For starters, this activity seat has a wide—35-inch—footprint that we constantly have to navigate around in my kitchen. While the instructions were easy to read, setup was so intuitive and simple that I didn’t end up using them (I just consulted them after the fact to make sure I didn’t miss a step).

And, in a nice perk, there are plenty of spots on the Jumperoo to hook other toys on to mix things up a little. If it’s not a hit, it probably means you might want to wait a bit longer – so they can get the absolute most out of bouncin’ around and exploring the jumperoo’s colourful, textural and musical features.As a reminder, babies shouldn’t use a bouncer until they have solid neck control, and they shouldn’t use it if they can already climb out of it. The rainforest theme means friendly parrots, alligators, butterflies and monkeys greet your little one as they test out the 11 included toys. I’ve had to remove the seat more than a few times to chuck it in the wash after spit-ups and blowouts. But, it’s worth pointing out, the seat also spot-cleans easily for times when I don’t have the time or energy to do laundry.

Here are a few more of our favorite baby toys, distracters and bouncers and exersaucers that just might let you complete dinner (or a complete thought). Or rather, I realized I couldn’t spend another year of my life listening to that “baba-doo-waa” sound day in and day out. My husband is a chef and is usually at work when the rest of us are having dinner, so evening food prep falls squarely on me. We skirted around that by putting a firm memory foam pillow on the floor underneath her chair to make up the height difference and it was completely fine. For starters, it’s on springs (that are covered with thick fabric to protect baby’s fingers), allowing my daughter to work out some serious energy.My sister’s oldest child is a teenager, and it was passed down to me when I had my now 9-year-old son, and every child since has used it since—because it was there and free. Always check the age recommendation for your jumperoo of choice, and make sure you’ve got the right one! It features 360-degrees of action with a seat that turns, so Isla can bat at the giraffe with the spinner bead neck, bounce around to the lion slider, flip over the alligator rattle roller and move on to the monkey slider.

Never mind that it had a glitch that made an annoying “baba-doo-waa” sound from a baby-friendly plastic microphone every time you even looked at it—my babies liked to sit in it, bounce and pull the handles on it. There's no 'official' guidance on this - the NHS said they weren't able to comment - but we haven’t seen any jumpers that are recommended for babies under 4 months, so we think that’s a sensible guideline to follow. I received it as a hand-me-down from a friend, and it captivated all three of my kids,” says Rose Gordon Sala, the Forbes Vetted baby and kids gear editor. Jumperoos can be super fun for babies – but they’re also great for stimulating their brains with bright colours and fun sounds, as well as all that movement.

It also features three height adjustments to allow the chair to grow with babies as they get taller.

It can provide the opportunity for using their gross and fine motor skills, and provide them with a micro-environment where their motor responses and sensory curiosity can seemingly, and randomly, be combined. This baby jumper is all about the music with mini drums, piano and guitar, as well as more items to create tunes, including beads. Unlock the base to let baby feel a bit more motion or keep it locked for a stationary activity table. The seat has several sound selections and includes the option to keep the music going or turn on just when baby pushes a button.Even my older kids, who range in age from 3 to 9, will play with the baby in her Jumperoo, encouraging her to “jump” higher or fiddling with the little attached toys just because they’re fun. That’s how I ended up with a baby activity seat and bouncer that was 16 years old (unfortunately, not a typo). Another slight drawback: Despite the three height adjustments, it’s been a challenge for my petite baby’s feet to fully touch the ground in her seat enough for her to get into a good jumping position. I feel good knowing that my little one is actually having a great time while I get dinner ready each night, and she loves the play time—everybody wins.