Hippy Chick Child Hipseat

I have to apologise in advance; this is a long review.

But I’ve written it with a little background, just to show where I was coming from when I bought the Hippychick Hipseat, and how I feel it has addressed those issues.

I admit it; I bought the Hippychick Hipseat out of irritation.

I love our son dearly, but he’s the kind of baby who just has to be where the action is. Whether I’m washing his bottles, ...
...to be in the thick of it – not that he can’t or won’t play happily for ages, with me just checking in every now and again, but when he’s in the mood for company, that’s it.

This is fine and I’m more than happy to get all the cuddles and attention he wishes to lavish upon me, but when I’m trying to assemble his very good but overly-complicated bottles for a feed, I find it’s not an easy task one-handed.

We live in a small ... more

I have to apologise in advance; this is a long review.

But I’ve written it with a little background, just to show where I was coming from when I bought the Hippychick Hipseat, and how I feel it has addressed those issues.

I admit it; I bought the Hippychick Hipseat out of irritation.

I love our son dearly, but he’s the kind of baby who just has to be where the action is. Whether I’m washing his bottles, tidying up his toys or brushing my teeth, he has to be in the thick of it – not that he can’t or won’t play happily for ages, with me just checking in every now and again, but when he’s in the mood for company, that’s it.

This is fine and I’m more than happy to get all the cuddles and attention he wishes to lavish upon me, but when I’m trying to assemble his very good but overly-complicated bottles for a feed, I find it’s not an easy task one-handed.

We live in a small apartment and, as our kitchen is small with no room for a highchair, my usual solution at feeding time is to either lay him on the hallway carpet just outside the kitchen door or, if he’s being grisly, to hold him in a weird, arm-across-chest, hand-through-legs, hook-one-foot-and-hope hold, praying all the while he doesn’t think it’s a good time to practise his Jolly Jumper routine.

I was also irritated by the hassle of the pushchair. The one we bought before he was born was a good deal, it had all the accessories and is really comfortable for him for long periods – but the thing is huge! It takes a great deal of twisting and upper-body strength just to get it up and out the front door, never mind any stairs we may encounter. Then there are the straps, clips, foot-muff, plastic lap-tray cum crossbar thing (what is it for, really?!) – All the bits and bobs needed to make it run properly. And all for a ten minute walk to the nearest shop for bread and milk?

No thank you.

“Why not just carry him?” You ask. Because he’s a lump! He’s nearly 20lbs now and the strain that puts on my back, neck, arm and shoulder gets a bit much after a few hours’ carrying throughout the day.

So, we went on to the baby-carrier (comfy and practical for all concerned) which was great; for a while. Initially it took as long to strap it on and get adjusted as it took to put up the pushchair, but with practise it took no time at all. It was fantastic for a while – we had many great days out with it.

But he got bigger. So big, in fact, that his head obstructed my view, making any journey on anything other than completely flat surfaces a real adventure! He also got heavier, with his body obstructing my legs when squatting - leaving me having to bend at the waist with a lot of extra weight: not good for my back. After straining my back one too many times, and after receiving a few well-placed, but totally innocent, head-butts to the nose, the baby-carrier was sent to the charity store.

Too much hassle with the pushchair; baby too big for a front baby-carrier; too heavy to lug around in my arms; back baby-carrier too much hassle, especially when combined with an ever-increasing weight; what to do...?

That’s when some serious internet trawling led me to the Hippychick Hipseat.

“Thirty-Five Pounds?!” I thought... “Still, it’s cheaper than a new pushchair – worth a try!”

So I ordered one. And I’m very glad I did.
I ordered direct from the Hippychick website (I wanted it yesterday!) so I paid full retail – but I’m sure some e-bay legwork would provide a bargain to a sharp shopper.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:-

In The Box:

It arrived in a strong mailbag that needed cutting open – careful, there’s no protective box, just a zipped freezer-bag to keep moisture out. Along with the Hipseat there was a catalogue of other Hippychick products and a little information booklet for the Hipseat.

The Hippychick itself seems quite well made. The main material is Cordura, a tough, well-wearing material made by DuPont. There is no sign of cheap material or poor manufacture that I can see. The belt is approximately 5-inches wide, with a large wedge-shaped pocket on one side. The belt fastens with Velcro, and is further secured by a webbing strap with a chunky plastic snap-buckle which is adjustable – there is also a small clip for holding any excess strapping when tightened. The belt itself is quite thick, but not what I’d call padded. On the inside of the belt are several open pockets which are fine for small, thin items. The wedge-shaped pocket has a zip-fastening and inside is a formed polystyrene block – this forms the seat/support for the child.

I also ordered the belt extender – I’m a little chunky – but found I didn’t need it as the Hipseat has a good size-range (I have a 44-inch waist and it fits fine). The extender is a section of the belt material combined with a webbing strap extension – both of the same quality of the original.

In The Booklet:

In the information booklet there are several testimonials, some info about the material used in its manufacture, a bit about health specialists recommending it, and fitting instructions.

I’ll include the instructions here; if there is a copyright issue I’ll gladly remove/edit this post upon request.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Fitting
(1) Breathe in. Wrap belt tight around waist with seat above right hip.
(2) Apply Velcro. Secure outer safety strap. Swivel round to either hip.
(3) Place child on seat with legs astride if facing in, or bottom firmly on seat if facing out.
The snugger the fit the better the support for your back
If pregnant consult a doctor prior to use.
Always keep one hand on your child
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Putting It On:

The first instruction in the booklet is a bit misleading. If you breathe IN, your lungs expand, your stomach pushes out, and your waistline increases temporarily. If you fit it like this, when you relax, your belly will shrink and the belt will slip. What they mean is, suck your stomach in – this will help get a nice, snug fit.

Other than that, the fitting is very straightforward – it takes a little trial and error getting the fit just right, but with only one Velcro belt and one buckle, it’s not a problem.
I’m a guy – if you hadn’t guessed already – and the first thing I did when I put the Hippychick on was rest my arm on it. Silly, but really comfy! I could imagine many hours stood holding conversations at summer barbecues, leaning on my personal arm-rest. The next step, naturally, was to realise its potential as a beer/snack shelf for my belly – but that’s not why we’re here...

Having fitted it to my satisfaction, feeling it holding my waist firmly, sitting on my hips nicely, my wife handed me our son and I let him try it out.

There was nothing. No revelation, no squeal of joy at his new mode of transport, no appreciation whatsoever from my beloved boy. We stood there for several minutes. He knew something was happening; he could sense the expectation. But he had no idea what. So we waited longer. Bored of this by now I decided to walk about a bit, to see if that prompted a response. But still, nothing. We carried on like this for about twenty minutes, when it dawned on me; the issue wasn’t that he wasn’t jumping for joy.

The issue was that he wasn’t complaining – and neither was I!

Nothing from my arm, my shoulder, my neck, my back – nothing!

LIVING WITH IT:-
Since then the Hipseat has proved invaluable.

Around the house it is fantastic; put it on and forget about it - until you need to do something while holding the baby. Pop to the corner store, go out into the garden to hang laundry, make up his feed, or make yourself some lunch – anything you like. The Hippychick is comfortable enough and practical enough to wear all day.

When going shopping it is great to have. How many times have seen parents pushing an empty pushchair while carrying the child it’s meant for? How many times have you been that parent? The Hippychick is for those times. Your child feels the comfort and security of being carried, without the weight and strain making you tired and irritable.

When travelling and on vacation it provides the ideal solution when a pushchair is too big and a carrier is impractical or bulky – the easy-off/easy-on again nature means your little one and you can enjoy all the fun activities you like, with none of the “Here we go again” frustration of using overcomplicated travel solutions.

ISSUES:

Although it seems the Hipseat is flawless, there have been some niggles, which upon reflection, were mostly dealt with in the information booklet:

If the belt is slipping – suck your stomach in and tighten it. That usually deals with the problem, unless you have no hips!

If your arm gets tired or your hip feels sore – switch sides. Once it’s on, the Hipseat can be moved to either hip. Experimenting with position can also help – sometimes an inch further front or back can make a world of difference
.
If baby is being particularly wriggly (as our little one often is!) it can help to turn her around to face outwards – that removes the leverage factor of pushing against your body, while giving baby a different view to interest her.

It looks a bit funny, like a bum-bag with a big ego – yes it does. Be proud of your Hippyseat! The laughs don’t matter when you’re still going strong an hour later.

The design of the Hippychick Hipseat means that your baby is carried close to your centre of gravity, and that your spine is kept in its natural, neutral position. You don’t strain to stay upright because of the extra weight, and you don’t fatigue and damage your back muscles by twisting your spine unnaturally.

An added benefit of the belt is the added support it gives to your back. It’s a wide belt that straps tightly around your waist. It is, basically, a light weight-belt, the kind weight-lifters use. Being so tight it hold your sides firmly, giving support, and the width reduces the amount you can bend at the waist – this helps to train you to use your legs to reach low things, bending at the knees and lifting properly, rather than using your back.

CONCLUSION:
The Hippychick Hipseat is terrific. Certainly, it cannot completely replace a pushchair for practicalities such as carrying shopping, or letting your baby sleep comfortably while you window shop to your heart’s content, but it does allow you more flexibility and comfort when spending any kind of time with a child. The initial expense might seem prohibitive, but I feel it’s worth every penny. The ease of use, combined with increased comfort make the Hipseat a great purchase for anyone who spends a lot of time with young children – parents, nannies and carers should all at least consider trying one out.

The most natural thing to do with a child is hold it.

The Hippychick Hipseat helps what is natural to be what is comfortable. You still need to hold your baby with one hand, but all of the things you can do while holding a baby one-handed, you can do easier, and for longer, with the Hippychick Hipseat.
 

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