Exesaucer, Jumperoo, Walker ??

My son LOVED his jumperoo! The best pictures I have of him when he was still an infant are when he was in that. His whole face lit up and he just bounced and bounced. So adorable. He did really enjoy his exersaucer too, but not as much as the jumperoo.

1 mom found this helpful

My child loves his jumperroo. My other loved the excersaucer... so it depends on what they like best. I can tell you though, the jumparoo lasted until they were older, even my 3 year old still tries to get in it. Do you have friends maybe with one or the other he can try to see if he likes it?

You can find them really cheap at resale or consignment shops (like kid do kid) and even craigslist. I got my jumparoo for about $5 at a garage sale and just cleaned it really well.

Also, many walkers are not safe, they tip easily, that is why the excersaucer is nice.

1 mom found this helpful

I'll fill in all the cons you may hear... lol
Walkers used to be not safe and as with anything can be used with ill results...
They should not be used on an upperlevel unless there is a self closing baby gate on any stairs...
Now they do not make them to freewheel like they used to... Baby really can't even move them since they don't have 4 wheels... Unless of course your child has herculean legs...
The guards on the bottom (rubberized strips on the frames) deter them from going over door jambs (as in between rooms, not stairwells)

As with all things prevention and safe use is key... Baby should not be put in them for long periods of time since some say they hurt the babys hips...

My kids get so bored with all sitting toys... We do have a walker that we got from walmart and we put toys on the tray for our now 7 month old... She enjoys it... For a time... But would much rather be down rolling around...

My son loved both the exersaucer and the jump-n-go (jumperoo). They both got the full workout! When he started walking, the love affair ended, but he used them both every day until then. My mother also had a walker, and he loved that too. Just have to watch that he doesn't run into things that might fall on him.

My son, and now daughter, love the jumpers. I think ours is baby einstein. I just saw some photos of my son in it at 11 months, so it will last a bit. My daughter is also 7 months, but has always been a jumpy girl, so loves that movement.

What do you mean by a walker? My son had a little push thing that he used (while we followed behind to "catch". But I wouldn't do one of those that they sit in and have wheels.

i would say the jumperoo. i had one for both my kids and my daughter used it forever! it was soo funny to watch her jump. they can really get going in that thing. my son was very active and he was walking by the time he was 8mos so he only used it for a small time, but he still like to use it also.

My DD is 7 months old, and has a Baby Einstein jumper that she (and I) love! I got it for her when she was 4 months old, she was already sitting up on her own and scooting around so I needed someplace to stick her and keep her in one place! lol. It has tons of toys that she loves, PLUS little tabs to hang more so you can keep it 'fresh'. It has a swivel seat so she can spin around and play. It was a little pricey, but SOOO worth it to me! (not to mention that it will be nice to have when I have more kids.) It has 4 height settings, my DD is 75% for height and is only on the 2nd setting, so I know it will last her for quite a while longer. She is full on crawling now, and cruising furniture, but she still loves her jumper.

Jumparoo all the way!! I love the fact that they are getting exercise and building muscle strength while staying in one place!! In the exersaucer they just look like a big lump.... our jumparoo had stuff for them to play with like an exersaucer.

I also loved our Bumbo... they got a bad rap for a while b/c people were putting their kids in them on tables and counters (dah!) . they're great if properly used.. you didn't mention an activity mat... we use to put our daughter in the bumbo and sit her up to the activity mobile/mat .. she use to reach out and play w/ all the dangling stuff... :) .

I would strongly recommend the excersaucer over the jumperoo. My son LOVED is exersaucer and was in his from 6 monts until he was about a year old. Look for one with adjustable "legs" so that it can grow with him. My son's was the Baby Einstein version and it had a ton of activities. We used to call it his "office" b/c he would "work" for 15-20 minutes at a time in it, allowing me to get something done at the same time!

As for the walkers, they are dangerous if you have a home with stairs. Keep in mind too that if they are "mobile", you will have to make sure that everything is out-of-reach. I read an article a while ago that suggested that children who aren't walking independently don't have the cognitive or motor maturity to handle moving around a room.

If you don't have stairs, though it's probably okay. We were very happy with the exersaucer and never saw a need for a walker!

For those who totally disregard walkers.....I have to disagree.

I did daycare for 5 years. Babies LOVE to be able to stay near you! Otherwise they are sitting in something stationary and cry when you leave their sight! Our own kids loved them as well.

The walker that they make now (and even 9+ years ago when I bought one for daycare) DO NOT ALLOW KIDS TO FALL DOWN STAIRS! Beth B. is mistaken. That strip DOES STOP falls! There are 2 wheels in front and 2 "rollers" in the back.

My daughter (scared the living daylights out of us the first time!) went FULL SPEED ahead towards the steps and STOPPED COLD when the first 2 wheels left the platform! The walker came to a complete stop and she was "stuck". However she thought this was very funny and quickly learned how to push up with her feet and get the 2 wheels back on the floor so she could move once again.

To be clear....My husband WAS on the steps as he was going to be installing a gate so he would have caught the walker but this still scared us! However, we no longer had to install the gate either!

The kids do like saucers and jumperoos as well. It's just a matter of preference and how your area is set up.... If you have an open floor plan where your child will be fine sitting in something stationary or if it's better to have them mobile.....

My first two loved the jumperoo. My 7 month old now has an exersaucer and likes it. Whatever you buy, buy it on Craigslist. They don't use it long enough to justify buying it new and you can always get a good deal buying from other Mom's.

I would get him the Jumeroo. My kids all love that!!

Excersaucers are a great toy and worth the investment and space! If you can, have your son use one at a friend's house to see if he likes it They are great once your baby can sit up and support his neck comfortably. Both my son and daughter used an excersaucer for many months. Since they are big and a little unsightly, they are also easy to find used on craigslist or yard sales. This is also a great time to find a deal at many of the larger toy chains, such as Toys R Us. Another great thing for his age would be a Bumbo seat. They even come with trays now, so you can place several toys on the tray for entertainment. Have fun watching your little guy explore his new "freedom!"

Ok, without reading all the other answers, I will tell you my experience. I am a home daycare provider. I have a 16 yr old daughter of my own and still have her original Excersaucer as well and use it for daycare. My SIL gave me her Jumperoo aobut 5-6 years ago...and it is my favorite ALL TIME baby activity seat of all time. I get more use out of this item than all of my other ones combined. It takes up alot of floor space..but even very young babies can be propped in with a little help from blankets for a few minutes of sitting straight up time for a different viewpoint here and there...until they can sit and bounce and go nutso in it. The saucer's just do not provide the same level of full body activity and enetertainment and hilarity as the Jumperoo's do.

I fully recommend the Jumperoo!!!

We had a really cool exersaucer that enabled the child to turn all the way around and it had different toys/activities that we could snap on or remove and just have a plain tray so we could use it for snacks and our own toys. We never had a jumperoo due to not having any place safe. We had a bouncey seat that was suspended in its own base that Alex enjoyed, but it had a short period of use honestly.

I had the best excersaucer, it allowed for jumping/bouncing and had tons of toys, but they do not make it anymore, sorry. All kids are different. My oldest loved both his excersaucer and the jolly jumper (a cheaper version ya know the one that clipped on the door frame) My 2nd son loved both but got so sick on the jolly jumper he had to stay in the excersaucer. My oldest HATED his walker, but my younger 2 loved it. Doctors will tell you that walkers cause bow leggedness and hinders walking. The walkers now have extra safety stuff to prevent the falling down stairs but remember never leave your child unsupervised while near stairs. I also nailed down an old broom stick to the top of the stairs for a wheel stopper. It is all up to you. I paid $100 for the excersaucer, $25 for the jolly jumper, and 15 for the walker.
This one is close to the one I have
http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-EV1000-Exersaucer-Mega-Circ...

I have 3 kids who are all beyond this stage and have never used any of these items. My children loved playing on the ground more than anything else. They played mostly with activity mats and toys they can manipulate on the floor. When they were too tired out by it, I would put them in a infant-to-toddler rocker with a toy bar. I figured, the more time they spent on the floor, the more exercise they got. Plus, it encouraged them to learn to crawl quickly.