Mon 13 Aug 2012
Leashes for Twins – To Leash or Not to Leash?
Posted by KathrynWhiteley under Twin Tips
[13] Comments
Today, TwinParenthood is proud to announce the addition of occasional guest Blogger, Charlene Tipton!
Charlene and her husband Brad, live in Savannah, Georgia. She has 20-month-old fraternal twin girls, Gwyneth & Avery. She enjoys being a stay at home mom and watching her girls learn new things every day. “Having twins was never a thought,” says Charlene, “but they are amazing & have taught me so much.”
We hope you enjoy her first installment!
To Leash or Not to Leash?
~Guest Post, Charlene Tipton
Recently, the buying of child harnesses (or leashes) has been up for discussion in my house. When I first brought it up to my husband Brad, he looked at me like I had 3 heads. Then basically telling me he’s more on the no side. I, being on the maybe side, decided to start doing some homework on the subject.
First asking around. At my latest Mom’s Night Out with my multiples group – I got a yes.
Then I started looking on different websites. Figuring that I would see more negative than positive, I was surprised to see that most parents were pro harness. Parents were also assured when they saw other children with harnesses on because the parents were taking an active role in their safety. Surprised by these opinions? I was!
The only negative I read was parents would hear remarks from others walking by or boldly told they were harming their child.
After telling my husband what I had learned he was more on board with the idea. Also, meeting a family with twin girls a month older than ours, and seeing them with them on helped.
Which one do I buy? We’re fans of the harnesses with animals on them. One person had the idea of flipping them around. Putting the animal on the child’s front instead of back. So it’s like they are holding the animal. My girls are all about carrying stuff right now, so we’ll be trying that. There are different varieties: lion, monkey, cow, ladybug, alligator, backpacks, clips to close, Velcro to close, close at chest, close at waist, detachable tail (leash). You can find all different kinds on the web.
I’ll be buying 2 at my local baby store, probably two monkeys. This weekend we’ll be going to the Atlanta Aquarium. I’m sure they will come in handy.
Charlene
Do you use harnesses with your twins? What brands are best?
I used leashes A LOT! And wrote a post about one time when someone told me I was being inhumane to my kids. While she was walking her dog on a leash! Umm yeah it was awkward. But my kids were happy to be out feeding the ducks instead of cooped up inside!
sorry but as a mom to 2 sets of twins 17 months apart I have taken my kids everywhere, I never once had to rely on a leash to keep my kids safe. They went in the stroller or walked with me and if they couldn’t follow the rules then we went back to the car. I think the leash gives too much freedom and not enough parental guidance.
We purchased two backpack style leashes for an upcoming trip with our 18 month old twin girls. We’ll be traveling in large cities and I know my girls won’t stay in the stroller the whole time, the idea of losing them makes me sick. I know having them secured near me will give me a lot of peace of mind. I’m so sick of people, especially fellow moms, judging each other! Just because something does/doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean it’s wrong for someone else. Responsible parents who want to keep their kids safe shouldn’t be scorned by ignorant bypassers who can’t even begin to understand their unique situation- Telling 4 little ones they need to return to the car may work for Kris, but most moms are running an errand or out doing something that NEEDS to be done, and they may not even have a car with them to offer that option, or they might have a defiant child who deliberately disobeys and runs off. Some people like having additional options and security measures, in my opinion that is MORE parental guidance, not “too much freedom”
always got our family’s needs done while out with the kids. And if we couldn’t return to the car, we went to the bathroom and stayed in there until they were ready to listen and stay with me. They needed to know I was in charge and what was expected of them, and that has to start at a young age. Watching kids pull on the leashes with mom just trailing behind is not providing guidance.
Again, Kris- you shouldn’t assume what works for you works for everyone else. My children aren’t your children, I’m certainly not you. You’re passing judgment because of a scene you play in your head of a mom being pulled around by uncontrolled kids on leashes. Are you also opposed to moms who use strollers because they also contain children and prevent them from having the only thing protecting them being their obedience to their mother’s words? I can be a mother who provides guidance and rules to my children while still using all the great means provided to help me keep my kids safe. I’m not going to trust my 18 month old’s judgement to not run off and get lost at a busy metro station in London, I’m going to teach my children while also doing everything I can to prevent that from happening.
strollers are fine. I have seen plenty of children on leashes and each and every time the person holding the other end is blabbing on their phone, chatting with friends and completely ignoring their children. All of these parents who claim how well they use them, not once have i EVER seen them as a safety device, but more as a babysitter.
So as a mother who owns strollers and leashes do you think when I take my stroller out I’m 100% focused on my children and the model “responsible parent”, but when I let me kids wear their backpack leashes I transform into an uneducated, irresponsible mother who “babbles on their phone, chatting with friends and completely ignoring their children.”? It sounds like you have chosen to stereotype all parents who use leashes because of a couple of experiences you’ve seen. Every person is different and every situation is different. You’ve “okayed” strollers because you’ve probably used them and seen their benefit, who knows what else you might “okay” for other parents if you understood their benefit…dare I say leashes?
I see no benefit of a leash, so I would never ok them. If your child wants to walk hold their hand, if your child refuses they go in the stroller, they are the child, they don’t get a choice.
I leashed mine at two yrs old. Alot of people are against it and will look at you crazy or be braver and tell you what you are doing is wrong. My opinion is that two yr olds move very fast and mine ran in different directions! The leash helped me by knowing that if they did run they were not running very far. I used the kind that looks like a pink purse and at four they still play with the purse part:) I say do what you as a (mother) feel comfortable and confident with.
When I first mentioned it to my hubby he was against it and said I was crazy. When they started walking and he understood I would be leaving the house with them alone, agreed to buy them. When they were a year and like 3 to 4 months we went to a hotel at the beach. And I took the backpack animal harness with us. We hate strollers so we left it home. From that moment on, he loved the harness because he saw how we could enjoy the trip, the twins have some “freedom” because they love to go around but we are relax because they are safe. No running far or junping to pools or getting lost. Some people even asked where we bought them others said we treated our kids as dogs. We told them we didn’t care about their remarks because our kids are safe. I always recommend the harness.
Big hug from Dominican Republic
I love that we can all share our opinions and ask that we always keep it respectful. Thanks for supporting each other in this challenging thing called TwinParenthood! ♥ Kat
Spud and Sprout have back pack reins. Spud has a ladybird pack and Sprout a turtle pack. They enjoy wearing their backpacks. I use a carabiner clip to attach the straps to my belt loop and then I hold the Twinkles hands. It’s for my own piece of mind and for their safety. It also means that if one happens to take a fall or gets upset about something (a barking dog will upset Spud) I can pick him up and give him a cuddle knowing that my other son can’t go far. Another benefit I find is when I’m strapping one in the car the other isn’t attempting an escape. Basically they give us freedom to go out and about and enjoy ourselves.
I have considered this option. I think there are certain scenarios where it may be quite wise to use them. For safety, absolutely safety. My brother used one on his singleton son just after they moved to Singapore. You can imagine his reasons. He never mentioned hearing negative feedback about it either. His was some sort of monkey backpack one. Anyway, I will keep contemplating. We are certainly teaching our kids boundaries, obedience etc etc but I just think their may be instances where it’s just not worth the risk.