Speaking of the Harness..........

[MrsJ Henry]

DH and I were talking about this for our 2 1/2 year old.
Here is my concern... I'm afraid she won't wear it.
Are there people out there who have gotten them but their child would not wear it?
How did you handle this?

 

[dawminatrix]

we got the monkey one for my son when he was about 2....we named it "Charlie" we took it off the leash and tried to pretend it was a stuffed animal....but oh no....he would have NOTHING to do with it!!! When I tried to put it on him, he squirmed and cried so....we never used the monkey. I ended up selling it at consignment. (sorry for the unsuccessful story!)

 

[MrsJ Henry]

we got the monkey one for my son when he was about 2....we named it "Charlie" we took it off the leash and tried to pretend it was a stuffed animal....but oh no....he would have NOTHING to do with it!!! When I tried to put it on him, he squirmed and cried so....we never used the monkey. I ended up selling it at consignment. (sorry for the unsuccessful story!)

Yup... sounds like what our daughter may do and that's what I'm afraid of. I guess I could try it on in the store and see how she reacts.

 

[kymmyk13]

my DD4 has some special needs and is very defient and impulsive, she loves the monkey she wears it around the house. She would sleep in it if I let her. I have already packed it for our trip next month.

 

[2disneyboys]

When DS was 2 & 3 and I would go to an amusement park or concert venue or really any crowded place, I wanted him to wear a harness. He fought it something terrible. Finally, I told him he was a big boy and could choice. Did he want to ride in the stoller or walk? the only way he could walk was with the harness. It was a battle but eventually he figured out we mean it.. if he was walking (or being held by someone -- they can be tricky you know) he had to have the harness on. He could only have it off in the stroller. If wearing the harness is important to you, You have to stick to your guns and be willing to endure some crying & screaming or fit throwing and she will have to see that it's just frankly not optional.

The best thing I did was practice this before the big events.... we'd let him have the option of the harness while shopping, at the zoo, anywhere that he would normally be contained to a stroller This way, we handled the battles without the added stress of a big vacation we were trying to enjoy. By the time we went on our trip, he understood the rules and would even remind grandparents that he needed his harness if he was getting out of the stroller.

if she likes girly girly things, maybe you could accessorize it to make her like it more? even let HER help you pick it out or accessorize it..

GOOD LUCK!

 

[LilGMom]

We tried one for our oldest when he was between 15-18 months. He acted just like a cat when you put a leash on one. He went jelly legs, sat down and would not budge. Needless to say the harness never left the house. We found that a backpack carrier worked much better.

 

[Disneychix]

We used the harness a little bit when DS was 19 months at WDW. He didn't fight it very much. Then he dicovered it in his closet one day and he loves it!! He carries it around all the time. (it's the Dog one) So we brought it with us as a stuffed animal and a harness We found it's great for the airport. Not so successful in the parks as it's way too crowded.

 

[smiles&grins]

We got our daughter a purse harness. It worked out great. We let her put some fruit snacks in it and a park map. It's just like wearing a purse with a belt. She didn't complain once, it was a big girl thing to have a purse. When she would get on a ride or back in the stroller we would just detach the parent holder part from her belt, Sometimes we would just hang the holder on the stroller in case she saw something and decided to run!! I also loved that this one didn't seem as hot as the stuffed animal type. She still uses the purse here at home. We got ours a Babies R Us but this is what it is. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=15067861&RN=7126&



Another thing we just used ours for extra safety. She held our hands when she walked since it is so crowded. I was just worried about her running when she saw something that really excited her.

 

[2shortpeopleruleme]

We also have the purse. We love it! Used it for our ODD and now we are starting with our YDD. We let we play with it in the house. So far so good!

Megan

 

[dawminatrix]

i have a girl friend that used the purse one with her daughter and had great success with it! i've also seen a pink poodle around too.

 

[DRS_Are_Best]

We bought ours for the twins this past weekend to use on our upcoming trip to the world....after a miserable experience at the zoo that morning (and our trip was less than a week away). That afternoon I put them on the twins and it didn't go over so well, but I did get it on them. DD(2) has a puppy and DS(2) has the monkey. It didn't go too badly though (getting them on) -- the walk on the other hand -- well, let's just say that I'll have one and dh will have the other......that seemed to work better than me walking both of the pups.....

 

[chicagoshannon]

In our house it's wear the backpack or ride in the stroller. She chooses the backpack.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

We got our daughter a purse harness. It worked out great. We let her put some fruit snacks in it and a park map. It's just like wearing a purse with a belt. She didn't complain once, it was a big girl thing to have a purse. When she would get on a ride or back in the stroller we would just detach the parent holder part from her belt, Sometimes we would just hang the holder on the stroller in case she saw something and decided to run!! I also loved that this one didn't seem as hot as the stuffed animal type. She still uses the purse here at home. We got ours a Babies R Us but this is what it is. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=15067861&RN=7126&



Another thing we just used ours for extra safety. She held our hands when she walked since it is so crowded. I was just worried about her running when she saw something that really excited her.

this might work better for my daughter since she is very into purses now...

 

[Ariel on Land]

You never know till you try! My twins LOVE their monkey and puppy backpacks! They seriously wear them around the house every. single. day. We've gone on walks and other short trips w/ them and most of the time there's no problem. Every now and then, they'll want to go a different direction, but we just stand still, let them pull for a minute, and they figure it out. Most of the time they will hold our hands in addition to us holding the tails, so it's not like they even realize we're connected.