Guest review: Bobalong

Chantal is a self-described compassionate pediatric nurse, loving wife and (best of all) a proud mother to a vibrant one-year-old girl who we’ll call Baby M. Like Mommy Gearest, Chantal loves products and voicing her opinion about them.

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I was so excited to do a guest review for Mommy Gearest’s blog. Such a great opportunity to test out a new, innovative product and share my opinion.

The bobalong promises an end to the frustration of your child dropping his bottle time and time again. It’s a vest – and it was to be the answer of all our problems. Baby M is one year old who is full of energy and personality. She loves throwing her bottle around, tipping it upside down and making a mess. She’s also a fan of losing the bottle on walks or trips.

THE GOOD

We received our shiny new bobalong and my first thought was “Wow, how the heck does this work?”  It looked a bit like a straight jacket. But it was actually easy to put on and fit like any vest would. There’s Velcro to adjust the fit so it’s suitable for six- to 18-month-old babies.

It clearly states to only use the bobalong when your child is sitting for safety reasons and not to use it in bed. Bonus points for common sense.

The bobalong comes in great, vibrant colours and is made of stretchy, light neoprene.

It comes with two “sleeves” that allow you to choose whether to harness in a bottle or a pacifier, so if your baby takes a soother, you might get double-duty out of the bobalong.

It’s a well-made product and I think it would be durable over time.

I liked how this product gave Baby M independence and allowed her to choose when she drank her bottle. She smiled and giggled as she took sips of her bottle and then let it hang off her chest as she continued to play.

I think this product is the most ideal for on-the-go moms or for frequent stroller travel; it really can eliminate your child’s ability to throw the bottle to the floor in public.

I found the bobalong very successful in preventing Baby M from turning the bottle upside down and losing it altogether, which she is normally apt to do pretty frequently.

The price is US$29, which I think is a fair price for a unique product that does what it says it’ll do.

THE GAFFE

bobalong’s instructions say that you can use this in the car, but I feel like the risk of impaling your child with her own bottle in the event of a car accident just isn’t worth it. (The nurse in me is nothing if not safe!)

Baby M uses Avent bottles, which have quite a large circumference. It was really difficult to slide her bottle into the sleeve, so bobalong needs to work on adapting the bottle holder so that ANY bottle can fit well.

Everything was going well. I thought, Yes! This works! And then Baby M figured out how to detach the Velcro bottle sleeve from the vest and she did what she does when vest-free and threw the bottle to the ground. Who knows, maybe she was annoyed having her bottle so close to her chest for so long. Perhaps the bobalong is better suited for younger babies in the six to nine month range.

I’m not sure I’d ever use this in place of a simple soother clip. Putting your child in a vest to hold a soother in place is a bit excessive for me, though I suppose if your baby goes from bottle to pacifier and back again, it could be easier for mom and dad.

THE GEARS

3.5/5

So…where can you buy it?

• This product is so new that only one online retailer currently carries it: Busy Mom Boutique
• The rest of the retailers are U.S.-based – for now