Wrist strap reins — the Lehoo Castle and Eidyer options in our list — offer your child the most freedom, being only attached at the wrist, and as such we tend to recommend them for slightly older toddlers who have some sense of the need to stay close to parents. They’re very toddler friendly with their fun and colourful character designs that most kids will love to put on and wear. They’re also easy to put on and adjust, and they’re very secure once fastened so you don’t need to worry about even the wriggliest of toddlers breaking free! The Trunki baby reins are made with a lightweight, breathable and padded material so they’re comfortable and not too hot for your little one. The Trunki ToddlePaks are probably some of the most popular toddler reins in the UK — we see them all the time being used at the park or on walks! LittleLife are so cute kids really want to wear them - the tiger style even has a tail - and they’re a great way of getting your child used to carrying some of their own things around. Chest strap reins — like the Trunki ToddlePak and Clippasafe reins on our list — are usually the most secure option and so the ones we routinely recommend for younger toddlers and children more inclined to run away from parents.

This style of reins is best suited to older toddlers as it does allow them much more freedom — bear in mind that the parent or carer is unable to control the length of the reins and that the toddler can stretch it all the way out to 1.5 metres if they want. There are a few things to consider when buying toddler reins. Thankfully, they’re generally very reasonably priced so hopefully you won’t get too worn down by decision making. These are another set of reins that can be machine washed unfortunately, and you also can’t adjust the length of them either (although the chest and shoulder straps can be adjusted to fit your child). The reins themselves are long enough that she needn’t be right by my side, short enough that she can’t scamper off into traffic before I could stop her.

How we chose our recommendations

So as a compromise, I can see the benefits of being able to let her roam ahead a bit while retaining the ability to yank her out of harm’s way. And as I strongly suspect Minnie herself would be fairly unimpressed by the idea of being restrained, what’s the solution? Disguise it as a giraffe. Gives them freedom to move around while keeping them within the safe control of the parent or carer As we mentioned briefly in the introduction, the subject of toddler reins can be a little contentious. Unlike the Trunki above, the length of the reins can be fully adjusted and they’re machine washable too — always a good thing with toddlers! They are also very secure.

Reins are something of a bone of contention in our house. My husband is vehemently against the idea of harnessing up a toddler. I, meanwhile, can see the practical side when you’ve got a selectively deaf small child and busy roads. While some parents swear by them, others think they’re unnecessary. There’s no ‘right’ answer here and what’s best for your child will really depend on your family and circumstances. The Lehoo Castle wrist link reins are very similar to the Eidyer ones above aside from the fact that they allow your child even more freedom as they can be stretched out to 2.5 metres! First things first, decide what type of reins will suit your child best, as discussed above. Then it’s time to think about what’s important to you:Reins can be adjusted to be either short or long depending on how much freedom you want your toddler to have

They’re very comfortable to wear thanks to the breathable material that won’t irritate your skin, are very secure but also really easy to take on and off as needed. They can extend out to a big 1.5 metres and have been designed in a visible, reflective material.As an extra cute touch, the bag has a waterproof hood which zips away into its own compartment – Minnie’s has tiny giraffe horns and ears, although the elasticated bottom looks like it would start to pinch after a while. As it’s not exactly designed to be a substitute for a proper hood, it’s not the end of the world though. Let’s have a look at the pros and cons so you can be better informed regardless of where you stand on the issue.