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We always have E on her reigns (toddler leash). Its just not safe otherwise because she's a runner! Reigns are the norm here though.

I would enforce rules. If it is truly crowded and a lot of traffic then she needs to hold hands or the stroller or she sits in it. And just enforce that. My LO knows that if he is not being a good listener he sits in the stroller. Has he tantrums about it, yes, but that's ok.

@nana87: I would just go over and over it again, before you let her walk and while she is walking. It took a while, and definitely at 18 months my LO was not capable of walking in a trustworthy manner! It's really only since he's been 2.5 that I can trust him to understand the rules and walk appropriately. I have had SOOO many tantrum experiences on the street, and especially in NYC no one bats an eye!

We live in London and walk everywhere so deal with this a lot! My DS is 21 months and in no way trustworthy around a busy road. If he's in the pushchair I won't let him get out as I can't push it and manage him safely. But if we are walking somewhere close by, he knows he either has to hold my hand or be carried. I then just hold his hand with a death grip that there's no way he'd ever get out of! It does sometimes lead to tantrums in the street but that doesn't really bother me. We also practice crossing roads together, looking both ways for cars and waiting etc and he definitely gets it - but I think it will be a very long time before I'm comfortable letting him walk without holding hands!

When I am alone with DD, we "compromise" and she gets in the stroller, then we get out and play at the park etc.. then back in the stroller. It takes some convincing. When DH is along, he usually mans the stroller empty and I hold her hand and let her walk. It isn't safe to hold her hand and the stroller... I have to really hold tight and watch her... she likes to jet and we live in a super traffic area. In busy intersections we carry her. We end up carrying her a lot... But I can't man the stroller and hold her hand... she jets and once the stroller rolled down a hill (empty) because obviously I had to grab her when she jetted from me!

She is pretty freaked out from the sound of big trucks- so that helps, we talk about how we have to hold hands, always stay on the sidewalk, never go in the street, etc. because "there are a lot of big trucks around here..."

@nana87: i felt the same way too at first. It was hard to let go of that feeling of being judged. But now I just don't care what other people may be thinking. I'm keeping my son safe and enforcing the rules.

This is my daughter. We live in a very busy intersection in Brooklyn. We let her walk and push her stroller but she has three options: push the stroller while I push it with her, hold my hand while we walk or sit in the stroller. She usually opts for the first. Also when we cross, I pick her up, unless I am with my DH or her nanny, and she holds both of our hands.

One great thing about this is that you might be able to dich the stroller early. My daughter loves to walk, so I'm hoping for that.

We do stroller or hold hands. I put all the bags in the stroller if she's out of it to help with the wrangling. She walks on the inside of the street and I death grip her hand. We started practicing street safety as soon as she started walking on the street. She loves intersections with the walk signals - she watches for them and knows the "man's hand" means stop and "man" means cross and loves screaming about that all the time. If I had concerns about her bolting, I would absolutely have her on a leash. And if she can walk the distance, I leave the stroller behind because I am too lazy to wrangle both. I don't fight her on the walking because my dream is that she walks everywhere some day, lol.