Limitations? And there is another model that converts to a desk with a chalkboard, and that one you can find here. The Skip Hop Explore and More 3 in 1 has the 3 in 1 in its title for a reason. And the music wasn't excessively annoying like some other options. Also, when things happen (and they always do! It helps your baby understand cause and effect better as well, and shows your baby that they dont need to necessarily see something right in front of their face to know that cause and effect still works. So while there's no cause for concern with using these in a developmentally-appropriate manner, there's also no reason to believe that it will benefit your baby in any particular way. This jumper will be interesting and useful to your child through their toddler and preschool years. Who else loves the Evenflo Jump and Learn activity center? The beauty of this model is you can remove every single toy and let your child use them wherever they'd like: on the high chair, on the floor, in a bouncer, etc. This will allow your baby to use the jumper at the optimal height at each stage of their life until they grow out of it, or are skilled enough to walk independently. And the little musical notes that click when you slide them were a nice touch as well. Our friends at Babylist, What2Expect, and The Bump all call it a top pick! It was fun to watch, and see babies learn how to go spin around toward the toy they want to play with. Also, some of the toys don't stay well attached and fall off when moved. Of course you can remove the pad entirely if that bothers you, or wash it down with some clorox wipes before using (which helped in our situation). Of course you can remove the pad entirely if that bothers you, or wash it down with some clorox wipes before using (which helped in our situation). As your child grows, they will develop different hobbies and interests. The third setting causes sound from movement alone. The Skip Hop Explore and More is not the most affordable jumper that I write about and it isnt the least. For those looking for something a little simpler with less sensory stimulation for their baby, this is one of Evenflo's newer and best options. Once your toddler is walking, you can remove the seat and toys and put the included cover over the seat-hole to turn it into a play table. Im not perfect by any means, and Im sure there are people who would argue against me that using plastic at all is evil, but I do what I can. This year's reviews include both long-standing models and many new and popular activity centers that have recently hit the market. They are being stimulated in all the right ways. This is a new addition to our list for this year, and we're happy to have given it a shot! It supports babies as soon as they're able to sit unassisted (usually around 4-6 months), and then until they are 25 pounds or 30 inches tall (or if they figure out how to climb out!). This table can be used as a stand-and-play table, or you can purchase separate chairs to use it as a sit-and-play table. Interested? Read more about the, This year's reviews include both long-standing models and many new and popular activity centers that have recently hit the market. Most jumpers are useful from about 4 months to about 12 months. There's a lot of versatility here. Activity saucers are perfect for this. For more details, check out our full hands-on, Once your toddler is walking, you can remove the seat and toys and put the included cover over the seat-hole to turn it into a play table. There are three height settings to make sure that it accommodates short baby legs and longer toddler legs. I review a lot of different baby products and the ones that I am most excited about when I start to research them are the ones that serve multiple purposes. Who else loves the Skip Hop activity center? Coming in at about $80, this exersaucer offers some serious bang for the buck. This Baby Einstein activity saucer and jumper is good for babies from 4 months until they are walking/climbing; if your baby seems to be getting close to climbing out, then we don't suggest using an activity center anymore! A few A bouncer seat is the perfect place to let your infant observe, play, relax, and take a Mommyhood101 is funded by parents like you! You can adjust the leg height about 5" up and down, which means that you can get it as low as about 13" from table top to floor, and as high as about 18" from top to floor. As always, there's a trade-off between versatility and just how great any single configuration is. For those looking for something a little simpler with less sensory stimulation for their baby, this is one of Evenflo's newer and best options. In our testing, we did find that the seat opening was a bit too large in diameter for smaller babies around 4 months of age, and we had to use a folded blanket or towel up front to support the torso a bit better. It comes with a few removable animal toys that are great for chewing on (they're BPA free) and tossing onto the floor (which is fun at first, but then a little annoying!). And the price is right! We loved the modern styling, simplicity, and the features that help both baby and parents alike. Finally, when your baby becomes a toddler it can turn into a cute little activity table. Skip Hop makes high quality, simple, durable, and stylish products that are nice to look at and practical to use. There are a lot of great features here, but what it doesn't have are toys that require batteries or that make lights and noise - we prefer this type of relatively simple exersaucer ourselves, but we'll leave that up to you to decide what you'd like for your baby. The 3rd part of the Skip Hop Explore and More 3 in1 is the desk. This is an awesome new addition to our activity center list. Here are a few reasons: I have talked about it before and I will likely talk about it again, I dont love the clutter that comes with having kids. This option is a really great one and gives you a lot more freedom as a parent to control your babys experience. That adjustable height is key for making sure this can be used across a wide range of baby heights (and leg lengths!). Our friends at WhatToExpect! The toys were great for a few reasons: we loved that they were relatively simple, with bright primary colors, and fun spinning, flipping, and popping with some nice multisensory feedback without overloading them with a ton of crazy toys. There are a lot of great features here: the seat rotates around 360-degrees to give your baby access to all of the activities, the activities are simple and high quality including good cause-effect relationships and sensory feedback (we loved the elephant noise! If you want a closer look as to how your baby could actually use this, watch the video below: The Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association, or the JPMA, uses a strict guideline to certify baby products. Since we started this site in 2009, over 100 million parents and parents-to-be have trusted us to provide honest and well-researched information on the topics of pregnancy, parenting, and baby and toddler gear reviews. Speaking of growing, the sit and play function is designed for use from 6 months onwards (up to 25 pounds), and the toddler play table from 9-36 months. Really cute, works very well, but a bit more expensive at around $120-130 (or $150 when you buy it with the chairs). And the price is right! You can check out this Fisher Price Activity Center here. Well it gets better because Skip Hop thought about your baby and added a little transparent window that you baby can watch their toes and the piano through. Second, you can use it as the activity center itself, by snapping the toys onto the top and unfolding the legs. They want attention and they need all their needs met. The seat spins around 360-degrees, and we found it to be very sturdy on both hardwood and carpeting. Our friends at Babylist, WhatToExpect, and The Bump also call it a top pick! It's a bit lighter than most other traditional exersaucers and takes up a relatively small footprint in your home. Swaying stars (that look more like little trees). Get dressed? The only thing that would be nice is to maybe make the foot platform a bit spring-loaded so baby can bounce a bit more. There are a lot of great learning activities that are not the norm of what you usually see. Back to the Around We Go - we also found that while a baby was in the seat, older kids could walk up to the play center and do some parallel play with the baby, which was nice to see. First, this 4-in-1 exersaucer can be used in 4 ways: first, you can quickly fold up its legs for easy storage, and in this configuration, we were able to slide it right under our bed after popping off the toys. The cool thing about that foot platform is that it can be adjusted up and down to suit your baby's height, so you won't run into the issue of your baby bouncing around freely with their feet not reaching the floor (like when shorter babies use the Jumperoo). Highly recommended! Highly recommended! Who else loves the Fisher Price Jumperoo? Interested? You can connect the piano to the top of the table for the baby to interact with or you can put it down on the base for your baby to play it with their feet. We also want to point out that research shows that babies who use these activity centers, bouncers, and exersaucers, show no difference in motor development relative to babies who do not. So you might have a baby and an older sibling. Questions? Second, the good activity centers are truly engaging for your child, combining several whole-body activities that combine multiple senses in play. Who else recommends the Baby Einstein activity jumper? It also has high quality toys that are a lot of fun, a smaller footprint than most others, and easy assembly. The second part of the Explore and more is that you can convert it into a table without a swivel seat in the middle. The playmat was a bit simple, not quite as plush as other options on the market, and doesn't integrate any tummy time supports; so, we'd give the playmat about a 3 out of 5. Rather than jumping up and down, babies using this activity center run around in circles like a dog chasing its tail! We found that it's not quite as bouncy as some other options, and the seat opening can be a bit wide. Brilliant! Impressed? Once they begin walking independently, you'll want to switch to the table mode, which means that you're likely to get about 6-8 months of use from the exersaucer mode. The seat itself seems to have a little bit of elastic to it, which means that baby can bounce up and down a bit for entertainment. You can check out the Baby Einstein jumper here! It starts off as an activity center for seated play, then can be used for cruising by removing the foot platform and using it to cover the seat, and then as a table for toddlers. Probably not, but it was definitely a fun concept! About $130. Interested? This is the original model and the one that used to be the only one. The seat fabric is removable and machine washable, and the fabric is soft yet durable enough to withstand some serious bouncing! An exersaucer gives your baby a secure place to jump, spin, play, observe, and explore while stimulating their senses and motor systems. It includes a lot of cute and fun toys, like a little piano, book pages to flip, and spinning rattles. All baby products that are sold in the United States have to pass the guidelines from the FDA, but if the product passes even more guidelines and wins an award, you know it is going to be safe for your baby, which is really the most important thing when you are buying a baby product anyway. Limitations? You can check out this Evenflo Exersaucer here. It's a super versatile activity center that converts into 4 different modes. Best Outdoor Baby and Toddler Toys - 2022, 1968 S. Coast Hwy, #1103, Laguna Beach, CA 92651. Full disclosure: Some of these activity centers, including the Infantino and Oribel models, were sent to us as free test samples by the manufacturer. It doesn't fold up, but it was just a couple minutes to pull the legs off for relatively easy storage. 2. So why am I obsessed with these things? You can then remove the swivel seat in the middle and place the jumping platform on top of the table. All of the toys are based on sunshine, rainbows and clouds. Let's start with the basics. There also is no lock-out to prevent bouncing if you want some calmer play, though we did realize that you can put the seat on the highest height setting and prevent baby's feet from touching the floor in the first place. About $100. Just don't expect any amazing benefits to gross motor skills, fine motor skills, or anything else in particular. The wide seat opening can can cause some babies with lower core strength to flop forward/backward a bit; to solve this, some parents (like us!) This jumper really is a great option for the more minimalist households who like to keep things fairly simple. Cons? The idea is to have your child's feet resting flat on the floor as they grow. Like that unit, the Jumperoo adds a "jumper" with hanging elastic supports that provide a fun jumping/bouncing experience for your baby. There are some drawbacks to the removable toys: when the toys get pulled off, they can get lost or dirty, or chewed up by your pet! This is incredibly important because it adds another layer of entertainment, but it also gets your baby more deft with their feet. The Skip Hop Explore and More is not a typical bouncer, though the Skip Hop company does produce one that you can find here. They also sell a cool art paper roll dispenser separately as well, which we also liked. Second, as baby spins around the center, we also found that the entire thing can shift/slide across the floor a tiny bit - if you put it on a good foam play mat this wasn't an issue. Who else loves the Skip Hop activity center? You can check out this, About $100. The Skip Hop Explore and More spared no expense when they developed the toys that they put on their Jumper. We got our hands on this Fisher Price 4-in-1 Step and Play Piano activity center for testing last year, and we fell in love! Downfalls? It doesnt bounce your baby like the other bouncers do, but you baby can use it just like it would a bouncer. There are a lot of great features here: the seat rotates around 360-degrees to give your baby access to all of the activities, the activities are simple and high quality including good cause-effect relationships and sensory feedback (we loved the elephant noise! There also is no lock-out to prevent bouncing if you want some calmer play, though we did realize that you can put the seat on the highest height setting and prevent baby's feet from touching the floor in the first place. We never publish any content related to the health or well-being of your child without first consulting with expert pediatricians, midwives, therapists, OB/GYNs, and other specialists as appropriate. Recently Skip Hop developed another, newer model. Just a few. So what is so great about this product? In our experience, babies really like all the different activities on it, that they can spin around 360-degrees to reach all the different toy stations, and that it has a fun electric piano. The Skip Hop Explore and More is primarily a jumper. Other great features include the adjustable height for shorter or longer legs, adjustable volume for the lights and sounds, and the removable and machine washable seat. This is a great option because there are some jumpers that seem a bit overwhelming and overstimulating. The Jumper function of the Skip Hop Explore and More is amazing because it gets your baby moving and gets all the energy they have out. Second, the exersaucer part of it has a spinning seat for all-around play. 3. 6. There are three height settings to make sure that it accommodates short baby legs and longer toddler legs. Take out the garbage? Exersaucers and activity centers vary tremendously in function, quality, and price, making it challenging to find the perfect option for your family! Interested? When they grow out of it, you can detach the seat and use it as an activity play table, which is a great concept. This table can be used as a stand-and-play table, or you can purchase separate chairs to use it as a sit-and-play table. ), and some toys can be removed and taken with your baby. So, we were off to a good start, and our two test babies (one 4 months, one 6 months) really loved it. This jumper may not have as much bounce as the others do, but it will be something that your baby enjoys to jump in and that will help your baby develop physically and mentally. A good activity center tends to be around $100 - but you'll get a lot of use out of it, and likely will be able to sell it and get some money back after a year of use (think Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace!). Love, love, love the kids. The height is adjustable, but even at the lowest setting your little baby may not stretch the elastic enough to help their little legs reach the floor. Once your baby can walk independently, he or she will not be excited about getting into a jumper anymore, but that doesnt mean that the toys are any less interesting for your baby. Impressed? It can be hard to feel like your home is actually a home and not a daycare too. We love the concept here. They will be able to learn how sound can be connected to movement and learn about cause and effect. It also has an awesome height adjustment with 3 different levels; with smaller babies, you can use the lowest setting which lets the seat sit down lower to the floor, and then as your baby's legs grow you can use the higher settings to accommodate the change. There is one model of the Skip Hop Explore and More Activity Table that comes with a normal desk. Cons? You can even take all of them off if you want if your baby gets overstimulated easily. That little feature also makes cleaning so much easier. Who else loves the Fisher Price Spin and Sort? But it comes at such an exhausting price sometimes. It also has easily adjustable height so you can lift it up slightly as your baby grows taller, and a small tray area where you can place some finger foods like Cheerios or puffs. A little discovery window is positioned above it so baby can look down and see what their little toes are up to; the keyboard can also be removed from the foot tray and placed right onto the discovery window for use with the hands. Im not on a soapbox right now, but I try my best to be more environmentally minded. Who else loves the Oribel activity center? Your child can also use the flat surface of the desk to use cars or other rolling toys on it, or it can be a great area for them to play with action figures or dolls. Interested? In our testing, we found that the Jumperoo is easy to assemble (about 10-15 minutes), and very sturdy and well-constructed. Oribel PortaPlay 4-in-1 Activity Center. The first setting is one note for each key. Right up front is an array of buttons and lights that are activated by bouncing movement or touch, along with fun zoo animal sounds. About $100, and a #1 best-selling activity center. Other than that, we think this is an awesome option and we were happy to have tested it out! Playing together is a social skill that does have to be learned and it is great to have a product that encourages siblings to play together. And it's really versatile. While your baby is small, it's a great activity center with a unique design. Rather than only being an exersaucer (as pictured to the left), it also can serve as a playmat and activity table. ), like a ripped seat, Fisher-Price is super responsive to warranty repairs or replacements. So the longer you can keep your baby entertained and occupied, the better. Our friends at Romper also consider it a top pick! First, they are the perfect and relatively portable place to put your baby while you need to do something and guarantee your baby isn't moving. So it really is a cost effective choice, especially if you dont already have an activity table or desk. There are a lot of great features here, but what it doesn't have are toys that require batteries or that make lights and noise - we prefer this type of relatively simple exersaucer ourselves, but we'll leave that up to you to decide what you'd like for your baby. It's 2-in-1, functioning very well as an infant exersaucer and then transitioning to a play table for toddlers. Essentially they have the same functions. Also, it uses six AAA batteries to power its sounds and music, though you can always just run them dead and leave them if you want some serenity from the repetitive tunes! The toys also use a clever clip-on/off mechanism so you can remove them for washing and then just clip them back on wherever you'd like to position them. It comes with a few removable animal toys that are great for chewing on (they're BPA free) and tossing onto the floor (which is fun at first, but then a little annoying!). It starts off as an activity center for seated play, then can be used for cruising by removing the foot platform and using it to cover the seat, and then as a table for toddlers. But if you're looking to make a little music, this is a great option! They spend a little time eating, then playing, then reading, then sleeping. Well, lots of things actually! We liked that the exersaucer has height adjustment so even the littlest of legs can reach the base. If you want the buttons/lights and music/sounds, you'll need to install three AAA batteries during this process. 9. When they grow out of it, you can detach the seat and use it as an activity play table, which is a great concept. The piano comes with three distinct settings: The Skip Hop Explore and More has 5 clip on toys, not including the piano toy. You can check out this, About $100. Height is a big challenge with most exersaucers, and this is a great feature. It's a bit lighter than most other traditional exersaucers and takes up a relatively small footprint in your home. Here are some of the features I love about it. Downfalls? Similar to the Evenflo and Jumperoo options, this activity center adds a fun "jumper" with elastic supports that provide a fun jumping/bouncing experience for your baby. If you want the buttons/lights and music/sounds, you'll need to install three AAA batteries during this process. If your baby is smaller and lighter than others (like in the 30th percentile for height and weight), their little legs might not be able to reach the floor. Other than that, we think this is a really unique concept and think it's a great option! This is another exciting addition to our list, with great versatility (4in1), high quality, flexibility, and durability. The activity table is a great concept, but we didn't think it was very stable and our toddlers pushed it over a few times; so, we'd give the activity table about a 3 out of 5. Interested? The bottom disk pad is very colorful but some of that color tends to rub off on your baby's socks. You can find them here. About $70. When your baby turns about 5 to 6 months, they start being more particular. I like this particular design of a jumper because instead of raising the baby up and down, which can be difficult to do accurately without the baby in the actual seat, and it can be difficult to do physically with the baby in the seat, you can adjust the base where your babys feet will rest. Who else loves the Oribel activity center? But it can be so hard to keep things organized when you have a million baby products. Only a couple downfalls here. Once it's ready to go, it's really a lot of fun - the seat spins around, the toys are high quality and engaging, and everything felt relatively high quality. This is also helpful when your baby is using the piano down by their feet since it can be more difficult to press the buttons right away. First, its design makes it take up quite a bit of room in the house. We found that it's not quite as bouncy as some other options, and the seat opening can be a bit wide. Interested? Our test babies loved it once they figured out how to get it to move around. You can even switch the toys out or only put a couple out at a time for your baby to look at. The Spin and Sort offers great versatility, converting from an infant entertainer with a seat that spins 360-degrees around, to a toddler table with a block-sorting center. Infantino Sit Spin Stand Entertainer Exersaucer. Is the Infantino Flip Convertible 4 in 1 Carrier a Quality Product? Similar to the Evenflo and Jumperoo options, this activity center adds a fun "jumper" with elastic supports that provide a fun jumping/bouncing experience for your baby. Rather than jumping up and down, babies using this activity center run around in circles like a dog chasing its tail! Our friends at Babylist, WhatToExpect, and The Bump consider it a top pick! Here is a video of our 4-month old test baby loving his time in the Jumperoo! The second setting will play a song each time one button is played. Height is a big challenge with most exersaucers, and this is a great feature. To become certified, each product is sample-tested at an independent laboratory to verify it meets the highest standards for safety, performance and functionality.. Our friends at Babylist and The Bump consider it a top pick! It also has easily adjustable height so you can lift it up slightly as your baby grows taller, and a small tray area where you can place some finger foods like Cheerios or puffs. Evenflo Triple Fun Active Learning Center. To keep my home happy, healthy, and not overstimulating, I want to buckle down on the things, and the best way to do this is by buying baby products that will serve multiple purposes at once or that will serve different purposes at different times in my babys development. The Jumperoo is definitely one of the bounciest activity centers we've tested, allowing your baby to truly explore movement and go a little wild!