More and more children's simulators are becoming available for parents. Many people have questions: “Are kid jumpers necessary for my baby? ”, “Will using them help strengthen leg muscles?” and “When can I put my child in jumpers?”.
Jumpers are a simulator consisting of a seat secured with springs or rubber bands on different types of structures. Being in them, the child touches the legs of the floor and begins to actively jump, obeying the innate reflexes of the support.
Types of jumpers (clickable photo)
The principle of operation of jumpers
“FOR” and “AGAINST” jumpers
Attitude towards jumpers of doctors, specialists in early development and mothers are different.
"Behind"
- They give pleasure to the baby and joy to parents at the sight of a laughing child.
- The development of the vestibular apparatus.
- Muscle strengthening.
- Expansion of horizons (the baby sees much more new things than from the floor).
- Increased activity of sluggish children.
- Allow parents to do household chores while the baby is in jumpers.
"Against"
There are disadvantages that stop parents before buying this simulator:
- The child is limited in movement, compared with crawling. Only the lower part of the body works, while uniform pushing movements are performed. Despite the visible activity of the movements, the baby receives less stress than crawling.
- Increased risk of injury. There is the possibility of banging on the doorposts and falling out if the model is improperly selected and poorly secured in the seat.
- Risk of curvature of the lower extremities and spine due to excessive stress on fragile bones.
- Improper development of muscle tone of the lower extremities. The calf muscles develop, while the load on the main muscle of the quadriceps walk is negligible.
- The emergence of jump dependence. The child gets an adrenaline rush when jumping. He experiences wild joy from new information and very quickly gets addicted to such pleasure.
- The brain is not developed and not ready for this type of movement and with each jump it has to process a large amount of information. But this information is useless for the baby’s brain, because in the future, a person does not use this type of movement.
- Repeated repetition of jerking movements can lead to the consolidation of this type of movement in the brain, which will interfere with the correct formation of walking skills.
- The loss of the slider period leads to underdevelopment of the muscles of the hands, which affects not only physical but also mental development (the area of the hands in the gray matter of the brain is more than 60%, and the legs are less than 10%).
The presence of such a large number of dangers when using jumpers is caused by their incorrect use by many parents. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly observe the mode of their use.
At what age can I use
Many manufacturers recommend using jumpers from 3-4 months of age (when the child learned to hold his head), providing such models with additional support in the armpits.
Most doctors are categorically against such an early use of jumpers, since the child’s spine gets overloaded with such jumps, which can not only disrupt its development, but also lead to injuries!
The generally accepted "permitted" age for sitting a child in jumpers is considered 6 months (baby is already learned to sit down), but this can impede the development of crawling skills.
The safest in terms of developmental impact is the use of jumpers at a time when the child is just trying to walk. That is, his brain is already ready for an upright position, there are initial skills to repel the entire foot, the muscles of the lower extremities are quite strong and developed. It is at this time that jumpers will bring not only great joy to the baby, but will contribute to the development of his new skills.
Types of Jumpers
By way of fastening
Locked in the doorway (photo beginning of the article):
- Using nails or hooks. The cheapest models, but their main drawback is the unreliability of the mount. It is also necessary to drive nails into all the jambs where you want to use jumpers, or fix them in only one place;
- With clamps for jambs. More expensive models that can be rearranged to different doors. But they are suitable for doors with protruding strong platbands.
All children’s hanging jumpers have common disadvantages: the danger of blows of the baby on the jambs, the possibility of rubbing the baby’s ears on the slings of the jumpers.
Leg or stand mounted (photo at the beginning of the article). The most mobile models that can be used even on the street. Often they are supplemented with a worktop with developing elements. Disadvantages: safe, stable models occupy a lot of space (up to 4 m2), which is not suitable for small-sized apartments.
By spring element
- Elastic band is used on cheap models, but it wears out rather than springs. May cause personal injury due to separation.
- Springs are more durable. But when choosing jumpers on springs, it is necessary to pay attention to the springs being covered with a cover in order to avoid pinching the baby's skin.
Criterias of choice
- It is necessary to take into account the types of fasteners of jumpers based on the capabilities of your apartment: the area of the premises, the presence of strong jambs.
- By price. The cost of jumpers varies greatly: from 600 to 2000 rubles for suspended models and up to 3000 to 8000 for mobile models. Often the cost of jumpers increases due to the presence of additional options (developing table, music), which are not always necessary for the baby. The main thing that should affect the price: the presence of a safety certificate and a well-known manufacturer.
- From how many months you plan to use jumpers. Mobile jumpers can be used from 6 months. Hanging jumpers are safe from 9-12 months.
- When choosing hanging jumpers, pay attention to the additional elements in the seat structure (wide fixing strips, the ability to fit the seat to the size of the baby, rollers to support the back) and the presence of a wide spacer at the top, which will prevent the slings from tangling.
- When choosing mobile jumpers, make sure they are stable.
How to securely fasten
Before buying, specify how jumpers are attached so that at home this does not come as a surprise.
- If you have chosen jumpers fixed on nails, you need to make sure the strength of the wall, which will bear the weight of the baby: the wall should not be drywall or brittle. Jumpers can be hung on the dowel or hammered into the wall.
- The hook can also be used to attach jumpers to the ceiling, which allows you to suspend the structure anywhere in the room, and not just in the doorway.
- Jumpers fixed with clamps are suitable only for doorways, but they can do without driving nails and hooks into the walls. The clip comes in a set of jumpers and is a bracket with adjustment for different wall thicknesses for strong fixation.
- After installing the entire structure, conduct a strength test with a weight exceeding the weight of the child. Press your hands with your weight.
Recommendations for use
- Choose the model that suits your baby. You decide how many months to put your child in the jumpers. But when buying, it is worth relying not on the recommendations of the manufacturer, but on the specific abilities of your baby.
- Do not leave your child unattended. Although jumpers are designed to free parents for a while, they need to be placed so that they can see the baby all the time.
- Before first use, adjust the jumpers in height: the foot should rest completely on the floor.
- The legs of the baby should be shod or can be placed on the floor under the jumpers a rubber massage mat.
- Jumpers can be used no more than 20 minutes a day, starting from 5 minutes, gradually increasing the time spent in the simulator.
- Do not sit in jumpers immediately after eating.
Contraindications
- The age is less than 3 months when the baby is not yet holding his head.
- Congenital and acquired neurological diseases.
- Orthopedic disorders.
- Inflammatory diseases on the skin in the area of contact with the seat of jumpers.
Having weighed all the pros and cons, choosing the right model and following the recommendations for use, you will bring the baby not only pleasure, but also benefit!
In the future, hanging jumpers can be used as a swing.
Read on:Baby walkers: at what age can I use. Pros and Cons of Walkers
Frolkov S.V. specialist in therapeutic and rehabilitation massage and rehabilitation: jumpers for children. Pros and cons
I generally do not need to use jumpers, since they negatively affect the development of the child in the future. The spine suffers first of all. A child without jumpers will be able to learn to walk when the time comes.
Stanislav, what do jumpers and walking have to do with it?
but it seems to me that jumpers should certainly be used, the child develops muscles, and judging by the fact that the spine is badly affected, it seems to me that is nonsense! the child should move to jump and move. then you can generally throw out the same and children's ropes and elastic bands for girls into which everyone jumped too bad for the spine then. In general, I am for jumpers)
I also think that jumpers should be used. My younger brother and son from 4-5 months already jumped at the full, both crawled by age and went on time. You just need to limit the time spent in them, and not push for the whole day.
My eldest son was sitting in jumpers and crawling quickly and confidently, and began to walk on time. My daughter is already 6 months old and we will also use jumpers
Jumpers are a good thing, the son jumped in them from 5 months. He went to 10 months and everything is fine. He started to crawl too early.
Now I want to dedicate my daughter too.