[blparent] child leashes

[Colleen Kozubowski]

Hi Everyone,

This is Colleen - blind mom of Claire, who will be two at the end of this month.

We've had a couple of unseasonably warm days here in Chicago, which means Claire and I have been playing outdoors for the first time since last fall.  And I can already see what a challenge it's going to be keeping track of her this spring and summer.  She's extremely active, and like any two-year-old just wants to run around and explore.  Naturally I'm concerned about her safety.

So for those of you who are in the midst of or have survived the toddler years...do you have any tips for keeping the reigns on this child?  We've done squeaky shoes, and will continue to use them, but now that she can take off on me in a second I'm not sure those will be enough.  Has anyone used those child leashes?  I know some people think they're demeaning to kids but it seems to me they might make sense in the blind parent situation.  

I'm open to any and all suggestions.  We have tons of kids on our block and the routine is that they all play out in front of the houses.  So I don't have the comfort of a backyard fence to help me out here.  And of course I can ask other parents on my street to help keep track of Claire, but I'd love to be a bit more independent than that if possible.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

Colleen