Most experts would tell you that baby exercisers are bad news for
developing bodies, because they allow muscles to engage that aren't yet
ready to do so. When I was told this, I thought it made a lot of sense,
and it's still the main reason I haven't broken down and gotten an
Exersaucer to share with the babysitting (that, and the fact that it
would take up half the living room). But as soon as I put my daughter
in the Merry Muscles ($69.95)
and watched her bouncing in the air like a twenty-pound astronaut, the
theoretical vs. practical baby debate went out the window.
The original bouncing seat was the
Jolly Jumper,
invented in 1948 by a Canadian woman who was inspired by laborers tying
their babies to the vines of willow trees so that they could work in
the fields. I'm not exactly picking cotton, but it sure allows for the
21st century freelance-writer equivalent. It's totally safe, she can't
crawl out of it, and if she's in the mood, she can spend at least an
hour in it. Although no one I know has had any problems, there have
been complaints that the
Jolly Jumper can cause broken toes and feet. The
Merry Muscles
reclines backwards slightly, so that the baby's heels hit the floor
first instead (it comes with a screw-in hook to hang from a doorframe
or ceiling, or you can buy a clamp for $25.95 to move it from room to
room). One note: after one particularly enthusiastic session I noticed
my daughter had skinned both of her pinkie toes, so I make sure she's
wearing socks when she jumps from now on. Who knows, it might keep her
from a career in professional tennis, but she'll have other skills. I'm
sure of it. —
Deirdre Dolan
