Page 2 | Toddler reins?

peepsypops · 2024-05-25T19:27:27+00:00

Toddler reins - I think that's what they are called. Are they still a thing? Are they controversial? I have a 15month old who is super fast and I'm just wondering would that be something I need to look into as we go on holidays abroad soon? I feel like I haven't seen them in ages, but maybe because I wasn't looking for them!

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Lilacbluebells · 25/05/2024 21:21

I know @RampantIvy and they can be really useful - I just don’t see them as an essential item in the same way others here do.

CannotbebotheredNope · 25/05/2024 21:25

I used reins on my children even though they were not bolters . They are fully functioning,level headed adults now. Safety is the priority.

Sunshineclouds11 · 25/05/2024 21:27

I used them and loved them.

DS wanted his freedom of tottling along but I of course needed the safety aspect.

And as pp, I've saved afew slaps on the ground but pulling him back

Ladyj84 · 25/05/2024 21:34

Never used them and we have 3 toddlers. They all know to stop when told etc and to run about when safe and told to do so. They all also know to hold hands nicely for crossing roads etc. See a few on and off reins going nuts at the park here simply because they've learnt no safety boundaries

Sunshineclouds11 · 25/05/2024 21:56

Ladyj84 · 25/05/2024 21:34

Never used them and we have 3 toddlers. They all know to stop when told etc and to run about when safe and told to do so. They all also know to hold hands nicely for crossing roads etc. See a few on and off reins going nuts at the park here simply because they've learnt no safety boundaries

Even at 1 year old?

RampantIvy · 25/05/2024 22:32

Ladyj84 · 25/05/2024 21:34

Never used them and we have 3 toddlers. They all know to stop when told etc and to run about when safe and told to do so. They all also know to hold hands nicely for crossing roads etc. See a few on and off reins going nuts at the park here simply because they've learnt no safety boundaries

You aren't a better parent for not requiring reins. You just had more docile children.

DD wasn't a bolter, but we are both tall so we used reins so that we could walk with DD without having to bend down to hold her hand. It was easier and safer to yank her up using reins when she stumbled than wrenching her arm out of her shoulder.

Namechangedmama · 25/05/2024 22:35

Even if they were controversial! I'd rather get dirty looks than my kid being lost or hurt.

There was a post on here a few years ago that a mumsnetter made about one of her twins running away from her husband and being killed by a car. She regretted not having a harness. That thread haunts me and is the reason why I got one for my child

Starlightstarbright3 · 25/05/2024 22:51

Anyone who disapproves has never had a runner .

i used them as a childminder . All toddler went through reigns till I was confident they would walk next to me and not run . They all came off them some quicker than others .

sweettomato · 25/05/2024 22:51

Some people can be judgemental but most things in life come with the risk of someone judging.

I needed them for 1 of mine. Had 3 others who didn't need reins so it wasn't a reflection on my parenting.

Yourethebeerthief · 25/05/2024 23:27

Only stopped using them recently around the 2 and a half year mark. But I still always have them in the bottom of my rucksack incase I feel the need for them.

VeganFromSveden · 26/05/2024 01:39

Many moons ago I decided on reins (no such thing as backpacks back then) because when little one was holding hand of their father, the child's shoulder became dislocated and it was so distressing til a doctor was able to "unlock" the joint.
When I see parents holding a child's hand now, it makes me shudder as I remember my child's discomfort back then.
Reins free up both the child and the parent.
It allows a degree of freedom for the child but the child is safer than wandering a metre behind, or having their arm disproportionately pulled upward to the adults hand.
Glad op has decided it's a good idea...
It'd be great if reins (and the idea of them) were made popular by maybe a celeb', and or a modern take on the old fashioned version....
We don't hesitate to put a helmet on a child when they are cycling, and a lot of children dislike them....
Sometimes the responsible adult just has to be responsible?

Snippit · 26/05/2024 01:50

I had reins for my daughter, she’s 28 now, and was a little shit at running away in the supermarkets. She’d have a hissy fit, throw herself on the floor, so I’d pull her along. She finds it amusing when I remind her of this, 😝

arialllla · 26/05/2024 01:53

I'm 35 this year and my grandma used to put a dog lead on my wrist when she used to take me out as a toddler. Because she knew I was faster than her so it's safety. Nothing bad about that at all.... most 3 year olds could pull their hand away and dart through a crowd that even an Olympic champion wouldn't be able to grab quickly.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 26/05/2024 05:42

Ladyj84 · 25/05/2024 21:34

Never used them and we have 3 toddlers. They all know to stop when told etc and to run about when safe and told to do so. They all also know to hold hands nicely for crossing roads etc. See a few on and off reins going nuts at the park here simply because they've learnt no safety boundaries

And this is the judgement to be prepared for when using reins. My first DD made me feel like a great parent. DD2 finds it hilarious to run and we play the ‘freeze’ game but it’s not a fail safe so reins for longer walks, bigger crowds or more dangerous routes. She’s just more energetic and stronger willed. When she’s a strong woman, I’ll be proud of her will power but it’s hard to reason with her right now.

jennywren08 · 26/05/2024 06:04

Ladyj84 · 25/05/2024 21:34

Never used them and we have 3 toddlers. They all know to stop when told etc and to run about when safe and told to do so. They all also know to hold hands nicely for crossing roads etc. See a few on and off reins going nuts at the park here simply because they've learnt no safety boundaries

How do you know they've learned no boundaries?

Is it not just as possible that the very reason they are on reins in the first place is because of their active or "nuts" (as you've put it) personality traits that make it more difficult for their parents to keep them safe?

Your post comes across as judgemental and superior. It's hard to know why people make the choices they do until you've walked in their shoes.

Toddler reins?

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