I just wanted to post about a new item which has freed me up to get out of the house a little more with our 17 month old triplets!

I love, love, love our new backpack harness with the retractable leash!!

http://safe2go.ca/

With triplets, I decided that in order to safely wander in parks & public places (especially with only 1 or 2 adults), we needed a safety harness/leash to make sure they couldn't run off. We live on a busy street with lots of cars & a park behind our house has canyons & creeks that would be dangerous to let them roam around. Even with two people, running in three directions is not possible. The old stroller rides are no longer enough to keep these little ones entertained now that they want to run, run, run!

I did my research before I purchased a couple of different types of these harness. Unfortunately, almost all of them are made with a similar design of a V shape in the back where the shoulder straps come together which causes the straps to chaff at the neck. I initially found these Safe2Go harnesses because they were the only ones with padded shoulder straps that were soft & avoided their necks.

The best feature involves the retractable leash. Most of the other designs had leashes that could be clipped off (inconveniently), but otherwise would drag behind the child if you let go. Since we only want to restrain them intermittently when needed & otherwise let them safely run about, that dragging leash posed another hazard (not to mention judgment from passers by). These Safe2Go harness are not only adorable (lots of different animals, flowers, butterflies, etc), but they have a retractable leash which automatically retracts when your not holding it into a cute part of the backpack. What a clever design!!

They are made by the sister of the actress that played the lead in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." She makes them in Manitoba Canada & uses the proceeds for adoption support & prevention of child trafficking. If you click on the media section of their website, there is a news story on the maker. They are sold through BabySherpa & came within a few days.

Here is the link: http://safe2go.ca/

They can be purchased at: babysherpa.com

The first time they wore them was a complete success! They have a loop that easily fits around your wrist so if you want to just passively keep holding on, its easy. My little girl is entranced by the cement creek (potential bad fall & yucky mucky water) & I could let her just move up & down the bank (feeling free), while I stood at just the right distance to not let her try to step into it. Perfect!

GGB Triplets Born 32 weeks Nov,2010

Janet