To put a dog lead on the baby?

[WhiteTrash]

A friend of mine took her (then) toddler to a festival, he was just walking so had reins on him, and attached to that, a retractable dog lead. It meant he had a little freedom but stayed safe and she could sit with her friends.

We've booked a short camping trip, the baby will most likely be walking by then and Im not sure if all babies do this but our first, once he started walking would literally aim for the horizon and just go. Over and over again. No amount of distraction would prevent it. It lasted 5 or so months and he was a bit easier. Im assuming DS2 will be the same, and we'd love to sit on the beach have picnics etc.

Anyway when my friend told me what she did, I thought it was a genuis idea. But apparently, she said people hurled abuse at her for it so clearly not everyone agrees that its a good idea.

IS it unreasonable? Totally prepared to be flamed. But I figured Id ask her first then have abuse hurled at me on the beach.

TBH, if your DS1 liked to aim for the horizon and keep walking it sounds like he would have been pretty pissed off at being restrained on a lead.

Sympathies, as I have a bolter and she won't sit in a pushchair, hold hands, or tolerate reins. I think it's part of the 'bolter' make up to want to be totally independent.

It doesn't sound relaxing to me, keeping a toddler on a lead and making sure they don't strangle themself..

I used reins with ds. Frankly I didn't care what others said as it was about keeping ds safe.

Dragon's Den anyone? I can just see retractable toddler reins on the shelves at Mothercare!

Ds1 not a Bolter, would hold hands (still will at 6), would do what he was told and generally not misbehave when out and about. He had a little backpack with a rein but we rarely needed to use the lead part.

Ds2...........

Bolter extraordinare and only 15mo! He is a terror for not holding hands, sit down protests and wanting to go his own way! We use the backpack A LOT and I would consider a long length lead for him. We are off to Cornwall in the summer and he's going to want to run free with his cousins! Nightmare!

One thing Im not up for is enduring a tantruming toddler all holiday. I pick my battles, since its a fairly short lived issue I dont feel like I need to put my foot down about it. Anything for a quiet life

Take it from me...once they learn their tantrums get them what they want, it's anything but fairly short lived

I'm not sure why I'm winking btw

this is ridiculous, you're going to attach an lead to your child to stop it bolting so you can fill your face with food on the beach? How about look after your child like everyone else has to. Why are people agreeing to this, how lazy!

Don't you need to be close to a toddler to see what they are doing, eating dog poo, swallowing pebbles etc. Terrible idea in my opinion. They aren't toddlers for long but so long as they are we have to care for them, I know it's annoying g but just take it in turns with other adults supervising.

...so you can fill your face with food.

Wowzers, arent you just a darling?

The idea was not to be selfish, but selfless in that Id love him to have a little freedom.

When he bum shuffles toward something he shouldnt, I get up and move him. He wahoo's big time. If hes anything like ds1 we'll be doing a lot if getting up but mostly, he'll be doing a lot of wahooing. It'd be nicer if ge had a little freedom to explore and play but most importantly, be safe.

Worra, I have a 5 year old and I personally find picking batyles makes for a happier house hold. Hes a good boy, we havent gone far wrong. But I respect what youre saying, its just not for us.

But how is he safe if you can't see what he's doing?

be safe, yeah that's what you want, with a dog lead to choke himself on? You just sound really lazy, if they bolt for the horizon you follow them, not attach dog leads to them, they're still going to bolt. YABU

why don't you put an advert on gumtree for someone/total stranger to come on your picnic and look after him for 5 hours a day and pick you up after your picnic?

But that's the idea! If they were on a long lead you could see what they were doing and then they wouldn't just leg it and you couldn't see what they were doing!

I too want ds2 to have a little bit of independence and freedom and would seriously consider a longer lead on a rein for him.

If you don't have a Bolter you really don't understand, I didn't but I do now!

My point is, if you deal with the tantrums then your child will learn that exploring and going off to play at a time that's not convenient to you, isn't going to happen.

Then, when there's an adult available to take him off for a wander...they can.

There's really no need for dog leads.

But you can't see what they are picking up, touching, putting in their mouths which is just as dangerous as bolting. Toddlers eat things and touch things.

That never worked for my eldest, he simply carried on until he grew out of it.

Im not lazy at all, for whoever said that. I can see why you assume that but I assure you it isnt the case.

Adorable, isnt she?

he fell off an 8 foot garden wall having climbed, somehow, up the shed and jumped across when he was just over a year

Who on earth was supposed to be watching him?

I realise I'm in a minority on MN when I say that when I wanted my 3 kids to sit in a buggy or hold my hand then that's what I absolutely insisted they did.

But honestly to me, putting up with tantrums is all part of being a parent.

I wouldn't have a problem with attaching the dog lead to the handle of reins as long as toddler didn't get caught up in stuff, and it was in a safe area not a built up/busy road type environment

slowestwildebeast don't see why you have to be quite so rude?
Im sure if a child is on reins the idea is to be able to SEE them hence the reason why parents use them.
Better to have a safe child on a dog lead than have a runover/killed toddler?
How is wanting your child to be safe lazy?
Have you had a bolter slowestwildebeast?..i think not

Pumpkin the alternative to dog lead is not get run over and killed on the road it's being followed by a responsible adult a foot behind who can steer them away from danger but also allow them to roam.

Nobody has answered my question, reins you can see what they are doing, dog lead you can't.

I'm really that so many people think this is ok and safe.

I definitely endure tantrums. Ones that I absolutely will not give in to. But as before, its a short lived ishoo, not one I feel I need to make a point with.