almost tragic

[Liahona]

A few days ago we almost lost difficult child 2. On the way home from picking up difficult child 1 from school he ran in front of a white mini van. Thank goodness she was going under the speed limit and was able to stop.

The next day he was in the store with me and took off. He was several aisles before I caught up with him.

He is getting bigger and it isn't always practical to have him in a stroller or shopping cart. I think this is a behavior EI and I are going to work on. The EI worker was talking about walking the route to school with us and using postive reinforcement.

 

[DammitJanet]

He is 2 and can easily get away. I would advise a harness. I know some folks think they are mean but you just experienced every parents nightmare. I used to clip a two headed dog leash to the back of my boys jeans because they couldnt unclip it from behind them. Now they make harnesses especially for kids this age.

 

[tiredmommy]

I agree with Janet. A harness will be helpful. Be prepared to endure stares and comments, though. We used one briefly with Duckie over one summer when we went to festivals, etc. It was either use the harness or not go.

 

[Liahona]

Thats I good idea. I'm going to get one. We can still work on the behavior with a leash.

 

[SRL]

difficult child would escape at the blink of an eye and for awhile there I rarely took him anywhere that wasn't enclosed and where he'd be highly visible, such as the zoo. If trips out are necessary and safety is in question, by all means go for the harness. A therapy dog could do the same thing but it would set you back about $20,000.

Whenever grandmas were around they wanted to give us a break and watch him but we developed a code "Watch grandma watch difficult child" ;-)

 

[DammitJanet]

The new harnesses look almost like backpacks and I think people are much more understanding now about keeping kids safe. You have the added problem of him being Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) so I would go for safety over worrying what strangers think any day of the week.

 

[kris]

i can't say this strongly enough....HARNESS. i always used one when my kids started walking. didn't give a rat's behind about look/comments from straners. we harness our pets so they are protected. why wouln't we do the same for our precious children?

kris

 

[TexasTornado]

I agree with everyone-
Weve used the harness when difficult child was little-OH......it was soooooo much nicer than breaking out in panic everytime we went somewhere-as he would BOLT!His favorites were hiding under the clothes racks at Wal Mart! UGH!!!!!can you say heart attack!!!
Get the harness girl !!!
Luvs,
Kathy

 

[Just keep swimming]

Another one who strongly agrees with a harness! When I had 2 foster "babies", both 2 yo, I had twin harness and it is a vest in cool colors with the "leash" attached to their backs, as opposed to the old ones which attached to the child's wrist. I just had to do it, two 2 yos running in 2 different directions, can you say NIGHTMARE????

I have NO problem with others using any method they can think of to keep their kidlets safe. If anyone says anything, either ignore them, or say "they want to play doggie today" or "this is no dang business of YOURS!" :rofl:

Hugs of support,
Vickie

 

[Stella Johnson]

I agree with the harness. Before I had a child I thought they were the most horrible thing ever. Now, I completely understand. :hammer:

steph

 

[On_Call]

I agree with the harnesses, too. We used one the summer difficult child was 3 - he was darting everywhere all the time. We did have extremely forward people verbally give us their opinions constantly, but I found ways to silence them politely. Can't really remember what I said, but I said it with a smile on my face and kept on walking.

Funny story, though - you know how a puppy will sometimes lay down when first placed on a leash? Just lay down and refuse to get up and walk? Well, first time we put the harness on difficult child at a large parade, he did the same thing. Just laid down on the grass and refused to get up. I don't remember anyone having any comments that particular day, although I am sure there were many bystanders biting the heck out of their tongues.

I have also seen the ones that look like bear backpacks, etc., so they've come a long way over the years. The peace of mind they bring is well worth the negative comments that 'well-meaning' citizens blurt out.