Sarah's Honest Opinion: Experiencing & Experimenting with the InYard Therapy Hammock!

I've been dying to write this review. Due to unforeseen hindrances from amazon, and work, illness, etc. I have had to put if off for some time. Luckily, that time has gone me ample opportunity to thoroughly test the InYard therapy hammock, and bring to you an amazing and truthful review of this delightful product. Yes, I was given my InYard hammock complimentary, to test and review. But, I assure you that this review is wholly my own, and blatantly honest.

First and foremost, I'd like to mention installation, as this can often be quite tricky.

The InYard therapy hammock is quite easy to install, but can easily become confusing if you haven't reviewed the directions. For me, the easiest way to install my hammock was to find the ceiling joist, and drill a hole. Then, insert my eye bolt, and tighten it down. The hammock must be installed into a support beam, or it will pull right out, leaving a big hole in your ceiling! Once you've got your eye bolt in place, take the unattached portion of rope that came with the hammock, and thread it through the eye bolt. Tie a knot, leaving the rope a dangling loop. Now, you can clip the hammock to the rope, using the clip that comes attached to the hammock. Voila! Installed. Simple! To adjust height, I found the raised was was to tie my first rope, the dangling loop, in half. Imagine a figure 8. Then clip the hammock above that knot.

As for safety, I was weary at first. It seemed so simple a product... But I did install it inside, and I was monitoring all use. I put my youngest in the InYard hammock first. She LOVES it! Which is surprising to me. Madison (my youngest) is just under 3, and she's very adventurous, but clingy --- she doesn't like to be away from mommy for long. She had so much fun swinging in the hammock that I couldn't get her to let the other kids have a try! She kept shooing me away and telling me to leave her alone in the hammock! Being that Madison is rather high strung, I realized quickly the therapeutic benefits of the InYard hammock. My daughter preferred to sit Indian style, and have the hammock cocoon around her, as she dangled gently. It appeared to have a calming, soothing, womb like effect on her!

My neighbor boy, Holden, came by and was my 2nd guinea pig. Holden is 3, and is Madison's best friend. I actually experimented first at having both in the hammock at the same time. Being as how they're small, this was extremely successful, and they both enjoyed sitting together in the calm womb-like hammock. Once Madison came out, Holden decided to try his own kind of play with the hammock. He spun about in a circle and then let go--- the hammock twirled gloriously, and all we heard was giggling from inside! This act was performed many times over, until poor Holden was nauseas from spinning. Despite the nausea, I consider this to be a successful use of the hammock for play.

Soon after, my oldest child, Andrew, came home. Andrew is much bigger than the toddlers, being that he is 10, and closer to 80 lbs. This was the perfect opportunity to test the InYard therapy hammock on an older child. Not only for weight purposes, but for enjoyment, and therapy as well. Andrew is ODD & ADHD. Settling him down is often a chore, especially on days he hasn't taken his medicine. When he walked into the house, he immediately noticed the hammock, which I have installed in a small nook or "solarium", that is just off to the side of our living room. He dropped his backpack and ran over. I explained what we were doing, and how I would love to have him try this product out. But--- he had to do his homework first! To my surprise, my homework loathing son immediately agreed AND did his homework!

Let the therapy begin... Ha!

It took some getting used to, before Andrew was able to easily get into and out of the hammock. Once he had it, he was in heaven! He experimented with swinging, twirling, sitting, standing, and even asked if he could hang out in the hammock with a blanket and a book... What?!? Is this my child, really??? I was floored... Absolutely he could hang out and read in the hammock... And he did! It was quiet, uninterrupted, and glorious!

The kids had so much fun trying the hammock out. In the following week, they've become accustomed to spending quiet time in the hammock, above all. I figure as kids, they would value it's play qualities over anything. I was wrong. My children truly enjoy the therapeutic qualities of the InYard therapy hammock! It's really neat to see how quickly they settle and become almost meditative, once they are in the hammock.

The InYard therapy hammock has truly become a staple in my home, and has had such a positive impact on the behavior of my children. I highly recommend this product to anyone searching for a non-medicinal, therapeutic, approach to calming children with disabilities. It really does work, and my family has been so blessed to have been able to try it out!