When I was a new parent, I was surprised at how much my newborn slept. It was almost constant sleeping! Once my baby got out of the newborn phase I was even more surprised by how active he was during the awake moments of the day. How can you possibly keep your baby, with little skills and high energy, entertained? Enter the Jolly Jumper!
The Jolly Jumper is similar to a doorway jumper, but it comes with a stand that you can take anywhere! This baby product will save you from hours of desperately playing peek a boo while trying to not die of boredom. So what makes this jumper stand out from other similar ones? Read on to find out.
Features
The Jolly Jumper is definitely on my list of favorite jumpers. Even though it is simple in its design, it is a bit refreshing that it doesn’t have a million loud colors and sounds. You baby is happy enough in a simple contraption that he or she can jump in. Just the fact that your baby can stand supported and jump on their own is something that with thrill your baby.
Here are the features that don’t include a description of included toys.
Portable
I love any baby item that is portable. Whether you want to break it down to stow it away somewhere or if you just want to fit it into your trunk to take to grandmas, having portability as an option is vitally important to me.
The Jolly Jumper with a clamp is easy to put up and down, and you would assume that the stand would be a bit more permanent, but it is actually very easy to put down as well. You simply fold it flat and then you can stow it out of the way under a couch or a bed.
Easy Set Up
It may seem a bit overwhelming at first when you initially read the directions for using the Jolly Jumper. You will need to put your child in the contraption and then it isn’t quite as easy in and out as some of the other seat jumpers that are out there.
However, once you get the hang of it, it is just as simple as figuring out a baby carrier. You need to put the fabric seat around your baby similar to a diaper and then you hang the top rod to the stand.
Though you cannot easily pop your baby in and out like you would a regular jumper, your baby probably does not want to be popped in and out anyway. Your baby will jump his or her little heart out and you can take them out when they are done.
When Can Baby Use It?
Your baby can start using the Jolly Jumper from the time that they can support his or her head with their neck. This is typically at about 3 months. Your baby can continue to use the Jolly Jumper until right before they start to walk independently, which is around 1 year.
So you will get a lot of use out of this product and it could be something that you build into your daily routine. I know when my babies have been that young, there were some pockets of the day that I knew were going to be high energy and it was a lifesaver to work this into our daily schedule–especially during the winter months when you are kept inside.
Where Can You Use It?
The Jolly Jumper does not require batteries or a plug in, so you can use it literally anywhere. You can leave it indoors, or you could take it outside. This little station is portable and easy to use anywhere with a flat surface!
Is It Safe?
A huge concern for almost any parent is how safe a product it. The Jolly Jumper has safety in mind and you can tell with the great design it has. Here are some of the safety things I appreciate the most:
Springs Out of Reach
My children have used the sit in jumpers in the past and though they have coverings over their springs, my babies were able to reach them if they tried hard. Though there were no accidents, thankfully, I really appreciate that the spring is so out of reach for your baby that it is something that will never be a concern.
Saddle Seat
Another thing that I care about is my baby’s posture. Babies naturally usually have pretty good posture, but I appreciate that the saddle seat for the Jolly Jumper ensures that your baby’s spine is well supported.
It wraps around your baby’s trunk and holds it in place while your baby jumps, similarly to a harness. In other jumpers, your baby would sit in a loose seat that your baby has a bit more wiggle room for my comfort.
Using It At The Right Time
Now, the Jolly Jumper should be appropriate to use when your baby can hold his or her head up. However, there are some health professionals who say that your baby really should be able to sit before using any kind of jumping device.
This is because your spine starts out fairly straight when you are a baby but when you will develop important curves in your back as time goes on. These curves come when you learn new skills like neck support from tummy time or sitting up. When your baby learns to sit up, your baby develops those muscles that they need to support their back in that position.
If you put your baby in the jumper before they know how to sit and have the muscles necessary, then healthcare workers argue that can be detrimental to their back. Their back shouldn’t take that much pressure from gravity yet.
However, they mostly agree that the Jumper is fully appropriate to use once your baby is old enough to sit up on his or her own, which is just about a month later, at 4 months. It may be frustrating to have to wait an extra month, but worth it if that ends up being true that it could be bad for their spine.
Although, there is some speculation if it is healthy at a young age, the saddle seat does support the back pretty well as you can see in this video:
Overstimulation
Your baby wants to be stimulated a lot of the time, but did you know that you can overstimulate your baby? How does this happen and how can you avoid it?
How You Can Overstimulate Your Baby
According to Parents.com, you can actually overstimulate your baby by pushing toys and activities that are beyond an infant’s capacity may raise his level of the stress hormone cortisol, which interferes with the brain’s ability to function well, says Parents adviser Craig Ramey, Ph.D., coauthor of Right From Birth: Building Your Child’s Foundation for Life.”
This means that you could be buying and introducing your baby to toys that are actually stressing them out. Your baby’s brain cannot function as well this way and your baby will likely become overwhelmed, cranky, and won’t even be learning about the toy that you are trying to introduce them to.
How Can You Avoid Overstimulation?
One way to avoid overstimulation, according to the article quoted earlier from parents.com, is to follow your baby’s cues. Encourage your baby to play with the toys that he or she seeks out naturally.
If you’re dying to teach your baby to read through flashcards at an early age, go ahead and try it, but be prepared to let it go if your baby isn’t interested or gets stressed by it. When your child is a baby, learning and experiencing the world is fun and it should remain that way. There is no reason to stress your kid out because you want them to be advanced.
How The Jolly Jumper Helps
One of the amazing things about the Jolly Jumper is that it doesn’t come with a lot of bells and whistles. The design is a good one and has safety in mind, but it does look a bit bare bones when compared to the other stand jumpers on the market that have lights, toys, and music.
All the toys that come on the other jumpers out there are probably a lot of fun, but I could see them becoming a bit overwhelming to a baby, especially if he or she spends a good amount of time in the jumper. There are literally toys at every angle, they are inescapable really.
Many babies do just fine with these toys, but if you were ever worried about overstimulating your baby, you might want to go with the bare bones Jolly Jumper.
Additional Options and Accessories
One of the things I love about the Jolly Jumper is that it comes with a stand and it is easily collapsable to put up and down. It might not have all the toys and lights that make other jumpers look super exciting, but there are some other accessories that you can buy to go along with the jumper.
Doorway Clamp
The Jolly Jumper that I am writing about in this post is one that comes with a collapsable stand, but there are other Jolly Jumpers that have a clamp that can hook to the top of a doorway without damaging the frame. This is a great option as well, but the stand gives you a bit more freedom of where you can set up the jumper, which is why it ranks slightly higher among customers.
Playmat
Jolly Jumper does have a playmat accessory that can make your baby’s experience in the Jolly Jumper even more fun. You can put this playmat on the ground underneath your baby and as he or she jumps, they will activate the music on the playmat. Babies start to learn about cause and effect at about 4 months, so any time after that is a perfect time to introduce toys that make sounds or light up when your baby touches them or moves them.
The playmat will make jumping more exciting and will encourage them to keep jumping and get all their energy out.
Mirror
I know, there is no specific mirror that you can buy that goes with the Jolly Jumper, but it is still a great accessory to buy for this toy. And it is something that most people have at home anyway. Babies love to look at themselves in the mirror. Do they know it’s them or do they think it’s another baby? I don’t know, but whatever your baby is thinking, watching them watch themselves is hilarious and entertaining for you and for them.
One reason I love the Jolly Jumper with the stand is that you can set it up right in front of a full length mirror in your home and watch your baby just jump away with their reflection. If you have never done this, please consider trying it out.
Teepee Tent
Jolly Jumper also has a product that can transform your jumper stand into a fun entertaining area for babies and their older siblings. The Jolly Jumper Teepee Tent is made to cover the stand that the jumper comes with. You can collapse the stand and put it away after use, or you can just cover it with the tent and it becomes a magical little hideout for your kids! It’s a win-win.
Conclusion
Overall, I quite like the simple design that the Jolly Jumper offers. Babies have tons of toys and I like the idea of your baby getting a small break from the visual stimulation and just taking the opportunity to jump in peace without all the extras. It also isn’t an eyesore when you walk into your home. I would be happy to keep the stand up, especially as a tent, and it wouldn’t diminish my interior design.