Harness For Toddler

[BeccaO]

Does anybody know where I can get a nice good quality harness for a very active 2 year old? We will be traveling to the world in January and I will be taking my own stroller, but he is very active and independant and I want to be able to let him walk but still have control over him. Has anybody used one of these and found a good one that would work for something like this?

[tinklover]

We used the lil animal back pack type harnesses last year and they were great for our DD's. it allowed them to get up and walk and not wander off to far. only thing is they can get a lil hot where the pack sits on their back so we would make sure that when they sat in teh stroller they did not have it on . theyactually used the animal part as a pillow when in the stroller. you can find them in walmart in the baby section, we have the dog and the monkey.

[Yellow_MM]

Thanks for bringing up this topic (BeccaO) and thank you (tinklover) for your response. We have an active 2yr daughter and we were wondering the same thing.

[Disney Doll]

I'm not going to harness bash, but I just wanted to point out something many harness users overlook. A kid on a harness can be a trip hazard for the elderly or for adults with mobility issues. My mom is somewhat unsteady on her feet and it is hard for her to quickly react when a kid on a harness jumps across the path. Please pay attention to your kids and to the potential danger a harness can cause. I've seen a few close calls and I know harnesses always make my mom nervous.

[BeccaO]

I come from a family that has used a harness for years. We have never had an issue with using one, it's not like a dog leash where you allow the child to be 10 feet in front of you, you allow the child freedom but at the same time keep them close. I was actually prepared for some negative feedback from this post, many people against harnesses have never raised an active 2 year old.

[mickey&missy]

I bought one for our very active 18 month old for our January trip. I got it at Target. It's a very cute animal one like one of the previous posters said.

Good luck! Have a magical vacation!!

[Jasper]

You actually can also make your own if you need to. When our 2 oldest children were young these things weren't being made commercially yet. So I took a heavy duty piece of rope (so it couldn't cut into them) fashioned a harness that wrapped over the shoulders between the legs and around the waist to tie in back. (the one between the legs was a much thinner piece of rope.) Then my wife sewed some quilt lining to some fabric and then sewed that around the ropes so they were comfy and away we went!! I realized several years later that I should have patented my design!

[g8rgirl29]

As far as the harness being too hot, you could always bring an ice pack in a cooler and just put it in the backpack. Or even some frozen or cooled juice boxes or capri suns if you have a fridge in your room.

[Mousefever]

Thanks, Disney Doll for making sure we remember, "Safety 1st!" :number1:

Most of the newer animal/backpack harnesses are not very long. I think the older harnesses were a bit longer. I was one of those "harnesses are horrible!" people when I was a teen. It only takes one second of losing a child to change your mind, (unless, of course, you have perfect children ;) ). It's the worst feeling in the world! In terms of safety, a harness also prevents small children from darting in front of people.

I just have to add...I have a SNL: Best of Mike Meyers DVD. One skit has him as an ADHD kid in a harness attached to a metal jungle gym at a playground. Nicole Kidman plays the little girl talking to him. I can just picture him running away from the jungle gym and being jerked back by the harness over and over again! I have an irreverent sense of humor and I busted up laughing when I saw that skit. :D

[love2teach]

I just have to add...I have a SNL: Best of Mike Meyers DVD. One skit has him as an ADHD kid in a harness attached to a metal jungle gym at a playground. Nicole Kidman plays the little girl talking to him. I can just picture him running away from the jungle gym and being jerked back by the harness over and over again! I have an irreverent sense of humor and I busted up laughing when I saw that skit. :D

That is one of my favorite skits ever! Wasn't he wearing a helmet too?? I know- inappropriate but really funny!:funny:

[Emme&TeddysMommy]

I just have to add...I have a SNL: Best of Mike Meyers DVD. One skit has him as an ADHD kid in a harness attached to a metal jungle gym at a playground. Nicole Kidman plays the little girl talking to him. I can just picture him running away from the jungle gym and being jerked back by the harness over and over again! I have an irreverent sense of humor and I busted up laughing when I saw that skit. :D

I love that skit!

We purchased a harness for our 2 year old and 1 year old in September from wal-mart. It is back and light weight (which is nice on those hot days), and has a removable leash for when you’re on rides. You can leave the actual harness on, but remove the leash. Munchkin makes this particular harness it was only about 6 or 7 dollars. We loved this harness! We also inside the harness sewed a label with our child’s name and an emergency contact number incase they ever do get away. Hope the info helps!

[BeccaO]

Thank-you all so very much for the great info!!! We will be going in January when the weather is usually quite a bit cooler, so I don't think I will have to worry about the sweating under the harness. The post about the SNL skit made me laugh out loud!!!! I vividly remember that skit, we used to make fun of my nephew because he would get hyper after eating chocolate which was part of that skit also and my sister used a harness on him. What a great flashback!!!! Again, safety is always fore-front in my mind no matter what the case. I now have enough info to go ahead and purchase a harness for our trip in 35 days!!!!!! Soon it will be time for me to do the single digit dance!!!! Thanks to all!!!! :thumbsup:

[rt207]

I actually bought a plain harness at Walmart (just plain black straps-no backpack) because I was also worried about my son taking off. It ended up I didn't need it (this trip), but it was less expensive than the backpack type....

[RBrooksC]

I always use the harness on my son when we go to the mall or someplace where there are lots of people. He usually is very good about walking with me but as all toddlers are he gets distracted easily and will try to wander.

When it is said about people with mobility problems, etc, while I do understand that I am going to be selfish and a little like House and say I would rather have my child safe and not run away or have a chance to get lost in a crowd or, get kidnapped than worry about somebody falling down.

[Mousefever]

The nice thing is that we can accomplish both goals at once! We can safely harness kiddos while making sure that they are not crossing the path of others! It's a win-win, instead of an either-or! :)

[RBrooksC]

I never said it was an either or and I do make sure I reel in my son when he tries to run wild while in the harness.

If it is at a crowded Disney or a crowded mall at Christmas, my single concern would be my son and not necessarily somebody else.

[Disney Doll]

When it is said about people with mobility problems, etc, while I do understand that I am going to be selfish and a little like House and say I would rather have my child safe and not run away or have a chance to get lost in a crowd or, get kidnapped than worry about somebody falling down.

If your child causes a person with mobility problems to fall most likely they would be falling ONTO your child so I mention that as much for the children as for the people with mobility issues and yes I do think your stance is a bit selfish. For those of you who are keeping your child close anyway or who are using newer shorter harnesses, thank you! Like I said before I have seen some close calls where parents think that because their kid is wearing a harness that they don't have to watch as carefully when the reverse is probably true. Harness does not automatically guarantee safety. I'm not saying anything negative about harnesses or whether I would or would not use one, I just want people to be careful and use them safely. By the way, I am a parent of a toddler so I understand the concern.

[pcoleman]

We used two different types both from babies r us, one was a basic harness and the other was a wrist strap with tether. Both worked great when DD was 2 1/2. She was one of those kids that would just barrel off at something and not look back. I had to travel alone with DD many times to visit DH in military, I never went anywhere without them.

[elmjimmlm]

Our first trip with our 4 year old I bought one from the gift shop at ASM but it isn't like the one attached to a backpack...It attached to your wrist and your childs...That way was easy so if they were tired of holding your hand you could just give them a little slack and they could walk on their own...It gave me a little peace about walking through big crowds and not losing her...

[Georgesgirl1]

I'll have to go to youtube and look up that SNL skit, sounds hilarious!
I am not expecting my first little one until January, so I won't have to worry about this for two years or so, but I did make an impromptu harness one time. I was teaching 2nd grade and I had this student who was always wandering away from the class, refusing to come in off the playground, etc. I had even had to have a conference with his parents about it. One of our field trips that year was to a very crowded venue with a lot of walking. I could just imagine this kid wandering off and getting lost and then me having to call the cops and the parents and explain what had happened. I cut a piece of yarn and told him before we left, "If you wander away from me even one time, I will tie one end to your wrist and one end to my wrist and we will be attached all day long because I don't want to risk losing you or you getting hurt." He was a perfect angel and I didn't even need to think about using it!:thumbsup:

Unfortunately you can't reason with an active two year old that way!

[FenwayGirl]

My mother used harnesses for my younger brother. I think that they are good to use in large crowds.

[Jasper]

We used our homemade harness that I mentioned in an earlier post with our two oldest children. Then in the 8 year interval between our two oldest and our youngest son the harness and wrist straps became commercially available so we purchased one of both types for our youngest.

While we liked both types for different scenarios, I do have a word of warning on the wrist strap kind. Understand that my youngest is now 12 so the construction may be different today, but back then the part that you put around your child's wrist was attached with Velcro. This was very comfy and did a great job when he was little. However, as he became old enough to figure out how to pull the Velcro apart we had to stop using the wrist strap completely.

[teambricker04]

My first DS used to be a big run a way kid when he was about 18months to about 2.5yo. He is big so standing in lines, it was really hard to keep him in his are or hold him the entire time. So we used a harness. It really helped him figure out and learn about staying put and minding the other people around him. Now that DS#2 is 18mo and we are going in January, I am breaking out the harnesses we have.

The one with the animal the other posters mentioned is one we have. The only problem??? DS#1 tried looking at the bear the entire time so he would have to wear the bear (which he named Keith) in the front. I bought a really nice, high quality one off the internet (smallplanetkids.com) that we all like. It is bright colors and very strong. It is a little more expensive and you have to buy it online, but we really like it.

[Diz-Knee]

The animal backpack type from Target worked best for us. My son is very active as well and would happily wear this and take his "bear" for a walk when we took him out of his stroller. It was under $15 and I've been stopped several times asking where I got it.

[tys_mommy]

We have the animal type harness from Walmart/Targe for $10but also another style one that is more versatile - can be worn as a harness or can be detached and has a strap that wraps around the child's wrist. I’ve seen these at places like Toys R Us but I found this one at a discount store for $3. Since this one does not have the bulky animal on the back it is more comfortable but my 2 little ones they still like to fight over the monkey backpack - luckily all I have to say is “but the red one has Elmo” and the 3 y/o caves.

Make sure what ever you buy that you use it at home before you get there so that your child is used to it.

[PinKy]

From Disney Doll
I'm not going to harness bash, but I just wanted to point out something many harness users overlook. A kid on a harness can be a trip hazard for the elderly or for adults with mobility issues. My mom is somewhat unsteady on her feet and it is hard for her to quickly react when a kid on a harness jumps across the path. Please pay attention to your kids and to the potential danger a harness can cause. I've seen a few close calls and I know harnesses always make my mom nervous.


Now, I'm not sure about any of the oldfashioned sort of child harnesses - but the new ones are so short there is no possible way that it could actually trip anyone unless they were aiming to dive bomb into you or your child and then they would have to have a running leap to actually trip. My guess is that they have shortened them (thankfully!) due to the safety issues that you mentioned.

This may not be a popular opinion, but when I'm at Disney, my highest concern is WHERE my child is and if they are safe from hurting themselves or being hurt/abducted by others. Someone else not looking where they are going, is not on the top of my list, but I certainly wouldn't let my child just dash all over the place, even in a harness.

We use the one that other folks have mentioned from Target - they have a Monkey, a Dog and a Bear and there is a little pocket on the back of the animal to make it more like a little backpack. The strap is quite short and the pack itself is so comfy my son uses it like a pillow when in the stroller.

[Jasper]

I think it is important for all of us to be careful not to paint everyone with the same brush. In other words, even though there are certainly some folks who don't control their children even with the harness that is certainly not the case for all of us. We always were as careful as possible to keep our children right by our side both so they didn't get lost and also so that the harness leash would not trip others. While there weren't a few times when our kids did get away from us those times were very rare and frankly, I saw more parents doing like us rather than the opposite.