My dd2 is 2.9yo. She can walk well holding my hand, or just staying close whilst we are not near a road.
I made a mistake today where I thought it would be okay to not use the reins 1) because she is 3yo soon and 2) she has shown she can be trusted to stay close without them.
Today I was proven wrong and have probably accrued 2 more grey hairs because of it 
She clearly needs the reins still. I just wondered how others have fared 
This thread is a bit old now, so if you have landed here looking for recommendations, we have recently updated our guide to the best toddler reins with products tried, tested and recommended by Mumsnet users. We hope you find it useful.
MNHQ 