Do Infant Jumpers Affect Child Development

As parents, we all wish to keep our children safe and protected. And for this, we keep our eyes and ears open so that we can give our child the safest of playing tools, and other fun stuff. It is extremely crucial to have a basic understanding of the advantages and pitfalls of a product to understand its effects on the body of a baby.

An Infant jumper is also one of those things which a baby loves. We all love to see those little ones happily jumping in those jumpers and having a great time. But there are times when we wonder if the jumper is right for our little star? Let us answer this crucial question and get to know more about it.

Let’s start with discussing the ‘types of jumpers’. There are three types of Jumpers which are most famous in today’s time. These include

A soft cushion seat with multiple straps which is attached to a huge spring. This Jumper is connected to the doors or walls to keep them stiff and intact at one place.
A stationary jumper with separate frames and a suspended seat supporting the movement and weight of the child.
And at last, the last category includes a stationary jumper with a spring’s seat and springs for best movement.

If we look at these three options, we obviously know that the last two are best from a safety perspective. But what we need to keep in our mind is the fact that no matter how safe a jumper is, it is still very much harmful for the development of baby.

Let us discuss all the problems which are caused by a baby jumper

Effects on the Body of a child

No wonder Baby Jumpers are fun, but as parents we need to know some negative facts or say drawbacks that a baby gets to face after you put him/her in it. Baby Jumpers harm the motor skills of a child, which means that it affects those parts of the child’s body which are still under growth and due to the jumper a child has to push his feet to the point which his feet are not possibly ready for.

Apart from this, the fact that babies aren’t fully mature to handle their body weights and movements and putting them in a jumper at this stage is something you must avoid. A child starts to lean further instead of standing upright as their body weight starts to split into the three main parts i.e. the hip, under arm, and the crotch region, resulting in awkward postures and trunk & leg control issues.

Adding to this, a child has to use his/her toes to get a push, and this in the long run results in delayed development of walking skills.

Many famous Chiropractors have also suggested that parents must avoid using products like these as the jumper makes the whole body posture imbalanced causing serious troubles. In basic terms all they want to make the young parents understand is the fact that jumpers cause muscle imbalance due to unwanted leaning at different directions causing an awkward posture and delayed skill learning.

We should know that by providing little kids with products like the best jumpers, results in skipping of developmental steps involved during the infant period.

Safety Hazards of Baby Jumpers

A jumper not only credited of causing health related tribulations but also poses significant safety issues. This might include the injuries caused to a kid while using a Frame-mounted jumper. Just so you know, this is considered to be amongst one of the most controversial baby jumpers. The reasons being- the jumper poses a danger of a slipping attachment; the motion of the baby might cause him/her to get hurt from the neighboring objects like doors, tables, etc; also the springs of the jumper might trap the fingers of the infant causing extreme pain and bleeding; and at last there are possibilities that the straps are not nicely tucked in and might lead to the slipping out of the baby.

Alternatives

Switching your baby to something much safer and healthier is a big question now. As parents let us starts believing the fact that it is best to let those motor skills of a baby develop on their own. It is human nature that we learn things on our own without any extra help, and similarly if you leave you kids right on the floor and let him/her explore their own skills is the best way of keeping them safe and healthy. The best way is to let them have a ‘Tummy Time’, which is extremely crucial for the development of strong leg and trunk muscles. And according to research, it is important to let the babies have above stated recreational time as it is the best way of exploring the body movements.