This has been more my thoughts. It might keep her close in an open area but just be a mess if it’s as crowded as Magic Kingdom was last year. She’s not a runner, just more of a wonderer at times.
I have a toddler Tula I’m taking but had forgot about that.
That’s cute!!! I’m assuming the strap comes off and she can just wear it as a backpack? That would be cool for her!!! As she likes to be a big girl like mommy.
When kids are very young, the leashes work well. We used them for our kids for places like the zoo or amusement parks, especially when our first two were so young. They were born 14 months apart, so one would be in the stroller, but the older one was still too young for too much freedom in crowds. The leash thing worked great.
I think you would only need to worry about what it says about you as a parent if you are still doing it when they are 5! 
We got one that was actually a waist pack. The actual leash could be attached or removed and placed inside the waist pack. So we only really used it a small percentage of the time. It is a phase of life thing. Is it absolutely necessary? No. But it does give a peace of mind in a very hectic location.
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Totally agree with OBNurse about doing what is best for you and your family. I was worried about my 7 year old, not running off but getting lost in the crowd. The only thing I’d worried about is the leash getting in the way of other people when it’s so crowded. I’d hate for someone to trip on it. If my daughter was younger I’d keep her in the stroller. Love the mickey one, I bet you’d even get compliments on it! Oh and I bought tattoos off Etsy that were Mickey or Minnie and said if lost call…you can also just wrote in on arm in sharpie. My kids hated it, but I put it on them anyway.
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I hope folks wouldn’t think you were a bad mom, and if they did, then who cares? I’m lucky in that DS was never a runner and he never moved that fast. But my best friend does have a runner…and he scares the crap out of me when we are out in public! One second he’s there, the next he’s not. Scariest one was in an apple orchard. We were picking apples with the 3 kids and he was gone. Do what you need to do to keep them safe and to not worry yourself sick the entire time.
People make judgments - you need to do what is right for yourself and your family.
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I agree, you gotta do what you think works for you. If I had a runner, I’d certainly think about some sort of leash or connection.
Throwing this out there as a backup idea you might want to keep in mind: If you use something like a Trackr (lost items finder), I believe you can enable a separation alarm.
If you could put the Trackr in a little fanny pack on your child, you can get an alert on your smartphone when they get too far away.
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I have this one. I let my son put a few small toys and a snack inside it and he calls it his backpack. He can keep it on when he’s in the stroller and then if he wants to get out he already has it on. He knows when it’s on he can’t runaway and he’s actually really well behaved.
I get a lot of people who ask where I got it and typically laugh when asking. Heck I laugh at my son when he has it on.
Do what you need to do. Don’t worry about other people and laugh at yourself before they laugh at you and it’s all good.
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This reminded me. I actually found, back in the day when we used it, we heard more comments praising the use of it rather than mocking it. Several people would comment about how they wish they’d had that for their toddler when they were young, etc. You will always find the mockers, but I didn’t find they outnumbered those who actually thought it was a good idea (at least, vocally).
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My son is 26 years old but I do not think I will ever forget the day when at age 5 he just ran into a busy 4 lane street with cars driving over 40 miles per hour. I caught him- I still do not know how- but I really wish I had one of those backpacks.
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I also have a 2.5 year old boy and although I wouldn’t classify him as a runner, he definitely is social and likes to run! He also loves to hug random people! I have never used or really considered a leash just because I can’t envision it really working as intended. If he really did “make a run for it,” he would either pull the leash right out of my hands or I would yank him and pull him back. I’d be more worried about a head injury at that point.
My biggest worry is that he will run into the street but I am not sure that he could get too hurt running wild around Fantasyland. I am 1000% not worried about him getting snatched and I would think if you got separated the hundreds of other mothers around you would move heaven and earth to get your toddler back to you.
That being said, toddler Tulas are amazing. My son loves his and it was invaluable to us in Europe (especially the airport!) this winter. 2.5 is also just about old enough to work on consequences. You don’t want to hold Mommy’s hand and stay with us, then you need to get in the stroller. Hopefully the crowds will also intimidate her a little bit.
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I would think that if you dropped it out of your hand, at least you would know that they are no longer with you. Last year, there was a month frantically running around Fantasyland screaming for her child after she went to meet up with her husband and each thought they were with the other parent. CMs jumped into action, but I can tell you my heart stopped for that poor family. I agree - my concern wouldn’t be around someone snatching them. It would totally be that they were there one second and gone the next, especially if you have a known flight risk!
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Put her in a white outfit with black spots on it and throw on your best Cruella weave, girl! Werk that leash!
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I am all for the use of the leash.
In fact I am convinced it is the only reason my brother made it past age 3. Of you feel you need it, DONT QUESTION it…just do it.
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I have two kids that are currently 16yo and 12yo. On our first trip w/ the now 16yo, she was 18mo and I was concerned so I picked up an Elmo themed harness/leash and packed it just in case. We never needed it. Dd stayed in her stroller or with us the entire trip and we didn’t worry about her at all.
4 years later we took ds on his first trip to WDW. He turned 2yo during our trip. Ds had already proved to be be a bolter and I knew before we left that he would definitely need something. We picked up one of the previously mentioned animal harnessed backpacks (also a monkey…at the time they had dogs, bears, and unicorns available) and it was a GODSEND during the trip. Ds was happy as a clam wearing his monkey backpack and wore it in or out of the stroller. He would often ask to get out of the stroller and would happily walk w/ us holding onto the monkey’s “tail.” And since he is still with us at 12yo…it apparently worked! 
I would like to point out that you cannot use the stroller in lines so the monkey backpack was crucial during these times.
Also, we took a structured carrier (similar to an Ergo) that was well used for naps. Ds would only nap fitfully in the stroller and was constantly distracted (even w/ a blanket over the canopy, etc). He would go out like a light once we popped him in the carrier facing into our chest…and sleep for hours!
Every kid is different and will need different things to keep them safe. You do what you need to do and don’t worry what others think.
…Ds is wearing his backpack in all the pictures from his first trip…and in every one he looks like he is wearing lederhosen because of the harness part of the backpack. It still makes me giggle.
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Looks like it does:
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That’s is an amazing idea!!! I needed that laugh!!!
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I was one of those leash kids. It was necessary because I insisted on trying to hide from my mother out in public (thinking it was funny to see her looking for me). I was often hiding in the middle of clothing racks in department stores, wherever.
If it makes you feel better, or if your child is a hider or bolter, do what you need to do. You can’t replace your kid, and they’re too young to be traumatized by the experience, even if they remember it. (I remember being harnessed/leashed, but I just didn’t like it back then only because I couldn’t get away)
I come from a large family with several siblings, and my mom would make us wear the loudest matching swimsuits in water parks, until we protested as we got older. Back before cell phones with cameras, she also took physical Polaroids of us in our outfits for the parks in case one of us got lost - she would then have a recent picture of us wearing that exact outfit.
Bottom line, do what you have to do!
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This would be brilliant at MNSSHP! And hysterical any time of year! I would be high fiving any parent that did this.
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Ya know what. Before I became a parent I thought there were horrible and demeaning and were only for irresponsible parents who were being lazy in watching their kids.
Now? You do you and do what you need to do to protect your kids. You know them best. Who cares what anyone else thinks? I’d rather see a parent use a leash or something versus the ones that let their kids wander around while they have their face shoved in a cellphone.
We have never used a leash, when we go we use the stroller as a containment. They get out of the stroller when we are in line and they are being held, hand held, on shoulders or what not. But again, do you!
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