This debate is a very sensitive one amongst many parents. The origin of this debate started from the baby Exersaucers recall. This recall was due to the activity center table which caused the baby to fall over. In total there were 9 serious injuries that were reported.
The activity table gave kids the ability to move freely around the house while skating on the table. This led to other minor injuries. When parents were occupied with something else, the child was able to glide anywhere.
Since then the baby exersaucer activity center’s have been upgraded to reduce any safety problems. Majority of the parents that use different activity centers, love them.
The World Health Organization on Early Child Development states how important it is to stimulate the child’s brain. Here is an excerpt from their website.
“The more stimulating the early environment, the more a child develops and learns. Language and cognitive development are especially important during the first six months to three years of life. When children spend their early years in a less stimulating, or less emotionally and physically supportive environment, brain development is affected and leads to cognitive, social and behavioural delays. Later in life, these children will have difficulty dealing with complex situations and environments. High levels of adversity and stress during early childhood can increase the risk of stress-related disease and learning problems well into the adult years.”
- http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs332/en/index.html
This is why activity centers are still popular with parents because they provide great stimulus for the child. So either it be a baby Einstein exersaucer or jumperoo or swing, each has its own unique gift to offer.
What is the Baby Exersaucer?
The Baby Exersaucer is a round table in which the baby can sit in. The seat has two pockets for each leg that support the baby as they gain strength in their legs. The round table is connected with different toys, some which hang while others have different sounds when pressed. Certain sides of the table have different texture to help activate the childs development.
The Exersaucer is great in developing hand eye coordination because the baby will want to press and play with all the toys. As it reaches for the hanging toys, the baby will have grow a good sense of perception.
The toys on the new Exersaucer’s can be changed with ease whereas the Jumperoo is very limited to the toys. If you find there are too many toys distracting your child, then simply remove the toys. This will reduce the child from constantly turning around in the exersaucer as well.
The Evenflo ExerSaucer Triple Fun – Jungle review
This Exersaucer packs a whole lot of fun for any child. It’s designed with a beautiful jungle theme with bright colors that will keep your baby occupied. Fisher Price has thought of everything with this Exersaucer because it comes with a play mat and toy bar for newborns. The height is adjustable for the activity center so the baby will never be uncomfortable.
This entertainment center allows the child to jump, bounce and has a rotating seat for the child to easily access toys on all sides. It is very easy to install and should not take more than 30 minutes.
What is the Jumperoo?
Traditional Jumpers are mounted between a doorframe with slings. The child sits in the sling and uses his/her legs to jump up and down. Current Jumperoo’s do not need to be mounted in a doorframe as they come in their own standalone base. They are now a cross between an exersaucer and the traditional baby Jumper.
The Jumper also comes with numerous toys and attachments that provide for great entertainment and fun. The child will develop their leg muscles as they bounce around in the jumper.
Although jumperoo’s are a great buy for their children, some parents have found that the child grows out of it rather early. The child does not grow out of playing with it rather they get too big to fit in the sling. However the new jumperoo’s come in various sizes to accommodate this problem.
Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo – Review
The Fisher Price Jumperoo has a comfortable seat for your child to bounce around in. The seat rotates which allows your baby to play with all the neat and colorful toys. This jumperoo comes with its own solid base so there is no need to mount this in a doorway. The many different toys include: an elephant, a swinging monkey, a parrot hanging from a bead bar and much more.
Some of the children love the toys that spin and move, such as the swinging monkey. It is very easy to install and takes around 20 – 30 minutes to put the whole thing together. The resale value on the jumperoo is also great so you can get rid of it for a great price.
Exersaucers and Jumperoo’s are both good.
There is no one clear winner in this never-ending debate. It all depends on how your child responds to each toy. The toys should not be used all the time as a replacement for activity but used in short periods of 15 – 30 minutes. This also allows the parents to relax a little while the child is being entertained.