Product Review: The ExerSaucer Jump & Go Baby Exerciser

This Thanksgiving my father and step mom arrived at the house with a Christmas present for our baby girl. Usually I can't stomach the thought of Christmas presents in November, but they insisted that she open it. They were worried that she might out grow it before Christmas (she was four months old at the time). So she opened it, or rather, as with most babies, she sat nearby and slapped at the wrapping as my husband and I helped her by doing the actual unwrapping.

It was an ExerSaucer Jump & Go Baby Exerciser. For those of you unfamiliar with this particular toy, the ExerSaucer is a small plastic tray with a soft cloth seat that hangs from the center. There is an area for attaching an included electronic toy that lights up and makes noise once the batteries are installed (batteries not included). The whole ExerSaucer contraption hangs from the door frame by a pretty ingenious device that splits into a three pronged strap to join with the seat.

We assembled it immediately, plopped the baby into it, and hit the switch. "Let's jump," a high pitch electronic voice suggested. She loved it from the get go.

As a stereotypically paranoid first-time parent I sat nearby and did a quick web search for any recalls or warnings about the ExerSaucer that I should be aware of. I found a number of complaints by parents that their child had bounced too hard and hit the door frame with their head or hands. With this in mind I kept a very close eye on my baby girl while she jumped, but no injuries were forthcoming. She jumped and jumped, and laughed and smiled.

She loves the freedom of being able to play on her own. She is not yet able to stand or even sit very well on her own yet, so this is a new found joy. The toy that attaches to the ExerSaucer can be a little grating after a while, but only to adult ears. She loves it. The straps that hold the seat in place are also designed with small loops that you can clip your own toys to it, should the noisy little number that comes with it grow old. She even enjoys playing with the tags attached to the inside of the cloth seat. I thought of removing them, but she gets almost as much enjoyment out of them as she does out of the official toys.

I highly recommend the ExerSaucer. My husband and I ate dinner together (actually sat down at the table and ate at the same time) for the first time in months by putting her in it. She will jump for up to thirty minutes, quite happily, and I have spoken to many parents who say their baby enjoyed it well past the recommended four to six months. It is worth keeping an eye on them in case there is some head bumping, but as I said, we haven't had any such problems. This toy gets two big thumbs up from our little family.