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Even though people will be all rude about the leash and not the stroller.
Except for when the child has reached whatever magical number strangers have come up with to decide when children should no longer be using a stroller.
I don't know, I think it can be useful to help them learn not to take off. A stroller wouldn't teach anything.
It worked wonders with our son. He was/is very inquisitive. So if he attempted a dart, I was like oh dear you are not ready for walking about. We will try again in an hour. And he made the connection between the freedom to walk around with the responsibility to stay with me.
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At lest with a harness, they have some freedom and they learn they can't run. You praise them when they are walking nicely with you and can use it as a cue to check in with their parent or to check in with them.
My own silly bias at play here... But I am picturing a kid taking off and getting pulled up short by their leash! My son was never much into praise. He was always an only the facts kind of kid. Ok I can walk around free if I pay attention to staying with Mom. That's it.
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Its not like putting a ferrel dog on a leash, they aren't like going wild yanking your arm off. Its to tether you to your kid so you don't get separated. I don't get how there isn't some learning in that.
Ha! You read my mind! I know it is not. And I have seen them used to great effect out and about.
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I think its fine you didn't use it. I also used a stroller at times but thought it was helpful for my daughter to use one to explore some. My son didn't use one. He wasnt afraid of getting lost and he also wasnt too much of a darter...and his game with it ruined the use for him.
Well at 9 and 10 my kids are really good at not running off, running into roads or in the parking lot. They are also able to explore an area without getting lost or freaking out. So I figure it all worked out fine for us.
Maybe it is part of living in a rural area. Exploration was done in the wild, not at places like shopping malls or other places where devices are more important. It also might be that I hate shopping more than any other activity, so we kept it short and... relatively sweet.
I wonder if this tether disapproval is related to this culture in much of the developed western world (especially the US) that making things hard on yourself is somehow inherently virtuous. I think we all know that person who is constantly almost bragging about how busy and overworked and overworked they are.
I also think parents tend to take a lot of credit for the kid's natural inclinations. Like, if your kid is an early talker, or sleeps through the night right away, or is empathetic, that's proof you're a better parent than others, when the truth is a) it's not a contest and b) many things come down largely the kid's inborn traits. Like, your parenting techniques were exemplary because your toddler didn't dart off? Well, maybe, maybe not.
It worked wonders with our son. He was/is very inquisitive. So if he attempted a dart, I was like oh dear you are not ready for walking about. We will try again in an hour. And he made the connection between the freedom to walk around with the responsibility to stay with me.
My own silly bias at play here... But I am picturing a kid taking off and getting pulled up short by their leash! My son was never much into praise. He was always an only the facts kind of kid. Ok I can walk around free if I pay attention to staying with Mom. That's it.
Ha! You read my mind! I know it is not. And I have seen them used to great effect out and about.
Maybe it is part of living in a rural area. Exploration was done in the wild, not at places like shopping malls or other places where devices are more important. It also might be that I hate shopping more than any other activity, so we kept it short and... relatively sweet.
My son did the run and be pulled short by the leash...for fun. He thought it was a riot. So we didn't use it for him. My daughter never did that. They get the point pretty fast. My son loves vestibular input so running and flinging back was right up his ally.
I think rural v. urban has a lot to do with it. When the kids were little, we lived in one of the largest cities in the country. We traveled a ton, usually to other big cities (via big airports). In these places, if a kid darts (or gets distracted or stays back), you can lose sight of them in the crowd in a matter of a second. I have lived in rural places and I doubt I would have found a use for it there. Also, I live in a small city and I doubt I would even use one here. There isn't any time we are really in a place so crowded that I could lose sight of a little one quickly.
I have never heard of using a stroller to restrain a child. That sounds cruel and unusual.
OK.
Clearly some people on this very thread think that strollers can be used for that purpose.
Strollers, harnesses, back packs, front packs, slings - parents have a wide range of tools to choose from when it comes to transporting or walking around with small kids.
Hey, I also used our stroller for a shopping cart sometimes, especially with my girls, since they were not at all prone to wander or dart off, and walked alongside me with no problem - and with no harness. But that boy - oh my goodness!
I think the harness is an excellent idea to keep the kids from harm. I'm surprised they're not more popular.
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