How to Make a Child Harness

Keeping track of small children while out in public places can be very challenging. Small children can wander off quickly and easily, and before you know it you can be left panicking and not knowing where your child went. To avoid situations like this, make a child harness to keep your small child safe and sound. While it may not be the most appealing idea to have your child on a harness, your child's safety is the most important priority.

Things You'll Need

• 1/4 yard sturdy fabric
• 1 yard nylon webbing (1 1/2-inches wide)
• Nylon cording
• Sewing machine
• Sewing notions (thread, scissors, pins, etc.)
• Tape measure
• Self-adhesive Velcro
• Needle

Instructions

1. Cut two 7-inch by 7-inch squares of fabric to make the chest pad of the harness. Place the fabric pieces together with wrong sides facing out. Stitch around each edge with a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Leave a 3-inch opening to turn right side out.

2. Turn the sewn fabric square right side out and hand sew the opening shut with small whip stitches.

3. Pin the chest pad to your child's chest carefully. Measure from the left edge to the center of your child's back. Add 1 inch to this measurement. Unpin the chest pad from your child.

4. Cut two nylon webbing lengths to the measurement from Step 3.

5. Sew the nylon webbing to each side edge of the chest pad approximately 2 inches from the top corners.

6. Affix a piece of self-adhesive Velcro to each end of the nylon webbing so that the straps can be fastened around the back of your child.

7. Cut two more lengths of nylon webbing. These pieces of nylon webbing go over the child's shoulders and will attach with Velcro to the back waist strap. Start by cutting the nylon webbing lengths to 10 inches each.

8. Stitch each length of nylon webbing to the top edge of the chest pad near the upper corners.

9. Place the harness on your child and take the shoulder straps over the child's shoulders to determine how long they should be. Mark the point where the shoulder straps reach the waist strap in the back. Add 1 inch to the shoulder strap length and cut the shoulder straps at this point.

10. Affix a self-adhesive Velcro piece onto each end of the shoulder straps and line the shoulder straps up with the back waist strap. Affix Velcro pieces to the waist strap where the shoulder straps intersect for attaching.

11. Cut a piece of nylon cording to the desired length to make the leash. Make a loop on one end that is just big enough to fit around the waist strap. Machine-stitch the loop around the center of the back waist strap.

12. Make another loop on the other end of the nylon cording that is large enough to fit your hand through. Machine stitch this loop to secure and finish the leash.