Should I get an Exersaucer AND Jumperoo???

[Lilysmom06]

My DD is 7 months old, and loves her Exersaucer. WE no longer use the cradle swing, because I was worried she would lean too far forward and fall out. So I was wondering if I should get her a Jumperoo as well? I just feel like she is either on the floor with her toys, or in the Exersaucer or her highchair, unless someone is holding her. I don't want her to be bored :) and I would like another place for her to be safely contained when I need to do something.

What do you think? Or do you have any other suggestions? She is not crawling yet, if that makes any difference.

Thanks!
Kathy

[megs4413]

personally, and take this just as that: a PERSONAL preference.....i would get maybe a playard and encourage her to move around for her toys. just put her in there with stuff to do and toys to play with but then she'll still be contained and not just on the floor. you want to encourage her motor development, not discourage natural development by prolonging the time she spends in "contraptions" that do part of the work for her. i don't think you need the jumperoo in addition to the exersaucer, but if you think she's bored with the exersaucer maybe you could move her to a jumperoo? there is some question as to how those two products affect development (i won't go into that) but i would shy away from using both.

what about a floor gym? playmat thing.....you know that has bars that cross over to play with. my DD had a kick and play gym at that age that she really liked, it converted to where you could sit up with it and play....she loved that.....

[Lilysmom06]

I totally understand what you are saying about stunting motor development. She spends ALOT of time on the floor, sitting, rolling, trying to crawl (she just doesn't get it yet though :) ). I limit her time in the exersaucer to about 20 minutes 2 times a day or so. Its just that I am home with her for 12 hours most days, and was thinking it may be nice (for both of us) if she had somewhere else to be for short amounts of time. Right now I can leave her on the floor while I go into another room, but once she starts moving that will be over.

She has a play gym, she didn't like it as a newborn, but I haven't tried it in a while, so thats a good idea.

I guess I just miss the option of putting her in the swing while I ate or something...

Kathy

[megs4413]

i hear ya!!!! it only gets tougher to contain them....

maybe a today's kids playard is the answer (i dont' mean like a pack and play). it's a six panel playard so you can safely stick the baby in there while you do something else and she can't get outside of the playard. not as confining as a pack and play. the sides of the playard have toys and activities. i see them on craigslist all the time so you could buy one cheap and see if it works. a superyard would work the same way, but it's more expensive and doesn't have toys/activities on the sides, so it's not much fun.

i hope you find a solution!

[deenass]

I won't get into the issue of the "safety" of a jumparoo, I will just say that you CANNOT put your child in it and leave the room.

[Lilysmom06]

>I won't get into the issue of the "safety" of a jumparoo, I
>will just say that you CANNOT put your child in it and leave
>the room.

Well, thanks SO MUCH for your helpful suggestion.

[Lilysmom06]

Thank you for your replies. I will look into the playyard you recommended.

Thanks again.
Kathy

[traciann]

i didn't have either because of space issues, but my niece has loved, loved, loved her jumparoo. the jumping really seemed to tire her out. i really like the new rainforrest jumparoo...it looks pretty cool. i don't think they "need" it for something else to do, but if you have the space she might enjoy it for a couple of months. HTH!

[Andrea S]

B loved the jumperoo. We had a deluxe one on its own stand. I keep the exersaucer in my bathroom for when I need to shower and the jumperoo downstairs. He started crusing around the furniture so he does not use the jumperoo very much now.

Andrea
mom to A 8/02
& B 3/06

[DrSally]

We have both for the same reason. That time before they can crawl is tough b/c you can't hold them all the time. DS was never that into either, though, so he only spent like 10 min per week in either one. For him, the exersaucer held his attention longer, as the jumperoo doesn't have many toys. If DD loves to jump, it might be worth it just for a change of pace. Also, DS is tall, so he outgrew the height limit for both fast, you may not have much time left if that makes a difference on your purchase. HTH

[SnuggleBuggles]

I wouldn't get the Jumperoo. It won't last that much longer then you are either stuck storing it for #2 (then decide hold on for more kids knowing that you may want the newest/coolest/safer version by then) or finding a new home for it. My basement looks like a baby supply store and all that stuff just takes up so much space. I would not want to buy another large plastic item. Maybe you have a ton of storage though. Something to consider.

We just had a very childproofed room (anchored furniture, gates...) and that is where ds played while I cooked in the kitchen. It was an open floor plan so I could see him. He was never bored. He was always happy to explore the room and toys. It worked very well for us. And when he started to cruise he would cruise the perimeter of the exersaucer.

I also agree with the pp, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving the baby in any contraption if I weren't really close by (at least in my sight line).

Beth

[Momof3Labs]

The thing is, by the time she starts crawling, she won't WANT to be confined in a saucer or jumperoo for very long. I agree that a play yard or PNP would be a better, safer place at this age.

[racerl1]

We had both for DS, and he played with both. He played with the Jumperoo the most at first, then he showed more interest in the Excersaucer. He really enjoyed both.

[MarisaSF]

How about something like a Leapfrog Learning table? The LT encouraged my daughter to stand/cruise next to it starting at your DD's age. Something like a bead maze on a table would be fun too!

I personally like the exersaucers more than the jumperoos because after kiddo no longer wants to be confined, you can use the exersaucer for cruising or playing with the toys from the outside too.

[crimsonowl]

We have both. We started with the Exersaucer, which DD loves, and then bought the Jumperoo for Christmas, thinking she would love it, too. She likes it, sometimes, and only for very short periods (less than 5 minutes). She prefers the Exersaucer. Of course, every baby is different, but I now regret the Jumperoo purchase, especially b/c it is super bulky. In short, I think one or the other is sufficient. DD spends most of her time on the floor, or playing with her Leap Frog Learning Table. I may look into the above-mentioned playards, too. Good luck!

[sidmand]

I didn't think I would get both because they did seem like they served a similar purpose. I got a freestanding Fisher Price Jumperoo and DS loved it. Absolutely loved it, but we also knew he loved to jump (even when he was a little older, if you held his hands to try "walking," he would just jump!).

I did end up with an Intellitainer, which is like an exersaucer, but you can "walk" back and forth only because I found a really good deal on it. DS was probably about your DD's age when I found it and we really didn't use it much longer. They are big and bulky. I did end up getting an exersaucer at a consignment store just for my office too so I could put him down for a minute while checking e-mail.

Forgetting all the controversy and just going for logistics...they are both very big! If you have a multistory home, I can see having one on one floor and a different one on a different floor (for instance, we had the Jumperoo upstairs in the playroom and the exersaucer downstairs in my office).

FWIW, DS HATED being put in the pack 'n play and wouldn't stay in there without screaming for 30 seconds let alone enough time for me to go to the bathroom! But I think that's very different from child to child. A friend of mine puts her daughter with tons of toys into the Pack n' Play and she's happy in there for a long time.

Debbie
http://b2.lilypie.com/BI7Tm5.png