ANSWERS: 29
  • No, but i do find it really funny when you see kids running along and dragging the parent behind them!
  • Not horrible, but it just makes more sense to me, to actually hold your kid and have physical contact with him/her, but that's just my opinion. In my opinion, it gives the impression that the parent is so uninvolved that they can't even keep themselves from not paying attention to thier child.
  • If it makes you feel like you won't loose him then whatever works. Safety first.
  • In THIS day and age!?! No! I't FAR-R-R-R-R-R better than hearing about some parent who lost their child and someone else got ahold of them. If keeping them on a leash helps to prevent them from being taken. . . . . .keep them on a leash!
  • Before I may have frowned upon it slightly...but this day and age there is no such thing as too safe! It gives children a little freedom to explore and feed their ever growing curiosity while keeping them in the safety of mom/dad's watch! Besides it helps them start to gain a sense of independence early...all that holding can lead to one needy clingy child!!
  • No way! You didn't do anything wrong. At least you aren't one of those parents that lets their children run around a store bothering the other customers, and getting in the way of others. Now if you added a shock collar, that would be too much!lol
  • No way! I'm actually thinking about getting one myself for lil boy. :) Safety first! :)
  • I personally do not like them but if it works for you thats great! I keep my son in a cart.
  • Hahaha, no way, those things are hilarious, you should get him one of those little hats with the helicopter piece on the top aswell.
  • You're an awesome mother. Your kid is probably 90% safer now than all the unleashed kids. (he can still put weird things in his mouth though. watch out. ;)
  • It depends on how and where you use it. Used correctly, it can be a good thing.
  • boys are a dangerous combination between fearless and curious taking the chance that he will drop your hand and run off it only takes 1 minute to spend the rest of your life questioning why you didnt have the leash on him. your not be a bad mom your being a wonderfully protective mom taking the procations that all moms of young children should take. i watch tons of moms yank there kis around by the arm and yell at them but my oldest was on a back pack leash from 1 to 3 and is now the most well behaved kids in the store or fair. i gave him freedom but kept him sake thats what kids need. i will be using one with my youngest when he is walking.
  • It's kinda sad, but very neccissary in today's time. I think everyone with little one's should have and use leashes. There would be less kidnappings, child drownings and less kids running into the street into on coming traffic. I think you did a good thing by getting him one. If used correctly it will teach him to be more obedient to you.
  • how could you!!!!!!
  • your not a horrible mother but damn, your child isnt a pet. you should b able to keep them under control without a leash
  • No! You are a fantastic and loving mother who loves and wants to protect your child. It is a great tool for your child to learn to walk next to you, and great insurance for times when you are in busy public places. Who cares if people don't agree with it. They aren't going to bring your son back if he gets lost.
  • who cares what people think, people are going to have something to say regardless. my son has one of those, and we get alot of questions and stares, but i wont make the news because my child ran off into traffic, or got kidnapped. Safety first! you are a thoughtful mother.
  • You have the best of intentions! I got one each for my grandsons and although the backpack and leashes were around the mid-lower trunk, I found the leashes were too long. Being little boys, they run every which way, and could twist around each other and potentially their necks! After one use, I put them away. If you use them, please make sure the leashes are very short and will not wrap around their necks in any way, shape, or form. I would also keep them out of reach of baby when not in use.
  • no! they are so convenient! I have a confession to make. When I was small I always wanted one for myself. I always imagined it would be so long I'd be able to wonder off wherever I wanted, which is better than being held by hand.
  • I had four kids and never lost one....LOL....they were taught to stay by my side...it is not too early to do so with your child...but if it makes you feel more secure...don't worry about what others think as long as your comfortable with it....
  • No, not at all. Just to reassure you, think of all the missing children. Could a backpack with a leash have saved them? Maybe so, maybe not. Bottomline is it gives you peace of mind and keeps your child close at hand. Horrible mother? No. protective mother? yes.
  • I think that you have to do what is best for your family, regardless of what others think. What is right for one family may not be right for another and that is alright. I do not think that your son will be scarred in anyway what-so-ever by this leash.
  • No. not at that age. Now if you put it on a teenager, that would be horrible (and probably illegal)
  • Child abductions - real ones - are extremely rare. . Children getting lost, however is very common. You are not a horrible mother and it's not a leash. It's a tether and it keeps you from losing him. Astronauts tether themselves to their ships lest they become lost forever.
  • Um...no, but maybe that's drastic... Just hold on to him. No need for a tether leash.
  • Not at all. Safety is your first concern and kids are devilishly good at disappearing in the moment when you are distracted. Just be aware that if a kid throws himself at the end of that leash and loses his footing, he can plow headfirst into a wall or bench or whatever he was headed toward. It happened to us in an airport and scared the heck out of me. I thought we were going to have to call 911.
  • All kids are different. Some kids are more curious and like to wonder off or run off. Other kids are more the stick my mom's side. Alot of it has to do with their personality. In this day and age, I don't see any problem with it. Who cares if someone gives you a snicker or tells you that if you parent them right, they wouldn't run off. Kids are kids and as parents we have to do what we feel is going to keep them safe. I didn't have one with my boys, but there were times I wish I did. When you are out shopping or the crowds are thick, all it takes is a second. If you have one, use it when you feel necessary, but it would also be good to go without it as well at times to teach him to not wonder off or stay with you.
  • Obviously your intentions are good and I won't question your intentions or motives. But I'm going to go against the grain a bit with the rest of my response. Child abductions are very real and are every parent's nightmare. I won't say "worst nightmare", because as a parent I know that you probably cycle among several, as I did, and as most parents I know do (or have). But it's certainly horrible to contemplate, no doubt about it. However, statistically speaking, it's about the least likely thing to happen to a child. The chances of him being hurt from falling off a bunk bed, falling down stairs, being hurt in an auto accident, scalded or drowned in a bathtub, drowning in an unguarded pool, pond or stream, etc. -- the common, ordinary elements of day-to-day life -- are far more likely to hurt or even kill him. And I know THAT's horrible to contemplate, too. Don't think that this one little thing (and a thing which is easily beaten by anyone truly depraved and crazy enough to steal a child) is a substitute for your attention. But it doesn't have to be just "your" attention. I think the reason we were safer when I was growing up a half-century ago was "community". In our neighborhood we knew ALL of the neighbors, and they all knew us. We didn't all necessarily get along like some kind of Utopia; some of the neighbors were alcoholics and pretty irresponsible parents, some parents fought all the time, some folks had no kids at all and didn't feel the lack. But everyone knew everyone else, and all of the "good" parents knew each other and watched out for each others' kids -- at least to some extent. All I'm saying is: Nothing substitutes for attention on the child, and the real danger isn't in the horrible news stories that happen a few times in the nation per year. The real dangers are already things you do every day. It also helps to have and enforce boundaries and rules about those real dangers. We lived on a lake growing up, and even though we were all taught to swim from an early age, Mom had strict rules about the lake. There was NO swimming alone. There was NO swimming right after eating (okay, that was a false concern, but it was an iron rule). We did NOT go outside if there was lightning visible anywhere. And she enforced the hell out of her rules, too.
  • Not at all. In the 1950s my mother used one as I just wanted to go everywhere. Using a 'leash' was one way she still had use of her hands to do other things. She didn't use it long, just until I learned to stay close and got better control of myself.

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