As parents, we seem to have forgotten that our babies are hard wired to become independent from the moment they are born

As soon as their legs have the necessary mechanics to move, they want to be given the freedom to use them, not be restraines by any leash. It's here that animal backpack reins can be a godsend.

When I was young, if one of my siblings got the hump about being held back when out for a stroll, they would come to realise pretty fast that Mum wasn't running a democracy.

The parent involved would use one finger to lift the sulky chin, look into his or her eyes and advise, without delay, that such behaviour should stop straightaway - or else!

And the ramifications of that 'or else' left hanging in the air were enough to stop all thoughts of future misbehaviour and encourage any youngster to walk nicely holding hands or onto the buggy. No hanging on the end of the reins and yanking mum or dad's arm out of its socket.

In a time when political correctness has come to the fore, now all a parent can do is try to persuade the child to walk nicely and, invariably, such solutions are in vain. This means that, by way of prevention, children spend far more time strapped into a pushchair to stop such confrontations happening out in the street.

However, someone came up with a brilliant idea to circumvent the problem. Animal backpack reins. These are made of silky soft plus fur and in the shape of a variety of cute critters, any child will adore its new cuddly bag. And, for all parents, the the trick is in the tail, which becomes a rein firmly attached to the bag.

As their little one ambles down the road, his adult minder can retain control by holding onto his tail and no animal will countenance the indignity of having its tail pulled so he tends to behave himself and not attempt to move too far out of range.

But there's an added bonus. The baby rucksack can contain a fair number of those vital treasures without which our offspring seem reluctant to travel. When I was a child, my parents would certainly not have carried around a huge bag, containing copious toys to entertain me but they all seem to do it these days.

Equating to parents with their arms full of huge bags and no arms to hang onto their children, whether they're wearing baby reins or not.

Animal backpack reins - a favourite cuddly toy becomes a multi-tasking solution

And the saviour of the day when you're sitting in a studio for a family portrait with your scowling and distracted child, grumpy, wriggling offspring. Hold them in place by the tail and whip their favourite distraction from the cuddly toy on their back. Suddenly, happy smiles. Sorted!