Should Leashes be Used on Children?

By Babytoysforyou on November 14, 2011

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When I first saw a child on a leash (after the initial shock of seeing a child on the receiving end of a leash), I must admit I thought it would be a very useful concept to apply to that pesky friend who always seems to disappear when out at the bar. I’m not sure how I feel about it being used on a child though.

Don’t get me wrong, I completely get its appeal - you can allow your child to walk on their own without the hassle of holding them, or trying to fit a stroller in a crowded mall … but I also don’t believe that leashes should be used on anything other than dogs - and that includes cats and ferrets (I’ve only been able to deduce this from actually seeing a ferret being walked).

Having babysat my fair share of little ones, often multiples at once, I promise I understand how hard it is to round up 3 or 4 toddlers - or even one for that matter. I can’t say that I haven’t thought about tying a leash around a few kids, but then it kind of reminded me of lassoing a horse or bull, and the thought quickly dissipated. Perhaps my aversion to the child leash is my association to the word “leash.” When I think of leash, I immediately think about taking my canine for a walk - which is off-putting when I think about doing the same to a child.

They are now making products that make wearing a leash pretty cool! If I was a kid, I may even want to be hooked up to the harness and pulled along by my parents - maybe not. Anyways, the new models of child leashes feature a different animal in the form of a backpack, acting as a fashion accessory for children. Come on people. That’s what hands are for! If you need one of your hands to graze through a sales rack, use your other hand to keep tabs on your little snickerdoodle.

But here’s the thing that I don’t understand; in every advertisement the child is SO happy that he/she is hooked up to a leash. Like, if that isn’t false advertising I don’t know what is. Maybe the kid would think that the backpack frog was cool for a millisecond, but when they get pulled in the opposite direction then they had intended to go, they will inevitably realize that their cool frog backpack is being controlled by mom and dad - so prepare for a tornado of negative emotion.

Of course, how you raise and keep tabs on your tyke is completely up to you, and this is solely my opinion. I say, “to each his own,” and if this works for you then who am I to judge.

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