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In this guide
Munchkin sells the Brica By-My-Side harness as a backpack first. The owl-shaped pack has a main compartment, an expandable front pocket sized for a sippy cup, a side pocket with a reflective strip, a top loop for hanging and an adjustable chest clip, and a stretchy tether clips on for the years when a toddler bolts. Munchkin lists it at $17.16, marked down from $18.99, for children 18 months and up.
The design bet is that a tether the child wears as a toy-shaped backpack gets used, where a wrist strap gets refused, and that removing the tether later turns the purchase into a plain preschool bag. What Munchkin does not provide is any measurement: no tether length, no strap range, no weight limit and no fabric. A parent buying it is buying the idea, and the price is low enough that the idea may be all that matters.
Our verdict
A cheap, sensible tether-backpack for crowds and parking lots, sold with almost no specifications; buy it as a $17 experiment, not as safety equipment with a rating behind it.
- A good fit for
- A parent of a walking toddler who needs a hand free in an airport, a theme park or a stadium and wants the pack to outlast the tether.
- We would skip it if
- You want a published tether length, a weight limit, or a harness that fits a child under 18 months.
Reasons to consider it
- Tether is elastic and detaches, so the pack keeps working after the harness phase
- Adjustable chest clip, expandable cup pocket and a reflective strip on the side
- $17.16 on sale from $18.99, with 60-day returns on orders placed with Munchkin
The compromises
- Munchkin lists no dimensions, tether length, fabric or weight limit
- The Baby Gates & Safety collection on munchkin.com is empty, so this is the brand's only safety-adjacent item sold direct
- Orders under $25 pay $4.95 shipping, a real share of a $17 item
What we have not verified: The harness was not worn by a child here; how far the tether stretches, whether the chest clip holds a wriggling toddler, and how the straps fit a small frame were not assessed.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
Brica By-My-Side Baby Safety Harness, Owl
A convertible tether-backpack for 18 months and up with an elastic, removable lead, a chest clip, a cup pocket and a reflective strip, at $17.16 on sale.
Before you buy: No dimensions, tether length, weight limit or material are listed, and shipping adds $4.95 unless the order passes $25.
Price checked September 11, 2026. Retailer prices can change.A backpack the tether clips onto, not a harness with a bag
Munchkin describes the tether as optional and shock-absorbing: a stretchy lead that clips to the pack, meant to soften the jolt when a toddler reaches the end of it, and made to be removed for what Munchkin calls years of backpack use. That ordering matters. The pack is the permanent part, and the tether is an accessory for the window between confident walking and reliable listening, which for many children is roughly the second and third year. The age guidance on the page is 18 months and up, with no upper age or weight given.
The harness side of the design is an adjustable chest clip that Munchkin says grows with the child. A chest clip is what stops shoulder straps from sliding off a small frame when the tether pulls, so it is the piece doing the safety work. Munchkin does not state the strap adjustment range, the clip type or a tested load, and no standard is cited. Treat it as a leash that keeps a child from wandering, not as restraint rated to hold a falling one.
Pockets, a reflective strip and a loop for the hook
As a bag the pack is simple: a main compartment for a toy and a snack, an expandable front pocket that Munchkin sizes for a sippy cup or a favorite toy, and a side pocket with a reflective strip for visibility after dark. There is a loop on the top so it hangs on a hook by the door. Munchkin lists the whole item at 0.59 pounds in its store data, which is light enough that the weight will be whatever the child packs into it.
The owl face is the reason a toddler will agree to wear it, and it is also the reason to check the fit early. A soft character pack has no frame, so a heavy water cup in the front pocket will pull the straps forward and rely on the chest clip to keep them in place. A giraffe version is sold at the same $17.16, and both use the same tether and pocket layout, so the choice is only about which animal the child prefers.
Seventeen dollars, plus shipping unless you add to the cart
The sale price is $17.16 against a list of $18.99, a 10% markdown. Munchkin's standard shipping is $4.95 on orders under $25 and $7.95 from $25 to $49.99, and it becomes free at $50, so a lone harness effectively costs about $22 delivered. Adding a second child item to pass $25 does not remove the fee, only lowers the share it takes; the practical move is either to accept the $4.95 or to fold the harness into a larger order.
Returns on munchkin.com orders are accepted for 60 days from purchase, the item must be new, unused, in its box and complete with labels and instructions, and Munchkin covers domestic return postage while the original outbound shipping is not refunded. Damaged or defective items can be refunded with the outbound shipping included, or replaced at no charge. Munchkin also notes that items bought from other retailers must be returned to that retailer, which is relevant because this harness is stocked widely elsewhere.
What Munchkin does not say, and why it was not the latches
The absences are the review. Munchkin gives no tether length, no stretch range, no strap length, no pack dimensions, no fabric content and no maximum child weight, and there is no warranty statement on the page or in the store data. For a $17 bag that is tolerable; for something a parent will trust in a crowd it means the fit has to be checked at home, on the child, inside the 60-day window. A tether that is too short for an adult's reach or too long to stop a dash into a road is a defect only you can find.
This review was planned around Munchkin's Xtraguard multi-use latches and, failing those, the Xtraguard cabinet locks. Neither is sold on munchkin.com: the store's Baby Gates & Safety collection returns no products, a search for latch surfaces snack catchers, and the two Xtraguard items on sale are an antimicrobial head support and a seat cover. The By-My-Side harness is the only child-safety product Munchkin sells direct in the US, which is why it stands in here.
Skip it if the numbers matter more than the owl
Pass on this harness if you need a specified tether length or a stated weight limit, because Munchkin provides neither and a phone call to its support line is the only way to get them. Also pass for a child under 18 months, since the age guidance starts there, and for a child who already refuses to wear a backpack, because the whole design assumes the pack is the part the toddler tolerates.
Buy it if the use case is a handful of crowded days a year and you want the bag to survive them. The elastic tether, the chest clip and the reflective strip cover the obvious needs, the markdown makes it cheap, and the 60-day return term gives room to try it on the child and change your mind. Just do that trial before the trip, not at the gate.
How we put this together
Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.
- Munchkin: Brica By-My-Side Baby Safety Harness, Owl (opens in a new tab)
- Munchkin: Hassle-free returns (opens in a new tab)
- Munchkin: Shipping information (opens in a new tab)
