Is a Stationary Jumper/entertainer Worth It?

I would highly recommend the saucer. Both of my boys loved theirs. You can sell it when you are done with it to a second hand store or at a yard sale to offset the price.

L.,
My son was also very squirmy, so he didn't like being contained once he started to be able to roll. So, it was a waste for us. But, every child is different.
Good Luck!
S.

Hi L...well I went through the responses and thought I would add mine too..I am an occupational therapist who has treated babies and children for some time, as an OT we are trained as motor specialists specifically. I went to a well renowned conference on baby development and she stongly discouraged the bouncer specifically with a little less discouragement for an exersaucer. What happens basically is that a child then starts working on developing their legs prematurely without developing the full skills for core stability. Per theory, you may then see poorer eye hand coordination skills, writing skills, poor posture, overall coordination skills,etc as they grow older as they continue to rely on their large leg muscles instead of their tummy muscles and posture muscles. That being said, I have two children and finally broke down on my second for the exersaucer. If you do buy one of these peices of equipment just put them in there for minimal amounts of time when you need it and monitor the jumper specifically as children have dislocated their hips due to jumping too much, although I have never seen a case of this. In other countries the jumperoo is actually banned b/c of this. Like anything, have good balance in your activities and a small amount of time I don't think causes any concerns...sorry to make this even more confusing..Let me knwo if you have any more questions

they are controversial. some people believe that premature standing can put too much strain on children's hips and cause damage to their physical development. at 5 months they should be refining other skills then trying to learn how to stand or walk.

I have 4 boys -- ages 10, 8, 5, and 4 1/2 months. Next to my boppy, I would say that our entertainer seat has been the best piece of baby stuff that we have. My baby has been sitting in his for almost 2 months now. He LOVED sitting up and looking around in his seat when he was just TINY. Now that he's going on 5 months, I could say for real that I would get very little done around my busy house if it weren't for that thing! If you plan on having more kids, don't worry about the price tag. I bought this one for my 3rd son -- we had another one for our 1st two boys, but after lending it to my sis-in-law it got trashed. It's a must have in my book, so I didn't hesitate to get another one. If money's a problem, try and find one 2nd hand -- you won't regret it. Most babies love them! I know all four of mine did! Good luck and happy mothering!!

A.

I feel that they are worth it! We purchased both of the ones we had at garage sales and only paid $15. I would definitely go that route. You can take the part they sit in out and wash it and you can give the whole thing a thorough cleaning before letting your daughter use it. Most of the styles fold down and can fit under a bed or hang on a wall in the garage when not in use.

I used our stationary entertainer on a daily basis. I did NOT use it for long periods of time, but used it to get things accomplished during the day. I would drag it into the bathroom while I took a shower, dragged it outside while watering the grass, playing or having a party. I used it while I did the dishes as an alternative to the high chair. We really used ours a lot! I eventually purchased two, one to leave outside and one to have inside.

L.,
Some of the advantages of a stationary entertainer that you may consider are that it may give your daughter some extra independence and opportunity to develop new skills and muscles, while giving you some extra freedom where she is contained, content, and you are both still in each others' sight. With yardsale season coming into full swing, the $70 for just a couple months' use should not be an issue, since you should be able to easily find a variety of nice clean used jumpers (many have wheels that you can disable/enable to make it a walker as well) for under $20. Use it as long as you need and then resale it for about the same price, giving someone else a great deal and getting a "rebate" to be used on the next short term use gadget! Great baby stuff abounds at yardsales because they out grow so much before it's gotten much use. Hope this is helpful.

S.

Just my 2 cents... We bought one for our son - off of Craigslist for I think was $25. It offered hours of entertainment, and some security when he wanted to be more mobile, I needed to do other things. He is over a year now, and every once in a while I still put him in, like if I'm going to take a shower or such, and he will play in it for a while until he's bored again. I would do it, but not for the price tag of $70.

I think it's definately worth the investment to find a used one. I wouldn't spend 70$, but check craigslist, ebay or consignment shops in your area.

Check Craig's List.

Get her a "Jumperoo". That was (by far) the best home-entertainment purchase I made when my little girl was at that stage.

It really depends on you. We spent the $70 and it was WELL worth it. Except we bought it a little late and our daughter grew out of it within a month. But it was around for our second child. He didn't use it much though. But for that month our daughter used it, she was in it ALL the time. It kept her entertained while I made dinner or folded laundry. Or did yard work, etc.
We bought a bouncer (a jumperoo) and a stationary one. The bouncer was a lot better. Our kids were just too active to enjoy just sitting there. The boucing part made it worth while.
But you are right, if you don't really have $70 to spend, is it really worth it? She may grow out of it in a few months, but she may also go back to it when she's a year or so. If you tuck it away after she "outgrows" it and then reintroduce it when she is a walker, she might think it's a new cool toy and use it again.
Also, if you are going to have more kids, buy it now while it is cheaper.

ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT!!! My daugher (at 21 months) still LOVES her Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo. This thing is awesom...great colors, music, and jungle sounds. It is entertaining for her and cracks me up to watch her jump like a monkey.

Have you tried bouncing her on your lap? Does she like it? Does she try to do it again after you stop? Then yes. If she doesn't enjoy it on your lap or try to do it when you stop, then no.

I only had time to read a few responses, but I bought secondhand exersaucers off of craigslist for both of my boys. They both loved them, it was handy whenever I was cooking dinner or even taking a shower because it kept them entertained for a bit. I bought a jumperoo for my 2nd because my first had enjoyed the doorway kind but our new house did not have a place to hang the door kind. He loved the jumperoo and would sometimes bounce himself to sleep after a few minutes which was hilarious. We still have the jumperoo saved for when our third is ready since it came apart to store, but the exersaucer was not as easily stored so we gave it away. When the time comes in a few months I will be looking for another one to use. I have never bought one new, what's the point because they do not get used all that long and to shell out $70 is a lot especially in these times. Depending on where you are located, either look on craigslist, even freecycle to find one or if you live in AZ there is a store called once upon a child, they have one in Goodyear & Surprise...I think there is one in the east valley too, but they always have tons of exersaucers, a lot of different kinds to pick from for between $25-$50 and they only take gently used stuff so it might as well be new. Childrens orchard in Litchfield Park sometimes has some too, but they are a bit overpriced IMO. HTH...

Those bumble/bumbo (the name escapes me) chairs are a great tool for helping train babies to sit up. I used one with my son and it worked great. You can get them at walmart as far as I know.

My first daughter loved her exersaucer and I think it helped build up her leg strength because she was an early walker and loved to be moving all the time. But my second daughter wasn't really into it that much. She played in it periodically, but it would only last about 5 minutes max. She is a late walker and for the longest time we jokingly called her "lazy legs" because she didn't always like to put weight on her legs.

I actually had 2 exersuacers. The first one I got from my baby shower and kept it inside. The second one was a loaner from my sister and we used that outside. They were both different but my second daughter could still care less about them.

SO...I don't think you will know if your little girl will take to it unless you give it a try. I would recommend looking at garage sales and the consignment store Kid to Kid to get one cheaper in case she doesn't use it much. You can remove and wash the seats on those things and with a little TLC you can clean up a used pieced nicely.

Personally, developmentally not sure how much they really help but they do give you some time with your hands free to get a few things done!

What do you mean her independence has gone to her head? Just get her an exersaucer....she'll have a blast!! And really Anne, you're going to say our children are going to grow up with poor writing and coordination skills? That's ridiculous!
Good luck L..

Get a used one if you really want one...way cheaper. But I tend to think it is more natural for kids to learn to control their bodies without modern entertainment structures.
But I am weird. I do not think kids should have hard soled shoes. It encourages walking too early and an unnatural gait. I do not buy the argument that little kids' feet "need support" any more than the idea we should slap neck braces on infants because their necks need support.
I don't think a jumper used for a short time is very harmful...just not all that helpful in the long run.

I would highly recommend the Fisher Price Jumperoo. My son loved it starting at 4 months. It was his favorite thing to do as a baby and it was a great workout for his legs and brought him so much joy. He could jump and play in it for about 30 minutes without getting bored. I'd say...it was worth it!

It is one of the best baby gear items that you will ever use. My son had and exersaucer and my daughter has a jumperoo and I love the jumperoo better. My daughter is 19mos and she still loves to sit in it once in awhile. She is too old for it, but still hasn't tried to climb out, she will actually ask me to put her in it so she can play in it. You should check out other mothers, once upon a child, or other second hand stores or craigslist.org.

My kids had both the exersaucer and the jumperoo and they loved them. I believe it does help strengthen the leg muscles. I also didn't want to spend that much money on something that would only be used for a few months so I bought the jumperoo at Once Upon a Child (a resale shop) and then sold it on Craigslist when we were done with it. I would look on Craigslist or a resale shop for them.

Yes, yes, yes!! My 3 yr old and my 1 yr old still play with theirs!!!

We bought the Baby Einstein exercise bouncer for our son when he was 5 month old. He LOVED it! Actually, he's 9 months now, close to walking, and still enjoys playing in it. The Baby Einstein comes with some good toys/activities on it, but it also has lots of rings so you can hang some of your child's favorite toys. We found ours on sale the day after Thanksgiving for $50 at Toys R Us, but Babies R Us are always giving out 15% off coupons you can use to help with the cost. This one also folds FLAT so when your child outgrows it, you can store it under a bed or crib until the next child is ready for it! Good luck!

I think they are absolutely worth it! You can put her in it and she will be able to entertain herself for a bit while you get stuff done! just put it in the room you want to work in so you can supervise! You may need to put blankets in around her at first so it 'fits' her a little better. Yes she may only be in it for a few months and I can understand not wanting to put a lot of money into something she will only use for a little while so you may want to look for a used one! We find a lot of really great items for our little one on craigslist or in baby resale shops. little ones are not very hard on those items so they are usually like new for a fraction of the price and you don't feel bad when they don't use it very long! The only thing with the used items is you may want to clean/disinfect them before you use it with your child! A small price to pay for such great deal on usually great equipment!

My son LOVED the excersaucer! He started using it probably around 5-6 months, and would spend hours in it! He used it for quite awhile. When he started walking, he would still play with it from the outside. I would definetly recommend this over the jumperoo bouncer. We used the jumperoo for about a month. Its huge, and doesnt have as many toys attached to it. With the excersaucer, they can move around 360 degrees to get a different view. We had our in front of a window, so he could see everything. When I took a shower, I would move it in the bathroom doorway, and he would play, and I didnt have to worry about him. Some have a snack tray as well, which is a must! If you can afford it, buy it! You can always try and sell it on craigslist once she outgrows it.

When my son was about the same age, we purchased an excersaucer made by Baby Einstein, and were really pleased with it. It has adjustable legs, so it was able to grow with him. They are really great for helping babies to strengthen their back muscles (needed for independent sitting) and the variety of activities is suitable for many months of fun ... even though they get older, they manage to find something new about the center. My son is now 14 months old, and although we don't use it as often anymore, he is still content to play in it (or walk around it and play that way). Overall, I'd say it was well worth the money.

Good luck.

I definately recommend getting one. We have the Baby Einstein one. Our son loved it. He used it from about 5 months until about 18 months. I started putting it in the bathroom while I was taking a shower and getting ready in the morning. It would keep him occupied, and in one place for a good half hour. Good luck!