How to Dadda
How to Dadda
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Harness

The short definition

A harness is the set of built-in straps that holds a child into a car seat or a high chair. They meet over the shoulders, the hips and between the legs.

What it actually means

A five-point harness has five anchor points: two shoulder straps, two hip straps, and one between the legs. They meet at a buckle in the middle. That is what "5-point" on the box is counting.

  • It is the seat's own straps, not the car's seatbelt. The seatbelt holds the seat in the car. The harness holds the child in the seat. Two separate jobs, two separate buckles, and they are the two things people mix up.
  • A harness is adjusted, not just done up. Adjust the inbuilt harness for a comfortable but firm fit, with no slack. The straps should be straight and in flat contact with the child, not twisted or caught. A twisted harness strap is one of the most common mistakes there is.

Under Australian law, children from six months to under four years must be in an approved rearward or forward facing restraint with an inbuilt harness.

Where Dadda will hear it

From the fitter, at the moment he is being shown how to tighten it. That is usually the one part of the appointment he will need to repeat alone. In a car park, in the rain.

Also on the high chair box, where "5-point harness" is a feature worth having.

Not to be confused with

  • The seatbelt. The belt is the car's. The harness is the seat's.
  • The top tether. That is a separate strap that runs from the top of the car seat to an anchor point in the car. It holds the seat, not the child.
  • A baby carrier. A carrier is sometimes called a harness because it is worn on the body, but it is a different thing with a different checklist.

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