Evenflo's ExerSaucer: A "Must Have" in the Activity Toy Arsenal of Parents of Infant Pre-Walkers

.Evenflo's ExerSaucer is a must-have activity toy in the arsenal of all parents of four-month old through pre-walking infants. This writer has personal experience with the toy but third parties also concur with this favorable review of the infant activity toy. In fact, it won iParenting's Media Award for the Greatest Product.

The toy captivates and preoccupies little ones with age-appropriate toys that help a baby achieve several keydevelopmental milestones such as cause and effect understanding and hand and eye coordination. TheExerSaucer is a safe device in which to place infants for stimulation, physical activity, skill mastery, and at times, even injury-proof containment. Admittedly, there are instances when even that type of use is necessary.

Many first-time parents of young infants crave that pivotal ten minutes for a shower and know that a swing, bouncy seat, and even Bumbo seat may have risk of serious injury or falls for the more vigorous and active babies. However, the ExerSaucer with its gentle cone-shaped plastic bottom, basket seating, and surrounding circular tray with interchangeable toys is the perfect activity toy in which to place an infant. There is minimal risk of fall because of the completely surrounding circular tray, and so long as the infant's tray and seating are at the proper elevation on one of the three adjustment levels, the toy is nearly injury-proof.

The infant playing in an ExerSaucer can rock, bounce, jump, lunge, and sway from foot to foot by adjusting his weight. The toy is a great way to help a baby strengthen leg muscles, core, back, and overall posture, muscle strength, and coordination. The Saucer is also a great place for a baby to sit if he chooses to put all of his weight in the basket seating. So, there are periods of rest available to the infant, as well. A word of caution though, every infant is bound to tire of the Saucer after a period of time. This writer's experience has found that somewhere around thirty minutes is usually the maximum period before the upward reaching and cries begin for the little one to be lifted out of the toy and transported elsewhere.

The toys in the activity tray encircling the seat even have some interchangeable settings. There are four plastic slots in the tray where detachable toys can be removed and new toys can be popped into their place. These four toys in the activity tray are called Switch-a-roos. They often have a long stems so they are able to reach a baby's mouth and some sort ofteething texture or component like knobs, beads, ridges, or ripples. There are also toys withbeads and balls to interest a baby with the movement and noise. There are two stationary toys in addition to the four interchangeable ones.

The interchangeable toys, the Switch-a-roos, are available online at a variety of vendors such as Amazon.com, Baby Earth, Buy Cheapr, and eBay. They usually sell for $4.99-12.99, plus shipping and handling costs. These interchangeable toys are a great way to keep an infant stimulated and entertained by the Saucer, especially after the baby becomes very familiar with the original toys installed in the toy. Some of the toys may wear out or become boring to the infant if you buy the Saucer used or hand it down, as well. Additionally, the detachable feature for four of the toys is a nice option for keeping the toys sanitary and clean, especially as most of them are teething-oriented.

The ExerSaucer comes with different themes, like most toys now do. There is a farm theme, an underwater theme, a tea party theme, and an emphasis on learning with numbers and letters (in addition to other options). More options are available from online vendors than the retail brick and mortar stores.

The Saucer's colors are bright primary hues in most instances and many are unisex with greens, yellows, and oranges. The fabrics for the seating are bright and colorful, too. This is a nice feature because they easily mask spills and stains. The seats pop out also, so that the fabrics can be cleaned or spot cleaned. The overall toy is easily cleaned with soapy water or disinfecting wipes. After all, a little baby approaching or at the teething age is bound to drool on the toys a great deal, so regular cleaning or at least surface cleaning before and after usage is advised.

The ExerSaucer is a great toy for a twenty or thirty minute reprieve from holding or otherwise occupying an infant. The Saucer provides that crucial window of time to a parent to answer a phone call, read the mail, take a shower, make a meal, or fold some laundry. It's like having another set of hands, a temporary nanny, or an inanimate babysitter to preoccupy and care for the little one for a discrete window of time.

Unlike a swing where there is little to no physical activity for the baby, or a jumper where there is a concern about safety with the baby bouncing, moving, tipping, and leaning, or a rolling activity seat toy where the baby can move into other objects or even approach staircases or other dangers in the home, the ExerSaucer is designed to allow a baby just enough movement to keep the infant stimulated, engaged, and entertained, but also contained and safe.

The Saucer strengthens a baby's legs to prepare for upright posture and walking, as well as the infant's upper body and gives a baby confidence in their posture and strength. A pacifier, bottle, and other toys can be placed on the circular tray, as well, in the flat areas where there are no ports for the detachable toys.

The convertible nature of the toy with three adjustable heights ensures that the toy will "grow" with your infant and makes it safe as a baby gains more height. A general rule of thumb for adjusting the toy's height is to make sure that a baby's feet will touch the bottom of the toy, and baby's arms will rest comfortably over the seating area and on the surrounding circular tray. A baby should not have to reach up to place his arms comfortably on the tray. At the same time, though, a baby should not have so much of his upper body and torso above the tray area of the toy that he is top heavy and risks over-tipping the toy and falling outside of it.

Another great feature of the Saucer is the collapsible storage feature of some of the newer models. The toy tends to be large and must be held up and placed sideways to get through most single doorways for moving it about the house. However, in some of the newer models of the Saucer, there is a collapsing feature that greatly facilitates storage and portability. Additionally, all of the toys have built-in handles in the bottom of the unit to facilitate mobility.

The ExerSaucer is a fun, playful, challenging, and safe activity toy for infants from approximately four months to walking age. Once a baby is walking, he is likely to lose interest in the containment element of the ExerSaucer. However, for those months prior to that event and milestone, the toy is a great addition to any young parents' activity and play arsenal.