Thank you Fisher-Price for making the Bounce N Spin Froggy! This is a combination device, it spins like an exersaucer that has many fine motor activities but it also allows the child to bounce up and down like a jumperoo. However, biggest selling point, it takes up HALF the space of a traditional exersaucer! Even better selling point, it provides a safe place for my infant to be for a few minutes while I haul in groceries, change over laundry, or god forbid actually use the bathroom!
Many therapists have had discussions on the use of exersaucers and jumpers. Some are not the biggest fans of these types of devices, because children can be encouraged to stand too early for too long, which can impact their hip development and balance when standing. Though I have always been a proponent of these for short timeframes, I never registered for one. So what have I gotten in return, an adorable infant who has learned to move so quickly with all his tummy time, I’ve been pulling him out from under ottomans, tables and chairs for weeks, making it merely impossible to get anything accomplished. So I decided I’d break down and look for something I could use that would keep him occupied and safe for a short period of time.
This literally took me 10 minutes to put together out of the box before I had Gavin in, enjoying all the activities.
Not to mention I now have 15-20 minutes of a safe place to entertain him so I can finally get dinner started, type a quick post and pay a few bills! It’s so light weight, we move it around the house as well without any difficulty.
I don’t want you to think I was anti any device, I’m not, but as many of us preach, your child’s time spent in these entertainers should be time limited to 15-20 minutes. Always consider your child’s positioning. When Gavin was initially positioned in this bouncer around 6 months or so, his allignment was much better when he was wearing his shoes and not barefoot, simply because he wasn’t that tall. When children are barefoot and up on tippy toes for too long, they can strengthen their back muscles more than their abdominal muscles, which can alter their balance later on when trying to walk. Always make sure to double check the bouncer is in the proper height setting for your child.
Another great feature of this bouncer is that it also rocks side to side, working on weight shifting and balance reactions in standing. Even better, now that Gavin is pulling to stand, he will stand up and hold on to the outside, so when it sways he continues to work on his balance holding on to an unstable surface.
Fisher-Price provided the Bounce N Spin Froggy free for to facilitate this review, but the opinions in this blog are purely the bloggers own.