Necessary to have both a jumper and an exercise saucer?

I'm a very practical person, so when I became pregnant with my first son, I checked with friends to see what I could get second-hand before registering for new products. I ended up with a used swing, bouncy seat and high chair, for example.

Now that my son is 4 months old, I'm looking at some other products that I didn't consider before. I've heard wonderful things about the Fisher-Price Jumperoo. My dilemma is that my cousin has a Baby Einstein stationary exercise saucer that her son never used, so it's in mint condition. I'm having trouble justifying having both items, and while I would prefer the jumper, I feel a little obligated (to myself and my husband since I'm now a SAHM with no income of my own) to take the free item instead. Does anyone have any opinions on these items? Do/Did you have both or only one in your home?

Thank you in advance for your help!
Melissa

I had one of each for my daughter and it worked out wonderfully! I had one in one room of the house and the other in another room.

I also had one of each for our son. Our house is small, so I had them both in the same room. Sometimes he wanted to stand & explore & twist -- I would use the exersaucer. Other times when he had a ton of energy & needed to jump it out, I'd put him in the Jumper. Even though they look the same to us, they are very different activities! I didn't get the jumper until he was 6 months & once I had it, I had wished he had it earlier!

I say get both. First, the exersaucer is free so that would be foolish to pass up. Also, the Jumperoo a huge hit with babies. I've never met one that didn't love it. I value your feelings on the matter but honestly, they're really very different from one to the other. The exersaucer is great for when they get a little older you can feed them snacks in it, I even cut my son's hair while he was in it, plus they can lean back and relax. Whereas with the Jumperoo it's almost always in motion. You couldn't give a snack in it because one push and it would be everywhere. And you can imagine how a hair cut would go. They're both just very different.

We have both and my 7 month old loves both of them. By having both of them it keeps him from getting bored. It is fun to watch him bounce too.

no it is not necessary to have them both but i will say that my son loved his jumper. i would take the exercise saucer and if he really likes it then great if he seems to not like it or seems to get borde with it then i would get the jumper.

I had both. My first son really really loved the jumperoo...I haven't gotten it out yet for my 4 mo old but I am thinking I will just replace the swing with the jumper as he can't really sleep in the swing anymore anyway. The excersaucer is a great place to put them when you need to get something done and can't be carrying them around and gives them a wider choice of things to play with etc while the jumper is good when they really want to have a good time and get some energy out. I liked having both.

I don't think there is a 'need' to have both, but it is more fun for the baby. Please also keep in mind that the maximum amount of time you want to keep the baby in one of these 'entertainment centers' is about 30 minutes a day.

If your finances are limited, just take the free one and be done with it.

If you are concerned about spending money on a jumper, why don't you take the free item and then if you see that you would in fact use the jumper, go for it.

Trust me you will want them both!!! You child is not moving, once he moves and you need to contain him (showers, cooking...) you will be very thankful you have both. My 3yo still goes in the Jumperoo and calls it her "baby jumping", much to her 1yo brother's delight!

Melissa,
Make it easy on yourself just sign up on www.Freecycle.org
and post what you are looking for. There are people everyday giving away baby stuff.

Good luck
Roseann

take the free stuff-you wont be using it for that long, and if money is tight. you dont need both

Hey Melissa, take the saucer and I have a Jumperoo you can have for very little if you can pick it up. My kids both loved it and its great to get them ready for a nap since its so high energy. They love the saucer too...maybe you can have one is each of 2 separate areas of the house so you will always have a place to put your boy down if you need too. Send me a message if you're interested in it. Bought in 2005, only used by my two boys, in very good shape. I also have lots of barely used boy clothes of you're interested in that too...We're done, had 2 summer boys.

I had both the Jumperoo and the exersaucer.
I suggest to go with the exersaucer. The one I had allowed them to swivel and turn in a complete cirle and there were a ton of different toys on there to keep him entertained. The jumperoo was just for jumping and that was it.
During our dinnertime, we would put the baby in the exersaucer and that would keep him busy and allow us to eat a relaxed dinner.
Good luck!
PS - you could take the exersaucer from your cousin since it is free and then see if anyone on Freecycle.com is giving away a jumperoo. I see these things given away all the time on there.
Melissa

I also have a 4 month old daughter. She is playing in her Baby Einstein exercise saucer right now. She LOVES it. My neighbor gave it to me. It helps strengthen her legs, back, and neck. It also allows me to get some things done while she's playing in it.

My family practitioner told me not to use the jumpy things or the exercise saucers with wheels.

We had both and it was really nice, because it gave me time to make dinner, go to the bathroom, you know what I mean. My son loved both of them. If you don't have both, no big deal, your not depriving your baby of anything, but if you want it, do what makes the most sense for you and what you think would make you and your baby happy. :)

Melissa, I had both the jumper and exersaucer. My 6 month loves them both (that's why mommy can read Mamasource right now!) but the Jumperoo, man! That girl will jump and JUMP! Her legs are so strong. I would take both but if you HAVE to choose I'm all about the Jumparoo.

Hey Melissa,

In my case we are currently using both an exersaucer and jumper for our 6 month old son. I have the exersaucer upstairs and the fisher-price jumperoo downstairs. He loves being in the standing position as much as possible and it is a lifesaver when I need to jump in the shower (the exersaucer is in our master bathroom, so I can see him through our glass shower doors) or when I'm getting dinner ready he jumps his life away, happy as a clam, while I'm in the kitchen! He loves both. I started using the jumper around 3 1/2-4 months. The exersaucer requires a little bit more stability and strength on the baby's part, so he has just started to really enjoy that at the age he is at, whereas the jumper kind of encloses the baby and keeps them suspeneded, but allows their feet to touch the floor in order to spring up and down (WOW...I hope I'm not making this more complicated than it should be...ha ha ha!)

Do whatever you feel most comfortable with according to your budget and what you think he'll get the most use out of....my vote if you're only going to do one is the fisher-price jumper (and it has 3 different levels of height you can adjust it to, so it grows with your baby!)

Hope this has helped!

Rachel

It's not necessary to have both, but we do. I have an older son so when I am busy taking care of the older one, I can put the little one in one or the other (when he is old enough); keeps it fresh. You could have them in different rooms so you don't have to move it around. I can't wait until mine is old enough (currently 3 months) because my older son is a challenge sometimes, and the baby is really sick of the swing and the mobile already.

This is something your son will probably only use for a few months, so if it becomes too much a point of debate with your husband settle for the free item. My son never had a jumper and he was perfectly happy.