Backpack harnesses

Post Reply New Topic

How old was your Autistic child when you stopped using one?

These weren't around when I was a kid but even if they were, I would have figured out how to get out of it in like two seconds. Seriously, do the people who make these think kids are stupid or something? The clips are in the front. I've seen other ones that go around the wrist and they secure around the child's wrist via velcro. I'd figure out how to get out of that as soon as it was put on me. My mom says I would have tied it too a tree or something and then ran off. If the kid was VERY stupid, it seems like it would cause an injury to the wrist.

You know I never used one but was thinking today, a really sturdy one would be ideal for my near 5yr old. I was imagining more a harness that has a handle at the back so I can just steer him around when needed. When we hold his hand and he is not being co-operative he starts to lean off us and walk in front.

We tried various types of harnesses for our daughter - the standard reins, wrist strap, then a backpack harness. She loved each of them for no more than a week, then she'd refuse to walk, lie on the ground or tie me up in knots. We eventually gave up and persevered with hand holding, even though she struggled to get away constantly. I'm just glad that she's grown up a bit and has more knowledge about road safety, although she needs constant reminding about stopping at kerbs, at 5 1/2. If I could, my preference would be to still use them today.

we never really used one either. tried a couple times, but with K its a lot like a cat on a leash (they often just fall over); he simply cant function in a harness. since he was a newborn, he has always resisted being controlled or held, that hasnt changed any in the past 5 years.

we usually just "hold hands" now, altho its often not us holding his hand, but him holding one of our fingers. still has the resistance to being held, and he is very tactile with his fingers wiggling all the time, so he cant stand to have his hand held. the finger method works fine, except when he trips and practically rips off one of our fingers

we generally give K a lot of freedom, unless its crossing a street or in a parking lot. he is usually allowed to run, jump, spin, and spaz out as much as he likes =) he is even allowed to walk at the grocery store instead of ride in the cart these days. each trip we go over the simple rules, and he knows them by heart now, and follows them pretty well. 1. dont touch anything, and 2. stay where he can see us and we can see him.

I still use one and he is 4. I need it being a single mum with a 2 and a half yr old runner too. I cant just chase one and leave the other. I am thinking of trying an outing without them and see how it goes.

I am scared.

We had the monkey harness (stuffed monkey backpack thing with a tail leash) and we used that until she was about 4. I taught her to stop when I said "red light" by playing red light green light but now I can just say stop (shes 6). However in the heat of passion she has ran out into the street recently which was scary so when I walk her home from school she has to hold my hand. I have a cane that I use on my right side so I have taught my son (9 year old aspie) to hold her hand when we are on the opposite side of the street where our house is. When we are alone I have her walk in front of me and I hold onto her school backpack with my left hand. I know people who use these things: http://www.childharness.ca/2strap.html
I personally think that these are very overpriced for what they are. If you are even slightly crafty you could make one yourself.
I dont have a problem with people using them because It is scary if your child is a runner and there have been autistic children killed because they are runners and have no concept of danger.
We have a stroller (typical umbrella stroller) that we use when we go shopping for my daughter as she has low muscle tone and hyper mobility in her legs so she gets very tired easily. My OT in the US tried to get her PT but the doctors said she didnt need it because she was so active and she climbed on everything....they didnt understand. Now she is worse. She mainly plays laying on her back, she uses her feet to hold her books, ect. She also is covered in bruises as she falls frequently. Fortunately she has only broken one bone so far, a split chin and a really nasty black eye from falls. Now that we have her diagnosed here in France we are going to try to get insurance to pay for her big stroller, plus she will get PT as well. We will use only when she gets tired....I want to encourage her to walk as much as possible but she gets tired and will start hanging on us, the shopping cart or just lay on the floor and she is too big to carry....I couldnt carry her even if she was 10lbs due to my disease. Anyway, if anyone needs these harness things and cant make one you may be able to get insurance to pay for it, just like the big kid stollers, or push chairs....btw Maclaren is seriously ripping people off with these "special needs" strollers. They are the same as a regular stroller but they are a bit bigger and cost around 800$. If you are in the US and need a special needs stroller look up Special Tomato....they are much better and far cheaper. I wish we could get one in France....Id buy one from the states but the shipping, ect would end up costing me the same as the Maclaren Major....plus dont know that insurance would pay for that.
Anyway....sorry about the rant but you can use these strollers for kids that run too. I think the harness would be better but many people do use them for that purpose.

They do have ones for special needs that have the clips in the back....they also have them for car seats for kids who are little escape artists. I wish they had things like they do now when I had my oldest because he could get out of any car seat or stroller....if the clips were in the back it may have been more difficult for him.....maybe still not impossible though .
All joking aside, some kids have no fear and will bolt out into the street and kids have been killed so I dont blame anyone for using these things. Many people use therapy dogs for this reason but they are very expensive and hard to get.

I think I would have figured out how to undo one with the clips in the back eventualy as well. I'm not against putting kids in harnesses or on leashes, I just think it's stupid that the people who make them can't see how easy they are to escape from.

I didn't want to do it but my husband got a monkey harness for our son a few months ago and I'm so glad he did! It has made shopping with my son so much less stressful and my son actually asks for it now, "Monkey? Monkey!??" Because he knows it gives him more freedom over holding my hand (he always pulled on me and screamed making it look like I was trying to rip his arm off) or being in the shopping cart. The clasps are in the front but luckily he never tries to take it off. We get some looks and comments but mostly from people who say they wish they had one when their kids were small, I usually tell them he's autistic ... he makes it pretty obvious why he has it on - he still tries his best to run all over the place - so I think the disapproving looks are few and far between.

We tried various types of harness for our daughter, the last one being a backpack. Each one lasted no more than a week. That week was great. But, then she started to make a fuss, tie me up in knots by running round and round me or she'd just lie on the ground, refusing to move. I was hopeful about the backpack and really disappointed when she refused to co-operate. If she had co-operated, she would have been wearing it until fairly recently (she's nearly 6).

Even this morning, I was worried about her road safety skills. A van was 3-point turning at the bottom of our cul-de-sac and we were heading in it's direction. She started darting around, as I tried to grab her. She was oblivious to the fact that the driver was concerned about where she was going next.

Mine still has plenty of antics like trying to tie me up (if you're quick to switch the leash part to another hand he can't do that successfully) and laying on the ground, I'm diligent about picking him up. It's still such a big improvement over the constant screeching and running. If I'd had one I'm sure I'd have been able to get it off though, I was an escape artist at that age.