Because of the long rein length that can’t be easily controlled by the adult, we’d only recommend these for older toddlers. Plus, the magnet mechanism of the wrist straps can be a little fiddly to master at first.

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. 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.

Shipping

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. 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. 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. 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! The big negative of the Trunki Toddlepak for us is that you can’t adjust the length of the reins so you’ll have to be mindful of that when walking on busy roads or, on the other side, can’t let them roam about as freely in open space.

As we mentioned briefly in the introduction, the subject of toddler reins can be a little contentious. Let’s have a look at the pros and cons so you can be better informed regardless of where you stand on the issue.

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. 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. 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 practicalities are covered as well. There’s a carry handle if it’s not being worn, and the easily detachachable rein which also folds up to fit inside the bag, while the whole thing looks comfortably padded, sturdy enough to cope with toddler wear and tear, and with a chest strap to stop it falling off seconds in. 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). 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: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. Gives them freedom to move around while keeping them within the safe control of the parent or carer Hopefully, after asking yourself these questions, you’ll be a lot closer to deciding which reins are best for you and your toddler. 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. 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!