What are your thoughts on baby reins?

[LordOfTheOnionRings]

Good or bad idea?

I have a one year old who has been walking for a few months - HATES being in his pram so like to walk as much as possible but he is still a bit shaky outdoors. He fell forward yesterday and face planted some gravel :( I am wondering if baby reins might help me stop him from falling and hurting himself. He also won't hold my hand anymore. I am not worried about him walking into roads as I am right there with him, just more the falling aspect.

Thanks

Eldest was such a curious boy, off like a shot on a whim. Liked a chat but wanted to make new discoveries more.
Youngest was a chatterbox so stayed close so we could natter all the way out and back.
I used wrist strap reins on a short length, but we held hands too, the eldest would wriggle his hands away and the reins were my security. The youngest didn't really need them but the eldest had made me nervous.
Their GMs loved them as they weren't as fast as they had been and they were with them when I went back to work. We bought them a set of wrist strap reins each.

@LutherRalph1 thank you - totally agree. I don't even know why I question myself about these things sometimes. I do find myself going, 'but so and so said this' and I have to keep reminding myself that I know my DS and I need to decide what's best for him. And that's preferably not being ran over or falling over onto his face onto gravel again!

Also my DS is showing some markers for autism and is a bit behind on understanding things at the moment. I'd rather him be safe than just talk to him about cars and pray he understood (he wouldn't)

We used reigns. We liked the adjustable webbing strap kind, with clips to begin with and then moved on too the back pack kind as she got older. We don't have to use them at all now she's four and will happily hold a hand and is less likely to bolt.

We never got any negative comments and I wouldn't have cared if we did, I wanted her safe and that's all that mattered.

I use normal webbing reins on DS from when he started to walk, to stop him falling and bolting. Now we only use them in busy places, so not much at the moment.
He's now 3.5 and just getting some road sense when he's walking on quiet country lanes.Just ignore any criticism

Saved DC1 from a fair few face plants. Really good for allowing them to find balance (slack reins) but catch them when they get it wrong.

My DS wouldn't wear the reigns but liked the backpack reigns. He was a runner with no sense of danger. (We now know he's autistic, didn't at the time!). Safety overrides people's opinions in my mind.

I think they're brilliant. I used them with DD.
They meant she could feel she was exploring while I still had hold of her.
She wasn't walking along with one arm hoiked up in the air, so her balance was much better, and she was more comfortable - remember the ache you'd get in your arm when you put your hand up at school?
If she fell I could stop her hitting the ground hard without yanking her by the arm (a friend had her shoulder dislocated by her dad when she fell as a toddler)
Much easier for a hand to slip from yours than for reins to come out of your grasp, they're so much safer.

@LordOfTheOnionRings
At that age it's not his/her option to not hold your hand.
I hate reins. It makes me feel that those parents think of their kids as pets instead of human beings.
Only exception: more than 2 kids beyond age 5. Had a friend with triplets. She had no other choice if she really wanted to keep them safe.

@TheSunIsStillShining he will hold my hand sometimes but as soon as he doesn't want to he just sort of stops moving and sits on the floor if I don't let go. Unless it's totally necessary I don't really want to be forcefully dragging him about if I can help it. I will only walk holding his arm if we are by a road when he is refusing to hold my hand.

It's cruel to not keep your toddler safe and hands free (ignore idiot comments). Reins are great.

We have reins for dd 21 mths. She's fallen a few times and I've managed to use the reins to cushion the fall or stop it altogether

I like the idea of reigns to stop bolters but am wary about using them to prevent falls because that’s how they learn.

Very sensible way of keeping your baby safe. My DS hated his reins and would lie down and refuse to move. He was much happier when we switched to a wrist strap one instead.

I taught DD that if she didn't hold hands or walked nicely she went back in the pram. She wasn't a big fan of the pram.

Road safety was always Stop (she had to say stop too) , look right look left she had to look too, say SAFE she had ti say it too, then cross. Boring as fuck and took ages.

Always gave her freedom in big grassy areas,playparks etc if she fell,she fell it happens.

I also used reigns in some situations, for peace of mind and keeping me safe.

End of the day, she is my child and I'm the one raising her and responsible for her safety. If people don't like reigns they're free not to use them with their own children .

I think they are great and don't know why they aren't more popular, it means they can walk in high streets etc why they are too little/wriggly to safely hand hold.

The ones that go round the chest though, not the ones on the wrist, which I think are less safe and do remind me of dog leads.

I used to say to DS ‘if you don’t walk nicely I’ll need to get a dog lead for you!’. His response? ‘Yessssss a dog lead please - I want a dog lead!!’ I could never win with that kid!

I think they're a great idea and don't see why anyone thinks otherwise. They keep the child's hands free and stops them bolting. What's not to like?

Haha - I do say to my son, let's walk nicely now and please hold Mummy's hand. He has only just turned one so I'm not sure if he doesn't understand yet or doesn't give a fuck - could be either I suppose.

Reins have been ordered from Amazon and are arriving tomorrow!

@LordOfTheOnionRings

Haha - I do say to my son, let's walk nicely now and please hold Mummy's hand. He has only just turned one so I'm not sure if he doesn't understand yet or doesn't give a fuck - could be either I suppose.

Reins have been ordered from Amazon and are arriving tomorrow!

Knowing toddlers.. it's both.

Ds loved them as I think it made him feel secure knowing I was there. I think the stretching up really affected his balance.

Dd hated them, would not do anything other than kick or scream but was quite happy to hold hands.

I have used them for both of mine, I don't understand how people manage without them. Especially at the stage where you are trying to push a pushchair as well as hold child's hand (either older sibling or when they are just starting walking and need the pushchair still). I wouldn't trust a 1 year old to hold the pushchair while crossing the road, for example. No idea how people manage without!!

I was really funny about reins but we have ‘littlelife’ ones and it’s got a dinosaur back pack that you put on them and clip in around their front! It’s the best thing! We go on so many walks and it’s much safer and you have lots of control when they go to fall!

Glad to see so many sensible comments about reigns. DD was totally against them when Dgs1 and 2 were toddlers.

[quote TheSunIsStillShining]@LordOfTheOnionRings
At that age it's not his/her option to not hold your hand.
I hate reins. It makes me feel that those parents think of their kids as pets instead of human beings.
Only exception: more than 2 kids beyond age 5. Had a friend with triplets. She had no other choice if she really wanted to keep them safe.[/quote]
Surely it's crueler to be dragging the same child by the hand, having arguments and stand offs, having them yank at your hand etc.?

And you either think they're "treating kids like pets" or they're not. You can't make a. Exception because you happened to know someone who used them for safety....when all the other people use them for the same reason