2 year old likes to run from us and hates stroller...Help!!!

[NewtonLi]

This is my first posting on this board! I am so thrilled I found this site. We are taking our first trip to WDW end of July and I have a few questions about saftey for little ones. The ages of our children are 10, 8, and 2. The two yo is a very active little boy and thinks its "funny" to run away from mom and dad. I am very concerned with losing him at WDW. He had never liked the stroller and throws a fit when he is made to sit in it. I purchased a new umbrella stroller with a canopy and a fannie pack with a "leash" that the parent attaches to their wrist. I am not a big believer in this but, I dont want to lose my child either. I would love to hear what you all do with toddlers to keep them safe. Thanks for all your help!


Linda

 

[andkat]

I would go ahead and use the harness. I have been to both WDW and Disneyland and saw numerous people using them. I will certainly use when my daughter gets old enough it is much better than losing a child.

 

[2boys'mom]

We went to WDW in April with 2 and 5yo ds's. The little one is very active. It is important to always have a hand on him directly, or in stroller. I have carried him much more than I needed to to keep him. I used a double stroller for both of them. The WDW strollers are a little different and easy for them to get in and out of. I used one like this recently at our zoo and both of my kids liked it. Maybe someone can find a picture for you. I wouldn't hesitate to use a harness or leash. Also, there was a post a few days ago about losing a child at WDW. It had a lot of suggestions for tagging a child with ID. Also there is a company who rents cell phone like radios that also has a child alarm for rent. There is info on wdwig.com. Making sure you have an ID picture of the child in case you lose him. Making sure he has info on him like his name, contact phone #'s, cell phone #'s and pagers are suggestions. He may be a bit small to coach about Finding a CM if in trouble. Good luck! Best thing is to keep a hand on him.

 

[phins_jazy]

I'm a parent of a very active 2.5 yr old. She walks Nowhere and RUNS EVERYWHERE!!!! With that being said I have to add that even if you have a firm handhold on your DS if he gets excited he will just pull away and be gone!! My DD did this about a month ago. We were at a musical, DD had SIL's hand (very tightly), she got excited and pulled out of SIL's hand and since there were so many people there it was hard to find her and very tramatic I might add!!!! That very night DH and I went to wal-mart and purchased a harness for her. One that goes over her shoulders and around her belly. I think she may pull out of one that goes around her wrist. I may get dirty looks from people when we go out now but I don't care. I'd rather get dirty looks than lose my child. You never know what will happen and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[tyandbash]

When we were there during Easter Vacation, my children were 2 and 4. VERY active as well. We found that the rental strollers were great because as someone mentioned they are easy for the kids to get in and out of. We also used the fanny-pack "leash" as well. I didn't really care either, what others thought, I didn't want to risk loosing a child. My ds, (4) actually liked it. My dd (2) wore it, but only because she would rather walk with it, than be held by us, or sit in the stoller, which were her only options. We found that the "leashes" worked very well in crowded lines, when my children would try to run off in search of something they saw, and it would not have been easy to get around the people in lines to get them. Not to mention losing our place in line!!

 

[NewtonLi]

Thanks for the support!! I feel like you cannot ever be too safe! I ordered the leash from one step ahead and should be receiving it any day, I hope my little guy cant figure out how to get out of it . I do have one question though. Where should you put your childs info? Pocket? I know I am a bit paranoid buy my son really thinks it is a game to run away from us, I guess he thinks it is funny to see his mom and dad huffing and puffing and yelling his name... I guess I could see the humore in that too..heehee I feel alot more comfortable about the leash now and am glad to know others have done the same. Thanks again, Linda

 

[SandraC]

...get good running shoes and grow eyes in the back of your head...GOOD LUCK! We deal with the same thing!

 

[honeymom]

We were just there with an active 2 1/2 year old although pretty well behaved. As mentioned by other posters, he kind of liked the stroller cause it was so easy to get in and out of. I think there are stroller pics on www.wdwig.com by the way. And, when he didn't want to ride in it, he did want to help push it which helped keep him nearby.

That being said, if you are more comfortable with a harness go ahead and use it. It is better than losing your child and there were a lot of people using them at Disney. Somehow they didn't look as harsh at Disney where it was so crowded and you could understand a parent's concern with losing their child as they might look in other places. Why wreck your vacation looking for a lost child.

By the way, I did lose my son one time in the Boneyard at Animal Kingdom. Another child got hurt and was bleeding. While someone else ran for help and his parents, I pulled out my first aid kit for gauze to help stop the bleeding. In the no more than 30 seconds that I hadn't looked at my son he disappeared. I kept my cool and looked for an employee who wasn't involved in the emergency and they helped me find him. I think that you should just try to remember what your son is wearing and go immediately to a park employee for help if he gets lost. They have excellent training in how to handle lost children at Disney because it happens all the time.

 

[Mamatipo]

I have a 22 month old runner and got back from WDW last month. I bought and used the fanny pack harness. Worked great. He didn't wear it all the time, only when it was crowded when we were walking from place to place. It's also good when you want to wait for a parade. He could run around us easily without running away. I also tried to make him feel special that he had a fanny pack just like Mommy.

By the way, I only got positive comments from people regarding his fanny pack.

 

[kecall]

The only people that are going to give you "dirty" looks are those that have never had children or had their children soo long ago that they've forgotten......Safety first!!!! Put a strap on that baby and hold on!!! (Also, you might want to dress your child in very bright, distinct clothing so you son will stand out to you immediately if he bolts away! -- One other thing...your son is getting old enough to start reasoning with him...Explain how big this place is and that Mickey Mouse does not want him to get lost from his Mommy and Daddy. Let him know that if he will not stay with you, he will not be able to ____ (insert something important to him here...like going on a certain ride, seeing Mickey at dinner, etc. or that you will have to leave! (Maybe that will help him to see how important it is that he stay close to you!)

 

[susy]

My friend's 2 yo was lost for 45 minutes in MK because she didn't want to be in a stroller. I say"you either get in the stroller or we're going home".. No negotiating on this one!

 

[samoyed]

I too went with a two year old last year. Buy the harness that goes around the childs chest. the wrist one can be taken off to easily. Don't be imbarresed about the harness, first of all once you use one you will notice how many other people are actually using them too. and second I would rather be seen with a harness then with Park secuirty in a frankic state because my child ran away. Tip... I put my daughters harness on in the room. She knew by the second day that we would not leave the room unless she had it on. The second day she actually picked it up and brought it to me so we could leave the room and go to the park..

Enjoy the trip, I too have a very active toddler and the harness gave me pease of mind that I could enjoy my trip.

 

[NewtonLi]

I am soooo glad I found this site!!! I think I will also purchase a harness that goes over the shoulders too. Can these be purchased at Wal Mart, ToysRUs ect...?? I am hoping and praying this works. We have been trying to explain the danger in running away like this and he just agrees and then does it again. Thanks again for all your ideas, I feel much better about using the "leash". Linda

 

[2boys'mom]

The mom with the 5yo put it in a ziploc bag in the fanny pack.

 

[idontknow]

Ok, no flames, but here is my suggestion: (other than a leash, I loved my DS's when it was needed)

Take your child to a store with someone else. Have the other person say they are going to look at something in another area. Have that person watch you and your child from a distance. (this is their sole "job" during the outing) You and your child walk around for however long it takes for your child to take off. You leave the area and try to sneak around to watch your child out of their site. Meanwhile, the other person has their eyes on your child the entire time! No if, ands, or buts. (remember, this is their "job" of this outing) At some point your child will realize that they are lost. Let them fret for a bit. (not too long, you don't want to completely scar them for life) When you feel that that they have worried enough, step around so they can see you and tell them that is what happens when the run off. Then go thru the whole "what if a stranger would have taken you" routine. Then have the other person come back.

I know this sounds mean, but what if a stranger would grab them when they take off? I've seen reports on 20/20 and other shows about the above. This is what I did with our DS when he was young. I would go to the mall with a friend and she would take it upon herself to "watch" him and discipline him when he would do something she didn't like. (we're no longer friends) I knew better than to chase him. It was a game. I would just turn and walk the other way and he would realize that I was not going to play and come back to me. She would chase him thru the entire mall. I got scared one time because she did this. He got so far away that I could not see him anymore, and there is my "friend" chasing him and yelling very nasty things to him. I was running after them yelling at her to stop it and leave him alone. She wouldn't listen. (I ended up taking a shortcut thru a store and luckily came out infront of DS in the hall) I was livid to say the least. The next time he pulled this "game", I did just what I said above. He has never run away after he thought he was "lost".

 

[NewtonLi]

We have done the above when we are out at a store and he walks away. My dh watches him and then intervenes when he becomes nervous. What we have observed is he investigates his surroundings and then in a soft voice calls for mommy and then continues to look and touch things then calls for mommy again. He never gets really worried or scared! I do think if we let it go longer than a few minutes he would get frightened. We always explain to him that it is not good to get lost from mom and dad. I think the sensory overload of WDW might keep him in tow. BTW I bought a around the shoulder and waist harness at walmart yesterday for $6 and it seems to work ok, he does try to get out of it though. Thanks again to everyone for all the great advice...

 

[katamarana]

Ok, I have read all the posts. And now I have a question? At what age is too old for the harness? We are taking a 4,6 and 7 year olds. Fortunately we have 4 adults to 3 kids, so at least we outnumber them. The 4 yr. old definetly get the harness, absolutely uncontrollable and runs off constantly. The 7 yr. old will stick with us. But it' s my 6 year old girl that I question. She is off in left field and will wander off just to chase a butterfly. No kidding, every tiny little thing interests this child. We are constantly panicking when she wanders off. She is just oblivious that anything can actually happen to her. And she is so quiet, that you can't actually pick the moment she leaves. At least with the 4 year old boy (he is so loud) the second it gets quiet you know to look up.

 

[NewtonLi]

My 8 yo DD was very much like your daughter. She wandered off one time a few years ago and was scared to death! That experience pretty much cured her thank God. Is your daughter scared when she wanders off? I guess if my daughter was still doing this I would explain the danger of getting lost in a large crowd and I would also teach her to ask a WDW employee for help if she were to get lost. If that doesnt work try bribery, works will with my kids...heehee

 

[katamarana]

She usually doesn't get scared. She is too involved in whatever she is doing that she is oblivious to her surroundings and that anyone could hurt her. I am beyond nervous breakdown before she even notices that I am nowhere around.

 

[dthomas]

My Son just turned two. He will not sit in a stroller at all. Has anyone had any luck using backpack carriers? I have been trying to research them - does anyone have any special brand they recommend?