ExerSaucer/Jumperoo? (want physical therapists viewpoint)

yedidya's mom

Mon, Mar 27 2006, 2:59 pm

I am not a physical therapist but my son's PT told me def. NOT to get one for my son. he has low muscle tone and she said it's terrible for him. She was also not a fan of the idea for normally developing children. the reason is as someone else already posted that it develops the wrong muscles. just passing on what I was told, feel free to disregard

granolamom

Mon, Mar 27 2006, 3:31 pm

I am a physical therapist, I worked with children. I do not recommend exersaucers or those jumping things at all. If you MUST put the baby somewhere safe for a short while and that is the only safe place he is happy, well ok, but limit it to no more than 15 -30 min and yes, that is per day, not at a stretch.
the exersaucer (and genre of baby-holders) DO NOT help with developing the standing muscles. they promote hip flexion and we use hip extension to stand. they also do not promote getting feet flat, they actually promote a jumping motion which strengthens the muscles that point the toe (or foot), which develops the pattern for toe-walking - NOT what we want!
now I know many of you will say, oh hogwash! my child blah blah blah and is fine. well yes. MOST children will develop completely normally even if they spend all day in one of these. but some kids (and you do not always know who they are) will not develop normally if they spend much time in an exersaucer.
obviously, if you are talking about a child who is known to be at risk for any sort of delay (includes cognitive, I'll get to that) keep them out of the exersaucer!! I would include family history of low tone as a risk factor, I like to be cautious.
re: cognitive delay, one problem with the exersaucer is the limited ability to interact with the environment. can't move around, can't go after dropped toys, etc. another problem is that the child cannot see his legs, I remember reading a few studies that linked that to gross motor and cognitive developement, though the studies were done in children with Downs Syndrome, so it doesn't necessarily mean anything when we are talking about a typically developing child.
sorry this got so long, I feel strongly about it.

Mama Bear

Mon, Mar 27 2006, 4:31 pm

If you really need something to put your child into so he or she stays put and can enjoy seeing the world in an upright position then I recommend the bumbo chair. It helps them learn to sit and helps with head control. It's 35 dollars plus shipping at bumbochairlady.com. Proof:

you can use it as soon as the chidl can hold his head up but my pedi prefers to wait until 5 months as it can be bad for the hips.

rosehill

Mon, Mar 27 2006, 5:06 pm

I am an OT, and I agree with granolamom. We discourage these pieces of equipment; they do NOT promote normal development. Your baby's best friend when learning to achieve developmental milestones, is gravity. Exersaucers and the like interfere with how your baby's body and mind interact with gravity. But, as I've said in other posts, nobody makes any $$$ when we recommend keeping the children in a safe place on the floor. Question

I further agree with Granolamom that a child who is otherwise developing normally will probably not be hurt by occasional use of an exersaucer, but since you asked for the opinion of the professionals, the answer is we are against it.
I am not familiar with the equipment in Mindy's picture, so I'll withhold my opinion of it.

ChavieK

Mon, Mar 27 2006, 5:16 pm

Granolamom got it right. My baby has Down Syndrome & my pt told us not to use the exersaucer until he was sitting on his own & getting himself into a sitting postion. So he loved it but started later than other kids. Same with the jumper. He only started in it when he was already pulling to stand. We only put him in for 15 min not more than 2x a day. sometimes not at all,although he loves the jumper,crawls over to it & tries to get in.
The pt also told us not to use the Bumbo chair. She feels it puts the hips in bad position ( for kids with low muscle tone).But each kid needs to be assessed (if not reg develop).A friends baby with low muscle tone couldn't sit on his own for so long that the same pt told her to get the Bumbo chair so the baby could get sitting view of the world.

happyone

Thu, Oct 25 2007, 1:53 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

I guess maybe it's different for me as my son has a high muscle tone so the hop n pop and bumbo help him loosen up those muscles for standing and sitting. My OT loved both pieces, esp the chair. it's a very versatile toy for us; he can be near me when I wash laundry, dishes, eat, etc.

Bumbo recalled!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21.....10450

Ima2

Tue, Oct 30 2007, 10:02 pm

I am also a PT, and whereas my experience in pediatrics is somewhat limited, I see nothing wrong with either toy. Pediatric PTs will tell you to stay away from these types of toys b/c they are basing their opinion on neurologically impaired children. In the normally developing child, these toys are harmless (IMHO) and are actually great for kids to play in
for a relatively short period of time. These toys were not meant for children to spend the whole day in them, and as with most things in life, everything in moderation. Walkers (toys like the exersaucer with wheels) are very dangerous, even with the breaks--I can't believe these things are still on the market! They do not help a child walk sooner as mentioned by granolamom. The exersaucer and like-toys are meant to give a child the ability to play with toys in an upright position in a safe environment.

Sat, Dec 01 2007, 3:46 pm

just checked up on ther bumbo recall an it says the chair itself is NOT recalled or defective just the INSTRUCTIONS. it seems ppl had been placing them on elevated surfaces n the babies had managed 2 get out of the seat (there's no restaraint) an fall so there are new instructions clariflying that it should not be placed anywhere but on the floor with adult supervision.
I am curious about a PT's thought son the bumbo...
Is it bad for their back / neck /hips?
My DS 4m is happy to sit in for about 10mins while I put wash in machine or so he can 'join in' with his 2 year old brother playing on the floor n then starts arching his back like he's trying 2 get out so I take him out.
I prob use it max twice a day for about 10-15mins at a time.
Im glad I came across this thread cos I love these baby gadgets n chairs (I have a swing, door-hanging bouncer, bumbo an high chair) so I will re-think the excer-saucer thing, altho im tempted.
My baby is 19ibs at 4m an is sooo heavy that I cant hold him for more than 5mins at a time so I find it difficult to do household chores an have 2 find ways to keep him happy while I go about them.
Now he's a bit older he is happy to play on the floor for a short while but he likes to see me and whats going on.

rosehill

Sun, Dec 02 2007, 8:37 am

cl, I am a pediatric OT. As was said earlier (I believe in this thread), for most kids who are developing normally, they will do fine no matter what equipment you use. However, if there is some sort of developmental issue with your child, you need to talk to your therapists about what is appropriate for him/her.
That said, I could not disagree more with your statement:

Quote:

I love these baby gadgets n chairs (I have a swing, door-hanging bouncer, bumbo an high chair)

.
The absolute best place for the motor development of your child, is the floor. Of course, you need to make sure the child is safe from chokable toys, electric outlets, staircases, and older children and pets, but gravity is your child's developing muscles' best friend.
10-15 minutes several times a day so that you can make dinner, fold laundry, etc is absolutely fine, but I worry about babies who are in these pieces of equipment all day.

Tue, Dec 04 2007, 6:42 pm

I think u misunderstood me.
I DO love all these baby gadgets, from toys for the car, stroller, floor, bath and bed to playmats, mobiles, swings, jumperoos, jogging strollers, lightweight strollers etc etc etc not specifically baby-seats, just all baby-related equipment,
- not that I have all these things!
but when I look thru baby catalogs my rational brain says u dont need them but the otehr half says they look so cute, colourful etc buy buy buy!
I agree 100% babies need to be on the floor, tummy-time etc an my son doesnt go in his bouncer every day but the swing an now he's older, the hi-chair an bumbo make doing chores alot easier as he can have a good view of me in each room.

rosehill

Wed, Dec 05 2007, 5:56 pm

Quote:

but when I look thru baby catalogs my rational brain says u dont need them but the otehr half says they look so cute, colourful etc buy buy buy!

And that's what they're mostly about!!!! They look gorgeous, and parents are conditioned to think that the more money they spend, and the more "things" they have, the smarter their children will be.
My advice, keeping babies on a blanket in a safe place on the floor, doesn't make anyone any money Crying

So we basically agree!! It sounds like you've reached a happy compromise in terms of keeping your child stimulated and happy, while also allowing him to explore and develop independently.

Anyone want to hear my thesis about avoiding toys that require batteries??? Wink

Eowyn

Sat, Dec 08 2007, 8:16 pm

My son was getting PT because his midline development was messed up due to undermedicated gastroesophgeal reflux.

I had 3 different ped PTs tell me to get rid of the exersaucer for him, and not to put my daughter (they're twins) in it for more than 30 minutes total PER DAY.

Exersaucers, jumpers, and jumperoos do nothing for a baby's gross motor development. If you need to use it to make something to eat or to take a shower, fine, but babies should really be on their tummies whenever they are awake (until they start sitting up).