I used a wrist strap that went around my wrist and then theirs. Most of the time they held my hand but it meant they had a little bit of freedom without being able to run off or cause havoc. Mine hated the pusher by that age and I only used it with DS2 because I was heavily pregnant with my twins and I couldn't take him pulling at my hand as my pelvis was so unstable. As soon as they were born he walked everywhere with the wrist strap.