Buying guide for Best baby jumpers
Does your baby need a little fun in her life? And perhaps a little exercise, too? A baby jumper could be just the thing. A baby jumper is the infant equivalent of a child’s playground. In it, your child can stand, and can stretch her developing legs while exploring her surroundings. There’s nothing quite like hearing her giggle or watching her eyes light up as she discovers some newfound “independence” in her baby jumper.
The market is bursting with different product options, from stationary jumpers with activity saucers to suspended door jumpers that are classically known by some as the Johnny Jump Up. With so many choices, consumers can pick from a wide range of jumper prices, sizes, age/weight limits, features, and more.
At BestReviews, we understand how taxing parenting can be. For this reason, we want your shopping experience to be as stress-free as possible. Please see our product list for tried-and-true baby jumpers that could have your baby giggling with joy. We have the details you need if you’d like to learn more about choosing the perfect baby jumper.
What is a baby jumper?
A baby jumper is a stationary unit in which your child can sit and “jump” while supported by elastic bands and a secure seat.
Some jumpers are quite plain: all you get is the apparatus, and all the baby can do in it is jump. Other jumpers include trays filled with exploratory toys that stimulate and entertain the child.
"Baby jumpers are a great way to keep your child occupied and safe when you need your hands free for cooking, washing, ironing, and such. As long as you don’t overdo the time spent by a baby in a jumper, you can both have loads of fun!"
STAFF
BestReviews
Types of baby jumpers
Simple stationary jumper
A simple stationary jumper, much like the name implies, is fixed in place by its frame. It includes a seat and an elastic cord that helps your baby jump. The simplest of stationary jumpers features no additional toys or sensory entertainment for your baby. Its sole purpose is to allow the child to bounce.
Activity center jumper, or exersaucer
These jumpers consist of a seat, elastic cord, frame, and tray filled with a variety of toys. The toys may vary from jumper to jumper, but their purpose is the same: to provide your baby with visual, auditory, and tactile stimulation during her jumping session.
Doorway jumper
Doorway jumpers include no built-in frame. Rather, they attach as a bungee to a door frame with a clamp. These jumpers can be bothersome to set up and take down, but they tend to cost less than simple stationary jumpers and exersaucers.
Expert Tip
Never leave a baby unattended in a baby jumper.
BestReviews Baby and Child Expert
Considerations
Height adjustability
Some baby jumpers allow you to adjust for your child’s height as she grows. You may see a package that advertises the maximum number of height adjustments that can be made. The more adjustment increments available, the more likely your child will sit comfortably in the jumper.
Seat
Seats differ from jumper to jumper. The best jumpers feature removable seat pads that can be machine washed or spot cleaned. Plush padding is a nice touch, too. For younger infants with less control, we suggest, we suggest that you consider a unit with a high seat and a supportive back. Babies should never be placed in these jumpers until they are able to hold their heads up by themselves and support their bodies most of the time.
If you’re buying a stationary activity jumper, you’ll also want to make sure that your baby can comfortably reach the toys from her seat. Some activity centers feature 360° rotating seats that allow your baby to turn and face different portions of the toy tray, depending on her mood. We at BestReviews strongly recommend this feature, as dealing with a frustrated infant is quite the opposite of a stress-free experience!
Weight limit
In the interest of safety, jumper manufacturers specify a weight minimum and maximum for each model. The majority of jumpers quote a maximum weight of 20 to 30 pounds. However, our product research turned up a few rare models with weight maximums of 40 to 60 pounds.
It’s important to adhere to manufacturer guidelines, as placing a too-heavy or too-light child in a jumper poses a safety risk.
Expert Tip
Never add extra toys or ropes to baby jumpers.
BestReviews Baby and Child Expert
Toys
Stationary activity jumpers, or exersaucers, feature a saucer that surrounds your baby’s seat. The saucer is filled with various toys to entertain the child, from flashing lights to musical electronics to fuzzy, crinkly touchables.
The toys on your child’s activity jumper dashboard can:
- Stimulate her visually with bright colors, flashing lights, and fun shapes
- Enhance her auditory experience with rattles, crinkly toys, music, and pre-recorded language
- Expose her to multiple languages
- Provide her with tactile stimulation via textured teethers and toys
- Teach her about cause and effect
Before you buy a jumper, observe the types of toys your baby currently enjoys. Does she love toys that make noise? Flash brightly? Feel soft to the touch? Choosing a jumper with the right toys helps ensure that your child won’t lose interest in your investment.
Down the road, if you want to add more toys — or replace worn ones with new ones — it’s easy! Toy links, which you can purchase alone or with fun gadgets already attached, easily clasp onto the side of your activity jumper to add extra entertainment for your baby.
Expert tip
Babies should not use jumpers until they are naturally pulling themselves up to stand and have very good head control
BestReviews Baby and Child Expert
Battery requirements
If you choose to buy an activity jumper with powered toys, be forewarned that a set of new batteries (or two or three) are probably in your future. Jumpers with sounds and lights are wonderful and exciting for baby, but they do require an additional small investment. Rechargeable batteries could save you money in the long run, if you’re so inclined to purchase them.
Baby jumper safety tips
It’s a common parental fear that baby jumpers are unsafe. The reality, however, is that many parents swear by them, and they are still legally sold. In order to maximize your baby’s safety, please note the following tips:
- Always place the jumper on a flat, level surface.
- Ensure that the floor surrounding the jumper is clear of dangerous objects, including sharps and nervous pets.
- Never attach toys to the apparatus with string, as this could pose a strangulation hazard. Inexpensive toy links are easy to find in stores and online.
- When your baby is using the jumper, stay in the room with her.
- Don’t move the jumper with your baby in it.
- Keep jumpers away from stairs, pools, and other hazardous areas. Although designed to be stationary, jumpers sometimes do “travel” across the floor.
- Once your baby exceeds the stated weight and height limit, stop using the jumper.
Caution
Overuse of exersaucers or jumperoos has been known to lead to poor standing position, lack of balance control, decrease in human interactiveness, and less interest in exploring the surrounding natural environment.
STAFF
BestReviews
Doorway baby jumper safety
If you choose to purchase a doorway jumper, this section of our shopping guide is for you. A doorway jumper is an economical investment that can provide your child with hours of enjoyment, but it comes with a few of its own safety issues.
Preventing a collision
Your doorway is hard, wooden, and angular. It’s generally not a baby-friendly space.
However, your baby’s doorway jumper will be suspended in the doorway, and you want to make sure they don’t collide with the wall. To ease this concern, many manufacturers place circular padding around the seat to form a buffer between the baby and the wall. The padding isn’t foolproof; your baby could still thrust her head or arms outside of the padding ring and into harm’s way. But the presence of the padding eases the possibility of injury considerably.
If you’ve got your heart set on a Johnny Jump Up, consider lining your doorway with protective padding. It’s a fairly easy DIY.
Expert tip
Always ensure that doorways are reinforced and safe when using a jumper in a doorway.
BestReviews Baby and Child Expert
Clamps
A doorway jumper attaches via a clamp to the door’s moulding. That clamp could potentially slip or break, causing your baby to fall to the ground. Some reasons for this could include:
- Aggressive back-and-forth swinging
- A faulty clamp
- Improper clamp installation
- Door molding that is not the right size for the clamp
Note: many doorway jumpers have been recalled over the years due to faulty clamps.
Situating your doorway jumper
When you’re deciding where to hang your doorway jumper, remember that you won’t be able to move in and out of the room without sliding past your baby. For this reason, we suggest you choose a doorway with light foot traffic.
The doorway will require a good amount of moulding in order for the clasp to adequately grip it. So what if you have a doorway with little or no trim? In this case, we suggest you search for a jumper that uses a hook (these are rare) or consider an exersaucer or simple stationary jumper instead.
FAQ
Q: At what age and weight should I get my baby a jumper?
A: Your baby needs to be able to hold her head upright and bear a bit of weight on her legs without assistance in order to successfully use a jumper. It isn’t as much a matter of her age and weight as it is her development.
However, if your baby is already walking on her own, the jumper won’t probably be of much use or interest anymore.
Children who are between the “upright head” and “walking” milestones are the best candidates for a baby jumper.
Expert tip
Take advantage of your baby’s movement to teach vocabulary and language. Say words such as up, down, forward, and back to narrate your baby’s actions.
BestReviews Baby and Child Expert
Q: What is the difference between a jumper and a walker?
A: Jumpers are stationary activity centers. The child can move slightly from side to side and up and down, but she’s not actually mobile. And yet, she gets great exercise and other sensory stimulation from the experience.
A baby walker actually allows the child to move from one end of the room to the other while seated. It’s the adult equivalent of a rolling, spinning desk chair. Baby walkers are not as common as they once were due to safety concerns.
Q: How long should my baby use a jumper each day?
A: Some experts say that your baby should use a jumper for a maximum of 20 minutes per day. More than 20 minutes could actually hinder your baby’s walking process, according to some.
However, others have allowed their baby to use the jumper for more than 20 minutes per day with no problems. In the end, it’s up to you how long you want your baby to play in her jumper each day.
