Guidelines
Exersaucers and Jolly Jumpers are a safe way to contain an infant to give parents a short break throughout the day. However, these should not replace floor time for your baby. It’s important to understand that Exersaucers and Jolly Jumpers do not speed up development or teach babies to stand or walk sooner.
Reasons to Limit Use
- They encourage babies to stand on their toes with their legs turned outward – this is not an ideal position for standing and walking and may cause tightness in key leg muscles
- They limit babies’ ability to practice their balance skills
- They limit babies’ opportunity for active exploration of their environment. Babies need opportunities to move on the floor to develop their strength, coordination and gross motor skills
- They encourage early jumping and bouncing, which may strengthen some of the muscles in the legs but not those around the hips, trunk and arms, which are important muscles to help babies learn to crawl, pull to stand and walk
Recommendations
- Limit use of Exersaucers, Jolly Jumpers or other “container” toys to 15-20 minutes, twice per day. Always supervise your baby.
- Ensure that your baby has good head and trunk control before using these types of toys
- Make sure that your baby’s feet are flat and heels are down on the standing surface. Adjust the height of the toy and place a flat object under their feet if needed until they are tall enough to have their feet flat
- If your baby is “stiff” or “floppy”, talk to your doctor or physiotherapist before using an Exersaucer or Jolly Jumper
- If your baby has any orthopaedic concerns such as hip dysplasia or club feet, talk to your doctor or physiotherapist before using these types of toys
