Entertainment Galore!

Before little Spencer arrived Chris and I always said we wouldn't be those parents who have giant brightly coloured plastic toys cluttering up our home. Naturally we wanted Spencer to have toys for his entertainment, mental and physical stimulation... but did we really need any of those monster play contraptions? Well, let's just say we made a few compromises! Not only is it super fun to watch Spencer play and learn I was surprised by how much time these entertainment units bought us. At 5 months old Spencer is circuit training! While I get a little tidying done Spencer starts out in his Baby Einstein Exersaucer, moves to his Giddy-Up Jumperoo and then he enjoys a little time in his rocker chair. The way I see it- we will have these somewhat large units in the house for such a short period of time. While they are here Spencer is entertained and learning fine motor skills etc. while we have the chance to get a few things done. It's a win win situation!

Fisher-Price, Giddy-up Jumperoo
Spencer loves his little pony! The Giddy-up Jumperoo is not only cute it includes a motion sensor, so when baby jumps up and down they will be rewarded with horsey animal sound effects and fun music. This is a huge hit with baby. Thankfully the audio is cute and not too loud or annoying for Mom and Dad. Spencer also enjoys playing with the bead bar and spinning toy. This jumperoo includes a 3 position height adjustment and a frame that folds down for storage and portability. Baby will get good use out of this item from ages 4/5 months to 7/8 months old. Then you can pass it on or re-sell.

Baby Einstein, Exersaucer
Spencer very happily spends loads of time in the exersaucer. It offers so many entertainment options. There is classical music, animal sounds, a puppet, rubbery and fabric chewing toys, spinning visual and audio stimulation toys. Your baby will also learn shapes and colours all the while they are getting exercise and having a blast! This exersaucer is another one of my must-have-items. Spencer started using his exersaucer for small periods of time once he reached 4 months old. His love for this unit has grown over the months. At 6 months he mastered the use of all the activities. he still loves his exersaucer but I imagine he will lose interest at around 8/9 months once he starts crawling.



Bumbo Seat
This squishy little seat helps baby sit up on their own at a very young age. Spencer was super pleased the first time he sat in his seat. He could hardly believe that he was doing it on his own. So cute! What I especially like about this seat is that you can bring it to restaurants. There is this phase where baby is too small to fit into a restaurant highchair. This is where the Bumbo comes in. So long as you have a booth or seat with arms it is safe to use the Bumbo in lieu of a highchair. Do get a tray- it's great for holding toys. Keep in mind too that this is a good item to find used on Craigs List. It's kind of costly brand new and it's super easy to wash-up a used one. I like that buying and re-selling used baby stuff is another great way to do our part for the environment. You can expect to make use of this seat from age 3 months to about 6/7 months. Spencer started pulling his tray off at 6 months and by 7 months he pulled himself up and out of the seat by arching his back!


Baby Bouncer Chair
Baby bouncer/rocker chairs are fabulous. They offer a sitting up position and toys for entertainment plus a reclining position with a comfy seat for relaxation. You can easily bring these seats with you to family and friends places. When Spencer was really little he would sit in his seat while we ate dinner. Or if he is tired and needs a little wind-down-time and we are working on preparing dinner Spencer is quite comfy reclining in this chair watching the action. We have the Fisher Price chair. It works well and Spencer loves it. I later came across the Svan Bouncer. A beautifully designer version. Yes, it does come with little hoops to dangle some toys too! Nice design- double the $$ though. Once baby is finished with it you could re-sell on Craigs List. You can expect baby to use these rockers/bouncers from new born to 4/6 months old.

Fisher Price Rocker Chair
Svan Bouncer


Fisher-Price, Rainforest Playmat
This was Spencer's first play-thing. He was two months old when we introduced it to him. He loved the music and did the cutest little jig that looked something like the baby version of "River Dance". Too funny! Even at nearly 6-months old he still likes this toy! However this toys was best used between 2-4 months old.


Infant Swing
In my opinion every new baby and new parent needs an infant swing. Before baby is old enough to be entertained with toys the swing will sooth and entertain them as you get a few things done around the house or sit to eat dinner. You can easily move the swing into the kitchen or next to the dinning table. We made good use of our 9 year old hand-me-down swing! It is very similar to the one shown in the picture below. It's unique in that it can swing in two directions. Baby can swing from side-to-side. A comforting motion that mimics the walking motion they felt while in-utero. Spencer enjoyed his swing from day one up until he was 4 months old.