A lightweight elastic belt is threaded through the front belt loops on the parent’s trousers and serves as a safety belt for a child on lap.

DESCRIPTION

The user sewed Velcro onto the ends of a 40 cm long elastic band. The band is threaded through the two front belt loops on the user’s trousers and pulled around the baby to hold him/her firmly on lap. When the baby was small and lying down on the user’s lap the band was fastened around the baby’s chest; when the baby was a little bigger and could sit the belt was placed around the baby’s waist.

TIPSTER’S COMMENTS:

I found that it worked better to slide the belt through the front loops of my trousers and pull it around my daughter’s waist. She was more stable when sitting that way than if I had pulled a long belt around both of us. When my daughter had the belt around her I didn’t have to worry that she would fall off my lap when we rolled over bumps or curbs, or when she reached for the exciting things we rolled past. However, my daughter learned to open the belt when she was just over a year old; I could have put a buckle on the ends instead, but never got around to it. I used the belt from the time when my daughter was a few weeks old until she was about 2 years old.

PRODUCT

Homemade belt

EDITOR’S COMMENTS

Other parents have used variations of this tip, such as a soft corset pulled around both the parent and the child, an airplane seat belt, an ordinary scarf or a weightlifting belt.

Slightly older children of parents who use wheelchairs can sit on a lap unassisted.

TIPSTER’S COMMENTS:

From about 1 year of age the user’s three children have been able to sit freely on his lap without a harness. Before that age, they wore a harness, see related tip.

When the children were really small, they could be suspended in the baby carrier facing the user. This solution worked until they were about 8 months old and too large for their legs to fit. Once the children are old enough to sit by themselves, usually nothing is needed when the children ride along.

The user built a small platform on the back of his hand bike and mounted a children’s bike seat on it.

DESCRIPTION

The user built a platform of planks on the back of his hand bike on which a child’s bike seat is mounted. The seat is screwed directly into the wood without the holder that is usually mounted onto the frame of an ordinary bike. This solution allows the child to accompany the user on bicycle outings.

TIPSTER’S COMMENTS:

This is a prototype that I plan to further develop. For example, the solution needs wheel guards to protect small children’s fingers.

PRODUCT

Home-made