The Original Baby Ankees™ from Innovative Mommas: Review & Giveaway! (Closed)

Every parent is familiar with that oh-so-annoying sleeper situation, where poor baby's feet get stuck up in no man's land inside the legs. Not fun for your little one, and certainly not amusing for mom & dad, fiddling to get things back in place for the umpteenth time! Thankfully, Innovative Mommas Inc, a small company based in Edmonton, Alberta, has set out to solve this problem with a nifty li'l product called the original Baby Ankees™!

Product Information:

The original Baby Ankees™ are a safe and soft seamless band that easily slides overtop of the child's foot while they're wearing footed and non-footed pyjamas. The ankees rest easily and comfortably around the ankle area.

Parents of preemies can dress their tiny babes in sleepers without the worry of their legs getting caught inside. Newborns can wear the newborn sized sleepers, and then grow into them. Parents and caregivers will be happy knowing that their sleeping babies will wake up happy. Babies will be able to move through the night and not get stuck. Toddlers can explore their world safely without tripping over their feet.

We have followed all the guidelines set forth through Health Canada and have completed a successful flammability test. The original Baby Ankees™ are as safe as a pair of socks.

Baby Ankees come in three sizes:
Small: fits preemies (4 to 6 pounds)
Medium: fits babies (newborn to 7 months)
Large: fits older babies and toddlers (8 to 36 months)

More product info can be found here.


My Review:

When Innovative Mommas contacted me to review their Baby Ankees, the timing couldn't have been better! I'd just given birth to CJ two days prior and was already lamenting the fact that his newborn "froggy legs" were constantly kicking out of his teeny little sleepers. So needless to say, I was hot to trot to give these puppies a try!

I received a pair of medium Baby Ankees in a gender-neutral blue colour. Cute packaging, huh?

Visually, the Ankees kind of look like the hair scrunchies that were ubiquitous in the '90s, but wider.

The elastic inside is quite tight, allowing the band to stretch by only an inch or so. This ensures that the Ankees stay in place. Despite the tightness, however, there's no risk of circulation issues (an initial concern expressed by my husband) as long as the usage guidelines are followed. Basically the Ankees need to sit smoothly (i.e. without any material folded under), and a finger must fit comfortably between the Ankee and baby's ankle. If things are tighter, it's time to move up to the next size.

It's super quick and easy to get the Ankees on. Simply pop 'em over baby's feet and ensure the material's sitting flat, as per the guidelines.

Performance-wise, these bad boys certainly work as designed! Once secured, baby's little kickers ain't going anywhere.

I find our Ankees to be the most helpful when paired with sleepers our little guy is growing into and those with disproportionately long legs. Add to the mix elasticized ankles and/or far apart snap placement and such sleepers are virtually unwearable without the Ankees! The former results in feet that can kick up but not back down again, and the latter leads to poor little tootsies poking right out into the cold. Pop on the Ankees, though, and all is right with the world! :)

Here's our little guy in a "next size up" sleeper. As you can see, his right foot's nice & secure with an Ankee but his left foot is swimming.

"Mama, please add on my other Ankee! Thank you - much better!"

 

Here our little froggy's kicking up a storm, and his Ankees keep his feet where they're supposed to be!

Finally, a shot of our little guy dealing with the dreaded combo of roomy sleeper and elasticized ankles. Looks like he's missing a foot - ouch!!!

Pop on his Ankees and problem solved!

As for care and maintenance, the Ankees are machine washable and dryable. I've laundered mine a couple times on low heat and they've come out just fine.

Overall, the original Baby Ankees™ is definitely a product that'll save a little time and sanity for parents, and add comfort and flexibility to a little one's wardrobe. I can certainly vouch for this personally when it comes to infants, and (based on other reviews) it sounds like they're equally helpful for crawlers and new walkers.


Buy It:

Visit the Where to Buy page to find an online store or retailer in your area which sells the original Baby Ankees™.


Win It:

One lucky Manager to Mom reader will win a pair of the original Baby Ankees™ of their own! Winner chooses size and colour (gender-specific or gender-neutral). Open to CAN/US.

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Please follow all instructions within each entry option to ensure your entries are valid.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  The prize is being provided and shipped to the winner by Innovative Mommas Inc.  I received no financial compensation for writing my review or offering this giveaway, although I did receive the sample item free of charge.  This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours.