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    G’s new buddy

    We got G a harness buddy. This is where all of you go “YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR CHILD ON A LEASH?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?” Yeah, yeah, blah, blah… whatever. Here’s the deal: G has but one speed when we’re out and about: and that’s full run. Although his legs are about a foot long, they manage to take him places pretty quickly… sometimes quicker than I would like or can catch up with. Also, because he’s shorter than I, he can sneak in between objects that I wouldn’t even dream of. It made keeping up with him at the Academy of Sciences… how should I put it… interesting. So… I would much rather take dirty stares from parents (and non-parents alike) than to loose my kid, or have him get injured.

    Through the help of my kick-ass mom community I was able to find what I was looking for. Interestingly enough the terms “Monkey backpack” or “Baby leash” weren’t quite getting me what I was searching for on Amazon, although I am certain that there’s a red flag on my Amazon profile now, logged w/ Child Protective Services, after that last query. Not only did Amazon have the harness buddies (Amazon carries everything, why am I even surprised?), they had all different kinds. So S and I opted for a lion because 1) Hey, it’s 1/2 of a griffin; 2) looks super cute; 3) not as popular as the monkey.

    Well it arrived yesterday. Excited about it, S and I got it out of the box and onto the kid. And guess what? G HATED it! He whined until we took it off (but a minute later).

    Not wanting to give up on this thing, I tried again today. I figured — getting him used to it at home sounds like a good idea, vs. having him throw a fit when we’re out and about and need it. Still no love for the Lion. So I wore it. Yeah you heard me right. It was ridiculously tight and I felt like I was being strangled by an elf, but I wore the thing for a good 30 minutes. The whole time I was bouncing around pretending I was having a great time, smiling and showing it off to G.  Seeing me wear it made him come around to it. When I took it off I gave the backpack a hug and handed it to G. Then we put it on him. This time, NO WHINING! Score!!! We didn’t do both buckles, just the top one, but hey it’s a huge move forward.

    We’ll try again tomorrow, but I like that he’s getting acclimated to it.

    I also liked that my “model behavior” technique worked. Obviously it won’t for everything and I have no intent to try sitting on the baby potty some day when we’re ready to start training (unless I want a Bjorn potty permanently adhered to my rear end), but I’m glad it worked for this situation.

    5 responses to “G’s new buddy”

    1. Rebecca says:

      I can just picture you running around the house with that thing on pretending to be thrilled… lol.

      I’ve sat on baby potties (fully clothed mind you) trying to entice the kids to sit on it, it works for that, but sure makes me feel silly.

    2. bolt says:

      You guys are my heroes. I’ve been telling people for years how good of an idea this is. It’s about time someone is putting it to use. Brillant

    3. I always think parents should put a leash on their child when they are younger than 5. I have seen so many moms and dads chasing after their little one in like parking lots and stuff… it’s so dangerous and it scares me (especially when I am behind the wheel). But G’s new buddy looks soooooo cute!

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