The other day at the mall I saw a woman holding a leash that I thought was attached to a puppy. Once I got a closer look I realized the ‘leash’ was attached to a child.
To her credit, the harness was disguised as a teddy bear, which her child wore on his back like a backpack. Regardless of the hardware, the fact still remained that this little boy’s mom had a him under control via leash and that got me thinking.
Would I harness my child?
My son is pretty wild. Once you set him down he is GONE. Gone to clear a shelf of all of it’s contents. Gone to play with something he can’t have and gone to run far far away from me.
When you are out in public it tends to be a bit hectic because he is running through people, I am trying to catch up and I come off looking like a mom who can’t control her toddler, which I can’t if he is out of the stroller…
I can’t help but think that if I put a harness on him, it would be more of a hassle to hear him squawk and to also deal with the general populations comments on my inability to control my child because you know that there are going to be comments
When would you harness a child?
Parents who live in big cities should harness their babies when walking down major streets. Giving your child the freedom to be like their parents/siblings can be liberating and knowing that they can’t run into oncoming traffic will make your outing less stressful.
Major events like summer carnivals, airports or busy malls are also places that would qualify for a harness.
Many believe that the harness is not supposed to restrict your child; it should actually teach them how to walk along with you. If you find the right one, your child may not even know they are wearing it.
I guess when all is said and done I would just rather keep him occupied in his stroller, use a toddler carrier to tote him around or even stay home before I put a harness on my son.
I envy those who have the strength to persevere and do what’s right for their child’s well being as opposed to listening to those who are not educated on your situation.
What’s your take?
The harness teaches the child an appropriate distance for the child to walk next to you. Anyone that has had a child sneak off or stop to look at something and not tell you, it is heartbreaking, this is a way to prevent that.