Question about jumparoo

cara-n-steve

Has anyone been told that Preemies, no matter what gestational age they were born at should never use a jumparoo.  Our boys are still way to young for them, but my friend took her twins to the Dr. today and when she told them her DD just started using the jumparoo he told her no preemie should ever use one because of muscle development.  We have the pedi tomorrow so I'm going to ask, but I was wondering if anyone has been told this.  We just got one as a present the other day and I'm wondering if I should return it.

LuckyMom0203

Yes, we've been told thi by Annie's PT and OT.  They discourage it for a number of reasons-- it encourages tip-toeing in kids, is bad for their hip alignment and can lead to poor muscle development b/c they're not really working against gravity very much (as opposed to tummy time, crawling, etc.). 

That said, I think these cautionary tales are mostly for parents who use them to "park" their kids for extended amounts of time on a daily basis.  We actually do have one that we received for a gift and I'll plop Annie in it when I go to the bathroom, change a load of laundry, etc.  She's probably in it 5-10 minutes a day.  She has none of the above mentioned issues.  

ayram

We were told the same thing about jolly jumpers.

jcsntms06

I was never told not to use it. DD didn't really use it until she was 10/11 Months old and she only used it for about 5-10 minutes a day. Obviously if you have concerns you should ask your doctor.

AVA0908

We were never told that and we had one. However, when we bought it DS was old enough to understand that when he was put in there, it was so we could do something else even if it was just for a couple of minutes, so he would scream. We didn't use it much.

njdcgirl

I have heard that too.  However, we have one.   We are starting OT with early intervention next week, and I was wondering if we should hide it.    We got ours for a gift months and months ago so returning it wasn't an option. They aren't cheap so I decided I'd just go for it.

Our son is probably only in it 10 - 15 minutes a day, so I'm not that worried about it.

Kate621

We were told he could use it but for a max of 30 minutes a day for the same reasons pp mentioned above.

MarriedBestFriends

DD developed hip dysplasia "later" (diagnosed at 1 year) and I always wonder if it was partly because the awful DC we had her in for the first 10 months of her life used the exersaucer and jumperoo all. the. time. I would never use them again. 

sucrets4

I've never heard that.

DD had a mild subluxation in her hips since she was breech so we've seen an orthopedist a few times.  I specifically asked him if she could use it and if there was a limit, and he said that she could use it as much as she wanted.  He said that being upright and putting pressure on her hips will help keep them aligned as she developed and the more that she's up the better.

We didn't put her in it a lot, maybe once or twice a day for a 10-15 min at a time.  She's done fine - she's always loved pulling up and putting weight on her feet, though.  She started crawling right before she turned 9 months actual and cruising right after that.  She won't be an early walker based on her actual age, but she's working on balance and standing on her own right now.  We still put her in the jumperoo occasionally because she LOVES to jump and it takes the wear off of our arms.  

I haven't even heard that from my bff who is an OT, but I can ask her.  I know she's told me about how important it is for babies to crawl, but I haven't heard about the jumperoo.

Cara03

Kate621:

We were told he could use it but for a max of 30 minutes a day for the same reasons pp mentioned above.

This for us. 30 minutes total a day so we usually did 15 minutes twice a day. Our OT said that it was good to develop leg strength when used in moderation, and LO LOVED jumping. Sometimes putting him in the jumperoo was all that would cheer him up. It was a lifesaver for us and we haven't seen any of the potentially related problems thus far.