What do you really think of those backpacks with a 'lead' attached?

we have Koaly for when she's with me, and Monkey for when she's with daddy.

i usually hold her hand as well, with her walking beside me, so it's not always looking like a lead.

at 2.5, she's just starting to bolt on me, esp into dangerous situations, so i'm glad i used it earlier (when she was more compliant), as that has made her used to wearing it. Having the cute animal on the back makes it very kid friendly.

i really like it in carparks, it goes on her as soon as i take her out the car. That is my challenge right now, teaching her how to behave in a carpark - nothing seems to sinkj in right now.

oh and pre kids? i thought they were AWFUL! i realise now why they are around. but it's free choice - obv not for everyone. i often think younger mums might have more energy and health, to chase after toddlers, i feel a bit guilty that i feel i NEED this aid, to help me parent (as an older mum whose body is starting to show it's age). but i am v.sensitive in general, to the age i was when i had her. whole nother story.

We haven't needed one (yet) but if I had a runner like one of my gf's kids then I would get one asap.

Honest opinion - they make me cringe. I understand the concept, and on some level agree with it, I know many great, loving, not at all lazy parents who use/have used them. But I still cringe when I see one. The backpack ones make me cringe less than the outright harnesses, but I still get the heebiejeebies looking at a child on a leash. I don't mind a dog on a leash, because I don't think I assign as much dignity to a dog as I do a person, and being held on a leash screams indignity to me.

But really, who gives a flying proverbial what onlookers might be thinking if you feel it is needed for your sanity, or the child's safety. I manage my feral children with holding arms, a meitei, sling or pram, barring all that, simple parental control (yup tonnes of that around here with my pigheaded little angels :p:rolleyes:;)). But if you are in a situation where you can do it no other way, or quite simply prefer this method, the be damned what others think. I may cringe, but who cares?

Parental choices made with good intentions are rarely wrong. If you need one, use it.

I'm going to agree with River here and say that I don't like them. In saying that DS isn't a runner so if he were I might have a different opinion.

I think of them as a leash and I'm just not comfortable with that. TBH I am of the opinion that if DS can't behave in public and stay with me, then he won't be going to the shops. I'd pick him up, put him in the car and go directly home. I know this isn't always a practical solution but it would be my approach.

However, I would never judge a mother who decided to use one. I don't know their circumstances so it's none of my business. My best friend sometimes uses one with her DS and I would never ever comment.

Spring xx

Oh, Gigi just reminded me - we do normally hold her hand too, or even carry her a bit, but if she is walking, and decides she wants to go look at the puppies, no matter how tight I try to hold on to her, her hand is out of mine, and she is running down the middle of the concourse towards the pet store, and there is no way that I would be able to keep up with her, and be able to dodge all of the other shoppers! So Puppy Pack comes in very hand there!

Cutesied up or not, they are the same thing.

Im not that keen on them , but I had an old style reins for DS1, cause when he finally figured out how to run, he had no idea about safety. We had a stage where he just wouldnt walk down the street, he`d have to dash off and out and refused to be held ( on a busy road that was just too much!) I didnt use them much but there were some times when they were really needed.

Im pleased there are the new cutey ones available now, because people seem to accept them more, so if we need them for our new Ds when he is walking, I hopefully wont have the same verbal abuse that some people called out to me when I used the plain style ones with my older child.

I used a backpack one when Emily was a newborn and Nina was into bolting on me. I hate them otherwise, but when you've got a newborn baby as well as a toddler, you have to do anything you can to keep them under control. I only had to use it occassionally for about 3 months, and Nina grew out of running off on me.

I use it for different reasons than DH - one of which for me is that with my bad back, it hurts me to bend sideways to hold his hand, or to carry him ... DH just doesn't trust him, which is a problem in iteself.!

Personally I always hated them....but... DD1 was a runner and when DD2 was on the way I caved and bought one in the hopes that I could get her to stay with me. I used it twice!! Both times I felt like I was being looked at and I felt like I was being cruel. DD hated it too and decided that throwing herself on the floor and tugging at the lead was a great game. Needless to say I have one sitting in my cupboard barely used.

I personally have never liked the idea of them but now I have been reading what others have said I can see how they can be beneficial for mums with runners...My ds is a hassle right now to take to the shops cause he insists on walking but wont walk with me instead prefers to go where he feels so I can see that one would be great for me and ds but don't know if i will get one

I think they are beneficial (not that I have personally used one)

My mum used one for me when i was little...

apparently i gnawed through it rofl

I'm gonna cheat here. I just copied & pasted a post of mine from about 18 months ago regarding the same thing. Hope noone minds :)

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Just wanted to point something out to everyone. If you look these harnesses up on ebay there is one currently on there advertised with the heading
'TODDLER HARNESS OR DOG LEASH!'
They are using the dog leash thing as a selling point which tells me that some people just don't care. If people think thats what they look like then so what?? I first saw one when I was 5 or 6 & the dog leash thing never entered my mind. Never has. I honestly just don't see it. Dog leads til recently had a collar & go around a dogs neck. I've never seen a child with a collar on! The way I see it the dog harness came from seeing toddler harnesses, not the other way around. & two year old childern are not more sensible or street wise than a dog. Someone reffered to this with comparing humans to dogs. Sure the dog goes out of its way to chase the car, it doesn't see it as danger & neither does a small child. They might not chase the car, but they don't understand the consequences of their actions yet. Unless they learn for themselves & I don't think we want them to learn these things in this way.
I don't see why this is so frowned upon. We strap them in to a car seat, a pram & a trolley, we put gates up in our houses & lock them inside to keep them safe. Yet when they are out of their homes in what can be a very dangerous place we are expected to let them run free & hope nothing happens?? Do these people also see a play pen out side as a dog yard???

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I didn't have one on DD1 when she was in the pram and I was 8 months pregnant. I stopped at a shop to look at a wondersuit that was hanging up and dream of my new baby and she slipped the 5 point harness on our pram. She took off running. I ran after her but she was out of sight before I could catch her and was gone. I kept running and sobbing and found her going through the sliding doors to the car park. Another mum grabbed her as she was heading out to the road. I bought a monkey harness that day. I used it everytime we went to the shops after that, everytime we went to the road.... etc etc.

I will never judge another mum for using one. I never had to use it on DD2 who is 30 months. She wouldn't think of running away, especially in the shops.

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I didn't have one on DD1 when she was in the pram and I was 8 months pregnant. I stopped at a shop to look at a wondersuit that was hanging up and dream of my new baby and she slipped the 5 point harness on our pram. She took off running. I ran after her but she was out of sight before I could catch her and was gone. I kept running and sobbing and found her going through the sliding doors to the car park. Another mum grabbed her as she was heading out to the road. I bought a monkey harness that day. I used it everytime we went to the shops after that, everytime we went to the road.... etc etc.

I will never judge another mum for using one. I never had to use it on DD2 who is 30 months. She wouldn't think of running away, especially in the shops.

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I was thinking of her when I read this post two before yours Christy....

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apparently i gnawed through it rofl

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I was wondering why she didn't try that one? She surely has the Houdini skills for it doesn't she?:lol: [hope you are are good too btw :)]

bjrose - :clap: Everything I wanted to say, but can't ever find the right words for!

I actually see them as really good. I see dog leashes as not being about control. I see them as being about giving them as much freedom as you safely can. And I think the same for the toddler harnesses. They let the child way more freedom then a pram or being carried but still within a bounds of safety.
I haven't used one yet but if I needed to I wouldnt hesitate.

I havent read all the post before mine yet, but i have a back pack harness, well when i say i, Emme has one, hers is a pony, and she loves it, Emme has just turned 2.

I never had the need for one with the three kids before her, and i never liked the look of the dog lead type ones either, but i walk to school to get the older kids, and its an hour walk in total, we cross 2 main roads and several side roads.

Emme loves her independece, and loves to be able to walk with out holding mums hand, or the side of the pram, this way, she gets what she wants, and i get to know that she is not far away from me, and not runing off, which she is a big one for doing.
She knows to hold my hand when she crosses the road and once we get across the road i dont have to freak when she lets go.

I got mine at a specialty baby store, but i noticed that my local target have them now:D

Before DS I didn't really like them. My sister's eldest child was never a bolter but her youngest is and she used it and I learnt that somethimes you need them.
Now my DS is just 13 mnths, has just learnt to walk and already hates his hand being held, will turn around and walk in the other opposite direction so I am seriously thinking of getting one.

Funny how things change ;)