Sweatshirt to wear over our Special Needs Safety Harness, $19.99

New to our product line, we are now selling Sweatshirts, $19.99, that your child can wear over their Special Needs Safety Harness. 

Rather than adjust their harness to fit over another layer of clothing each time you need to go out, simply put the Sweatshirt on over their Harness and attach the lead through the slot at the back of the Sweatshirt. 

Headed to the park? Going for your walk? Maybe you're off to the doctor's office or you need to do some shopping at the mall. Wherever you're headed, your child will be wearing their Harness, and having one of our Sweatshirts gives you the flexibility to quickly add a cosy layer of clothing to keep them warm when they are outside. Once you've reached your destination or if they get too hot when playing it's a simple matter to remove the Sweatshirt so they are comfortable. Their Special Needs Harness does not need to be removed or adjusted. 

Our Sweatshirts are top quality, heavy blend, 50% cotton 50% polyester pre-shrunk crew neck garments with rich colour and a soft brushed interior. With plenty of room through the body and lots of length in the sleeve, your child will get (almost) as many years use from their Sweatshirt as they will from their Special Needs Safety Harness.

Our model is 10 years old and has a 27 inch chest. He is wearing a Pacific Blue Special Needs Safety Harness made with a Permanent Handle and a Navy Blue Medium Sweatshirt.

1. Put the Harness on as usual 2. Put the Sweatshirt on over top 3. Attach the lead to the back through the slot 

4. Pull the Handle through the slot 5. Use the Handle as normal 6. The lead and Handle together

Our Sweatshirts are ideal for making the Special Needs Safety Harness a discreet addition to your child's wardrobe. If you feel self-conscious using your Harness in public, one of our Sweatshirts may help. The Harness will be essentially hidden by the Sweatshirt. Use the Permanent Handle to keep your child by your side, or one of our Hands-free Parent Tethers. 

Our Sweatshirts are available in Navy Blue, Black, and Red. We currently carry Youth sizes in Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. The Youth size Small will comfortably fit our youngest customers, and the generous sizing of the Large and Extra Large will fit the majority of our older customers. However, if an Adult size or Ladies size Sweatshirt is required, these can be quickly and easily ordered separately. 

You can order your Sweatshirt when you order your Special Needs Safety Harness.

If you already have one of our Special Needs Safety Harnesses and you would like one of our Sweatshirts for your child, place your order through our Contact Us page. Let us know the size and colour you would like, best to confirm your mailing address as well.

Hands-free Parent-to-Child Tether

hands-free parent tether

Lately I've had a lot of requests from parents for a means to keep their child with special needs close to them while they are pushing a stroller with a younger sibling. 

Other situations would be when the parent wanted to have their hands free to do things like carry groceries through the parking lot. 

In these cases, I have made a separate belt for the parent to wear and a separate tether with a snap hook at each end for them to connect themselves to their child with special needs.

The hands-free parent-to-child tether has an O-ring on it that can easily move around their waist. One end of the tether is connected to the O-ring on the parent belt, the other end is connected to the O-ring on the back of the Special Needs Safety Harness. 

The tether between parent and child is about 2 1/2 feet long.

As with all my products, strength and durability are a priority. The buckle on the parent belt is the strongest I have; American made ITW Nexus Classic with a 200 pound break strength. The O-ring on the parent belt is the same quality as the O-ring on the Child-to-Adult Harness (500 pound weight capacity), and the snap hooks on the tether are also the same heavy duty snap hooks that I use on my leads (same snap hooks that are used on horse tack).

The hands-free parent-to-child tether costs $30 and is available in black, navy, red, purple or pink.   

Waist Belt Tether to Autism Service Dog

New to Childharness.ca are two Waist Belt Tether Systems that you can use to tether your child to their autism service dog. Tethering is used when the child is unable or unwilling to always hold the lead to the dog during their outings and when the dog has been trained as an anchor for the child. The parent/caregiver holds the lead to the dog when the child is tethered.

regular waist belt tether system

The Regular Waist Belt Tether ($24) is an adjustable belt with a 3 1/2 foot tether to the dog.

The length of the tether allows your child to walk on either side OR DIRECTLY BEHIND their service dog. Adjust the waist belt loosely on your child. The tether loops over the waist belt and can slide around the belt as the child moves around the dog. 










The Weighted Waist Belt Tether ($27) has a metal O-ring that hangs from the child's waist belt. The metal ring serves a number of purposes; 

dark denim weighted tether

• the weight of the ring gives your child a physical sense of wearing the belt
• the weight helps your child orient themselves to the dog, even when the tether is not under tension. For example, if the child always walks with the dog on their right, position the metal O-ring on the child's right side to give them a sense of 'sameness' each time they are tethered to their dog.
• any comfort toy that your child routinely takes on their outings can be clipped to the metal O-ring on their belt

As with the Regular Waist Belt Tether, the Weighted Waist Belt Tether System has a 3 1/2 foot tether to the dog that allows your child to freely move around their companion. Your child will know their dog is always 'in the same place' as the O-ring on their belt.

Each Waist Belt Tether System comes with a black stuff sack for easy transport and to keep the belt contained when in the washing machine.

Available in black, dark denim blue, red, purple and pink. 

  

Removable lead attached to a backpack

Temporary lead on his backpack will keep us together in the crowds

This weekend I'm taking my 8 yr old to The Royal Winter Fair. Last year I took the older one and gosh was it crowded on the Saturday! I'm expecting the same this year so in preparation I made this lead that I've put around the handle at the top of his backpack. It's a slip-knot attachment so it's easy to remove when we get home. It's about 4 feet long so enough for us to walk comfortably together and give him some freedom but not so long that it takes me a while to bundle up (like when we're waiting for the train on the subway platform). 

The backpack closes with a buckle across his chest. This was something that I had to add to the backpack right at the beginning of the school year. Not being the most organized of households, we were frequently sprinting down the street to the school and as they ran, they had to hold onto the shoulder straps of their backpacks so they didn't leave them behind on the sidewalk. Rather than be more organized in the mornings, I added the buckle closure to hold the shoulder straps together and give the backpack a secure fit. And no, we aren't running to school EVERY day.....

Both my boys are neurotypical and whereas the older one will stay by my side (and talk my ear off) whenever we go out together, this one is much more curious and MUCH more independent. He'd have no problem taking off to explore hither and yon if he felt like it, which is rather stressful for me because I would then have to spend all my time staring at the top of his head rather than looking at the booths and displays. Having the lead to keep us together is the difference between not going at all and having an enjoyable afternoon in the city, just me and my youngest. 

And we can still hold hands if he wants too.    

Universal medical symbol tag ($1.75 each) for your child's clothing

The Universal Medical Symbol tag is 3/4 inch x 5 inch

Over the past few years, I have had a number of parents ask me if there was a label that could be attached to their new Child-to-Adult Harness so anyone seeing their older child in public wearing a harness would know their child had autism.

I mulled this problem over for a long time before finally coming up with the idea of a small cloth tag that could be attached to the harness, or anything else the child is wearing. I chose the American Medical Association's universal medical symbol for my tag because not all my customers have autism and I wanted something easily recognizable by everyone.  The tag measures 3/4 inch x 5 inches and is made of the same high-quality durable cloth material that I use for my labels.

The tag can be attached anywhere on the harness

The AMA's symbol on the tag lets people know that the person with the tag has a medical issue. The tag closes with velcro around, for example, the shoulder strap on the harness, a belt loop, the handle on their backpack, anything. Write what you like on the inside of the tag using a pen or black Sharpie; your cell phone number, allergies, any critical information pertaining to your child. The tag is small and discreet and not intended to record your child's entire medical history, just the essentials.

I'm selling my tags for $1.75 each. You can read more about them and order through my website (childharness.ca) at Universal Medical Symbol tag. Thanks for stopping by. Elaine

Autism, Special Needs car window sign

"Child with Autism on Board, medical details OVER"

About 2 weeks ago, my sister asked me to make a sign for Mom's front door that said "No soliciting, No flyers". Many houses in her home town had these signs but she didn't see any around here. I got on the internet to find something locally and after not having any luck, I made one myself to hang on Mom's door. 

My sister's request got me thinking about signs for seniors. Then I started thinking about signs for my customers. Would they like to have a sign for their car (think "Baby on Board") that said there was a child with special needs in the vehicle? That type of sign might be helpful. I did another internet search and the only items I could find on the market were car decals for Autism Awareness. Hmmm. No signs at all that tell other drivers this car has a passenger with special needs.

Now, the most amazing thing about my business is the amazing parents and amazing children I have as customers. A quick question posted on my Facebook fan page and I had my answer - a sign for the car was a good idea. In less than a day I put pen to paper, took my draft to the sign shop and put the process in motion. As with many things in my head, the ideas continued to evolve and I decided on 2 signs; one for Autism and one for Special Needs that would hopefully appeal to my many customers who have other diagnoses.  My signs are UV protected laminate and measure 8 inches x 4 5/8 inches. They attach to the interior car window with 2 velcro adhesive circles. Each sign comes with 4 circles; use the extra for another vehicle or keep them in reserve. If your car has tinted windows, the sign can be placed on the dashboard like a wheelchair parking permit. On the back of the sign, use a permanent marker to write on the plastic laminate important information about your child. If this makes you uncomfortable, write instructions instead, for example, "See medical details in glove box", or "See info packet under driver's seat". In the event of an accident where the driver is incapacitated, police, firemen and medical personnel will be able to learn critical information about your child that you may not be in any condition to relate yourself.

I'm selling my signs for $7 each. The stamp for the envelope will set you back another $1.79 and there will be taxes applied if you're in Canada. You can read more about them (and hopefully) place your order at Autism, Special Needs Car Window Sign. Thanks for your interest, and thanks especially for your input that encouraged me to develop this exciting new and unique product. Elaine

Price increase coming for my Child-to-Adult Harnesses

Well crap, this is not the sort of announcement I enjoy but it's inevitable I suppose. My prices have remained the same for the past 5 years but surprise surprise, my expenses have not and now I'm really feeling it. An adjustment is LONG overdue so in the next few weeks, maybe by mid-April, I'll be changing my prices.

My Child-to-Adult Harness for chest measurements of 26 inches or less will be $70 ($65 for the harness + $5 (at cost) for snap hook for the lead), up from $55 ($50 for the harness + $5 (at cost) for the snap hook for the lead).

My Child-to-Adult Harness for chest measurements over 26 inches will be $90 ($85 for the harness + $5 (at cost) for the snap hook for the lead), up from $80 ($75 + $5 (at cost) for snap hook for the lead).

My Child Harness price will remain unchanged at $35 for the harness + $2.50 (at cost) if you order a detachable lead.

As always, when dealing with me you are getting exceptional customer service to match an exceptional product made for exceptional children.

So that's it for the bad news. Don't shoot the messenger. If you or someone you know was thinking of ordering one of my Child-to-Adult Harnesses, please encourage them to do so during the next 3 weeks before my new prices take effect.

Thanks so much. Elaine

Double lock buckles coming soon for my Child-to-Adult Harnesses

I" double lock rock lockster buckle

It's silly the things I get excited about but this little baby right here has become my new gold.

Think I've lost my marbles? Maybe, but since this buckle was incredibly difficult to find and took lots of phone calls and emails to track down, when I finally located a company that could order them for me, I felt like I'd hit paydirt.

Oh sure, a number of companies have 1 inch locking buckles on their websites but contact them to order some and you quickly find out that they don't carry that buckle, they don't make that buckle, they don't have that buckle and furthermore, they can't get that buckle. "Then why the heck is it on your website!!!???" "Oh well, it is available as a special order and you'd have to pay for a gazillion of them before we would ask the factory to make them for you but sorry, we can't send you a sample first to make sure you like them."

But I digress. The point is, I've succeeded and fingers crossed within the month I'll have these buckles listed as an ordering option on my website.

The buckle is called a double lock rock lockster and it takes 2 hands to open. You squeeze the sides with one hand and press the tab with the other to pop the buckle open. For those parents who know they need locks on the Child-to-Adult Harness they order for their child, this locking buckle will be perfect. Since the buckles on the harness are at the child's back, odds are good that the child won't be able to figure out (sight unseen) the two-handed process needed to open the buckle. Anyway, that's the plan. 

Right now I offer my customers locking carabiners as an option for their Child-to-Adult Harness. The locking carabiners have been wonderful and have done the job beautifully over the past 3 years but a few months ago when my supply was running low and I placed another order, I ran into difficulties. Essentially, I wouldn't be able to get any more of the small locking carabiners I use now.

But as with all things related to this business run by God, along comes a lovely lady by the name of Leanna who tells me about cop-lock buckles that need 2 hands to open. And the hunt was on. 99% of the industry uses 2 inch cop-lock buckles, hence the difficulty in locating 1 inch buckles that I need for my harnesses. But that's all water under the bridge now and I've nailed a supplier and placed my order. I've opted for the more expensive buckles made in the USA rather than the cheaper ones made overseas because I really like the quality of the American buckle and I want to support a company south of the border. I'm so thrilled that later this week I'm going to make a YouTube video to show off my sample buckle to the masses.

Have I lost my marbles? Maybe. But when I find something that I think will be GREAT for my customers, that's great quality, that's made by a company on this side of the pond, that's a reason to celebrate. Heck, it's even a reason to make a video.

How about giving a gift of safety this Valentine's Day?

It's true that the chocolate and flower industries have the corner on Valentine's Day but this Monday how about giving a zero calorie, long lasting gift of safety instead?

No generation gap

Sound unromantic?

I suppose it does. But don't blame me for suggesting it, I'm just applying to Valentine's Day what I see in my business all year long. Need proof? Well, I have a ton of grandparents buying my Child Harness for them to use with their grandchild. Or they have me send the harness directly to the child's parents because they know their little grandkid is tearing up the streets and wearing down Mom and Dad. Then there's all the case workers who pay for a Child-to-Adult Harness for a child with special needs. This gift of safety is inevitably a life-changer for the whole family.

I can attest to the fact that there is a lot of giving going on all the time, not just on Valentine's Day. So if you're wondering what to do on the 14th, ask yourself this: how badly can you screw up if you give a gift that won't cause a complexion disaster, wide hips, or hyperglycemia and might actually be used every day of the year to keep someone you love safe?

Now that's what I call a gift from the heart.

Is your child kept indoors at school because they are a flight risk?

One area of my business that has grown nicely over the past year is my sales to schools and Independent School Districts (ISDs). 

They are looking for my Child-to-Adult Harness to use with one of their students so that student can go on a field trip or play outdoors on the school grounds. 

Some school properties are not entirely fenced so students who are a flight risk have to be kept indoors during recess and lunch breaks. Playing outdoors or participating in field trips off the school property was never an option for these kids.

I now have 29 schools and ISDs as customers. One school ordered 2 different sized harnesses to use with different children when the need arises. Another school ordered a harness with a 10 foot lead so the child could play on the outdoor equipment without running off the property. A number of schools have ordered harnesses with very short leads so the child could safely be walked from one classroom to another.

Many parents who use my harness with their child send the harness to school so their child can fully participate in the routine activities of the classroom. If your child is being kept indoors all day at school or being left out of field trips because they are a flight risk, you may want to consider getting them a harness so they can do what their friends do and go where their friends go.

Thinking of buying a Special Needs stroller to contain your child? My Child-to-Adult Harness may fit the bill instead

This stroller costs $1,500+ USD

More than a few of my customers have told me that when their older child has become too much for them to manage, their doctor has recommended they purchase a special needs stroller, or push chair, to strap their child into so they can once again safely leave the house. 

These strollers don't come cheap. All of them cost more than my first car. If your child can't walk and a push chair is a better option than a wheelchair, then such an investment makes sense. You'll get years of use from it and your child will love it. 

But if your child can walk, I can't help but think that a special needs stroller is quite the luxury ride. 

A couple of other things come to mind besides the expense of a special needs push chair: 

• Your child is accustomed to walking. How will they adapt to being tied to their new chair? Is this type of restraint new to them? Will it be accepted?
• Will it take more than one person to get your child seated in the stroller and secured to the harness? Will you be able to cope on your own or will it take 2 people to get your child secured?
• The seatbelts and harness that are stitched to the stroller will fasten at the front of your child well within their reach. Will your child undo the buckles so they can get out of the stroller to walk?
• How will the use of the stroller impact the amount of exercise your child is getting? Safety first of course but will this mean your child no longer has the option to walk? Or only limited opportunity to walk? If they are accustomed to walking (or running!) most of the time, and now have to ride, will they have other opportunities to get exercise?

If you are considering a special needs stroller or push chair for your ambulatory child, I beg you to have a look at my Child-to-Adult Harnesses before you make your purchase. Maybe a walking harness is all you need to keep your loved one close at hand. My harnesses are:

• made to fit your child but adjustable to last for years
• buckle at your child's back. Replace the buckles with locks to increase security
• the harness + any accessories + shipping and taxes (if any) would be less than $200

Two years ago I had a customer who had spent a huge amount of money on a second hand special needs stroller for her teenage daughter. Obviously her daughter could get out of it in seconds because all the buckles were at the front. Because of this problem she went looking for a way to keep her daughter seated. She found me and ordered one of my harnesses plus a chair strap. But once she had my harness, her daughter was able to safely walk again and the stroller wasn't used!

No one gets it right the first time all the time but if you do your research and mull things over, it usually pays off. Maybe even to the tune of $1300 in savings.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield. I doubt we'll ever know everything

This morning as I was listening to Dr. Andrew Wakefield on CBC Radio 1's The Current, I couldn't help but be impressed by his well composed answers to Anna Maria Tremonti's pointed questions. And his refined British accent definitely helped his arguments sound convincing.

I don't think we'll ever know the whole truth around this incident. But since I spent a little time in research myself and I know a little about the process of submitting scientific research studies for publication in medical journals, I can't help but think that the Lancet also has some explaining to do.

From the interviews I've heard, the crux of the matter seems to be that Dr. Wakefield did not randomly select the children for his gastrointestinal research study; some children were referred. This of course would bias his results. Which would also render his findings meaningless.

What I don't understand is why the problematic method of selection was not identified by the peer review board when Dr. Wakefield initially submitted his research paper for publication. Considering the controversial nature of his findings, his research should have been - and I think WOULD have been - picked apart by a fine toothed comb. Data collection, methodology and statistical analysis is where peer review boards look the closest because the validity of the results rests 100% on the necessity that all these steps are carried out appropriately.

Peer review boards are notorious for challenging the researcher to justify their methodology and the interpretation of their results. It's their job. Correspondence passes back and forth between the board and the researcher for months, sometimes for more than a year before all the board's questions are answered and the research is either approved for publication or rejected. Maybe I misheard something but I got the impression that the Lancet only announced NOW (actually a few weeks ago) that there was an issue with Dr. Wakefield's data collection methodology. 

The paper was published in 1998. The Lancet makes their announcement in 2011. I wonder what more we will learn about this controversy in the next 13 years.

Introducing your older child to their new Child-to-Adult Harness

If you are considering one of my Child-to-Adult Harnesses for a larger toddler or someone with special needs, you may be wondering how your child will react to wearing their new harness.

Well, I've got good news. 

Chances are excellent, even more than excellent, that they will take to their new harness like a bee to honey. 

Shocked? Me too. 

I'll admit that I have been thrilled with the feedback I've received over the years from parents who have told me they had no trouble getting their child to wear the harness. I thought surely there would be issues. The harness is Strange, it's New, it's Unfamiliar. But when the parents started telling me more about their child's reactions to their new harness, it all began to make sense.

For the most part, before the harness arrived these children were constantly held in a death grip by their wrist, hand, shirt collar, pants belt, jacket, sleeves, hood, whatever was available. See my earlier post "Are you using your children's clothing as a harness?" These kids had NO FREEDOM. They never had their hands free. They never had the sensation of walking ahead of Mommy. They were constantly grabbed and being pulled along or they were constantly pulling against someone.

And from the parent's point of view, you're darn right the child was clung too. When your child has a habit of running off in a flash, you're not likely to let go.

Which is why the harness was necessary in the first place. And once the harness arrives and the child has a chance to wear it, all sorts of new sensations open up for them.

They have their hands free! They can walk 'alone'! They can move around and Go Here and Go There without struggling against the weight of an adult immediately by their side. In many ways, their whole world changes and they have the chance to experience a sense of freedom they've not felt before. 

Parents often tell me that their non-verbal child will bring the harness to them as a signal that they want to go out. I've also heard plenty of times that their child likes wearing it even in the house (see my earlier post "The Hug Factor in my Child-to-Adult Harness").

So if you're thinking of ordering a harness but are not sure how it will go once you receive it, have faith that it's worth taking the chance. Odds are good it will work out just fine for both of you.

Choose your Lead Length, Choose your Freedom

Among the many advantages to making my own Child Harnesses and Child-to-Adult Harnesses is I can usually bend to the whims of my customers.  

And my clever customers know enough to ask.

A few years ago I had a Mom ask for a 9 foot lead for her Child Harness.

Why not! It had never occurred to me to offer leads of different lengths. But where she was going, there would be plenty of space for her little one to roam and More Freedom for him would be ideal if I could only provide a 9 foot lead....

After that, I changed my order forms to give customers the option to order whatever lead length they wanted.

And the requests have been many. I particularly loved the Smart Mommy who ordered a 15 foot lead to use at the beach. She'd be able to watch her son and read while he played in the sand but stayed safely out of the water. Lots of my customers who are going on a cruise usually order a 7 foot lead to use with their Child Harness. I've had schools order 10 foot leads for their Child-to-Adult Harness so the child could safely play on the outdoor equipment but not bolt from the school property.

I love my business for many reasons but it's particularly rewarding when my customers come up with ideas and suggestions that make my (fantastic!?) product even better for Customers Yet To Come.

The Evolution of my little harness business. Who knew?

"My Child is a Runner"

To say that I hear this phrase a lot would be an understatement.

I don't hear it with every order but when I do hear it, believe me, there's an order for a Child-to-Adult Harness in the same breath.

Many MANY parents have told me their child is "a runner". Sometimes I hear "he's always been a runner" and sometimes I hear "she never used to be a runner but she sure is now".

As with all things children, there is variability. But whatever the circumstance, it seems that having a Child-to-Adult Harness in your arsenal is a good idea when caring for a child who is likely to take off in the blink of an eye. They will still take off, but only to the end of the lead.

Being "a runner" is a period of behaviour that will last as long as it takes your child to overcome and control their urge for flight. It may last for years. As you and your support team work with your child, you may need leads of different lengths for their harness. Some parents order my standard lead (5 feet 8 inches) to use every day as well as an 18 inch lead to use during therapy sessions when the child is being taught to walk beside their caregiver.

"This too shall pass" as they say, but in the meantime, your child in a Child-to-Adult Harness will at least mean they won't be miles ahead of you.

Housebound with your child? Consider getting them a harness!

My customers have wonderful and important things to say, sometimes shocking, always moving. But one thing I hear consistently is that my customers are housebound with their child and will remain that way until they receive their harness from me. Some parents have not been able to take their child on an outing for literally years. 

Think about what that means for the child and for the parent. For the sake of a harness, they have not been able to take their child for a walk, go to the park, go shopping, do their errands with the child, NOTHING!!! They find me on the internet, they order a Child-to-Adult Harness and their world changes completely. Even today, one Mom told me "I am excited because I hardly take my son anywhere. Because he doesn't stay seated and runs away this will be such a blessing Thank you Elaine". When she receives her harness, her world will change for her and her son and she knows it.

A few years ago a lady called me from New York. She had seen a woman using one of my harnesses and she ran after her to ask where she got it, hence the phone call to me. She told me she could only leave the house with her 12 yr old son if she had her 2 sisters and her Mom to help. Four adults were need to watch her son if she was to take him out in public. But with my harness, she'd be able to take him out on her own. 

In many ways this blog is no more than a literary path between you the reader, and my customers who tell me things. I'm just the messenger passing along their comments and experiences, paraphrasing here and there and keeping it relevant. 

Remember, don't shoot the messenger but if you are housebound with your child, you just might want to consider getting them one of my harnesses.

The 'Hug Factor' in my Child-to-Adult Harness

You know when you hold the door for someone or say "Good morning" when you pass them on the sidewalk? Your simple gesture of kindness, something that you do all the time, may have just had a big impact on that strangers' day.

You start out doing one thing and all sorts of unexpected rewards jump out from nowhere for someone else.

That's the way I feel about my Child-to-Adult Harness. I love the design and I know it's comfortable to wear and I know it's incredibly effective in keeping people much stronger than me safe. Heck, my customers with autism and ADHD wear their harness every day all day year in year out. What more endorsement do I need?

Well the lovely thing that is happening is the completely unexpected "rewards" that my customers are getting from their harness, benefits that I didn't see coming and either did they.

Take for example the man who ordered my Child-to-Adult Harness for his brother who is living in an assisted facility. In true brotherly fashion, he wore the harness himself for a number of days before even showing it to his brother. By the way, this made perfect sense to me because I would have done exactly the same for my sister. He was great with his emails and he always kept me updated with reports about how it was going with the harness. He ended up really enjoying wearing it because he said it was so comfortable and made him feel like he was being hugged all the time. 

How could either of us seen that one coming? 

I have had a number of customers tell me their child would bring their harness to them to have it put on, even if they weren't going out. I've heard this so many times but I really didn't know what to make of it until now. It's the Hug Factor! And given the way I know God has created and directed my business, I think it's incredibly fantastic that He's literally hugging His beautiful children this way.

Are you using your child's clothing as a harness?

We've all seen it.

The Hood Harness. The toddler walking along with the parent holding the hood of their child's jacket with the zipper done up to the top and cutting right across the throat. Usually the parent is bent over because the Hood Harness always has a very short lead.

Or the Sweater Harness. This harness tends to lose it's shape during the first outing.

The Grab the Back of the Shirt Harness has a majical lengthening lead as it sheds buttons in the front.

Believe it or not, child's clothing as a harness remains one of my biggest competitors. But like using your blender to mix cement for the walkway, it's not always a good idea to use whatever's on hand when proper equipment is available.

If you are clinging to a small toddler, their wardrobe is kindly asking you to take a look at my Child Harnesses and if you have a larger toddler or someone with special needs in a death grip, you may want a look at my Child-to-Adult Harnesses. Sweaters and jackets and shirts all over the place are cheering you on.