Reins or Wrist link??

[mummysbigsmiles]

My daughter is 15 months (almost walking) and I was wondering what people thought worked better? A wrist link or reins?

I used a wrist link, it worked because Dd was fairly docile and would generally hold hands, it was more insurance against her doing something out of character.

If you have a more bouncy child, reigns would probablybe more comfortable for you and them.

I preferred wrist reins.

I found the body ones encourage the 'weeeeeee' leaning forward and swinging antics!

I tried both & preferred reins for walking in the street, because they give more instant direct control when you need it. Wrist straps fine in shops etc though

I vastly prefer reins as they leave the child's hands free for hand-holding, balance, exploration, etc. It is also dangerous to yank children's arms, as you might do accidentally with a wrist rein.

As for the leaning-in to the reins, that only happens if you use the reins as 'reins' - pulling back on them. I never did. Instead I held the dc's hand and had the reins looped loosely in my hand or wrist for insurance.

I like the little life rucksacks with reins, and so do the kids.
I wouldn't even want to try a wrist link after my daughter managed to dislocate her elbow once by swinging being held by the hands. The howls were awful.

reins, DD1 just tangled wrist strap round herself, me and DD2's buggy.

DD2 didn't have anything. She held hands, didn't try and vanish.

Nor didn't she try and climb out of supermarket trolleys on to the till belt Which is why, oh judgy people who gave me dirty looks, I clipped the rein clips to my trolley.

The floor is concrete and the waist strap does not prevent escape.

Friend's daughter recently dislocated arm using wrist rein. My 2 daughters, 3 and 18 months love their little life backpacks. Dd1 doesn't need them anymore but asks to have them and I like the idea that if she does get loose she'd be pretty noticeable in it.

I used both - I looped the wrist link on to the back of the rein harness - gave DC a little more freedom and helped avoid them hanging on the reins, but I still had control if needed, and also it left my hands freer - useful when I had to fold the buggy to get on a bus, (which we always had to in those days)

Neither.

Reins.

Less chance of accidentally yanking DS1's arm if he stumbles / stops to examine something.

I much prefer reins.

Reins. Apart from the arm-yanking, reins are good if you've got a small child liable to sit down abruptly regardless of mud etc!

We used reins and they were very useful in helping to catch our DS when he fell. He fell a lot!!! When they start to get more confident on their feet then they do pull forwards which worried me may hinder his walking technique. I still used them because of his clumsiness and at 2 years now he walks beautifully so they did him no harm.

The backpack reins are great but a little more difficult to use for pulling them up when they fall.

Reins.. much more handy for those trip up and superman things they like to do.

Or what super said.

Back backs look great, but they didn't appear until I had DD2 and were, initially, very expensive. Since DD2 didn't do vanish, bolt or climb out of shopping trollies, I've never tried them.

(It is just as well she didn't, because she was an utter dipstick around roads and car parks until at least six. DD1 seemed to get roads were bad news from the day she learnt to walk, I'm not sure she'd have survived her vaporising antics if she hadn't)

Reins. Another with super.

Reins - we used the ones my parents bought for me when I was a toddler (late 60's). They seemed to be longer than those available now and were still fully functioning 40 years later. I liked being able to pull DSs clear of mud, dog poo etc with relative ease and speed.

Little life back pack. I found they could easily slip out of a wrist link and they hated reins.

I use a set if reins with a wrist strap attached to the walking strap of the reins. I have epilepsy so that way my child is attached to me and can't run off even if I'm out for the count (never happened luckily but I live in fear of it!)

I use reins for 2.8 yr old ds. He doesn't like holding hands and I can't trust him to always stay close by when walking along a busy street, I just don't want to take that risk. Also, reigns can be strapped to the frame of the buggy meaning I have both hands free to steer. A strap wouldn't work for us because ds likes to have his hands free and would undo it.

Little Life backpack. Doesn't tug on or restrict his arms, but I can pull his body back when he goes for the road (and pavements are narrow here so the extra length of his arm would see him in the road.

Littlelife backpacks are fab. DS wouldn't wear normal reins or a wrist strap. I still use it occasionally now, and he's 3.4.

Another vote for reins here. Ignore anyone who says they are the work of the devil. They must have very biddable and docile children who never bolt, or the parents aren't very tall. We lived on an unmade road and using reins stopped DD from several grazed knees when she was tiny.

I did try a wrist strap but DD undid it.