Hellobee Boards

I voted yes, but the truth is a little more complicated.

DD is a runner and has been for as long as she could walk. We bought her a Skip Hop harness backpack right around 13 months, after one too many run-across-the-parking-lot incidents. She loved, and still loves, the backpack, but we had very little luck with the leash. She quickly learned that if she ran away from me while I was holding the leash, she would go flying or faceplant. It turns out she loves that sensation and finds it hilarous, so she did it on purpose all of the time. That meant we quickly abandoned the leash part of it. But, the backpack has a top handle on it, which I found helpful for grabbing before she could slip away unnoticed. It's also great for carrying a small snack, an extra pair of shoes, or a lovey. And it makes her more visible, since it's bright yellow. I'd say it was money well spent, even if we didn't quite use it as expected

I would not.

Before I had kids I thought they were terrible. However, ds is a runner and absolutely hated his stroller ever since he could walk. We bought one of those skip-hop ones to use for outtings. That being said we rarely used it because (a) he did not like that either and (b) it did not actually make things easier. But if it worked, I think it actually would have been a good compromise between giving him "freedom" and keeping him safe.