Are Exersaucers and Jumpers Bad for My Baby's Development?

You have great perspectives from other moms below. We used both with my daughter, in moderation, following manufacturer guidelines for physical readiness. This may be what your ped is referring to - you don't want the baby in either one too early; and the exersaucer has specific instructions on how much their feet should touch. Based on the activities you are discussing, and considering his age...he may be a bit young still. I don't recall since my daughter is now 4 years old.

Also, since it is your ped that raised the concerns you have, I would ask him/her to clearly and specifically explain why these items are "bad for your son's development." That will be a big help - there's no reason you cannot call his/her office and leave a message with your question and request s/he call you back.

We had no issues using the exersaucer and jumperoo, both of which she loved and both of which were used among many other daily activities. We also put her in her pack-n-play with toys so she could play alone and get used to doing so at a young age (starting with 5 minutes alone, building up to where she would happily be in there for 20 minutes, and as she got older there were days she was playing so nicely that I didn't want to disturb her, and when I looked at the clock, 45 mins had passed)! That was a great break for me!

Hope that helps. :)

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I used the excersaucer for times when I needed him near but, didn't want to drag the play yard around the house. Like when I was baking, didn't want any burns and the kitchen was too small for play yard. When I was taking a shower if he wasn't in the bathroom with me he screamed. Both my boys didn't spend a lot of time in it but, they loved the time that they did spend.

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I used both of these items in moderation. I don't feel that it hurt my sons development AT ALL. He still sat, crawled and walked at totally normal times. I am an attachment parent, who held my son in a carrier most of the time. However, one can't ALWAYS hold a child, so it's nice to have some alternatives for a few minutes here and there (including lots of floor time). My son hated being in a playpen, so for us the jumper and walker were a good choice.

I have done some research on crawling and I came up with a different answer. There are many native tribal people that never allow their children to crawl (biting ants, cliffs, etc) and they all end up fine. What is most important is self-led exploration. Your child needs to be on the floor or near objects learning how to do things by themselves.

My son only used these kinds of items for maybe 10 minutes a day (for 4-5 months). It's all about moderation. I think variety is fine.

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Only if that is all he gets!!! If you play with him/talk/interact... and all that other stuff he should be just fine..The jumpers are great for leg strength.. and mommy's sanity. Just use them sparingly. My son is doing great in all areas and he has ALL OF THEM.. but along with us playing with him..etc.
MAKE SURE YOU GIVE HIM LOTS OF TUMMY TIME TOO!!

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Hi--

I would start by asking the pediatrician his/her reasons why he is against these items. I do believe in moderation being the key and it certainly sounds like you would use these as supplements rather than babysitting devices. Like you, I did a lot of activities with my daughter. I then used the jumper and the exersaucer for a short stint each day. She loved them soooo much! She learned new things with them including a little bit of independence from mama. My daughter wanted to be held and carried all of the time so I made good use of my Ergo. Sometimes I wonder if we are going to be hearing negative things about baby carriers one of these days, too.

Keep up the excellent work, mama, and I say go for those short stints using the jumper and exersaucer if you and your baby enjoy them.

I suggest that this on another of those ideas which change "with the wind." Previously specialists said to use them. Now a few specialists say not to use them. I've yet heard a logical reason for not using them. My generation grew up with walkers and jumpers. We did learn that walkers were dangerous because they allowed baby to go to unsafe places. They also easily tipped over. So now we have exersaucers complete with learning toys. Those who've studied this have not discovered any damage done to children who have used these products in moderations.

I would want much more scientific information in which they demonstrated actual damage caused by these products before I'd consider not using them.

Did your pediatrician give you any information about why they are bad for your son's development.

I have heard for years that crawling is necessary for the development of other aspects of our body and mind. Using these products does not prevent a baby from learning to crawl.

I also know several intelligent, successful people who did not crawl. There are too many variables to be able to say with any kind of certainty that one thing interferes with development.

My "soapbox" message also includes why are we as a society so focused on the "correct" way to care for a baby? Each baby is different and will respond in different ways to the same thing. Yes, it's good to try new things. Research has made our life easier and more understandable. But we do not need to adhere to the "law of the experts." Parents' love and intuition is just as important.

Here's an example: Mother doesn't use exersaucer. Doctor told her no. So what does she do with baby while she takes a bath. Is it better to leave him in his play yard screaming than to put him in his exersaucer. Scientists focus on just one aspect in their research. It seems apparent to me that when "they" decided to ban exersaucers they were not concerned about how this item benefitted mother and baby in other ways that may be more important.

I have not heard of a child having developmental difficulties as the result of limited time in the exersaucer or jumper. I have heard of children screaming and mothers crying in frustration or even abusing their baby because they didn't know what to do. They've been told so many you have to do this and never do this that they have no where to go to just be mother loving baby doing what works for them. What has happened to common sense?

In my infant/child development course I learned that the reason jumpers and walkers and exersaucers are not good for development are because:
1) They interfere with natural hip growth and development.
2) They are not developmentally appropriate because they put babies into positions that they cannot get into and out of themselves.
If you do decide to use one of the items, it is recommended to not use it for more than 20 minutes a day.
The same applies to tummy time, no more than 20 minutes a day.
Babies are genetically wired to develop muscle mass and physical motor skills naturally without any help from contraptions or techniques such as tummy time:) The study I read for class indicated that the tummy time technique had no impact on the speed of physical development whatsoever.
All the things you listed that you are doing sound wonderful, and I am sure your baby loves all of it and loves it when you repeat those things.
Have you asked your own doctor to exlpain why the jumpers would be bad for baby? That would be the best place to start:)
Enjoy your bundle:)