The Time Ry Fell Asleep In The Exersaucer
All 3 of our boys have been huge fans of both the exersaucer and baby jumper from the first time we have put them in it. With so many different stimuli, sounds and things to touch, they were hooked. I think the kids loved seeing the world from an upright position as opposed to a play mat on the floor or in our arms. They took to them almost instantly.
As I cut and prepped, I heard the all too familiar jungle sounds going off and Ry is giggling like it’s the greatest thing ever. He’s spinning the noisemaker, pulling on the fake leaves, just going a little crazy.
So here’s what happened. We were having some friends over for dinner one night, and on this day, for whatever reason, be it teething, a cold, or something else, Ryan was just not sleeping that well. Yes, even our kids sometimes don’t sleep perfectly. I had a lot of things to do to get ready, and Dina was working so I needed to be able to have my hands free. So I figured, Ry likes the baby jumperoo, so I put him in there while I finish getting some things together in the kitchen. As I cut and prepped, I heard the all too familiar jungle sounds going off and Ry is giggling like it’s the greatest thing ever. He’s spinning the noisemaker, pulling on the fake leaves, just going a little crazy.
The slow rocking was him trying to rock himself to sleep. In fact, when I came back to him, to my surprise he was slumped over in the bouncer half sleeping, half awake rocking himself back and forth; epically cute.
Watching a kid go nuts and having what looks to be the best time in one of those things that is pretty funny so I started filming him on my cell phone. That’s when it started. His jumping became a lot less vigorous, and he was more rocking side to side. Then all of a sudden a huge jump and laugh, then the slow rocking again. I thought, a little camera shy so I went back to finish what I was doing, then I’ll come back, grab him and we’ll get on the floor and play. What I didn’t clue into was the fact that Ry was gradually falling asleep. The slow rocking was him trying to rock himself to sleep. In fact, when I came back to him, to my surprise he was slumped over in the bouncer half sleeping, half awake rocking himself back and forth; epically cute.
Why you shouldn’t use your baby jumper as a baby sitter
We all do it as parents. We have something we need to do, that we were expecting to get done while the kids were napping, so we put them somewhere safe like the jumper or exersaucer while we finish up. The reality is, these toys, as big of help as they can be, are not the greatest for fostering your child’s development. So yes, a short term confined playspace is great. But put what you are doing on hold, and get on the floor and have some fun with your kids.
What is the best exersaucer age?
Why do we love the baby jumperoo?
How can you foster social development in children?
Andrew obtained his PhD from the University of Waterloo in Physiology, a topic not entirely having to do with with kids health specifically. Andrew’s expertise in kids health and raising children stems from his now 4+ years of direct hands on experiences with 4 young boys. My goal is to share some practical advice and some of the little not-so-perfect things my kids have done and how we managed to figure it all out so you can too.
