My 2 and Half Year Old..... We Have a Runner!

My 22 month old is also a runner - and no amount of verbal calling is enough to get him to come back! He also seems to have the slipperiest hands on the planet, and can get out of even my strong husband's grip!

Out of desperation, we finally broke down and bought the monkey backpack with the leash for a tail. ($15-20 at Target) He loves it! Now when we go for walks, he holds his arms out for the monkey to go on, and responds great to being told to wait.

I was against the leash, partly because of the whole "my son is not a dog" thing, and also out of hesitation to the way others might react. So far, I've received nothing but positive feedback, people saying how cute he is, how well behaved, and even older women wishing they had had the backpack when their kids were young! Best of all, I'm no longer worried about him getting away or being snatched up!

To those who are against any sort of "leash" - I would respond with "Well, if I had to choose between putting him on a leash so he doesn't get away from me, or something beyond terrible happening to him when he does get away from me without one, I think the more humane choice is to stick him on a leash."

My granny told me that she used to make her son (who would wander off all the time) hold her skirt. If he let go of the skirt then he would lose out on whatever treat was coming up. Maybe do that... I'm not fond of the leash or the backpack leash things. If we wanted to have puppies we would get them. But that's just my take on it.

...try the "Red light - Green light" game!

It's been a long time since I have had small children, but I remember well when my daughter was gone in the blink of an eye. I bought a "harness", similar to a dog's halter that zipped on her chest and had a strap attached that I could hold onto. I was really unprepared for my husband's response that nobody was going to treat his kid like a dog. But on the other hand, he wasn't the one taking care of her and another baby only twelve months younger. So I only used it once or twice, and of course I raised her successfully since she is alive and well today. Then later when I did home day care, there were more options available. I firmly believe in backpacks and strollers with safety belts....that the kids can't wriggle out of. Safety first is the best motto.
Good luck!!

We have 3 kids and each one went through this phase. The first responded to a sharp yells of "No" since he was our sensitive child. Our second thought the whole thing was funny and at one point had a near miss that sparked the only spanking (gentle) that any child in our family has ever had. My husband felt that since it was a safety issue and nothing else had an impact that it was important to drive home the message. It worked. I'm on our 3rd who is turning 2 this month. When I'm out in public I give her the consequence of being seat belted in to her stroller if she runs off. I don't know if you have a double stroller with the baby or not but I've found this works so far. Good luck!