Using a leash with a toddler is a controversial issue about which many parents have strong opinions. We asked two moms and an expert to share their thoughts on this topic.

"I think leashes are excellent for the safety they provide those toddlers who have the tendency to run," says Karen Black, a mom from Rochester, N.Y.

For Black, the impetus to purchase a leash occurred after two incidents. The first one occurred in a mall; she lost her son four times because he pulled his hand from hers and ran full force. The second time he managed to get past a play area attendant, and her 71-year-old mother couldn't catch him until 75 yards past the play area.

"When I got the leash, he loved wearing it, and still does," Black says. "Sometimes he asks to wear it around the house. He's happy he's out of the stroller, and I'm stress-free. It was the best $4 I ever spent."

Black acknowledges that every child is different, but somewhere between age 2 and 3, they don't listen well, she says. Until they mature and begin to process and reason better, "it's important to do whatever it takes to keep one's child safe in today's crazy society," Black says.

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