- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- twins today articles
- twins today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Should Toddlers Wear a Leash for Safety?
Two Moms and an Expert Sound Off
By Lisa A. Goldstein
Using a leash with a toddler is a controversial issue about which many parents have strong opinions. We asked two moms and an expert to share their thoughts on this topic.
For Black, the impetus to purchase a leash occurred after two incidents. The first one occurred in a mall; she lost her son four times because he pulled his hand from hers and ran full force. The second time he managed to get past a play area attendant, and her 71-year-old mother couldn't catch him until 75 yards past the play area.
"When I got the leash, he loved wearing it, and still does," Black says. "Sometimes he asks to wear it around the house. He's happy he's out of the stroller, and I'm stress-free. It was the best $4 I ever spent."
Black acknowledges that every child is different, but somewhere between age 2 and 3, they don't listen well, she says. Until they mature and begin to process and reason better, "it's important to do whatever it takes to keep one's child safe in today's crazy society," Black says.
The only reactions Black has received have been questions from people asking where she got it, and questions asking if she gets dirty looks from people, which she hasn't. She thinks it's ridiculous that some critics call a leash demeaning to the child. "He's safer because of it, and at the same time, it allows him some freedom, which he enjoys," Black says.
hard to go to crowded places without the constant stress of how to keep them in close range at all times, Passo says. "But the idea of a child on a leash just seems like the wrong answer," Passo says. "Even a 2-year-old understands the concept of holding hands and staying close. And if they don't – to me – all the more reason that it is an important, fundamental lesson they need to learn – a lesson that using a leash deprives them of. Teachers on field trips would never use leashes. And if the location is that daunting that I would find myself considering using a leash, I'd first have to ask myself, should I really be bringing my toddler there in the first place?"