reins? should i use them? why do i not see anyone else using them?!

[jinglybits]

ds is 16mths, he is a BIG STRONG STUBBORN little boy. 90% ofthe time he refuses to hold my hand, he is so strong i have to work really hard not to allow him to yank his hand free, if he can't get his hand away he will often sit on the floor and have a tantrum! He's a very good mwalker and gets quite fed up in his pushchair. I live in central london and so i often walk instead of battling with public transport. Pre-ds my partner and i agreed that it wasn't nice to have your child on reins (like a dog!) but now i can see their merits there is a lot of traffic around here and heaven forbid anything happen to ds, even if i walk in safe areas (i.e along the canal path for example there is always the water danger) dp and i have had a HUGE row about this and although i brought some reins he took themaway from me the same night! ....I don't see any other mums with reins! I have been more aware in the last month and have only spied 2 wrist straps! Is it a terrible thing to use them, my moth3er/grandmother are amazed i'm not using them but perhaps the 'trend' has changed and its not the 'done thing' these days! please advise! If you saw me coming down the street with reins on my ds would you think i was a terrible mother:?!!

Message withdrawn

Nevermind toddler reins can I get some for DP?

I couldn't care less who thinks they look "common" - they look a lot better than a road accident victim. I've used them since DS learned to walk and they're fantastic in busy places like airports, shopping centres, train stations and so on. It only takes a moment of distraction to lose a toddler and I wouldn't want them to go through that fear. Also, DS can run faster than me.

BTW dh refused point blank to use the harness with ds1 until a few weeks ago (when he got too fast and too challenging for him). It has been noticeable that ds1 has behaved better with me off the harness for quite some time- he really messes dh around. Basically because he got used to not being able to charge off with me. Anyway even dh uses them now (only taken him a year- but still).

meggymoo, at offlicence

Ediemay - i hadn't even thouht about them in the airport, what a great idea.
DD is starting to get stroppy now if you carry her or put her in her buggy, she just wants to walk constantly.

Use them if you need them. It is nobody elses business. I use wrist straps with both of mine. They are 5 & 6 now, and I still have to use them at times, if I am having to go somewhere busy on my own with both of them, but this is because of their particular difficulties and the fact that they have no sense of danger and don't comply with verbal instructions. I do get looks and comments but I couldn't care less. It is an additional safety feature (the main one being me being bloody careful!!).

It is not a terrible thing. I disagree most strongly that it looks common - unless it is common to choose to use an additional safety measure to give you extra peace of mind!! I hold their hands but I know that if they pull away, they can't run into the road. Any child can catch you by surprise and pull their hand out of yours, if they also have the strap on, at least they can't get away! Also, what if they were to pull away and run in different directions? Too awful to risk, so don't is my belief!

I dont think they are common -other than common sense- and I certainly wouldnt think you were a bad mother to use them. I shudder when I see children running along side a road with their parents, nobody holding on to them in any way. they are an essential for my 2yr old.

MTPW- same as me- I hold ds1's hand and have the harness strap hooked in mine. Otherwise I have to hold him byu tthe wrist and he can still slip away if he wants to.

my problem (trying) to use them with the DS's was that we literally didn't get anywhere as they rooted themselves to the floor [frown] and despite repeated efforts over many days/weeks it we were getting nowhere.

Hi springchicken, yes they are a godsend in airports with all the bag checking, passport checking and boarding pass goings-on. Your DD sounds like my DS, I will be selling a hardly-used buggy very soon! have a great holiday

I have reins for ds so they can't possibly be common. It would be virtually impossible to hold his hand and still push the pushchair as he is a wriggler and a sprinter and he's only 14 months so he's bound to get faster. He's also quite short so it's uncomfortable for both of us to hold his hand for long, I have to bend a little and he has his hand stuck above his head. I've found that a long rein is better than a short (again I think because he is small so the rein needs to cover a larger distance).

It's reins/wrist strap or buggy for my ds - he gets a choice and chooses the wrist strap almost every time. Like someone else, I try to keep it as loose as possible. I've lost ds twice before getting the wrist strap, don't intend losing him again.

They are getting more normal round here - but I certainly wouldn't describe them as "common" - the mums I see using them are definitely not the "common" type. (but not wishing to get into an argument about the definition of "common" )

used them for ds when younger, esp in Venice
they are great!

Jess has only been walking for a few weeks, but we have already got her used to her reins... she does very well on them, but at 13.5 months she doesnt really get a choice!

I use them for the walk from the car into the local shop/post office and back again - she is getting too heavy for me to carry her all the time for a short distance now im nearly 34 weeks pg!

Im hoping as she is so happy with them at the moment it will continue and as others have said, I would rather have my baby (my pride and joy) on reins and safe, than under a bus or car.

I have just started ds 19 mths on reins.
He hates them.
Dh, ds & I went to a car boot on sunday.
Put on reigns.
Cried & cried.
Told him - 'these can come off, only if you stay close to mummy.'
He ran off.
Back on reigns.
Cried & cried.
Dh and I fed up and leave car boot early.

Perservere me must.
I don't see many people with reigns.
LOL at mud's -common.
But really, I think they have gone out of fashion a bit.

There aren't just two stark choices, i.e. reins or falling under the bus.

There is also 'strapping into the pushchairs' for the feisty little ones who resist reins (like mine).

Think they are a great idea though found that a few practice runs in wide open spaces were a good idea. DD was like an errant puppy for a little while, wrapping herself around and through my legs but soon got the hang of them.
As someone else said, great for the period between wanting to walk and learning the rules about holding hands.

Yes not common like orange squash drunk from a formula bottle!

I used reins for DS

and also as a childminder I use reins but with wrist strap through the back

This is because I fell over with mindee and if he had not been attached to my wrist would have gone in road.

The parents know I use them

so IMHO it is not only for children who run off it is also if the adult falls or trips over

We use a wrist harness on DD b/c she runs away.

I used reins on all of my kids, and wrist straps when they got too big. Can't see why anyone would think they were 'common'.