A lot of people tell me that my baby harness is barbaric.

They say that keeping your infants on a

baby leash is little more than treating your infant like a dog. I could not agree less. What is really
barbaric and irresponsible is when the parents let their babies run around without keeping track of
them at all! Why, without baby leashes, how can even stop them from running off? It seems that an
unleashed baby could run anywhere and everywhere, and we all know how fast toddlers can get
away. I think it is simply rude, not to mention irresponsible and bad parenting. If you do not have
your baby on a baby leash, what is to stop it from running up and grabbing hold of someone else's
trousers or skirt, drooling all over the place, or taking another young child's toys? No, for me the
only way to take your baby out in public is on baby leash!

Of course, the very name the baby leash is a misnomer. It makes people think of a choke collar like
you would have on a dog or something. Nothing could be further from the truth if you ask me!
Really, what people call baby leash is more like a toddler harness. It fits under the arms and around
the chest in a way that is not uncomfortable for the baby. Why before I had my baby on a baby
leash, he would run all over the place and end up in much more discomfort than the leash puts him
in. Why, I would have just sat down for a conversation with one of my dear friends from the ladies
Bridge club, when I would hear a yelling and a screaming to beat all. I swear I would only look away
for five or 10 minutes, and find my baby had wandered into a patch of stinging nettles. Can you
imagine the horror of having such a badly behaved child? Without the baby leash, it is as if my child
has no self control at all. Talk about behaving like a baby!

Of course, I consider the baby leash not to be so much a punishment for the child, as a way to ensure
he behaves in the future. Privileges, one must remember, must be earned and not given freely away,
or else a kid or teenager will learn to take them for granted. Although many people think that this
system of raising a child should not start before the age of five, I think it is never too early to teach a
kid discipline.

BABY toys

Baby toys

Nowadays, everyone wants their children to be the smartest in the neighborhood. They spend all
kinds of money on high tech gadgets made by companies that claim they can make your child
incredibly intelligent. Sure, that sounds like a great idea. On the other hand, you have parents
complaining because their kids are growing up too fast. The world is confusing – do we want our kids
to enjoy their childhoods or be more intelligent at an earlier age?

Even baby toys are being geared towards mind stimulation. There are baby toys that have bright
colors for mind stimulation. There are baby toys that speak different languages. Shouldn’t our kids
learn their own primary language before having toys that speak multiple languages? Whatever
happened to baby toys that allow babies to be babies? Some of the best toys for our babies are the
ones that rattle and roll – allowing them to giggle and learn about how to make sounds and things
move.
When my daughter was little, I was more focused on making sure that my daughter enjoyed being a
child. Her baby toys were cute, cuddly, colorful and noisy. I wasn’t showing her flashcards at the age
of six months old and teaching her how to add and subtract. I was rolling around on the floor with
her, teaching her about animals and colors. Her baby toys allowed her to be a baby.

One of the best things that I ever purchased for her wasn’t a baby toy, but a video. She loved the
Baby Einstein videos. The music and colors kept her captivated for the entire length of the video.
While I cannot say for certain that her brain was being stimulated and she was learning things, I can
say that it certainly wasn’t harmful to her.

You really can’t go wrong with purchasing baby toys. Perhaps the toys require your infant to be lying
on their stomach for some ‘tummy time’ and strengthening their muscles, which is something that all
babies need. Or, perhaps you’re more focused on having your child learn colors and sounds. No
matter what toy your infant or toddler is using on a daily basis, their minds are being stimulated. In
my opinion, we don’t need to be focusing on creating baby geniuses. We need to be focusing on
raising healthy, happy and intelligent children. There isn’t a need to be pushing for anything more
than that.