What to Know
Once my son was steady on his feet, he would sprint away as fast as his little feet could take him. I didn’t want to chase him everywhere, but I also didn’t want to confine him to his stroller. So I decided to get him a child safety tether, aka a leash for kids. My parents had used one on me when I was little, and I loved that it gave him independence and saved me from panicking about where he was in a crowd. Despite the obvious benefits, using one is still controversial. But influencer mom Francesca Farago is telling people to just embrace child leashes.
For her, the leashes bring peace of mind.
@francescafarago don’t let the people who don’t have toddlers judge you & scare you from keeping your kids safe😋
♬ som original – anix nerd1
Farago shared a brief video of her and her family, which includes her twin toddlers, spending an afternoon together at the zoo.
In the video, the toddlers can be seen running around, with an adult safely holding onto their leashes the whole time. The leashes are attached to cute little backpacks; one looks like a butterfly, while the other looks like a dinosaur.
“This is your sign, get those leashes,” she wrote on the video. “Don’t let the people who don’t have toddlers judge you & scare you from keeping your kids safe😋,” she said.
There was an overwhelming amount of praise and solidarity in the comments.
@francescafarago Hi I’d like to order 72h of sleep & a clean house pls 😴
♬ A Little Longer – Louis Island
For a topic that is so controversial, most of the comments were telling Francesca Farago she made the right choice.
“I used to think this was so bizarre when I was younger. I’m almost 30 now, I totally get it lmao,” one person wrote.
“love this! gives them independence to walk around , lead the way, but still be safe! i don’t know why people are against this,” another comment read.
“I never wanted to be a leash parent and then I had my son and realized the type of child I have. He loves being on the leash and being able to have his own independence without me having to worry about him running off,” someone else wrote.
“Yess this is exactly what I need to see! The convos I’ve had about them and the ‘you do you but…’ is so annoying and judgmental,” someone else shared.
Of course, the naysayers had to chime in too, but there weren’t a lot of them.
@francescafarago Remember, the ones that are the loudest about you are the most envious!!
♬ Love Letter – MULAAJOANS
“They aren’t animals,” one person wrote. “Let them run around but also teach them boundaries and the word no and also the reasoning behind why you said no.”
“Um yeah no thank you,” someone else wrote.
“You can also teach ‘hold my hand’ even if it’s a work in progress, strollers in high risk areas. Letting them walk freely in safe spaces so they still build independence,” someone tried to suggest.
So many former leash kids were praising Francesca Farago for her choice.
“Me and my twin had leashes when we were infants because we’d run off in separate directions, so I get it,” one person shared.
“I was a leash kid. My husband made fun of me when he found out. Now my 3 kids are leash kids 😂,” another person said.
“I had one too as a kid especially for hikes because my mom was scared I might run and fall down the mountain😅”
“As a former leash kid, i will also be buying a leash 🙂↕️my thing was going up to everyone and their mom to say hi. bonus points; my mom never lost me 🤠”
