Why do parents put their children on a leash?

I'm sorry, how does strapping your child into a backpack or cart give him more freedom than putting him on a harness?

"It seems ridiculous to me that people would rather strap a leash onto their child, like they do to a dog, so they can walk around a store without having to watch and make sure their child doesn't run off. Part of being a parent is to teach your children the right/wrong ways to behave."

Tell that to my father's friend. _His_ toddler didn't need a "leash". She was always perfectly behaved and held his hand next to the road. She'd been taught what to do.

Until the one time she saw a friend on the other side, let go, and ran into the road before he could react. She was hit by a bus and has permanent brain damage. She's an adult now. Can't walk or talk. Never will again. You can teach your toddler correct behaviour all you like. You can't rely on them to follow it 100% of the time. And they only have to get it wrong once for a tragedy to happen. No child learns anything from being dead or crippled.

If you think just holding your toddler's hand keeps him safe, you are an idiot. Yup, that's blunt. It's also true.

Think about that. Then go buy a harness for your child and start using it.

No, using a leash is okay especially when in a busy crowded place and you don't want your child to run off or get lost. I am more upset by parents who let their kids run all over and do what ever they want. It's even harder for parents with several kids to keep them together so using a leash is good in that situation too. When I am out with my 15 month old I make sure to have him in a cart or stroller so he's always by me. A 2 year old got hit by a car and killed because the mother was crossing the street and another one of her kids fell and she helped them up and the 2 year old ran into traffic. Tragic accident but if the kid would have been in a stroller or on a leash it wouldn't have happened. Unless you are a parent you have no idea what its like, I had ideas and then had my son and alot of those ideas were wrong.

Well....I have used a leash. It's people like you that made me feel ashamed about it when I didn't need to be.

My son is Autistic and has Epilepsy. His seizures have taken a dramatic toll on him. He has a lot of problems with his gross development. For that reason, he can not sit with his legs slightly apart such as needed to sit in a cart or a bike, etc. Our stroller strap comes up between his legs and he couldn't sit like that without screaming. So we bought him a leash when he started walking when he was two years old.

We used it for about 6 months and absolutely LOVED IT! I am not the type of mother to ignore her child and pull on the leash or "drag" him. The leash he had was a harness that strapped across his chest with a monkey backpack on the back. The tail of the monkey looped around my wrist and I HELD HIS HAND the entire time. I only used the harness when we went to the crowded zoo in my town. Other than that, I don't take him places because he gets too overwhelmed and nothing can stop him.....not even the harness.

I also have a 2 year old little girl who has never worn a harness. She doesn't need to because she understands me when I am teaching her to stay with Mommy. So that should tell you that I am not a poor excuse for a parent. If I am a lazy parent, then how come my daughter doesn't need a harness? Seems I am doing something right.

Honestly, I do not see the harness any more inhumane than a stroller or cart which serves the same purpose.....to restrain your child so they won't get lost. You compare the harness with what is used on a dog. Why do people put leashes on their dog? To keep them out of harm's way because they love them. Damn straight I'll keep my kid out of harm's way.

Honestly!!!....If it bother you that much and you were concerned about the child,right then and there, You should have said something to that horrible woman, Whats the worst thing she can do? tell you to mind your own Business? Big deal, If anything she might have been embarrassed at the fact that she was being a lousy parent.(However),..One must remember, children do have a way of digging under ones skin!..that is, If you're a normal human being and not a( Robot) Stress can be handle in different ways,for some, It is easy, for the rest of us is just something we slowly learn, if were lucky!

My son is ten years old now,and still 2 hand fulls,(God, he needs a leash)

when he was 5 going on six, he got away from me for 2minutes, found his way into my brothers mini pick up truck and my brother being the moron that he is!, left the keys in the truck,I don't know how but the child managed to put the truck in gear and on neutral , so the truck rolled backwards maybe about 4F and landed on the mailbox breaking the wood post in two! all this within a matter of seconds, he ran out of the truck and into the house,went under the table which is where i found him while i was looking for him the whole time!

that's the spot he would hide in when he did something naughty!!

this is how i found out it was him the little culprit!

I almost had a heart attack that day.

so you see?, Sometimes these steps are necessary, I wish i had a leash back then!

Thanks and no offence..

Actually most parents that use the leashes are being good parents. They realize that THEIR child (all children are different and it is ignorant to think that just because YOUR child doesn't run into the street that others won't either) needs to have a little extra something to keep them safe. Sometimes no matter how well you teach your child to stay by you, hold your hand, don't go up to strangers, they are going to do it anyway. Maybe the parents have had their child run into the street, or run away from them before they could catch them in a crowded supermarket. You don't know the circumstances so butt out.

Side note: I would never condone misusing one to drag your child around in though. If that really happened then maybe there is more of an explanation that we don't know? Most parents are just trying to do what is best for their children.

If you can't carry your child, buy a stroller or hold its hand, then you shouldn't have children. Its really as simple as that, leashes are for pets, and if thats how you think of your child then, again, you shouldn't have children. It's ridiculous that people think they've found the answer to their problems in dragging around their kid, like its to much difficulty to treat it like a human being. I see that children can get out of hand occasionally, but what happened to smacking the back of their wrist and teaching them no? Theres a problem, i think, with the amount of parents that have children just so that they can say that theyre a mommy, if you aren't ready to have a relationship with your child, don't have it. I think that its amazing that you are about to be a mother of two and still are not resorting to the "easy" way of raising them :)

Before I was a mom I thought it was the craziest thing to see moms with kids on "leashes". I am now a mother of a three year old, 18 month old, and 7 month old. My 3 year old daughter is HORRIBLE when we are out. If she gets out of arms reach she is running away and out of sight. I don't personally own one of these child restraints YET but have seriously thought about it because she does this. I am so scared that she will run out in front of a car in a parking lot or get taken by someone (there are people out there like that). She has always been a hard headed kid when it comes to obeying mommy and daddy. That is just her personality. I DO NOT agree with the mom who is jerking her son around by one of these. That is bullying an innocent child. I don't think that they are horrible for parents who dont abuse it.

Because they are parents who feel that that is the best for their children. Not all children are the same. Some of them will dart away if you look away for just a second and they could get hit by a car. Leashes sound pretty good and they're not hurting the kids. They're cute little puppy shapes.

It honestly bothers me more when I see parents let their kids wander off across the store where some pervert could pick them up and be none-the-wiser. I'd rather see them on a leash! It would bother me if I saw someone literally dragging a kid around on a leash, but otherwise it doesn't bother me. I'd probably never use one for my own son. He's 10 months but I don't see using one in the future. I agree that if you can't go shopping AND be conscious of your kids and watch them at the same time....maybe you should bring some help or do you're shopping on your own. I understand children are difficult sometimes, and might not always want to sit in the cart. Or if you have two, or whatever. But I think you should hold their hands and engage them in helping you pick stuff off the shelves and make it a fun experience for them if they don't want to sit still. It may take longer to get the job done, but I think its better.

My sister uses those with her kids. She had triplets though so it's hard to hold all their hands and do all the things you need to do when shopping or whatever.

Never seen her yank and drag them though. They don't seem to mind in fact they fight over who gets which. They have a monkey, a bear and some weird elephant bunny thing. LOL She'll get ready to move and say come on girls. And they go...

Don't think she's being any less of parent as you, my dear. She's (and other moms who use harnesses) are just doing what they gotta do.