At some point in your little one’s life, you need to give them the freedom to walk and not be pushed around in their pushchair. This is a point in my daughter’s life that I was dreading because she is so headstrong and fiercely independent. It’s a hard one to work with because I don’t want to restrict her independence or take away her strength of character. They are just a small part of why I love her so much.
Raising an Independent Female!
In order to grow, I need to encourage her independence yet be sure that she is always as safe as possible. I knew from an early age that walking was going to be an area of contention with her. Our house used to back onto a very large open green, so once she started to walk confidently at around 14 months we would often go for a walk around the park.
The first few times went by without incident, but suddenly the devil on her shoulder started to show its face. I would walk in one direction and she would walk in the other. I tried the old “reverse psychology” trick of waving goodbye and walking away from her but it seems she had read that part of the manual herself.
Goodbye Mummy
She confidently said “goodbye” and ran off around the corner. Initially, I tried not to panic, I peeked around the corner expecting her to be standing there looking for me, but no, she had already made it nearly 200 yards away from me. I have never known such a little person cover so much ground so quickly!!!
For the next 12 months, I have managed to keep her strapped up in her buggy but I’m fast reaching the realisation that I do need to let her out every now and then.
My newest problem in this area is that our new house is very close to a very fast main road. Little Bean is a bright little girl but she has zero road sense (well she is only 29 months). If she decides mid-walk that she wants to be on the opposite side of the road then she will just step straight out without a care in the world (as Mummy’s heart jumps into her mouth!).
Goldbug to the rescue
Goldbug has now come to my rescue, in the form of their 2 in 1 Buddy Bear pictured above. This isn’t the usual “toddler reins” that you see in the shops, this one really appeals to the children because it features a cute cuddly bear (though other animals are available) that sits on their back and doubles up as a pouch to store their little treasures.
In the past, we have used the “toddler reins” which worked for a few weeks until she discovered that she could “fly” on them. One minute she would be walking nicely at your side, the next she would be swinging from the reins, much to Daddy’s dismay.
With the Goldbug Buddy Bear, this isn’t possible because she would be face down on the floor, tee hee! The strap attaches to the base of the bag and can be removed by means of a safety clip. It fits onto your child with two straps across their chest and over their shoulders. All straps are adjustable so they will fit big ones and little ones alike. Buddy Bear is extremely soft and cuddly and the “lead” is a good length. It keeps your child close enough that they are safe but not so close that you keep tripping over them or standing on their feet.
It also features a little pouch where they can stash a few small toys, or in our case, tissues for those runny noses. Daddy uses the pouch to store the lead when at the park and not in use.
They are available to purchase at only £16.99 plus postage and packing – you can’t put a price on children’s safety! They would make excellent gifts for birthdays or Christmas, Little Bean hasn’t left the house without hers – even when she’s going in the pushchair, he’s her new best friend!
To see the full range of Buddies, click on the link below to visit their site.