Exersaucers and bouncers

I was wondering about Exersaucers and bouncers...when our babies were in the NICU we took a class from a Physical therapist who said that we should NEVER use either with our babies ever (at any age) because they are bad for developing the muscles that help babies sit up and that if we did use them, our babies would become stiff and throw their heads/bodies back when trying to sit up....but I see discussions on here about some people using them with their LO's....did any of you have your dr tell you not to use them?

I am thinking about getting one (I actually returned one that I got from my baby shower after being told not to use them) because I am just tired of my babies always being laid down, in the swing or in their bouncy seats...that can't be good for them either....also, at what age did you start using your bouncer and/or exersaucer?

Thanks!

 

I started using them when my babies could sit up assisted. So, if you are holding their hands and they can sit up and hold their heads, than I would start! Good luck to you!

 

We have a physical therapist that works with our twins due to torticollis. She started to work with them at 2 months of age. Now, the torticollis is resolved but she will continue to work with them until they crawl. She also said something similar, however she also said in the "real world" especially with twins - it is fine to use them in moderation.

My twins starting to use them at 4 months of age they are now 7 months. If I am to be truthful, they use them ALOT because they are happy in them and they are too big for bouncers and they get miserable lying on the ground and they want to be upright, so we use them ALOT and they are developing completely fine. My older two children also used them a lot.

However, you should do what you are comfortable with as a parent.

 

I think that they are fine if you use them in moderation. We had one exersaucer, two walkers, and a jumper, and the walkers were by far the favorite. I started using the exersaucer around 3 months with blankets around the babies for stability. The jumper was around 5 months, and walkers around 6 months.

 

I am an OT, and use both the exersaucer and jumperoo. Honestly, as long as your babies are getting alot of floortime as well, there is little harm. I have read that sitting in a jumperoo for too long can hurt the hip joint, but if their feet touch the floor (vs. dangling), it's a non-issue. I think that most babies will develop their motor skills just fine, give them lots of floor and tummy time along with the exersaucers and they will do great.

We started using ours around 3 months when they had good head and trunk control, but it wasn't until 4 months that they really got into them (grabbing at the toys, bouncing, etc.)

 

I think people need to be realistic and not such worry warts, relax. MIne love them just in the last couple of weeks. I have an exercauser and a jumperoo. They love laying on the floor as well but think of how many kids use them, they don't kill you. They keep them busy and safe while you are getting dinner, showering, cooking.

 

Started around 4 months old when they were able to sit assisted and were not so "floppy."

I would only put them in there for about 15 minutes at time, early on and then it got to where they would be entertained for longer periods of time in there. I was like you and thought they needed "more" than just time on the floor but made sure they got plenty of that too.

 

My DD and DS were 7 weeks early and spent 18 days in the NICU. No one ever said anything to me about not using either Jumperoo or Exersaucer. I just went out and bought both a couple weeks ago. Just this week they are able to sit in the exersaucer but I do have to put blankets around them. And I also sit and pull and push all the buttons to make the lights and sounds go off and hold the other twin so they can also enjoy. They are still to young to do it by themselves. They just like to look at everything so I put them in it just for something to entertain them for a little while. I think we will be putting the jumperoo together soon. Your twins definetly need to be able to hold their heads up well. The first time we tried it with DD she did not have enough head control. Hope this helps

 

Ainsley and Sierra were ready at about 5 months old and Dax was ready at 4 months. As the others have said, as soon as the babies have good trunk control then they should be fine. We also had an excersaucer and a jumperoo so that we'd have some variety. I've heard that 15 minutes is the longest they should stay in them at a time.

 

I started to use a jumpero and exersaucer with my first DS when he was 3 ½ 4 months old and he is just fine. He had no issues with sitting up or holding his head up. I know some things are different with twins but don’t think this is one of those chases.

 

Physical therapists HATE exersaucers and jumperoos. We had a PT with our daughter Katherine and we were told not to use it with her. Our daughter Meghan is now getting PT for torticollis and I asked the PT about it because there was a big write up in the Chicago Tribune a couple of weeks ago. Her PT (and pediatrician) were adamant about limited use in the exersaucers for the twins -- 15 minutes at a time. The other thing her PT said is to wait a bit until they could sit up better, but also to be sure they stand flat footed in it. So often people start them in the saucers too early and they aren't tall enough and end up on their toes. This apparently creates toe walkers. I could totally see where that would happen.

Our PT & pediatrican are reasonable people and know that these convienances are what keep us sane sometimes! I think they just don't want us plopping the kids in there for too long. The article I cited above talked about bouncy chairs and swings as well. It basically indicated that kids are hitting milestones later because they might not be down on the ground enough. I admit that I rely on these things, but I am trying to be better about relying on them too much. I think you have to use your best judgment. Having said all this ... I'll probably pull our exercauser out in the next couple of weeks. I tried a few weeks ago and they couldn't touch so I put it away.

 

I have heard the same thing about using them. I did use them, though, for my two. I think everything is okay in moderation. I started using them at 3.5/4 months. They held their heads very well at the time, but I did need to put a blanket behind their back because they were tiny and didn't would fall into the exasaucer/jumperoo without it. I don't think it hindered their development at all. They were sitting up unassissted by 5/5.5 months. Just a little everyday. HTH.

 

Bouncers about 1.5 months and the only thing they would sleep in from 2-3 months before transitioning into their crib.
Exersaucers about 4.5 months maybe closer to 5 months although they didn't do much they didn't really get the hang of it until closer to 6 months.
And of course everything is ok in moderation, IMO it's hard not to use any of these devices especially when you have twins, there's not much to do to entertain. My boys are very active 2 yr olds with no delayed motor skills and they had the jumperoo also.

 

I read a book about preemies that said not to use the exersaucer or jumpers b/c preemie babies have a tendency to be tense and/or stiff (usually arching their backs and stiffening their legs) and the way babies sit in either promotes stiffness. This could delay sitting and later crawling.
Mine aren't ready yet but I'm sure I will end up using both the exersaucer and jumper.