Jolly Jumpers are BAD for infant development

My mum used one for us, I used one for all 3 of my boys, my sister used one for her son, my friends all used one for their kids... guess what... noone has any issues with walking on their tip toes, chronic pain or any of the other so called side effects of using one. I even used a walker with my first, and those play centres for the other 2. In fact Ashton has a tigger jolly jumper and 2 play centres. Am I worried? No!

My opinion is it is absolute rubbish that it will harm your child. What will harm your child is not using these things appropriately, it is people who leave their kids in them for hours and hours daily. It is parents who use them as a baby sitter. When used appropriately I don't see how they can be bad. My children were certainly not behind in walking or having any issues with their walking, in fact the opposite when my 8.5 month old started walking.

I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who has had a problem for every person that hasn't. I am yet to meet someone IRL who has had issues with them, yet I know more people than I can count on my hands who haven't.

Just MY opinion of course.

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The problem is that research and information is only now emerging (because Jolly Jumpers haven't been around for that long) that there are long-term problems for adults related to their use.

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The first Jolly Jumper was invented by Susan Olivia Poole in 1910 and produced for the retail market in 1948.

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They have actually been out for a while :)

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They have actually been out for a while :)

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The picture on the box proves how long they have been around Lol looks very at least 1960s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well that is interestin!

Our DD LOVED her JJ and went in it most days from about 4.5months. SHe already had a lot of back and neck strength and I think it helped her gain leg strength too. I was always careful to have it at the right height and when she learned about timing she was boinging away happily on bended knees and flat feet. She was completely manic about it! There is no way she wanted to come out after only 10mins, she wanted about 30mins most days.

I wonder when this information came out as our JJ was bought new about 1year ago and there is quite a lot written onthe box about researchers saying how GOOD they are for child development etc.

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My mum used one for us, I used one for all 3 of my boys, my sister used one for her son, my friends all used one for their kids... guess what... noone has any issues with walking on their tip toes, chronic pain or any of the other so called side effects of using one. I even used a walker with my first, and those play centres for the other 2. In fact Ashton has a tigger jolly jumper and 2 play centres. Am I worried? No!

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I understand you aren't concerned, and that's fine, that's your prerogative, but that kind of rebuttal to research ("I used to do it and I was fine") was used by people who objected to car seats and smoke free environments, too. And it's part of the alcohol in pregnancy debate. Note, I'm not saying Jolly Jumpers are like tobacco and alcohol :)

Maybe the OP can post some links to the actual research - I'm certainly looking for some - so that we can have a discussion that's informed by more than anecdote. :) I'm certainly interested in exploring it :) It's interesting that there are no Australian standards relating to this equipment and many children's hospitals advise against using them.

LOL Feeb I know, the mum looking at the baby smiling while she is cooking or whatever is a riot.

I saw this piece of footage on the telly the other day that had this room with like 30 babies in JJ equivalents from "ye olden days" (well, it was black and white....so a little while ago at least)- actually, it might have been on Bringing Up Baby. So I guess the concept has been around a while.

But I am glad that the OP put this post up- DS adores his jumper, so it reminds me to make sure he is not in it for tooooo long.

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by people who objected to car seats and smoke free environments, too. And it's part of the alcohol in pregnancy debate. Note, I'm not saying Jolly Jumpers are like tobacco and alcohol :)

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I was actually thinking of listeria! Many say they eat this and that and their babies were fine - but if you were the unlucky one - just not worth it.

But i digress .... sorry :redface::redface::redface:

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My mum used one for us, I used one for all 3 of my boys, my sister used one for her son, my friends all used one for their kids... guess what... noone has any issues with walking on their tip toes, chronic pain or any of the other so called side effects of using one. I even used a walker with my first, and those play centres for the other 2. In fact Ashton has a tigger jolly jumper and 2 play centres. Am I worried? No!

My opinion is it is absolute rubbish that it will harm your child.

I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who has had a problem for every person that hasn't. I am yet to meet someone IRL who has had issues with them, yet I know more people than I can count on my hands who haven't.

Just MY opinion of course.

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Hun, the OP wasn't attacking anyone who uses a Jolly Jumper. She is pointing out that there has been research on the effects of using a Jolly Jumper. Perhaps dont dismiss something as "absolute rubbish" until you have read the research being spoken of. Thats fantastic that you're not worried, but others may still find the information useful. ;)

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The picture on the box proves how long they have been around Lol looks very at least 1960s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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thats what i was gonna say :lol:

i use mine rarely , infact only when im not feeling lazy ..
DD has a fisher price rainforest jumperoo .. its sorta like a JJ as it has springs and she bounces , atm DD jumps flat footed in it , and she has been usuing it for about 2 months , and just like JJ she gets sick of it after a while ..

everything in moderation .. be wise, and dont use it as a babysitter , thats what a TV is for , oh they are bad too , well give them food .. oh eating esp in front off the telly is bad too , in a way "researchers" will tell us everything is bad for our kids ..


BUT now that i know it can cause back pain .. as a long term back pain sufferer i will be care ful of how often i put her in the jumperoo . as shes in it about 3 times a day ... !!
so id hate for my kids to have to go through it .. both DH and I have chronic back pain , so not matter what we do its prolly in there genes anywya :(

i also used to put DS in the JJ for way too long , i didnt know better ... but he loved it ... in the end every time you got him to stand on your lap he would bounce like he was in the JJ... he bounced everywhere :lol: but his development was fine .. i think 3 mths was the earliset he was in it .. i put dd in th JJ at 3 mths but its was clear she wasnt ready for it .. thanks for letting us see the flip side on a prduct we all thought was a good thing for our kids !

I think any product can be damaging if not used smartly...

I mean, chidren have drowned in bath seats, but that doesn't mean not to use them, just use them smartly KWIM?

We just had one bought for us (Jazz was 6 months). of course it would do damage if people used them as a babysitter, and I am too scared of leaving Jazz alone when she's in it just in case something happens, and we follow the recommendations from the manufacturer so... yeah...

Anything can cause damage if not used right, but I can't see what harm it would do for not even 20 minutes a day...


Oh, and there was jolly jumpers on some of the "Bringing UP Baby" show, and it was showing 1960's bubs so obviously they have been around for a fair amount of time...

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everything in moderation .. be wise, and dont use it as a babysitter , thats what a TV is for , oh they are bad too , well give them food .. oh eating esp in front off the telly is bad too , in a way "researchers" will tell us everything is bad for our kids ..

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:rofl:

As for dismissing things and saying it's a load of rubbish, I think it is, I did say it was MY opinion, and it still is MY opinion. I never said the OP was attacking me, I just said what MY OPINION was.

If we listened to every bit of research that has come out we wouldn't do anything but sit in a corner of a dark room and starved ourselves... because everything we eat, are surrounded by and do is dangerous, can cause cancer, allergies, infertillity and early death...

With both kids I found it way to much hassle to set-up for only 10 minutes of use, I know others do not find it a hassle, but I did so please respect that. Also IMO there are just too many warnings with it with fully trust it. I have managed to survive with out using one on a daily basis, I would never buy one for a gift and if someone ask me a direct opinion about one, I would tell them not to bother.

I think it is great that there is more information getting out there about them so parents can make informed decisions.

I was given one but only put DD in it once ever. It just didn't seem appropriate to me to put a baby incapable of getting into a position to bear weight in a position where they were bearing their weight. Does that make sense? Like i can imagine the human body having evolved to the point that it can withstand the amount of time one would be able to hold a baby in that position or it would be able to hold itself (DD loved to "stand" on my lap and bounce but could only do it for a few moments, NEVER 10! and when she sat down between standings she sat on her tush on my lap, rather than having her weight suspended from her crotch). I don't see how i can rely on her body being able to cope with the artificial set-up of a JJ or similar (didn't use walkers, baby bjorn-style carriers or anything else that held her weight by her crotch for this reason). We surely haven't evolved that much since 1948! LOL!

I don't know anyone who's had problems with them though, but all the babies i know who were in them are still kids. I have back pain from a tilted pelvis which i've had since birth - i was 24 before i started experiencing related pain!

Bx

My understanding is that the concern relating to JJs is the same as that relating to Baby Bjorn type carriers - in that the baby's weight is supported by the crotch which is thought to contribute to spine compression (spondylolisthesis).

One of the key sources of evidence to support the recommendation against excessive use of devices that support babies by the crotch is the significantly high occurrence of spondylolisthesis in native Eskimo populations (as high as 60%, compared to only 5% average in other cultures), who regularly use crotch supporting papoose carriers to carry their babies. Reference here.

Hence a flat footed stance in a jolly jumper is favourable, as it means that the baby is supporting more of its own weight and is not being supported directly by the jumper.

Kuriaza would you mind please referring me/us to the research? I would like to read it myself. Cheers :)

When I did my anti-natal classes last year the occupational therapist there advised us against using them as she has seen many children with compressed spines and damage to knee joints and bowed legs from using the JJ and baby walkers. When I googled JJ a few months ago I found that they are actually on the Choice '10 Things Not to buy for your children' list along with baby walkers. I wouldn't use on for Olive because of the potential risk and my 12yr old niece has bad ankles and was in a JJ as a baby so there could be a link.. The dangers with JJ and BW are also about the safety of door frames holding children and babies walking themselves into dangerous things or down stairs etc.
It's a parents decision to use these products but the way they are marketed is very misleading and anyone can be paid to give their expert opinion on the box of any product.
I also think it's abit premature to say "I used it and they were fine" because how do you really know until it's too late?
I also wonder what OT's and phyios have to gain by saying they aren't good for babies, they are the experts.

Wow that's interesting that they were invented so long ago, I had no idea. I started watching that TV show (bringing up baby) but I couldn't watch it, it made me so angry to see the vacant, neglected eyes, and hear the desperate cries, of the babies being subjected to the 1950s style of parenting, any way I digress.

I can't point you to any articles online (partly because I take fairly lightly what I read online and partly because I always get in trouble for posting links), but Olive'smummy has said the same things I've heard about and the information about Eskimos that Suse presented is also interesting (I didn't know about that particular study).

As already mentioned, Choice magazine lists it amongst the top ten things not to buy for your child, but that's for safety reasons (JJ collapsing on top of babies and cracking their skulls).

The Child Occupational Therapist who gave a talk at the community health centre recently told us quite a bit of information about it, including the information about back problems. She was clearly against their use but acknowledged that some parents won't give them up and so asked that "we" use them minimally and not before a child can support their own weight.

If you do want to research it further, there is quite a bit of information about Vertebral Subluxations (for example) and the use of Jolly Jumpers available on the internet.

Cheers for that. I think the same issues apply for Baby Bjorns, with respect to Vertebral Subluxation....

Sounds like its another one of those things that, as mothers, we are going to have to weigh up the pros and cons and make a call for whatever we are comfortable with. BPA in plastic bottles is my thing, hence my boys use glass bottles.