughter for going to places like Disney World and the zoo and stuff. We got one of the little monkeys and called it her bo-bo monkey (from Diego if your child watches that). She really didn't seem to mind it because I think she still thought she was quite free to roam and look at things. She still likes to wear the monkey part without the "tail" to the zoo so the monkeys can see their "friend", so as you can tell I'm all for them. For your child's safety and your peace of mind.

Whatever you decide, do not use them on your childs wrist. My sister-in-law did that with her son and he pulled so hard, he dislocated his shoulder.

I ABSOLUTELY recommend the toddler leash/backpack - whatever you want to call it - for Disney World. We did not do this with our toddler at the time, and I wished I had. Collin was at that age where he would just walk wherever - into people mostly, and trip them or himself up, since there are so many people there. I saw someone with one of these, and was so envious! We did the stroller too (which I would never have done without either), but the leash is a wonderful invention for these types of trips.

We just got back from Disney World in March with our 2 1/2 year old high energy son. Our son loves his backpack (we don't call it a leash). He asks to put it on! Like the other responses we picked up a doggy backpack at target and he loves it. We let him decide between a few types. We also took him to Disney Land last summer when he was a year and a half and it helped then also. You do have to keep a hold of it because it won't do any good if you let go. There is a little pocket in ours where I put our sons name and our names with phone numbers in case he gets lost.
Another good idea is to get a dog tag (from petsmart or walmart) and have his name, your name and phone number engraved in it. You could tie it to his belt loop or shoe laces also.
Let me know if you have any questions about disney world with a 2 year old! Have fun!