Time for walkies!
Now that Little Man is walking (running) confidently, he’s no longer happy to be wheeled about in his wonderful stroller. He wants to walk everywhere! And in theory, I have no problem with letting him walk – it certainly beats carrying him everywhere. But my usual parenting paranoia means that whenever we’re out in a public place, I worry about him running off before I can catch him, or getting lost. He’s so small that he could easily wander out of sight. And did I mention how fast he is!
I bought a harness from my local pharmacy, but Little Man really didn’t like it. And to be honest, I didn’t really like it either. The “lead” from it wasn’t very long, and I felt that it didn’t allow Little Man any independence at all. I was ready to write off the whole “harness” experiment, when I spotted Harness Buddies for sale on Hipbaby.ie.
I ordered a Lion Buddy, and waited impatiently for it to arrive. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait long. Within a few days, it was here, ready for its test-run. I’m happy to report that it is a huge success. Little Man gets so excited when we ask if he wants to put “Lion” on. (Yes, I know, not very creative with names!)
The straps fit comfortably around his shoulders, and the buckles close easily across his chest, and he actually seems to like wearing it. From my point of view, the lead from it is just the right length, and because it is soft and fluffy, it is really comfy around my wrist!
We now bring “Lion” everywhere with us, and unless Little Man is tired and in need of a nap, we use “Lion” instead of the stroller. Little Man is happy because he gets to explore everywhere, and I’m happy because he can’t wander off.
I saw these online a couple of months ago and had been planning on buying the giraffe buddy for Little Man to bring next week until I saw him wearing the Lion in Sundays post 🙂
I was actually going to get him the giraffe, but they were sold out the day I ordered it. I’d have had to be a bit more inventive with the name if I had bought the giraffe, because of Sophie and James, so maybe it’s for the best!! 🙂
Hey, after seeing Little Man in this the other day I bought one. I got Dylan a cheeky chimp 🙂
Oh I loved that one too! They’re all so cute!
I ordered the pink poodle for Ellie the other day. If you enter HIP1 into the quote section you get a discount (€21.60 instead of €24).
Great tip Carol – thanks!
Oh my God that is so cute. We’re having the same trouble at the moment with our little fella. He wants to walk everywhere! Hope it’s not too late to get one of these…we live in Dublin city and sometimes I find myself in tricky balancing situations…scary!
That is such a good idea, beats hanging on to the back of the tee shirt or jacket ! That never works with our squirmer ! Lovely picture!
Gosh he looks so young in that photo now. We probably got about six months use out of Lion in the end. It was fantastic for teaching him to walk beside us in public places.