how young is to young to climb?

I thought about the car seat idea a year ago. But the wife thought better of it. That is my biggest limiting factor. If she says "no" I drop it. That is typically a good thing around my house. The boy already thinks he is superman because of my encouragement. I caught him the other day piling pillows on the bean bag and then jumping off of his high chair into the pile. Atleast he seems to underestand pillows make for a nice landing.
 
We have 6 children and all have been introduced to climbing at different ages. My husband would like nothing more than to strap our 6 month old in a front pack and climb with him, but being the mom here, I am the voice of reason. Of course I don't see anything wrong with letting them swing with assistance if you have a properly fitting harness when they are small, but they have to be able to understand at least how to get themselves down to really climb and can they pull hard enough on the knot to get down AND...can they remember to let go of the knot if they are coming down too fast. Our daughter was so far the youngest to really start climbing at around 4 or 5 years old. She still likes it at 7.
 
I've been climbing with my 4 year old quite a bit, he's good at climbing limby stuff, otherwise it is just hauling a sack of potatoes up. Once we get to a good spot he loves to sit on Dad's lap and hang out. We were in a beautiful Ostrya virginiana today, checking out the funky bark and rows of holes from sapsuckers. So cool.

My 8 year old niece put on my boy's harness and gave it a try. I was blown away by the difference a few years makes, strength and coordination. She was pulling herself up no problem, and was even tending her own slack on the blakes' hitch, just from watching how I was doing it for her. I can't even imagine how good my boys are going to be in several years, giving the squirrels a run for their money I suppose.

My 2 year old gets consistently mad at getting left behind. My wife made him happy by holding him and swinging a bit a couple feet off the ground.

One big thing to consider is kid's lack of understanding of what is and isn't a good idea. I've explained to my boys that tree climbing is only allowed when Dad's there, but listening to Dad isn't as important as I'd like it to be. The boys are crazy about tree gear and ropes, but their good at imagining things too. My wife busted the oldest one midway up a 15' spruce trying to "tie-in" with the dog leash, a puppy harness and a squirt gun in his shorts, for "pruning" I suppose. I had a good laugh, and then thought, have I created a monster?
 
I have had my son swinging in his new harness a couple of times now. He loves to swing but the harness is still a little big for him so it gets uncomfortable quick. Hope to get some pics up soon. I still have not been able to find a helmet small enough.
 
I ran my 150' line through my fiddle blocks and spread it out vertically as far as it would go, about 30 foot. Set my line next to my six year old. Easy for him, easy for me...no more sack of potatoes. The cam on the fiddle block worked surprisingly well. He was attached to me by dorsal attachment always as a back up, but it was never an issue. He really liked being able to pull himself up. The other day I took him up in a two man basket 50 foot and he never once freaked...in fact he was disappointed it didn't go higher. A little more time ps...but just get him on rope. My son's ouititsi didn't fit either at first
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Nice idea with the fiddle blocks, I'll have to try something like that.
My boy is set up with the Trango Jr, pretty much like a fall arrest harness. I have to admit I haven't figured how to make it fit any better than OK. I'm going to make up a seat for his butt out of some tubular webbing, might keep the thing in place better when he's suspended in it.

He digs his Petzl Elios helmet, it stays in place pretty well.
 
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I ran my 150' line through my fiddle blocks and spread it out vertically as far as it would go, about 30 foot. Set my line next to my six year old. Easy for him, easy for me...no more sack of potatoes. The cam on the fiddle block worked surprisingly well. He was attached to me by dorsal attachment always as a back up, but it was never an issue. He really liked being able to pull himself up. The other day I took him up in a two man basket 50 foot and he never once freaked...in fact he was disappointed it didn't go higher. A little more time ps...but just get him on rope. My son's ouititsi didn't fit either at first
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Cool idea bro.
Did you back up the cam with a prussic?
btw, Ill send you the DTW is soon as it starts to snow here some time in September.
Not
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My daughter is almost three, I have a harness that fits her at thirty pounds. I set up my rope guide on a high limb that I was using for footlocking. I started her out with clipping her into one end of the rope and I would raise her up and down to see how she would handle the hights, and watched to see if she supported herself in the harness correctly. She kept herself upright really great but she wasn't to happy to get more than about twenty feet away from us up in the air. She wanted to play on the ropes like daddy so I kept it simple. She had lots of fun.
 
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Cool idea bro.
Did you back up the cam with a prussic?
btw, Ill send you the DTW is soon as it starts to snow here some time in September.
Not
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sort of... I used the daddy would burn the flesh off his hands down to the bone technique before I let him off belay. He was attached to me and my system at all times. I've rescued Scotty's rescue dummy a few times....he (my son) wasn't going anywhere. I pm'd you my address so you know where to mail that .
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I had my 8 and 10 year old girls up in trees this winter. PPE is good, hair ties are VERY good. My first aerial rescue-climbing up to my eight year old, lanyard her in to my lanyard and the tree, then untie her blakes, remove her long blond hair from the hitch, and retie so she can descend.

Tim
 
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