Exersaucers

Years ago babies played in baby walkers – they could “walk” and move the activity center to where they wanted to go.

Safety requirements were put in place after many accidents with baby walkers and they were eventually banned. Nowadays, exersaucers are the alternative to baby walkers. Exersaucers are also referred to as stationary entertainers, activity saucers and jumperoos.

Types of Exersaucers

An exersaucer is an activity center that is stationary. Babies can sit, bounce and turn around in the seat while they play. While a baby cannot move back and forth in an exersaucer, they do experience some freedom and can bounce up and down on the base. These activity centers give the child an opportunity to sit upright, helping the child to strengthen his or her neck.

Exersaucers also include a colorful tray of entertaining toys for baby to play with. Many of these exersaucers will have toys that move, spin, light up and make sounds. Exersaucers differ between each other in respect to the toys that are included. Some exersaucers may only have a few toys that are limited in their features whereas others may have upwards of 20 different toys to entertain baby.

While the basic premise of an exersaucer is the same, exersaucers vary in size, portability, toys, music and design. Some exersaucers have a base and other just have the activity center resting on the floor. Some exersaucers are easy to fold and store or even travel with whereas others are too cumbersome to move at all, even between rooms. While one exersaucer may play 5 or 10 musical choices, some may only have one or two to select from. By far, the number and design of the toys are the biggest variances between exersaucers. The toys need to capture the child’s attention and therefore are an important factor to consider when purchasing an exersaucer.

Brand Names of Exersaucers

While all exersaucers on the market must meet safety requirements, safety should still be considered when purchasing a stationary activity center. Some brands are known for safe developmental toys such as exersaucers. Some of these brands include Evenflo, Baby Einstein and Fisher-Price. Evenflo offers different kinds of exersaucers. A fun one by Evenflo is the Exersaucer Jump & Learn. This activity center allows children to learn, jump and play. It offers some age-appropriate toys to help babies achieve their developmental milestones including building strength and coordination.

Baby Einstein offers a variety of developmental toys for children including exersaucers and activity mats. A well-known exersaucer is their Musical Motion Activity Jumper. This center offers extra comfort and support with a higher back seat, different height adjustments, different activity stations and games for little ones. The seat also rotates 360 degrees which is easily removable for cleaning and storage.

Fisher-Price is a known brand of developmental products for children. Their new Go Wild Jumperoo has two modes of fun – musical and early learning. The toys light up and play music in the music mode and in the early learning mode words and songs are used to introduce baby to animals, colors and sounds. This activity center also spins right around and the free-standing frame is safe on any level ground. It also adjusts to different heights as the child grows.

Price of Exersaucers

Exersaucers range in price from over one hundred dollars to as low as forty dollars. The average price is around $75. As with most items, the price varies depending on the features offered. The more developmental toys and play station on the activity center, the higher the price. Another distinguishing factor is whether the toys light up or plays music. The number of toys that do light up can increase the price. Also, how many musical songs the activity center plays can play a role in the price. A brand name versus a name that is not as well known can greatly influence the price. Brands such as Evenflo, Fisher-Price and Baby Einstein typically have more expensive exersaucers than other less well known brands.