Johhny Jump Up

My parents just screwed a big ole eyebolt into one of their doorframes for my son, and attached the bungies to that. When he outgrew it, they just unscrewed the monster bolt and patched up the hole with a bit'o spackle and sanding.

My son LOVED to jump. So much so that he would literally be jumping off of people's laps when they tried to hold him. We also didn't have any doorways available for the Johnny Jump Up and so we got a stand alone jumper. The one we bought was the Rainforest Jumperoo: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2508003

He absolutely loved it and even now that he's about a year old and no longer wants to be in it, he uses it to pull himself up and creep around it.

Get the rainforest jumperoo from Target or wherever. It is a stand-alone jumper and so doesn't need to be clipped into doorways. It's brilliant!

I very strongly agree with Cheryl S. These devices, although babies love them and it can be tempting to use them, are very bad for their development. My son (now age 39) spent happy hours in one as a baby and still has a pretty stiff spine and back problems, and it also took him longer to learn to walk. An excellent book about these and other kinds of baby equipment is Save Your Baby, Throw Out Your Equipment. I suppose it might be ok to use them for very short periods of time when a baby is older, able to stand and walk on his own.

Seriously...I read the previous poster's responses...save yourself the time, hassle and worry. They make stand alone Johnny Jump ups ( called Jumperoos) now that are about the size of a Swing but much more stable that the old door frame model... here is a link to one so you can check it out...Lots of places sell them including walmart...

http://www.target.com/gp/search/177-###-###-####-###-###-...

http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=j...

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-J2460-Fisher-Price-Jum...

http://www.cymaxbaby.com/Fisher-Price-Rainforest-Jumperoo...

Good Luck... ;-)

I had a Jumparoo for my kids and started putting them in propped up by blankets around 4 1/2 months. Mine looked a little different - it was a few years ago - but same thing:

http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?e=product&pid=388...

My son has the fisherprice jumperoo and it works great! He is 3 months old and loves it. They are like a freestanding johnny jump up on a frame. They are a little expensive but you can always find a used one on craigslist or yard sale. The pad is completely removable for washing and clorox wipes work great for the rest. It has height adjustments to use as your baby gets bigger. Also my 2 year old had a regular johnny jump up when she was a baby, and occasionally they swing it so far they will squash their fingers or bump their head on the doorframe. That is not a problem with the jumperoo.

We have a baby einstein jumperoo, which is a similar concept to the johny jump up, but it is free standing. My daughter really likes it (just turned 5 months) but we do limit her time in it because prolonged use of these things can have a negative impact on physical development of the lower limbs. I like to use mine to accomplish quick tasks, like going to the restroom, taking something hot out of the oven, and things like that so my daughter is only in it for about 15 minutes total each day.

a free standing jumperoo is your best bet. Fisher price makes a number of them and you can usually find a good used one on craigslist.
We had one and my daughter loved it.....

We also went with the rainforest jumperoo. My son loved it. They're not that expensive now and you can find a lot of them in good shape used. I loved that it grew with him and was portable. Have fun!

Professional opinion...Johnny Jumpers/Jolly Jumpers should never be used. They put the infant in an upright position way too young. Their spinal curves still need to form. At this age they need to be freely movable, rolling, tummy time, crawling, etc. Putting them in a doorway jumper puts a lot of stress on their spine and nervous system and then they bounce putting forces in the spine in, often, the opposite direction they need to go and this can cause damage to their growing spine. Not to mention they need to have proprioceptive input at their occiput (base of skull) and pelvis and the jolly jumper does not allow proper movement at these areas. Sorry to be such a bummer of an answer but I really don't like jolly jumpers or baby walkers for these reasons. (plus a couple more such as improper hand eye coordination development and lack of cross-crawl reflex development). So, my opinion, get rid of it.

They have "jumperoos" that sit on the ground that are fabulous. Mine was made by Fisher Price. My son used his until he was 8 or 9 months old. They are slightly more expensive than the traditional kind, but I have seen them at consignment shops. Hope this helps!!

They do have one that does not need a doorway... the Fisher Price Jumparoo.

We just used our jumper in the bathroom or bedroom doorways. It is less convenient, but still works.

IF there is a handiman in your life ( or a handiwoman-) -- AND there is a beam in your house --- you're in luck. We had a similar problem while my grandaughter was that age - and lived in a lovely old home with super beams in the ceilings. We fastened the ''clip'' together- so it made an oddly shaped circle- and fastened it over a heavy metal bolt that had been put through a beam --- a similar effect could be achieved by going into your attic and finding a strong beam-- drilling down through the ceiling- and ''hanging'' the 'jump- up'' from THAT -- -Lily ( now 4) jumped, and jumped by the hour from age 5 months to age 14 months when we moved ---and didn't take it with us- as she had outgrown it - but still loved it-- I was just afraid that one day she'd go to put her feet down and forget to ''jump''--- and would hurt herself- but my she loved that thing--. ( and she was a big girl-- is still in the 95th percentile of height and weight)

Blessings,

J. aka-- Old Mom

At Target they have one that sits on its own legs so you can move it around the house as needed. Both my kids loved it. They probably have them elsewhere, as well. It looks kind of like a saucer but they can bounce and jump in it.

Good luck,
Melissa.

I think that is too young for a johnny jump up. You should wait until atleast 6 months when his neck muscles are stronger.

We used the saucer thing because of the same issue. not as compact and convenient, but my boys loved to bounce and spin too. may be an option to look at.

J.,
I agree with Kate. I used the fisher price rainforest jumparoo and my son used it for months and months. It has 3 or 4 different levels so it grows with them. I got it at walmart for around $80. You could also check around for used ones.

I have a johnny jump up that is stand alone that I would love to get rid of. It is the rainforest design, has a seat that turns, toys all around, and three different settings for your child's different sizes. We started putting my daughter in it around 3 months and she LOVED it. She would even jump herself to sleep. I would like to get a few bucks for it so shoot me a message and we can work something out if you would like.

Wal-mart sells stand alone jumpers. We got one for our little guy when he was almost 4 months old and he loved it. He's now 10 months old and he still loves it! They are about $40-80 and you can adjust the height of it as he grows. The little seat is also removable and completely washable (for those times when too much jumping equals spit-up). I'm not sure if they still stock the one I got, but it has a horse head on it and it plays little cowboy songs as he jumps and moves. Check your local Wal-mart because what you see online isn't always what they have at the store.

They make stand alone jumperoos. They are AWESOME! My son loves his and can spend hours hanging out in one. Here is an example of one: http://www.jacobsroom.com/products/fp-j2460.html

I also used a jumperoo and my daughter loved it, I wrapped a blanket around her when she was small and when I first got it she couldn't reach the ground, even on the lowest setting so I put a pillow under her feet. That was the best investment yet. They take up more space but are great.

I wasn't able to get one but after my son was too old for one we found one at Target. It stands in the middle of the room and is able to move around so you could move it to different rooms. My cousin had one and loved it! It doesn't have the ability to swing around like the ones in the door way but does the job. If I find one on line I will let you know. Good luck!

I had similar one that was screwed directly into a beam in the ceiling. Perhaps you could modify yours to screw into the ceiling too.

J.,

You could always do what some of my in-laws did: nail a couple pieces of 2x4 above a doorway to create some trim. Their youngest loves that bouncy chair.

We used a Jumper-roo for both our kids...they are on a base. They loved it. It does take up a bit of room, but our kids never liked the baby swing, so we had the jumper-roo instead...here is a link to it:

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-J2460-Fisher-Price-Jum...

They are pretty spendy (we got our's hand-me-down from a friend, I am sure you can find one used)...

We have the same problem so we got a walker as a gift and realized that it has a jumping setting. Some exersaucers have a jumping setting too.