UKC

My daughter is 7 but small for her age. She is quite top heavy and my husband is really worried about belaying her as twice now she's ended up tipping right backwards once in a petzl machu and once in a Tomcat. Her twin sister is in a petzl machu and is absolutely fine.

We either want a full body harness or a sit in with a chest harness. What would be best? Obviously climbing with twins my husband needs to easily be able to swap the rope over before they kill each other!

In reply to Sleepymrsp:

Definitely go for a full body harness, my kids didn't climb in a waist harness until they were maybe 8 or 9. When you get one, read the instructions carefully! I saw one family recently with the kid wearing the harness backwards; it was quite worrying because like that one cross strap that should be between the shoulders was just below the kid's throat and it looked possible that the kid could fall out the back of the harness (because that should have been the front and held closed by the tie-in knot).

In reply to TobyA:

We're baffled lol. Think we're going to have to drive round and try a few out to be honest. The tomcat incident happened on the auto belay with an instructor at the climbing centre and I thought it was just one of those things until she tried out her sisters machu, husband lifted her with it and she flew backwards. Not keen on her doing it again!

Any advice on which full body to get? She's 23kg

In reply to Sleepymrsp:

Definitely full body harness. My two lads climbed in the Petzl Oustiti. Great harness for kids.

In reply to Sleepymrsp:

My small 7 12 year old uses the mammut kids sit harness. She is small for her age too (118cm tall 3 stone 3 pounds). The mammut one goes small enough for her tiny waist and she regularly uses autobelays and doesn't turn upside down.
I have found I can get her to turn upside down if the tie in loop is big enough when I'm belaying her but we usually ties herself in and it isn't a problem. We found her full body harness (the wild country one) stopped her climbing overhangs.

Where do you climb? Do they have various harnesses you can try? An alpine might work too as the tie in loop is higher up and she will never grow out of it!

In reply to Sleepymrsp:

Definitely full body harness. My small-for-her-age daughter got her first sit harness at 10 and was fine by then. Previously a Petzl full-body, which was shared with her younger brother.

Petzl do a good job with these - I'd have always considered them foolproof, but after reading this thread I'm obviously overestimating some breeders.

In reply to Sleepymrsp:

I think they all come with height/weight guidance so just check with that. My kids had a Singing Rock harness which was pretty cheap, but otherwise looked very much like the Petzl one.

Thanks everyone. I can't see overhangs being an issue for a while yet. Whereas her sister has taken to climbing like a duck to water she hasn't found it easy but she keeps trying and wants to go so I'm happy enough