Kool Kangaroos Boomerein Review

As Squeaky gets older, she's less & less inclined to ride in her buggy, despite the collection of choices we have.  She'd much rather walk, and I'm trying to teach her the basics of road sense.  She's quite good outside the house, she knows she has to wait on the kerb, and will "hold the car" when I tell her to, but like any parent, I want to be sure she's safe & under control.  Problem is, she really doesn't like reins.  I've tried traditional reins, and backpack style ones, and I'm not sure if it's the fit or what, but she really doesn't get on with them.  And when you're in town, and you've been used to having shopping space under a buggy, needing a hand to hold onto reins is a big adjustment,

The very clever (or should that be Klever?) people at Kool Kangaroos have come up with a solution.  The Boomerein - hands free reins that fit round your waist, and your child's.  It's a clever thing, such a simple idea, the kind that makes you wonder why you didn't think of it yourself.

Unclipped

The reins are in two parts, an elastic belt that clips round your child's waist, with a second clip coming off it.  That clip links up to a retracting rein, attached to a second elasticated belt that fits around your waist.  Because the two sections can be unclipped, it means that if you don't need to be joined up, you can release your child's part, without taking off the rein, so you don't have the battle of putting it back on later.  The belts are both adjustable, so they can comfortably fit a weeny Squeaky & a somewhat bigger than weeny me.

You can see the unclipped rein on Squeaky on this photo, we tried it out on a trip to the park, and I unclipped her from me so that she could run around (fall over) and enjoy herself and hopefully forget she was wearing the rein.  It worked wonders, and she ran around as happy as can be without even realising she was wearing the belt.

Mommy's Eye View

When we came to leave the park, it was simply a case of clipping my end of the rein back up, and encouraging her to come with me.  Easier said than done, there's swings and slides in the park, and not in our house.

I took the rein to our mums & toddlers group as well, in the hope she would model them for photos, but she wasn't in a co-operative mood that day.  However, the reins did get quite a bit of interest from the mums, the general consensus being that Squeaky & I get all the coolest things to try out, and that the reins make so much sense.

They are slightly reminiscent of a retractable dog lead, the principle is very similar.  But instead of the 5metres or so that a dog lead extends to, the Boomerein's extension is only 20 inches/51cm, meaning your child is within reasonable arm's reach, and there's no risk of tripping over the rein (or getting tangled up around a tree).  While the belts are elasticated, it's very firm elastic and won't stretch to give your child further escaping distance.  You can actually attach up to 3 Boomereins to one adult's belt, making them ideal for multiples, or even child minders, though I can imagine them trying their hardest to get tangled around your feet.



The Boomerein is available to order through Kool Kangaroos for £15.95, with a pink or blue name label.

Disclosure: I was provided with a Boomerein free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.