toddler backpack "leash" for autistic 4 year old? About This Page:

[phoebec]

My DD4 has autism spectrum disorder. It is mild, but she tends to run off every chance she gets. We were there last summer and she was in a stroller, so it kept her contained. I still plan on getting a stroller for our next trip, but suspect she won't be in it quite as much as last time. Has anyone used the toddler backpack "leashes"? They strap on as a cute backpack but has the strap attached to the backpack. I am not necessarily a fan of leashing my child, but she will run off the first chance she gets. Plus, we have 2 other children to keep track of as well so I am thinking this will take some of the stress out of keeping her contained. Do they work well? Are they common at the parks or will I get snide comments about leashing my child? I don't remember seeing them last summer, but I might of not noticed.

Thanks!!!!!

[Eeyore Tattoo]

Personally I think it is a smart & safe idea leashing your child. Safety is more important than any remarks. I see lots of small kids leashed & I always think, How smart those parents are keeping their child safe in a very busy & crowed place.. Sure is better that losing her & spending your day frightened & looking for her..

[mechurchlady]

The disabled entrance for Big Thunder Railroad at DLR is along the unloading area. There is a yellow line then a drop down to the tracks. I watched a woman walking with a special needs child who must have been 8 years old. He ran at the end of his harness and leash right and left then right for the tracks. The only thing that stopped him from landing 3 feet down on the tracks was that leash and harness. My heart stopped as he was inches from the ledge.

In your case I suggest getting the harness and leash. There are a good amount of kids with those in the parks. I have never heard a discouraging word when I see people passing kids on a harness and leash. If anyone says something just ignore them. There are opinionated people who will comment on everything from clothing to child care.

Also as a scooter user it is a fear of mine that I am going to nail a kid. I have bruises from avoiding people. I watched one girl do a cutesy wootsey dance that blocked my path. Mother thought her daughter was so cute despite being 7 to 10 years old and blocking the pathway. A woman came barrelling around the corner heading for the bathroom. POW, the woman walked right into the girl and hit her hard. I got a long list of things I seen in parks that makes me an advocate of the harness and leash especially the cute backpacks.

[phoebec]

Originally Posted by mechurchlady

The disabled entrance for Big Thunder Railroad at DLR is along the unloading area. There is a yellow line then a drop down to the tracks. I watched a woman walking with a special needs child who must have been 8 years old. He ran at the end of his harness and leash right and left then right for the tracks. The only thing that stopped him from landing 3 feet down on the tracks was that leash and harness. My heart stopped as he was inches from the ledge.

In your case I suggest getting the harness and leash. There are a good amount of kids with those in the parks. I have never heard a discouraging word when I see people passing kids on a harness and leash. If anyone says something just ignore them. There are opinionated people who will comment on everything from clothing to child care.

Also as a scooter user it is a fear of mine that I am going to nail a kid. I have bruises from avoiding people. I watched one girl do a cutesy wootsey dance that blocked my path. Mother thought her daughter was so cute despite being 7 to 10 years old and blocking the pathway. A woman came barrelling around the corner heading for the bathroom. POW, the woman walked right into the girl and hit her hard. I got a long list of things I seen in parks that makes me an advocate of the harness and leash especially the cute backpacks.

Thanks!!!!! I'm glad to know it is a common thing

[Gin]

If a tether puts your mind at ease, go for it!

[2Peanuts]

I actually posted a question about "kiddie leashes" last year before our Jan. trip and got a wide array of answers. It got to the point that the board moderator had to cut off the thread because people were getting waaaay off topic.

So, for what it's worth, I ended up using the harness just 2 or 3 times with my DS3, who is not yet diagnosed with ASD but will likely be after his evaluation next month. What really helped me was to think of it as a tether to ensure he always stayed within 3 feet of me. I loved that it gave him the sense of independence that he so badly craves while keeping him safe.

As for stares, the only stare I got was from DH, who was not at all comfortable with the harness. As we walked thru the parks, I was happily surprised by how many people did use the harness with their kids --- you certainly will not stand out.

It helped me to re-think the "leash" as a harness/tether. Leashes are for pets; harness/tether is for my child's safety. It also helped me to not "walk" my son. Rather, I let him walk independently and just made sure he didn't get too far. When he did get too far from me, I did not use the tether to pull him closer; rather, I walked to him & gently guided him by the arm or shoulder to where he needed to be. It may look the same to an observer, but it certainly helped me feel more confident about my choice when I thought of the harness in this way.

Back home --- in the "real world" --- I have often wished I had the courage to pull the harness out and use it with DS as we do our errands about town. I know he is tired of sitting in the shopping carts. I know he would rather walk next to me, but he doesn't have the control to stay near me nor the responsiveness to answer to his name. And I know the harness is 1,000 times more comfortable than being pulled by the arm everywhere. But, I feel a lot more exposed here at home without the crowds of WDW and the hundreds of other families who have made the same choice I have.

Anyway...I would definitely support your decision to use the harness. And I would be surprised if you get any rude comments during your vacation.

Good luck & happy planning!
Carol

[Pretty Kitty]

When my boys were little, I used a velcro strap that went around the wrist. I would roll up the part I held to keep them close or let a little out and give them some freedom. I would still try to hold a hand but knew they could not get to far from me. We did have times(not at Disney though) when someone would get between us with it on . The meaness in me came out(especially if it was someone in a big hurry) at times and I would just unroll my part of the strap until it was all out. The person would then look and see my son and apologize to me while looking rather sheepish. In a large crowd it is hard to tell someone they need to watch for a strap, they don't hear you. You might want to just be prepared for this to happen.

[PamelaK]

I used a wrist tether for my daughter when she was little. I would get nasty comments from some people, but I didn't care. I knew that I had the tether on her to keep her safe and that was what mattered, not what other people thought. Once a woman tried to tell a police officer (we were at a Farmer's Market in downtown Madison) that I was committing some kind of child abuse by using the tether. He just looked at me and then looked back at the woman and said that he didn't see any child abuse, just a mom making sure her daughter was safe and within reach in a large crowd.

Now, my 4yo nephew wears a backpack tether when we go places with large crowds. He actually will tell us to put it on him so that we don't get lost. LOL

[Dlandmom2]

I think you should do what you feel most comfortable doing. If using the harness will put your mind at ease and give your child a little freedom, then do it.

One of my pet peeves as the mother of an autistic son is the looks that people give you when they don't understand your situation. Only you know what is best for your child, not them. My son is fairly high functioning, but still wanders off when he sees something interesting. Knowing my son, though, I never felt the need to use a harness with him. When we are away from home, he has learned that we always hold hands and that he needs to stay within site of me or his sister. That doesn't mean he doesn't run off, but I do know that I am comfortable keeping an eye on him and mostly holding his hand.

On the other hand, my daughter, who is not autistic, was a very curious child. I actually did use a harness with her a few times when we went to Disneyland because I knew she would take off in a instant, and I felt more comfortable knowing that in a huge crowd she couldn't run too far away from me. Sure enough, the only time I ever "lost" her was when we were at Disneyland without a harness. We were washing our hands in the bathroom, and after I wiped her hands, I rinsed off my hands and grabbed a paper towel to wipe. In those 5 seconds, she disappeared. I screamed her name at the top of my lungs and ran outside of the bathroom. Luckily, she wasn't far away. She didn't know why I was so frantic. She said she heard music and just wanted to see where it was coming from. She was gone for maybe 30 seconds, but those felt like an eternity to me because I had no idea where she had gone.

I hope sharing that experience with you helps. You'll know what's right for you and your child. There will be other parents/children using harnesses. Try and ignore any looks that you may or may not get from others. They don't know you or your situation, and they have no right to judge you in anyway. You go and have a great time with your family!

[JoanneS]

I "leashed" my DS when he was little because he was a runner. I would get looks, but I just ignored them. I would have gotten just as many if I were running through the mall after him, I'm sure. I just thought, the people giving me dirty looks obviously don't have children.

Do what is best for your child. That's what's most important.

[CinderAbby]

Even though I am the parent of an Autistic child, I am not a fan of the leashes/harnesses/tether - whatever you want to call it. Where I live, all 3 words are something you put on an animal. However, having said that, to answer your question, I have seen the leashes used at Disney World. You most certainly won't be alone if you go that route but even if you were it is your child and you have to protect her in a way you feel comfortable with. And for those who want to give you a look, just ignore them - you don't owe them any explanation and they're people you're most likely never going to see again so who cares what they think?

[DsnyDiva]

I used one year's ago for my son who was little our first visit to the Park's. I loved it as well as him for me knowing he was with me at at all time's and for him not having to be in a stroller all day. In a place with so many people and so many thing's that can grab a child's attention I personally see nothing wrong with them. I see them used through out Disney and it give's you a "piece of mind" and them some "freedom".. I NEVER had a comment made to me when using it or ever noticed any one looking like I was leashing my son! I say use it and who care's what other's think

[Teresa]

I first used a harness/leash set-up with my oldest child, 27 years ago. We were at the mall, she decided this was the perfect time to play hide and seek, and I spent a very scary 2 hours looking for her (this was before Code Adam, before they cared if your child was missing). When I found DD, I did three things immediately: Spanked her little bottom for running away, marched her little bottom over to Sears and bought a harness/leash, and put it on her.
My kids frequently wore harness/leashes from true harness ones they used to make that looked almost exactly like dog ones all to the wrist ones. I didn't care about looks or comments I got, some from my own family. MY children were safe. In the end, isn't that all that counts?

[Eeyore Tattoo]

Exactly Teresa!
Safety trumps everything. As others have said WDW is full of kids in harnesses..
I don't think you will have any remarks or looks..
Check out ebay, there are some cute ones there, Even Disney ..

[yalibrarian]

My son, who has autism, is now 23 and has gotten away from me in shopping malls, stores, restaurants, and Walt Disney World. I want to assure you that whatever you feel you need to do to have a safe and enjoyable trip is the right thing. Every child with ASD and every family situation is different. As the saying goes, when you meet one person with autism--you've met one person with autism.

Some people heartily disaprove of the harness thing, while others swear by them. I have used them in the past, but of course he's too big for that now! I do ID tag him because although he can speak, his converstational ability is quite limited. He tends to freeze up or even scream and run if confused--as he sometimes is if a stranger asks him a question, like his name. Who's Shoes ID tags go on a child's shoes so that the child can be identified if lost and non-verbal. If your child will wear one, you can also use one of those little rubber bracelets and a permanent marker to write you family name and cell number, or write it inside their shoes. Don't put their first name on hats, clothes, etc. because kids with special needs often learn to go with adults willingly if the adult knows their name, and this may not be what you want them to do. If your child has the ability to understand directions, teach them to go to a CM (show them the name tags) if lost.

My experience with WDW security was very positive, but still, no one wants to have to have them searching for your child. There are many options out there for parents who want some way to keep track of a walking child in a crowd. Harnesses are one way; some use wrist straps; there are also electronic beeper devices. Here are a couple of places to get started: whos shoes id,whose shoes,shoe id tag,child id,personal child id,emergency id,disney,vacation,hurricane preparedness - Who\'s Shoes ID

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