Parents of toddler use 'child-leash' to avoid dislocating arm

Dad then took to Facebook to defend parenting practice

Parents of a three-year-old are using a child-leash for their daughter in crowded public spaced.

Clint Edwards, 34, the father of the child runs a parents blog called No Idea What I’m Doing. He grew up without a father, and so had no guidelines or help on how to act like a father. He put up the blog to show the parenting community online how he figured out steps as he goes.

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Recently he took to Facebook to defend a personal parenting practice that was attaining negative feedback in public and online. The child-leash which they use for their toddler Aspen, the “wild child” is attached to her backpack with a tether to keep her mobile yet in the reach of her parents.

The curious little girl often runs behind whatever catches her eye, and for Edwards, this was the only viable solution. Aspen is prone to Nursemaid’s Elbow; when a toddler’s elbow can be easily dislocated by jolting.

Edwards does not want to hold her arm because a yank might lead to her joints dislocating. The family had to learn it the hard way because it has happened twice before. The couple first used the leash with Aspen last February when the family was on vacation at Disney World. Edwards was compelled to post the explanation for his decision on Facebook after receiving snide remarks and judgmental looks from other parents.

On his Facebook post, he assures all onlookers that this is the safest solution, “I’m keeping this kid safe while maintaining my peace of mind, and that is 100% worth it.”

However, they plan on using the leash only for another six months or so. While this is a period of verbal development for Aspen, they’re hoping that with a little bit of time she’ll grow out of her unpredictable ways and respond better to verbal instructions.



“If you see somebody using something like that, it’s for a good reason,” Edwards said. “Don’t make assumptions. I’m their parent; I know this child well enough to know that I need this. So trust us.”

This article originally appeared in Shareably.