Thank you to Tot2Walk for sending me one to try- all opinions are my own!
I love to shop and I also love to be smart about it (a.k.a. do my homework about deals, try to use coupons, and also try not to buy things we don’t need). I do love gadgets or products that make life easier, because, come on — it’s awesome to make an already chaotic life less stressful or easier. But often times, those products that make life easier aren’t a necessity, and for me, I’m likely to pass them up.
When I first saw the Tot2Walk, a walking aid for babies, I thought it was clever, but it fell into the category of not a necessity. Kids learn to walk all the time and parents help them without assistance like this. And, since I’m someone who tries to be good about my spending, it’s not the sort of thing that I’d buy because you never know how good these things actually are.
So when I saw that Tot2Walk was looking for testers, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to let them know I had a little guy who was nearing the walking phase to see if they might send me one to check out. Because event though it’s not a necessity, it really did look cool and I was curious about it!
Tot2Walk was happy to send me the Yoana Yellow to check out. It’s bright and cheery, made of soft foam, and is durable; my 4yo tried to pull it like a wish-bone and a teething 1yo who chewed on it, and it’s still fully functioning!
My older son learned to walk really quickly- my husband basically got him to walk one day while I was at work (which made me smile and cry at the same time!!). And from that time, he pretty much started running so there wasn’t a chance to help teach him to walk. Since I missed watching my older son learn, I’m loving seeing my little guy progress as he learns to walk, and the Tot2Walk has been a fun addition to his learning.
It did take some time for my little guy to catch onto how to actually use the Tot2Walk. At first he wouldn’t really grab it, and when he would, he didn’t really hold on to walk. I thought maybe it wasn’t for us, but I’m glad we kept at it. Not long after we started trying to use it- he started balancing in the standing position. I don’t know if the Tot2Walk helped him with the standing, or the timing was a coincidence, but once he got better at balancing, he started to catch on with using the Tot2Walk.
Now when we bring the Tot2Walk over, he actually reaches up to grab it. And, he’ll pull himself up to standing, whereas just a couple weeks ago we would have to put him in the standing position before he would reach for it. He loves to walk around with it and part of what I love is that it seems like he’s working on his balance more-so than when I hold his hands to walk. The Tot2Walk is flexible, so when I hold the handle, there’s still movement in the part that he holds. This makes him work those cute little core muscles as he tries to walk. He’s wiggly and wobbly sometimes, but he stays on his feet and loves every moment of it. Sometimes I think I’m having more fun at this than he is!
Another great point about the Tot2Walk is that because your kiddo is holding on, he can decide when to let go. Kids are low to the ground and he knows he’s going down so he either sits or falls forward on his hands- it’s gentle and safe. When I hold his hands, however, there are times where I feel like I end up pulling his little arms because I’m holding onto him. So, it seems like a gentler way to teach him to walk. A necessity? No, but definitely a useful tool!
My 4yo has also gotten in on the fun of helping teach our little guy to walk. It didn’t even occur to me that Big Brother would be able to help- thank goodness for creative 4-year-olds! Since E is all about picking Little Brother up and helping, this has been a great tool to let him be helpful in a safer way. We haven’t been working on walking for too long, but it is really nice that I don’t have to bend over to hold onto him- one of the big perks of the Tot2Walk.
All in all, I think this is a really great product and had I purchased it, I would feel good about the money that I spent. As I said, it’s certainly not a necessity, but it’s one of those innovative products that just makes life a bit easier. And, with all of the stress that can come from being a parent, isn’t it nice when you can find a way to make something easier? I think so!
Thank you, Tot2Walk for letting us try out your new baby-walking aid. We’ve enjoyed it so far and look forward to continuing to use it as we help our little guy learn to walk!