In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
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We tried out jumpers from top brands such as Fisher-Price, Jolly Jumper, and Summer Infant to find the best bounce for your baby
Credit: Abriah Wofford
By Wendy Schmitz and BabyGearLab Review Team ⋅ Apr 16, 2024
The Best Jumpers
Want a baby jumper to keep your growing baby entertained? We tested 7 of the most popular baby jumpers on the market to find the best and most entertaining jumpers. These options are perfect for energetic little ones looking to move but not ready to stand. We tested each jumper for daily ease of use, assembly time, quality, and entertainment value. There is something for every baby and budget in our lineup of jumping contraptions.
Babies need opportunities to play and learn, and adding some entertainment products to your baby's routine can boost the fun. From baby gyms that keep your baby busy to the best baby swings that are calming, even top-ranked baby bouncers, and more. We've tested several products and can help guide your search. Also, many expecting parents enjoy gear like this for their babies. Check out our baby gifts review.
Editor's Note: This jumper review was updated on April 16, 2024, to remove a discontinued product.
Min: Child must be able to hold their head up unassisted.
Max: 25 lbs / 32" (must not be able to climb out)
Style
Stand
Cleaning
Machine wash, tumble dry low heat
Portable
No
Assembly Time
9:22 min:sec
The Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo is a vibrant stand-alone jumper that folds for storage or portability. This jumper has a padded, colorful frog seat and 360 rotation to keep little ones entertained. It comes with a variety of toys placed at different angles. It is height adjustable and comes with sounds and music for more stimulation. The seat is removable and is good to go in the washing machine and dryer for limited downtime. Little testers loved all the interactive entertainment, and parents liked the free-standing design that doesn't require a particular doorway and can sit anywhere.
This jumper has a lot of parts to assemble. It isn't difficult, and everything fits together well, but it is something to consider. Also, it takes up a lot of space and might not be the best choice for smaller spaces with limited floor space. A more straightforward doorway hanger like the Graco Doorway Bumper Jumper with toys hanging on it might be better for small spaces, assuming you have a suitable doorway. Despite these minor hiccups, we think parents and babies will love The Rainforest Jumperoo, which has something for every baby who loves entertainment.
The Rainforest has adjustable height and a variety of fun features to keep little ones entertained.
Min: Child must be able to hold their head up unassisted.
Max: 25 lbs
Style
Doorway
Cleaning
Machine wash cold, drip dry
Portable
Yes
Assembly Time
5:43 min:sec
The Graco Doorway Bumper Jumper doorway hanging jumper is suitable for babies who can hold up their heads unassisted. It attaches to door frames with appropriate trim and includes a toy tray and removable interactive toys. This bouncer has a soft, somewhat padded seat, and putting your baby in and taking him out is easy. Little testers enjoyed the firm ring support to lean against when getting tired, and parents liked how easy it is to use and clean. The Graco is height adjustable and has a “no mark” clamp with a hidden safety cord. The seat pad is machine washable, and the whole thing is reasonably transportable.
This product requires a good doorway with sturdy trim to keep it safely in place. This design could be hard to come by where you want or need it, leaving you unable to utilize it like you'll want to. If you don't have a suitable doorway, something like the Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo might be in order, depending on your budget and goals. However, we like the simplicity of the Bumper Jumper and felt the open seating area, toy tray, and engaging toys give it a bump in entertainment value for little ones who'll want more than just jumping.
The open seat and toy tray on the Graco makes it easy and versatile for parents to use.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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Credit: Abriah Wofford
How We Test Jumpers
Our baby jumper testing was a good time for all, but especially our tiny testers. We researched and purchased the most popular and well-regarded options on the market with consideration to style, quality, ease of use, ease of cleaning, and versatility. Before making our purchases, we researched over 15 potential contenders to possibly include.
Why Trust GearLab
Senior Review Analyst Bob Wofford led this review. Bob is the father of 7 and has been testing baby gear for over seven years. Bob researched and selected the jumping products in this review with an eye for portability, fun, and ease of use. Wendy Schmitz, Senior Review Editor, rounds out the team with test result analysis and write-up. Wendy has been a member of the BabyGearLab team since 2014 and is a mother of 2. With the help of our little testers, we evaluated each jumper in this review for ease of installation/setup, entertainment value, quality, portability, and more.
Each part of the jumpers was considered during testing for quality and durability as well as functionality.
We consider all features of the jumpers during testing including stability and durablity.
Analysis and Test Results
We purchased and tested the most impressive contenders for this roundup, focusing on ease of use, portability, quality, and fun.
Safety First
Always read the user manual of any baby gear and discuss your jumping plans with your pediatrician to ensure your baby is developmentally ready for the action involved with this kind of product. Use of a jumping product before your little one has adequate muscle development and head and neck control could lead to serious injuries.
What's the Best Value?
Most jumpers have a short window of usability in your child's life. Generally, a jumper is most useful in the few months between when your baby first sits up and when they start toddling around on two feet. With this in mind, the price difference can significantly affect your final decision. A cheaper option may be more attractive for families only planning to use the jumper for one child. Our favorite affordable option is the Graco Doorway Bumper. It is one of the least expensive options we tested but still offers more features and better usability than other products. If you want a jumper that will last through multiple kids or have an active baby with a lot of energy to expel, a product with more entertainment features and better durability may be worth the higher price tag.
The Jolly Jumper harness/seats are more involved when it comes to securing little ones in place.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Use
We assess day-to-day functionality based on how much effort it takes to get your baby in and out of the seat, how easily you can move a product from room to room, and if you can take it along for short trips and outings. We also time the assembly for each product and combine this information to reach the overall ease of use score.
Most of the tested products are easy to use once assembly is over. Each option requires some level of setup, taking forty seconds for the KidCo GoPod up to almost ten minutes for the Jolly Jumper with Super Stand. However, setup is typically a one-time task unless you need to move it to a new home, so we suggest that it not be the driving factor in your product selection process. The daily ease of use is far more critical in the long run and will impact how and when you opt to use your jumping entertainment center. If getting your baby ready to jump is time-consuming or challenging, you might not use your option and wish you'd made a different selection.
The open seats, like those on the Graco, are easier to put little ones into quickly.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The most accessible options to use are those you can quickly put your baby into without planning or an involved process. The KidCo GoPod is one of the easiest as the seat is always open. All you need to do is pull baby legs gently through the holes, and you're ready to go. Thanks to the folding design, packing for travel or storage is quick and straightforward.
All the Jolly Jumpers scored lower for ease of use. The free-standing versions had lower scores because they took more time and effort despite their simple look. Whether it has a stand or hangs in a doorway, the Jolly Jumper harness seat is more involved than an open seat to put your baby inside. The harness requires certain adjustments to secure your baby correctly into the harness for safe and supportive jumping fun. While it gets easier the more you do it, you will never be able to quickly put your child into the seat to grab your dinner from the oven before it burns. The Jolly Jumpers with a free-standing frame score the lowest because they take up a large amount of floor space, are not travel-ready, and are not as easy to move around the house.
The Summer Pop 'n Jump has toy attachment locations for entertainment that you can change.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Entertainment
Every baby is different, and your little one's personality or physical development might influence you to select one product over another.
The Jolly Jumpers all allow more freedom of movement as little ones can bounce, jump, twist, turn, and wiggle 360 degrees. If you have a mover and a shaker who loves the challenge of building skills, then these options hold great potential, especially for older babies. However, they do not have any enticing light or sound features, and we find that infants lose interest more quickly.
If your little one needs more tactile stimulation, then you should consider an option with attached toys.
Being able to reach out and engage in the environment around them is an important developmental milestone for little ones.
Alternatively, if your little one is more subdued, then a stand-alone floor-style jumper might be more their speed. The Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo earned a high score in the group. The ultra-stimulating jumper has a seat that rotates 360 degrees, toy and snack trays galore, and more bounce than most stand-alone options (although not as much as any of the Jolly Jumpers). If your little one gets bored quickly, this is a good choice, with more features to engage multiple senses simultaneously. The least entertaining product is the KidCo GoPod. It does not provide anything more than a safe place for the baby to hang out. Velcro straps off the option to attach toys, but the subdued colors and lack of bounce make this a less attractive choice for little ones.
The playmat with the Jolly Jumper is fun and durable and should last for lots of jumping hours for multiple babies.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Quality
Quality and durability can impact how long you get to use your bouncer or if it will be around for a second baby or resale. Most of the products we tested are durable enough, and we love that many manufacturers include easy-washing instructions to keep the jumpers in play. Most jumpers assemble easily, and we didn't experience any manufacturing defects or parts that didn't work.
Some products stand out from the rest. The Jolly Jumpers all earned high marks for quality. They have sturdy and reliable hardware and machine-washable fabric, and all components feel as though they will endure through every last bounce. The lowest quality product we encountered is the Evenflo ExerSaucer Doorway Jumper. The fabric felt less durable, and the spring tended to bind in the fabric cover and didn't always move smoothly while the passenger was jumping. For the most part, when it comes to jumpers, it seems that you get what you pay for, and we found the price of each product was a relatively good indicator of the quality level, no matter how many parts the products came with or the overall design features.
The Jolly Jumper is a joy inducer for many little ones who like to move.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Conclusion
Whether you have a tiny loft apartment with limited space or a sprawling suburban home, there is an entertaining jumper in our review that can meet your needs and budget. While the jumper world is wide and varied, choosing an excellent entertainer doesn't have to be a struggle. If you are looking for a novel way to entertain your little one or a safe place for them to hang out while you make dinner, this lineup has something for you, and we've tested each product, so you don't have to.
