REVIEW: THE HOBBLEDEHOO

Noun: hobbledehoy; plural noun: hobbledehoys
1. a clumsy or awkward youth. 
Adjective: hobbledehoy
1. awkward or clumsy, “his hobbledehoy hands”
Origin mid 16th century: of unknown origin.

The Hobbledehoo is a harness for the ‘active’ child… i.e. my little bambino!

Reigns may not be for everyone, but as he is now two and a half we find it much nicer for him to be out of the pushchair when we’re out and about and letting him walk. He prefers the freedom and directing us where we need to go, usually into all the shops in the village or popping into the coffee shop for a quick flat white. We still use the sling every now and then, and i would babywear til he's 10 if he let me, but somehow i think my back will be in bits considering he's pretty hefty for the sling as it now! It's just easier and safer than relying on 'holding hands' when you know you're going to be near busy roads or when you're in a muddy field and your toddler still hasn't grasped that puddles can be deeper than they appear to be!

Before using the Hobbledehoo we had basic reigns that we got in John Lewis. They did the job, and weren't uncomfortable, but they were just a buckle that wrapped around his arms and clicked into place at the back. The ‘lead’ was quite short too (want for a better term, it does feel like you’re taking the dog out the first time you use reigns/a harness but it soon becomes normal).

This harness, however, I am now in love with. It’s very comfortable for him with padding behind the front and back, and goes over the child’s head easily and clicks in place under the arms. It feels very secure and anyone who uses a child's harness will know you want to feel like it won’t snap off and therefore the child be suddenly free and running for dear life!!

What I also love about this harness is the ‘grab handles’ at the front and back, for those times you may need to quickly grab them, quite a unique feature. It’s also high vis which is awesome at this time of year. Reference to a dog again, but my toddler is like a dog in the sense he needs fresh air twice a day and to run outside and have that freedom. So with it being dark by 4pm now, this is great for the walk to the shops or a visit to the park before dinner time.

The ‘lead’ is detachable too, so when you are in a safe area and feel comfortable with them running or even when you arrive at the park, you can easily and quickly remove the lead leaving the body of the device still in tact. Something the previous harness we had didn’t have so we’d often have to just loop it up and tuck into the straps around his back, not ideal.  It’s a good length too, I noticed that my toddler feels a lot more ‘free’ than he did previously and I think the longer lead is why.

In short, this is a great addition to the coat rack. It’s easy to use, and if your child is happy with wearing a harness already, they won’t notice any difference, maybe just a little bit more comfortable? It's designed for children from age 1 up to 7 which is pretty cool. The Hobbledehoo team created this after being inspired whilst on a skiing holiday with their little ones and wanting them to have freedom but to also be completely secure. And it definitely does that.

You can get yours for £30 at www.hobbledehoo.com

This post was sponsored by Hobbledehoo.