Friday, October 14, 2005

Stationary Activity Center

Sunday we went shopping for a stationary activity center (a walker that doesn't move around the room, which would be dangerous with our stairs, and frustrating on our carpet). Mainly we looked at the Intelli-tainer and the ExerSaucer Mega. I know that you're not supposed to use these until after the baby is 4 months old, and that walking is developmentally delayed presumably because the baby can't see his feet. I was trying not to want one of these! However, when I saw such a happy baby face after a store test, I knew we would bring one home.

The questions to answer before buying one (other than, Does he like it when you set him in there?) are:

  • What are the maximum ratings for child height and weight?
  • Are the toys and batteries (if applicable) replacable? Both replacements combat child boredom.
  • For the noise toys, is there a volume switch as well as an off switch? This will save your sanity.
  • Is the height adjustable so it can "grow" with the child?
  • How well does it pack for travel to Granma's?

We got the Intelli-tainer. It doesn't collapse for travel like the ExerSaucer Mega, and the height doesn't adjust as easily (if you call that an adjustment!) either, but there's a better chance of seeing feet so we got it. Now that we've got it, the report is that the seat moving parts don't glide as well as the store demo, as well as we would like. To deal with the height adjustment simply, I placed a short box under his feet.

The report is that he loved "standing on his own" so I too had 20 minutes to stand on my own (happy back!) in a room with him awake! That's saying something!

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