Jumperoo/Entertainers

[nckd]

Good Morning Everyone.

My daughter just got her four month vaccinations.:cry: She did ok. I made my husband go with me this time.

Anyways, while we were at the Pediatricians office, we were giving a paper saying that walkers/bouncers slow down the baby's development. I was wondering if that means jumperoos/entertainers as well. Does anyone know?

Thanks.

[mommylamb]

I'm no expert, but I think the warnings against these things are because there are people out there who will leave their child in one for ages (and walkers are just unsafe, so I wouldn't get one of those probably anyway.). I think if your DD is in an exersaucer or a jumperoo for short periods of time, and is otherwise developing her gross motor skills normally, I wouldn't worry about it. My DS had a jumperoo an d an exersaucer and loved them. We had no developmental delays. But again, I'm not an expert.

[brittone2]

I worked as a pediatric PT before becoming a SAHM. When I was an intern, I put together a project for the practice I was working in on exersaucer/jumper use at the urging of the therapist supervising me. She was very anti saucer/jumper, as was her husband (a pedi orthopedic surgeon). There was a pediatrician's office that was located below our practice and that doctor requested info for a display for his own office and he handed out literature to parents.

Most PTs and OTs discourage the use of saucers/walkers/jumpers in children. Several studies have linked walker use to sitting, walking, and crawling later, even in kids that are developmentally normal overall. Many of these studies are older but are thought to apply to saucers as well as walkers.

Standing in a saucer or walker is never the same as actively standing and holding onto a surface like a couch or chair. Electromyographic studies have shown (EMG studies measure how muscles fire, basically) that standing in a saucer/walker leads to decreased activation of the core muscles (abdominal/back/gluteal muscles). They also tend to push the child forward onto the toes more than normal, and there is some concern that this can impact balance. The tray used also blocks some of the visual feedback that kids use to balance. There are also some concerns that jumpers/walkers/saucers can lead to toe-walking in young children because they often end up on tippy toes while using these devices.

The recommendation is to avoid entirely if possible, or to limit children to a max of 20 mins a day (which goes by very quickly...10 mins while you shower, 5 for a phone call, 15 mins during dinner, etc. and you are already over, kwim?). If a child is at risk of delays (already delayed, or a preemie at risk for delay, for example) then it is best to skip it entirely. The child should always be removed before showing signs of fatigue. I've gone into many homes to do early intervention evals where the 4-5 month old (which is quite young for some kids to be in a saucer...many of those infants don't have adequate trunk/neck strength to be in a saucer in the first place) is slumped over to the side because they've been in the saucer for so long. Parents get busy and don't even notice sometimes, unfortunately.

Yes, many kids use them without any negative effects but that doesn't mean they don't have negative effects on the development of some children, particularly those at risk of delay in the first place.

There are a bunch of old threads on the topic if you do a search.

Don't shoot the messenger LOL. Just sharing why most therapists are not fans of saucers/jumpers/walkers, etc. since you asked. I wish more MDs did a better job of educating parents on the topic.

eta: the other problem is that in our society, babies are just too containerized in general. If they aren't in the carseat, they are in swing. If they aren't in the saucer, they are in the jumper, etc.

edited again to say (after reading the post below)...yes, I would definitely advise against walkers entirely! I remember reading the speeds a child can achieve in a walker, and it was shockingly fast. It was so fast that an adult nearby, even if watching the child, might not be able to prevent some sort of accident (falling down stairs, grabbing something unsafe, etc.) in time.

[srhs]

I've read of that concern as well. Turns out we own a jumperoo, bounce-bounce-baby (free to us & DS loved it), & exersaucer (free). And DS crawled @ 6 mos., sat @ 7, & is pulling up @ 7. We don't use them as neglectomatics....just a fun place to be during laundry, dishes, potty, etc. Or when he needs change of pace. I read (here?) no more than 20 mins. cumulative/day. I'm sure it all depends on the kid too. Some would be content to sit there all day & not get the floor & face time they need....not mine....he lets me know time is up & it's time to get exploring! (I wouldn't do a walker. Those scare me.)

eta-I was typing while brittone was so I didn't see her awesome details. brittone, thanks for all that info! It's really food-for-thought. I will be watching ds closely now that I know the specific concerns, like balance & the toes.

[wendibird22]

I think the recommendation is for no more than 20mins at a time. I believe that the concern is twofold:
1. That the child does not see their feet and therefore may delay the child making the brain connection between thinking about moving a foot/leg and seeing that foot/leg move (thought-response kind of thing).
2. That the way in which they learn to stand in the exersaucer is physically different than if they learned to stand on their own (with no support), therefore potentially delaying walking.

We did not have a jumperoo or exersaucer at home but the sitter did have an exersaucer and used it for DD. We encouraged the sitter to limit its use but of course have no way of knowing how often DD was put in it. I suspect more than we would have liked. We didn't notice any delays and DD was walking a week after her 1st birthday. At home, once she outgrew her bouncy seat, if we needed a spot to put her while in the kitchen or using the bathroom, etc, we either put her in the PNP (once she could sit up on her own), or on the floor using a SuperYard play yard that way she couldn't roll or crawl into trouble. We got a lot of use out of the Superyard. It was a great way to keep her safe but give her the ability to play with toys, practice rolling over or sitting or crawling.

Here's a link (http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/745582.html) that contains links to research on jumpers, walkers, and exersaucers (scroll down to the first response).

[nckd]

Thanks everyone. Thank you Brittone2. That is exactly the info I needed.

[mommy111]

You ladies just broke my heart :( We could not afford an exersaucer for DD#1 when she was little and so, this time around, it was going to be my holiday present to DC#2. (I was looking at the really fancy evenflo 3 in 1 and fantasizing about getting it every day, LOL) Now I guess DC#2 will have to do without an exersaucer.......oh well, at least this time I can say I was cheap for a reason

[brittone2]

You ladies just broke my heart :( We could not afford an exersaucer for DD#1 when she was little and so, this time around, it was going to be my holiday present to DC#2. (I was looking at the really fancy evenflo 3 in 1 and fantasizing about getting it every day, LOL) Now I guess DC#2 will have to do without an exersaucer.......oh well, at least this time I can say I was cheap for a reason

Sorry :(


Many kids do fine with one with a parent being conscious not to overuse it. The problem is we can't always tell which kids will be negatively impacted in advance.

[mommy111]

Oh Beth, that was partly tongue-in-cheek. Although *I* will be disappointed about not spending the money ;) , DS will be just as happy playing with something else. And I will know that I followed your good advice and kept him away from something that could negatively impact him.
Maybe I'll get him a stand-up play-table, which should be as much fun for him :) And I really appreciate the great inpuit you ladies give, I'd heard about the walkers being dangerous but it never even crossed my mind about the exersaucers.