Mandy of The Fabulous Baby Striblings
So here it is. A Mommy confession, if you will. I did something I told myself I would never, ever EVER do in a gazillion years. I think it is truly awful. I bought kid leashes. GASP!!! I know, I know. Its just shameful. I have my reasons, though. Right now they run 90 miles an hour in opposite directions. And I have a nanny who is with them during the day Monday-Friday. And she takes them on outings during the week. Its not that I don’t “trust her”, per se, its just I am not there, and I know how hard it is to hold their hands and I am terrified one might get away from her and dart into traffic, or some other something on your imagination that is the unthinkable. And I know, sometimes strollers, are just not conducive in every situation. So, I made the decision for HER to use them (ha!). I still haven’t been able to bring myself to take the leashes out in public with them. The looks I would get, the judgement, bad mothering, treating them like dogs, etc, etc.
But, I have to admit. The babies LOVE them. And when I say they love them, THEY LOVE THEM. The love that they have freedom. They love that they can walk all by themselves. And of course, they LOVE Elmo (‘Momo’). I cannot say I would have ever done this had I just one single child. But, I don’t. I have twins. Its a completely different ballgame. And let’s go ahead and acknowledge the fact that its a chore just to get them in and out of their carseats and into Gymboree or the grocery store which is 15 steps away. And in those 15 steps, although I have my hand securely wrapped in theirs, it only takes a split second for something to happen. So, because I obviously cannot be there with them and their nanny during the day, this creates some peace of mind on my part, and it relaxes me to know that (ahem) they are on leases, lol. What do you think? Is this terrible of me, or did you use them?
That being said, we decided to try them out and “walk them” down to our subdivision’s park on Saturday when Jake’s parents came up. I mean, just look at the picture – they seriously love them! Will I ever use them in public, um, doubtful. I will forever use the stroller before these. (sorry, but I just can’t – not yet. I am getting a little more used to them, though)
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| Papa, Jake and Jules. See? She loves it! |
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| Vicki and Josh (ok, I must admit, it really looks like she is walking a dog) |
Be sure to visit Mandy at The Fabulous Baby Striblings!
I thought I’d never leash my kids but I did and I’m SO glad. They love them and ask for “backpack” all the time, they even invented a sign for it. They love the freedom and are learning to stay with us. We still insist they hold hands in parking lots and crossing the street, it’s no replacement for actual parenting. My kids get exercise instead of being strapped down in a stroller all day.
I totally expected comments about how awful it was to leash a kid but we have never once gotten them. Only tons of “great idea!” and “I wish I had that when my kid was younger”
My twins will be 2 next month and we’ve been using their backpacks all summer.
Hey, if they love them, don’t worry what other people think! I’d much rather have my tots happy and romping around than cooped up in a stroller!
I have 15 month old twins. One is walking like crazy and the other is STILL not very interested but we’re hoping she will get motivated very soon! Once they are both very mobile, I have decided to get the leashes. The heck with what everyone thinks, they have no idea how hard it is to go about your everyday business with two emerging walkers. Also, the twins NEED to be practicing walking to get better at it. All this, even though I can remember being highly annoyed at a lady with a kid on a leash back when I was pregnant.
It makes me feel good to read that your kids love their leashes, and makes me think maybe mine will too! 🙂 Good luck!
We don’t have the leash packs, but at 2 1/2, I still use our stroller A LOT. The girls walk almost exclusively when they’re with both my husband and me. But by myself? I only let them walk if it’s a really quick errand (like a bank deposit), where I can be sure I’ll have both my hands free for 98% of the time.
Let people think what they want…I say, safety – and sanity! – first! 🙂 🙂
I use leashes, and have for a month or so now. I have 19-month-old twin boys, and they are unbelievably fast on their feet, and never NEVER walk. Full tilt run at all times, and usually in opposite directions. They still don’t walk while wearing the leashes, but at least I can stop them from running too far. They aren’t very cooperative yet (lots of screaming and fighting to get away) but I really believe it’s safer. So far I haven’t had anybody make negative comments, but I don’t care if they do, let them deal with crazy 19-month-old twins and see how they get on!
I always said I would never use leashes, and since my boys are only 10 weeks old we haven’t crossed that road yet. But I have to admit having twins has been an immense blessing, but much harder than I thought, I am not above anything that works! If it works for you and your two little ones are happy I think it is a great idea!
I have twin one year old girls, and I decided when they started crawling that leashes were going to be a must. I too said I would never use a leash…and was judgemental when I saw people doing it. I too think if I had just a singleton I would still not have used them. But I have twin girls who are now walking (near running) and it is on my to do list to buy. And if I ever see someone looking at me judgementally I will definitely set them straight. I was wrong to judge. I would rather my children be safe and happy and teach them independence than the other option – they get hurt or something worse.
I bought “leashes” and used them maybe two times, but I loved them. Why? Because my four hated them. Ours were harnesses with a detachable strap (converted to a hand strap). I would put the harnesses on and tell them “If you don’t stay with me the ‘strings’ are going on.” Worked like a charm. So while I didn’t have to use them the way I intended, it was a great investment. (FYI, mine were from First Years and really inexpensive… about $5 each). I work retail and constantly see parents of singletons coming in with the backpack type leashes. If they’re not embarrassed then why should a mom of multiples be embarrassed?
We also bought leashes recently (something we said we would never do). But–we were going on a cruise and I was worried about running after our 15 month old boy/girl twins. They worked like a charm. The babies loved them.
I only felt guilty when we stopped at rest areas on the way to Florida. Other people were walking their dogs and we were walking our babies (*blush*).
I really wanted them to work with my kids. But it was not meant to be….
Number 1 child (a singleton) used to refuse to walk whilst wearing his and in the end I’d carry him around like a puppet dangling on a string. Not a good look.
Then Numbers 2 & 3 (the twins) would collude together to tie me up in knots. Funny for them and watching passerbys… not so funny for me!
I have leashes too, but my boys (17 months) don’t seem to understand the concept and still try to run away, only to get to the end of the leash and make themselves fall. They fall down constantly when leashed up. So I don’t use them too much. Usually I will just only let one out of the stroller at a time. I wish the leashes worked better for us. Maybe in a few months?