When I was younger and I’d see a little kid on a leash, I’d laugh. It’s funny…because you think of your pet being on a leash, and not a child. You wonder is the parent just being really overprotective? Or can they not keep track of their child? Why do they need to have their kid on a leash?
Well…then I got older, and had a child of my own.
My daughter is almost 2.
She HATES holding hands with anyone. She thinks she’s a big girl and wants to walk by herself. If she’d go where we wanted to go, that might not be a problem…but she wants to walk where SHE wants to go. Not where we want to go…so it’s an issue.
For more than 6 months now, we’ve had a great way to keep her happy and keep her close. We hold onto the hood of her jacket. No problem. She’s still happy that her hands are not being held, and we’re happy that we can keep her from running away.
Well, that’s about to change. Spring is here, and she’ll be wearing short sleeves soon…and no jacket with a hood.
Plus, we have a Disney trip planned for when it’s hot out. There definitely won’t be any chances of wearing anything with a hood on it!
She’s going to want to run around, and see everything. I don’t blame her. But there are so many people in Disney, that I don’t want to lose her, even for a second.
So I bought a leash. We decided against the harness kind because we think she’ll be too warm wearing it. I also feel like it looks more like a dog leash. We got one that goes on her hand, and mine. It has a span of a little over 4 feet. We figure this way she can walk on her own, without having to hold the hand of an adult, but she can’t go far. It should make everyone happy. She won’t get lost, and has some independence.
I can’t wait to try it! We decided to wait until we get there to test it out. We think (and are hoping) that she’ll be so excited looking at everything she won’t even care that she’s wearing it.
She’ll get her freedom, and we won’t have to worry about her trying to go in a different direction.
The real question is…if it works well, will I be willing to use it at home? That’s the question I don’t have an answer to yet.
I love the idea of using it while at the mall, or while going for a walk in the neighborhood. I think she’ll be happier, and fight less about staying so close. But I remember what I thought about people who used a leash on their child…and am not sure at the moment if I care enough yet to do it at home. I guess it depends on how well it works on vacation.
If it works really well, I’ll be happy to use it at home!
I ended up getting the Blisstime leash, which is the best seller on Amazon. It’s one of the cheapest at under $9, and has great reviews (4.5/5 stars with 713 reviews.) It comes in blue, pink, and orange. I went with the orange one, that way anyone can wear it with her and not feel uncomfortable. I’m really looking forward to seeing how well it works!
Enjoy,
