Baby reins?

[Nessynoonars]

I have a very active and independent 1 year old. He is not quite walking yet but don't Think it will be long. I was just wondering if baby reins would be a good option for him as he likes to do things independently.

Absolutely. Saved my daughter's life

I can’t remember the last time i saw a child in reins!

Never used myself. No judgement but not for me

Really useful much easier than trying to hold hands
Some people hate them but they keep small children safe

how?

I would look at the various types. There are traditional, backpack, wrist etc.

I think twins are a contentious issue. I’ve seen comments on here about children not being dogs, although having done children and dogs the phases are similar and similar things of ignoring the bad and praising the good but being quick to praise are generally followed for both children and dogs!

We had reins. We had ones that had a little backpack attached and DC loved just wearing the backpack anyway and would wear them around the house. Still does actually! They sometimes were useful, especially if it was a busy place and they slipped your hand quickly but DC would run away or try to but just get to the end of the reins and end up being pulled back and sometimes losing their balance. As DC started walking they liked the pram less so more useful for us was hold our hand or you go in the pram rather than reins.

Go for it. No judgement for wanting to keep your child safe. We didn't use with my daughter - she walked later and was happy to hold hands. We absolutely 100% used them with my early walking second, who did not care for hand holding and was a runner.

I used reins for my two and think they’re great. The child gets to walk about instead of being in a push chair but I’ve still got a way to stop them doing anything dangerous.

I did encourage hand holding too, especially for crossing roads, but you can’t expect a small child to hold hands for a long time. If you hold your arm above your head like they have to you can see it gets uncomfortable very quickly!

Baby reins are great, particularly as the alternative is usually a grizzling toddler in a buggy. They can potter about doing their thing whilst safe.

Yes, I used them for DD now aged 7 when she was toddling.

They were so good for letting her explore independently without a risk of her bolting.

Also really good for stopping her falling and hurting herself. I got crucified for that last time I posted about them - apparently I should have just let my 18 month old smash her face into the tarmac and not tried to save her. It's educational apparently. I've probably stunted her development.

Go for it.

Both of mine have preferred no reins. One refused to walk with them on so i didnt bother with the other.
Some children get on with them others dont.
I found it easier just to not use them

Try. Work for some families and not others.

They are an essential safety tool for many children.

We have some for when our DS is toddling. I've seen it said before when reins have been compared to a dog lead, a baby is more precious than a dog and has less sense of danger, so why wouldn't you do everything to keep them safe.

I'd rather have some judgmental eyebrows raised than there be a terrible accident and it become a regret. It's possible to hold hands and still have reins looped wound your wrist as a backup.

My sister refused to use reins on her kids...her dd nearly got run over at 2 years old because she ran off very fast and headed straight for the road. She was bloody lucky not to have been killed.

I used the little life backpack ones with my dd (older than niece) she loved them and it made life a lot easier when we headed out for walks.

Used these for years as a childminder they're great

Honestly can’t understand how anyone thinks using them is bad for a toddler or genuinely equates them to dog leads. You don’t walk the toddler in front of you.

the little backpack ones are good and means you can still hold your child’s hand as you walk along but there is an extra safety net if they suddenly slip your hand and try to run off.
i used to also attach my toddlers rein strap to the pushchair when I had my 2nd. My eldest was taught to hold on to the pushchair but again, it was a back up just in case.

Never understthe dog argument. You use a dog lead to prevent a dog running off and yo keep them safe. Why wouldn't you also want to keep a child safe?

I found them to be a useful back up.

Yes, give it a go. Especially if your DC is likely to be walking a lot in public spaces and they're quite independent.

My son would twist and bite to get free of your hand then bolt - often straight towards the nearest road (later diagnosed as autistic). Reins were a godsend.
People who judge have never been in a situation where "just hold their hand" really does not work.

I'll get crucified for saying this, but dogs and toddlers are not a million miles apart in my experience - praise the desired behaviour, interrupt and redirect the unwanted, and mitigate where needed until the desired behaviour is solid (ie through leads/reins).

But then 50% of my experience is with a child who cannot effectively communicate and is more impulsive than even the most shithead of my spaniels ever was 😂

Anyone who judges someone for using reins is a twat. There was a poster on here years ago (MrsPresley) who used to post about her poor DS who sadly died because her husband didn't use reins and got distracted by his sister.

After reading how vocal she was on the use of reins and her story I'd defy anyone to think they were cruel and didn't save lives.

She was a runner and I used reins as a back up. She got upset and pulled away from me and tried to run. Into a busy road. Luckily we had the reins which stopped her.

I don't care if it mad me a "bad parent". I don't use them now she's older but living by the road I live on with fast cars and athe narrow pavements I'd make exactly the same decision again.

It's really quite usual where I live. If you go in the city centre people use them when their get their little ones out the pushchair