TO LEASH OR NOT TO LEASH, THAT IS THE QUESTION

- Renee Gannon, Assistant Website Editor

Parents face ongoing challenges when their children become mobile.  Navigating through large crowds where strollers are impractical can be a nightmare.  Also, having children who have reached the age at which they are very much "over" their strollers and just want to be foot-loose and fancy-free can be daunting in itself. Anyone with kids knows that sometimes bringing them to public places can feel like running a small circus of monkeys. 

• Parents with multiples or twins:  Leashes provide freedom to roam around, but allow parents to control boundaries and limit danger. They significantly reduce the risk of children wandering away from parents, into the path of danger or into the arms of abductors. Leashes can be a very effective way to keep kids from disappearing in two different directions.
• Preventing other injuries:  Depending on their design, leashes may prevent other injuries as well. Maureen Dempsey Baker, creator of the By My Side child safety harness explains, "We were informed by pediatricians that (many) common injuries are to shoulders and arms from parents pulling up when a child falls while holding their hand. The harness allows you to gently guide your child while supporting them in their strongest place, the chest."
• Hands free:  Many supporters of children’s leashes identify the hands-free aspect of leashes as the biggest benefit. For parents of higher order multiples, the number of children simply exceeds the number of parental hands! Other parents recognize that holding children’s hands for an extended period of time can be uncomfortable for small children -- imagine how you'd feel keeping your hand raised above your head for a long time.

The Cons

• Resembles a form of animal control:   Leashes have become so closely associated with animal control that some people actually find it offensive to restrain a child in the same manner. Says one mom, "Why anyone would want to have a leash for their child is beyond me. They are children, not dogs. If you don’t want them to run off, teach them not to run off."
• Displays an inappropriate message: Child.com discourages leash use for two-year-olds, claiming that "the leash conveys an inappropriate message by using physical force instead of words to keep your child near you."
• Extra attention: In addition, some parents may feel uncomfortable about the extra attention generated by using leashes. Certainly, twins and other multiples are already in the spotlight when they go out in public. It is likely that your family will attract even more scrutiny when leashes or harnesses are used.

Please let us know what you think.  Are you a child leash-user, or do you think only dogs & trained seals belong at the end of a tether?  Post your comments below!