Carrying with a toddler

[M2CattleCo]

Between mine and my nieces and nephews that live with us a few months a year I've been through six so far.

I really don't think you have anything to worry about.

I play, ride bikes, horses, have kids all around.

If you ever drop your gun, just throw your phone on the ground. They'll go for that 10 times out of 10!

ETA: I haven't had one that interested in a gun I was wearing for more than a few minutes the first time they see it. After that it's just part of your clothes.

[Shawnw]

However for pocket carry and to be around kids, I would suggest a S&W 442. That is about a 10 lbs trigger pull. I don’t see the kid pulling that off.

I have seen my toddlers pull the trigger on broken toy guns, easily a 20+ lb super long tigger pull. Kids have crazy Kung fu grips. If you think a 10 lb doa pull will stop a child you are wrong. Very wrong. My 2 year old can do that with ease, wouldn’t even slow him down.

[Navin Johnson]

I have seen my toddlers pull the trigger on broken toy guns, easily a 20+ lb super long tigger pull. Kids have crazy Kung fu grips. If you think a 10 lb doa pull will stop a child you are wrong. Very wrong. My 2 year old can do that with ease, wouldn’t even slow him down.

And to add..... If they can't pull with their finger they will use their thumb...... Guess where the barrel points then?

And if that's hard to fathom ask anybody who's investigated child shoots self with gun....

[medmo]

The two autoloaders I've spent the most time with in my life have been the 1911 and the Glock by far. I've been shooting both since about 1994 and am perfectly comfortable shooting either. I'm also comfortable with J-frames, the S&W M&P and the SIG P-series, but the two aforementioned guns are by far the warm handshake of an old friend. Manual safety, striker, single action trigger, etc. Don't care. The differing manual of arms don't bother me. It doesn't take too much time to transition for me. For what it's worth, most of my time has been spent shooting Glocks for the past few years.

I would never leave a gun sitting around with a kid. That's not my reason for the manual safety. It is for if she is poking around on me and somehow if it gets unholstered I have an extra second to get it away from her before tragedy strikes. She isn't a wild child, but there is lots of goofing and playing and hanging off me.

The whole "I can grapple and keep a gun away from adult so can definitely keep it away from a kid" is a bunk argument to me. It's apples to oranges. I've spent way too much of my life having to do d-tac drills focused on keeping my gun away from or taking it away from others. We naturally become more defensive and aware as other adults get near us or too close to our "comfort zone." We are used to letting our kids hang off our bodies and they live and function in that same comfort zone. It only takes a second for them to unholster a gun or expose it at a poor time.

I've been thinking about it all weekend and I'm really focusing the following:
- M&P Shield 2.0 with manual safety
- Glock 43X
- Glock 48

I think I'll try a Tenicor holster with one of those and see how that works. AIWB has never worked for me in the past, but I think it's time to give it another go. Whatever it is has to be thin. When I've tried carrying a Glock 26 in that position in the past it looked like I had a colostomy bag or some weird giant growth there and was generally uncomfortable.

I’ve been AIWB-ing for awhile now with JM Custom Wingclaws 2.5 (Px4 CC & 92A1). I think the holster and body fit has more to do with comfort then the pistol. My brain won’t allow me to carry striker fired - no manual safety AIWB. It just freaks me out. No judgement on anyone who does it’s just me.

[Glockman9mm]

I have 3 kids, 11,2, and1 years old. Carry G19.4 at 3 o’clock in an old Bladetech IWB. Hasn’t been an issue.

[HCountyGuy]

I've carried strong side and AIWB with my son, I definitely prefer AIWB because it's far less likely to print when I'm wrangling him in public spaces. It also helped curb his headbutting phase when he plunked his noggin against a holstered Sig P228 carried AIWB.

[claymore504]

I have conceal carried with 4 kids over the years. I had concerns like you. I ended up with a Shield w/manual safety. Also go with a holster with very good retention. I usually have mine in a Safariland ALS type. This also allows me to easly take it off in the holster when I am going to be in the floor wrestling with my 3 year old and 7 year old sons.

[FreedomFries]

Have 2 kids. I also prefer AIWB because I can more easily control it. Have mostly been carrying B92s. As HCountyGuy mentioned, you have to watch out for the headbutt. I used to be paranoid that they would kick it out of the holster, but since I became a dad, I've been getting fat so now my dad gut acts like an extra retention device.

[Irelander]

My only issues with carrying AIWB with a daughter from 0 to now 6 years old is that sometimes when picking her up my cover shirt gets pulled up above my pistol. I got that process squared away pretty quick. There have been a few instances of her running to give me a hug and her head connects hard with my pistol which cancels the hug pretty quick. Makes me feel bad. I now try to buffer those types of running hugs by putting my hand in front of the gun or turning my body a bit so she impacts the non-gun side.