Opening

A beginner catches their own shins, repeatedly, for the first few weeks. That is the entire case for a cotton rope over a plastic one: a thick cotton cord lands soft and a PVC speed rope stings, and a child who has been stung twice stops trying. This is a rope to learn on rather than one to go fast on.

2.8 metres of thick cotton cord between two moulded handles, each with an animal or character face. Four designs to choose from.

What you get

One skipping rope in the design you select, with both handles attached. Sold singly — the designs in the gallery are the range to choose from.

Product details

• Rope: thickened cotton cord
• Length: 2.8 m
• Handles: moulded ABS, with a character face
• Weight: 250 g
• Not in the design: no counter, no bearings, no lights, no length adjuster
• Designs: Orange Lion, Green Fox, Blue Bear and Red Girl

Fabric and safety

• Rope: cotton
• Handles: ABS plastic
• Adjustment: none — the rope is a fixed length

Cotton against plastic is the choice that matters here, and it cuts both ways. Cotton is heavier for its diameter, so the arc is slower and easier to time, and it does not hurt on contact. It is also why it will never be fast: the same weight that makes it forgiving makes it sluggish, so a child who progresses will outgrow it and want a plastic rope.

A skipping rope is a long cord. It is for supervised, open-space use, not for indoors, not around younger children, and not for play that is not skipping. Check where the cord enters each handle before use — that join is the point that wears.

Size guide

Fit notes

2.8 m is a longer rope than it sounds and this is the thing to get right before buying. Stand on the middle of the cord with one foot: the handle tops should come up to about armpit height. At 2.8 m that suits a child of roughly 145 to 165 cm.

For a smaller child the rope will be too long, and a rope that is too long drags and trips rather than turning cleanly. There is no adjuster, so the usual fix is a knot inside each handle to take up the slack, which works but is not elegant. If the child is under about 130 cm, a shorter rope is the better buy.

Styling

Orange Lion, Green Fox and Blue Bear are the three animal designs and are the safe picks. Red Girl is the outlier, being a character rather than an animal. All four handles are the same shape, so the choice is purely which face is on the end.

Care

Wipe the handles with a damp cloth. Hang the rope to dry if it has been used on wet ground and do not coil it away damp — a cotton cord that dries coiled sets into that shape and then turns unevenly, which is the most common reason a cotton rope stops working properly. Do not machine wash. Store it hanging rather than knotted.

What is not included

The rope is supplied on its own. No bag, no counter and no instructions are included. Anything else shown in the photographs is styling only.