by Lucinda Gunnin

Created on: July 09, 2009   Last Updated: July 13, 2009

Until I lost my daughter in a department store, I abhorred the idea of a toddler leash. Now, I know these items are to protect the child and the parent's sanity.

When my daughter was two, she and I were shopping at a department store, looking through a rack of shirts. I had been holding her all morning and as children that age do, she wanted down. She knew the rule that she had hold Mommy's hand and she did, for about two minutes. Then, seeing something that attracted her attention, she pulled away, ducked under the rack of clothes and kept going.

Many people say "I only turned away for a minute and she disappeared", but the truth is that I didn't turn away. I saw her duck under the rack and made a grab for her. She was quicker than I was and when I straightened up to look for her on the other side of the rack, other shoppers blocked my view.

I was more upset than worried, at least in the first minute, so I called to her and told her to come back to me. Then, I started around the rack, asking people and then telling people to get out of my way.

In less than three minutes I located her, three racks away playing in the hems of the ladies dresses. A stern scolding followed by lots of hugs and promises that I wouldn't let her out of my sight again made me rethink my opinion about toddler leashes.

The simple truth is that we live in a relatively small area. In a larger city, my child could have been scooped up and gone before I could locate her.

At first, I imagined a toddler leash was a sign of a lazy parent, not willing to hold their child's hand. Instead, I saw that they are an acknowledgement of reality. Even the most well-behaved child will on occasion want to see the world around them and explore. We generally encourage this in children because it is how they learn. But as parents we are charged with teaching and protecting, a sometimes difficult task.

The simple truth is that a toddler leash will never replace a vigilant parent as a means to protect our children, but it can help a vigilant parent to assure than a moment of weakness or exhaustion doesn't result in a lifetime of heartache. Using a toddler leash to help keep track of your child especially when they are in unfamiliar or crowded locations can give parents a little help in doing both their jobs: protecting and educating.

Using a toddler leash is a great way to supplement the attentiveness of a good parent.

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