How to Keep Babies From Grabbing at Your Hoodie Drawstrings

There is nothing babies love more than grabbing things. And since one of the other things babies love is being held, you need to watch out for your necklaces, dangly earrings and hoodie drawstrings. Since I’m a mother of three who dresses like a 12-year-old boy, the only one of those I can help with is the hoodie drawstring.

Yes, you could remove the drawstring. Fine. Go do that, and you don’t need this article. But some of us like to keep the drawstring around to possibly cinch up the hood when it gets cold. Or maybe we’re out and about, and if we took out the drawstring we’d have to find a childproof place to put it. So how else can you get the string away from your kid’s hands in a semi-permanent, foolproof way? Easy:

1. Tie the two ends into a knot.
2. Put the knot behind your head.
3. Tuck the knotted cord under/behind the hood.

Now, the cord is away from those grabby hands. It also cannot be pulled free, even if the kiddo were to happen across your sweatshirt after you take it off. But the hood is still functional and wearable. And the next time you’re not holding a child, you can undo the knot and cinch the hoodie up as needed.

My kids kept yoinking at strings well into toddlerhood. They’ve finally outgrown that phase, but I realised today that even though my youngest is four years old, at least one of my favourite hoodies still has its drawstrings tied behind the hood. It’s a good hack.