A few days ago I had a Mom order a couple of my Child Harnesses for her twins. She told me she already had harnesses for them but they were the kind where the strap went around their waist so every time they pulled and got to the end of the lead, they tipped over face first. She said she was excited when she found my design because the lead attaches higher up.
Her comments got me thinking that maybe I should post an explanation about how and why I came up with my Child Harness design. All this info is on my site but it seems like it's worth repeating.
Some features of my Child Harness are no brainers. The really long lead for example. I'm tall. My baby was short. There was distance between us. The store bought harness I had almost yanked him off his feet the first time I tried it. When I developed my own design, a long lead was just common sense.
Coming up with the O-ring between the shoulder blades for the lead attachment was very much a eureka moment. I wanted the lead to attach ABOVE the child's centre of gravity, and the O-ring with the 2 support loops was the perfect solution. Like that other Mom, my store bought harness also had the (short) lead attach around the waist and when my little guy pulled on the lead, his big fat head tipped him over face first. That only happened once because I immediately reconstructed the harness so I could clip the lead to the leather higher up. No big deal. I had made a couple of changes to a store bought harness and I sort of had a product that worked.
Then it broke. In 2 places actually, but the hand strap was where it broke first. (The adjustment point on one shoulder strap was the other.) I was so annoyed. I don't know how long I'd been using it but since my son was only 2 1/2, I needed it for a whole lot longer and the last thing I wanted to do was buy another harness of the same design.
So in one afternoon I had my own design laid out, supplies purchased and a harness sewn up on my Mom's 1940's Singer machine.
The rest, as they say, is Children's Harnesses by Elaine, Inc.
Baby Safety Harnesses. Child Safety Tethers. Special Needs Harness for larger toddlers and children-teens-adults with Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, etc. Safety Harness and Tethers to use with a Service Dog. A blog about Elaine, my business and other stuff.
Yes, they are very well designed, both in function and durability. I sometimes wonder if you have a background or studies in mechanical engineering.
ReplyDeleteHi EmptyNester7985, Thank you so much for your compliments. I'm strictly a math girl but I did enjoy physics very much...E
ReplyDeleteHi elaine. I like the design of your harnesses but I find it more practicable if you you attach simple d-rings at the back. I have trouble with my child on a to long leash because I cannot control her on long distance but if the leash would be too short my child has troubles because she feels controlled. It depends of the place, but best would be if I could shorten the leash but how should I do that?
ReplyDeleteGreetings Sonja
You know what I'd like to see. A multifunction leash similar to what you use on dogs. I actually already use one with Serenity and I love it. When going through a crowded place or when I need both hands I wear it over my shoulder and keep Serenity close. When just taking a walk somewhere that she can have more freedom, I let it out. They are easy to make too, just an extra snap and D rings on the leash.
ReplyDeleteHi Sonja, Thanks for checking in. The multifunction lead that Leanna has mentioned would do the trick for you and my other customers who would be interested in having a number of different lead lengths as an option. Thanks so much Leanna for telling me about those leads. I'll definitely get busy and start offering them on my website! E
ReplyDelete