Alarms for toddlers who are always 'running away'?

[GentleOtter]

I don't know if such a thing exists but is there an alarm that can alert us if our toddler tries to run away?
He can open door handles and then takes off like the wind. I am terrified that he does it if I am occupied with eg emptying the washing machine etc and not keeping an eye on him all the time.
Our nerves are in tatters as he is only 13 months old and it is going to get worse.

I saw a kid with one once in town, the thing kept beeping if he got more than ten paces in front of his parents. It seemed a little ott to me but if you have a runner, it's probably a good idea!

have you done a search on google?

I'm not sure what to put, to be honest.
Googling toddler alarms just comes up with baby monitors. We worry as we are on a farm and there are a thousand dangerous things there.
He is capable of running a fair bit too as we took him round the fields yesterday and he walked/ran the whole distance himself. It was quite a walk.
The alarm would just be for in the house.

Why not just put high level bolts across the main doors so he can't get out? Or would that not be practical?

yes, there is something. Gimme a few minutes and I'll try to find it.

voila

Oh - you can get them in the UK btw. Must have clicked on the US option by mistake.

I agree with maidamess - you could just put bolt locks further up the door, where ds can't reach and make sure they are bolted when you are inside the house!

Having a toddler who can open doors can be a quite helpful.

I once accidentally locked myself out of the house (yale lock) while putting out the rubbish with ds (just 2.5 at the time) still inside. In a state of total panic because dh was working abroad with our only other set of keys and wondering if I ought to call the police, I managed to explain to ds through the door to pull a chair to the door(this involved bringing one down a flight of stairs!!), how to climb up and turn the lock and then open the door for Mummy. I never thought he would a) understand my instructions b) have the level of concentration to remember the task (and he did disappear in the lounge for quite a long time to get the chair - at that point I was close to phoning the police because I thought he had become distracted and he would never come back with the chair).

Needless to say, he managed it!

Thank you all.
I have ordered this one.
I was even thinking along the lines of deep sea diving boots just to slow him down. well not really.
He is able to open the latches of the gates and the safety gate so we have had to put extra locks and ties on to them. We have all aged visibly in the last month.

I think by the time the alarm goes, its too late, he's out. And if you live on a farm, heaven knows what he could be up to. So I think not letting him get out in the first place is the key.

Oh Butterfly !

We have a railed walkway round the house with two gates (now double locked and tied) so when he does escape he gets as far as the walkway.
It was just in case I forgot to lock the doors when we are in the house and he escaped outside.Plus he will try to climb up on things.
We have had to get reigns for when we go round the farmyard.

Hi gentle otter, I am really interested in the alarm that you bought. Please keep me posted on whether its any good a I think I may get one for my runaway.

I will keep you posted milkybarsrus. It should arrive soon and I will see how well it works in the garden first then check the range in the big field.

Quick update. It is quite good once you can figure out the instructions in bad English. The alarm could be a little bit louder but maybe the battery that comes with it is tired.

We tested it to as far as 50 feet but you set it for as close as you like. ( the 50 feet was to see how far dh and I could hear it)
The little button thingy is frighteningly easily swallowed so we tied it on to the waistband of the baby's trousers at the back but you would need to clip it on each change of clothing.
The idea is good but maybe there is a more sophisticated model out there.
It has worked well today though.