HARNESS FOR A CAR SEAT

[cains04mum]

Hi everyone, I am new to mumsnet. I was wondering if anyone know of where I could get a cheap harness for the Britax Adventure that I have just bought. My 4 year old has been diaganosed with autism and we need to keep him in a harness car seat rather than the car seat belt as he would just get out, especially when he is distressed. Websites I have looked at for car seats for special needs are really expensive, why do these companies take advantage and charge the earth its really unfair. I got the car seat today from Argos for £39.99 as it was on special from £89.99. I want to keep cost down and I dont want to pay £90 for a harness.

The main reason these harnesses are so pricey is that the companies that make them are very small and make to order. No mass production in the far East going on here!

Also, put into perspective, £90 is 2-3 weeks' petrol money for us. It's also cheaper than the £400+ a harnessed seat for DS1 would cost, so it's £90 we're about to shell out, ourselves, since he's about to outgrow the Britax Junior Traveller he's been in since he was 4!

Have you applied for DLA for your son? It's needs, rather than means tested and can make a big difference when there's stuff like this to fork out for.

Hi cains04mum,

We have developed a new Seatbelt Harness for Pregnant women in cars. We have already been asked to supply a version of it for some patients with medical requirements, which we are looking into.

A version of it may suit your son. You can see how it works on a video report the Discovery Channel made, at: watch.discoverychannel.ca/#clip399950

Or, contact us at: [email protected] we'll see if we can help.

Kind regards,
Stephen Weston

Crelling are generally thoguht to be the best in this area, I believe.

We use a crelling harness in the car for dd1, and have done ever since she went into a high backed booster, as she is not safe with just the seatbelt.

they ahve a huge variety of harnesses, dependng on your child's needs and car/seat type.

the harness is expensive, but we have been using ours for over 2 years now - probably nearer 3 - with little sign of wear and tear. so that is £90 well spent, really.

Our OT services used to provide crelling harnesses free of charge via NHS
But with the cuts don't know if thats still the case
Do you have a OT or can you get a referral via your HV?

You should be able to get a buggy and harness for free but know its getting harder and a postcode lottery

My social worker got my ds crelling harness through social work OT via NHS free of charge. Worth asking SW or OT.