My MIL just bought my baby a set of reigns and I am horrified. What to do?

[BumblBeee]

I think they are horrid?!

[Roskva]

I love my reins - dd usually holds my hand but has this habit of letting go and trying to sprint off if she see's something that catches her eye. With the reins on I know she can't run in the road etc. They also prevent skinned knees and hands or soggy trousers if she topples over. And they are invaluable in shops - trying to shop while holding her hand is almost impossible

[DontCallMeBaby]

Reins are also very useful for pulling a small child's bicycle (either with or without small child on bike) when they've got too tired/lazy to pedal any more, just in case no one's come up with that one yet.

Most use we ever got out of ours.

[Lomond]

lol used the reins with dd1 (she is now 4)

Not watching what I am typing either as dd2 is 7 mths! She could not sit up at 4mths lol

[Lomond]

My reins were a godsend, they saved many a skint knee when she was just starting to walk but didn't want to be in her pushchair when out and about.

In busy places they come in very useful and it enables them to get plenty of practice walking even when they are wobbly!

I wished I had taken mine yesterday as we were out for lunch and the highchair had no harness, we had to tie dd in with a scarf (she is only just 4mths).
Going to keep them in my changing bag in case I need them again.

[beckystaffs]

My dd2 is 19 months and our family think reins are great !! She can walk next to her big sister (dd1 is 3), whilst still giving parents security of a)can pick her up if she tumbles, b) trying to get her out of her thinking its a great game to walk off in opp direction and you chase after her & c) letting her use up a bit of energy as she's not sitting in her puchchair .
I used them on on dd1 and she had a pair for her ted too! She isn't scarred for life

[SoupDragon]

I can't believe this is still going on!

No one thinks twice about using restraints to keep their child in the pram or car. How are reins different??

[tizzyinadizzy]

Reins are a great invention. In fact I reckon someone should invent retractable reins a la retractable dog leads could have done with one of these when dd was a toddler and literally all over the place. Trying to control her and push a pram not poss without the reins. They worked great tied to the pram

Emotionally scarred? hehe, if you like

My dcs thought they were a great game and made a good swing to test mummys arm muscles

[Cam]

It seems odd to me that everyone straps their children into cars but doesn't use reins in the street

[Janni]

There was an absolutely heartbreaking story in the papers recently about a mother trying to grab her child who'd run off. She momentarily let go of her baby's pram and it rolled into the path of an oncoming lorry...

Forget aesthetics, forget the weird opinions of those disapproving natural nurturers - if you have a potential bolter - YOU NEED REINS !

[squilly]

Peachy...you are so good!!! And we all get concerned about Looks...no matter how right we know we are to earn them. It makes us human. It's the people that get looks and don't even know they've got them that you need to worry about!!!! Seriously self absorbed, I'd say (them not you). And they wouldn't be able to disagree with me because they wouldn't know about it...iyswim? (Wish I did...I think I'm on drugs, but no-one told me as I feel a bit ranty and ravey at the moment!)

[QueenofAllWildThings]

Would you rather your child ran into the street??? They can move FAST and you can't watch them every second. Reins are fantastic. If you don't like them try one of those Little Life rucksacks which has a rein attached.

Trust me, when you have more than one child, you will need some way to keep the older one with you while you're pushing a buggy.

[Peachy]

Squilly if I were a Good Person i'd have put ds3's needs before my own concerns over getting Looks .

[squilly]

Thought so...but had to check

[Rosbo]

haha squilly! Just realised how that may have sounded. No, I didnt mean it in a disturbing way at all, meant that reins come in very much useful for my little one!

[squilly]

Rosbo...is that post disturbing? Or is it just my filthy mind?????

[bluedomino]

My DD loves her reins, gets very excited when she sees them, likes putting them on her bears. Shes happy because shes walking, I can pull her up before she hits the ground and I love them because she pulls me around like a little husky dog. Whats the difference between using a reins on the road and a harness in the carseat?

[Rosbo]

Reins reins reins
the joy of my and my dh's life!

[Janni]

Squilly - I think I had the same reins. I loved them! I distinctly remember wearing them on trips to The Tufty Club (road safety for tots).

I think when you're on your first baby you can have great confidence that they'll always hold your hand and stop at the kerb.

Reins can actually give a very small child MORE freedom because you can allow them to walk out earlier and more often.

The comments about reins making children look like dogs are truly ridiculous. Anyway, round these parts none of the dogs are on leads as it impinges on their canine rights.

[colander]

Reins have been fab for DD2 who will not hold hands and insists she knows how to cross the road. She is 2 btw, very independent, and the best way to avoid squishing DD2 under a car when we walk DD1 to school is using reins. I'm the only one though, but I don't care!

[squilly]

I'm around 40...is that why I'm anti-reins? I remember having bambi reins when I was little and not liking them too much. They were white. Lord knows how old I was...

Peachy, you are clearly a very good person. Wish I could be more like you, instead of the cantankerous old witch that I seemed destined to be!

OP is probably the only person who really knows how to sort this. She'll take all the comments on board, no doubt, and decide which answer fits best. Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

[Peachy]

Unl;ess OP's MILmfollows her aorund I would just say thank you, take it as a gift meant to be keeping her I would imagine precious grandchild safe, and just not use them if thats what she wants.

We did used to get looks when we used ours at first- after ds3 needed re-reining (i just created a word LOL!), I felt so embarassed and a lot of people around 40 or so gave me The Look. But BIBIC a few incidnents amde me realise that we really needed them- especiallya s my wrists are a bit weak and i cant hold his hand that securely. So I would say: use or dont use as you ssee fit, and allow others the freedom to do the same, and we can all live happily. And take gifts in the spirit in which they are given.

[squilly]

I think you're right that they're a great safety tool and roadkill is not a look I'd like to consider for any child.

I definitely think it's down to your child's disposition too. Mine was always compliant to an almost eerie degree (paying me back for it now though) so I didn't have to think about reins logically. My gut reaction was that I didn't like them and though I understand other people love em, I never had to challenge that opinion. TBH I also didn't like my MIL who kept trying to push them on me.

And I think that's the key thing I object to with the original OP's case. Her MIL bought them for her. This is definitely a parenting tool that Grandparent's shouldn't feel they have a right to impose on their grandbabies parents!!!

If a parent choses them for themselves, that's their perogative .