What does everyone think about those toddler harnesses?

[little sprocket]

I was thinking about getting one for my toddler cos she has decided the pram is crap but I have a 4 week old baby so I need her stapped to something cos she is a runner. Ive seen the wrist ones but Im guessing my daughter will take one look at that and take it straight off herself. Not a huge fan of the full body ones that cover the whole chest and waist area but I have seen one that looks like a teddy bear back pack that does do up around the chest and waist area but cos the toy is attached to it and they can put a toy in the back pack bit it looks a bit better (well to me anyway). Does anyone know where I can get one from? I heard Target but I havent been able to find one there yet.

[*charmalea*]

i think the ones with the teddys are a good idea !! i dont see the harm in them , you are protecting your child .. and making it fun at the same time .. baby stores and target have them or you could order on line , ive see them in my local target !!

i actually have just a plain old ugly i use on nixon when im out side ... dh has alot of car parts hanging around so i put it on him and loop it around the clothes line pole ... so he has room to move and be safe !!!

so i think they are fine to use !!

[Antheia]

I actually don't like them because they remind me of dog leads and harnesses. My DD hated the pram from about 1.5yrs old and she is a runner too. i also had a newborn when she was 2. i used to just stick her in a trolly if we were at a shopping centre or else i just didn't go out unless DH was with me or someone could look after DD while i went out.

[Trillian]

I think they are a godsend! Some people will give you comments, but I would much rather have my child harnessed to the pram than out on the road that's for sure. I don't know where you would get the backpack ones from, I just used the wrist strap. With the wrist strap ones, i would often put it through a belt loop on the back of their jeans instead of their wrist as it can annoy them.

Just moving this to Baby and Toddler General Discussion too....

[~clover~]

These things to me are such a good invention. I never had one, but I wish I did. I couldn't find one at all with my first daughter & actually didn't think about it with my 2nd coz I heard they'd been banned & just didn't look. I would still love to have one though as my 2nd is pretty full on & always trying to take off. & I don't have the option of DH coming shopping due to long work hours or someone to baby sit very often, so I really wish I had one sometimes. Its a bit easier with DD at school now, but I'll have another bub soon, so I might go looking now I know they are still out there.

[Hoody]

You can get the teddy ones from Target normally in the baby sections near all the window shades and pram accessories etc. I got my DD a normal one same thing but not fun looking and she didnt mind it but as i am tall found that the strap as such wasnt really long enough for me. My DH is dead against them and was rather upset that i would put our DD "on a lead" but i am 3 weeks away from no 2 so i've told him that when he is with us we wont use it. My DD is 19 months and has her moments of running off too.

[MrsFabuloso]

I would much rather know my child is safe than having to worry about them running away from me and getting hit by a car or something equally as horrible. I wouldn't care about it looking like they're on a lead! If I need one when I have no 2 then I would use one, they're a great idea!

[Roryrory]

As soon as I can get DH to get our baby stuff out of storage I will be using one for Flynn - he is constantly running off on me and at nearly 34 weeks pg I can barely keep up....

[little sprocket]

Sherie the jeans loop idea is brilliant.

[christy]

We have the monkey harness for Matilda & it truely was a godsend. Matilda did so well with it too. I tried the wrist ones & they were a definate no go. When I was 8 months pregnant & had a toddler who could undo the straps of the pram & would run.. the harness was a godsend.

[storm]

I have the teddy bear one ( well A Monkey) But Zaccie insists on holding the tail himself. So it kind of defeats the purpose . I got mine from babies galore.

[MantaRay]

Before I had kids, I would have said they were a terrible idea. Now, well, I think they are a very good idea. Especially with 2, it only takes a second for something to happen, so I say better safe than sorry.

[~Raven~]

Mason used to be a bolter and I think they are a godsend. I would have lost him or he would have run onto the road if I didn't use one. It's amazing how people will let a child tear past but don't stop them or even make room for the parent in hot pursuit!
It took a while for him to get used to it. The first few times he lay down on the footpath in protest

[{sarah}]

I actually don't like them because they remind me of dog leads and harnesses. My DD hated the pram from about 1.5yrs old and she is a runner too. i also had a newborn when she was 2. i used to just stick her in a trolly if we were at a shopping centre or else i just didn't go out unless DH was with me or someone could look after DD while i went out.

Tegan hun I completely agree with you. Zander is a runner as well, but I wouldn't ever put a harness on him. We do the same, he goes into a trolley most of the time. If he's walking & does a runner, we immediately leave the shops / park / wherever we are. He has started to learn that is he runs away from mummy then he goes home. When I get to the point of pregnancy that I can't chase after him I'll make sure I have someone with me or he will stay home.

[Phteven]

I don't use them often but they're certainly useful sometimes. Yasin is a bolter and a harness is great for travelling because in the time it takes me to find my tickets (and passposrt internationally) he can be quite a distance which in a busy airport is very scary, especially in a foriegn country with a language barrier *shudders*.
I wouldn't usually use one at the shops on a day to day basis but I've been tempted lol.

ETA - FWIW Yasin thought the monkey one was quite fun - he liked it but he didn't like the wrist one. Of course we've lost the monkey but we still have the wrist one.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I have always loved them! I am getting one for DS as soon as he is walking - he's bound to dash off at some point. I've had a few non-mums tell me how awful they look, so I just smile and say "rather a harness than a dead baby!" as I can't rely on DH to be around every time we go out to help me look after DS. My friends with older toddlers and babies have the wrist ones and I've seen 2-year-olds take them off with ease so I'll be using a full harness.

[MantaRay]

I do KWYM Sarah and Tegan, and luckily Jack's not a bolter, so I don't use one myself. BUT I know how easy it is with two to be distracted by the baby for just long enough for anything to happen to the toddler. If Jack was even a bit of a bolter I'd have to use one or I wouldn't be able to go out. It's just not worth the risk of something happening. I have seen it happen to others - one day I grabbed a little one who had bolted out of the supermarket while his mum was putting little sister in the trolley - there was a busy car park just outside the door. Luckily I grabbed him in time, but I saw how quickly and easily it happened.

[Roryrory]

"rather a harness than a dead baby!"

I'll remember that one Ryn LOL! Lucky for me both my mum and MIL (and SIL, for that matter) think they are essential baby equipment so I shouldn't have any probs close to home....