All parents of babies need time to themselves every now and again. That break can be used for numerous things, whether it’s to complete a short task like fixing a quick meal, taking the fastest shower known to man, or enjoying a cup of coffee. The problem is, how do you keep your baby entertained while you have some much needed me-time? Well, there are plenty of choices available,one of which is the exersaucer. Which brings us to a new question – what exersaucer is best for your baby? The world of baby products is vast and confusing, even for those who have become pros at parenthood. And not everyone has the time and energy to dive into the various options available just to find the right one. Fortunately, we don’t mind doing all the work for you. Below are our picks for the best exersaucers in the market today.

Top 20 list

1. Infantino 2-in-1 Seat and Activity Table

The Infantino 2-in1 Seat and Activity Table is an excellent activity center for kids between 4 months to 5 years. It’s loaded with fun features. This exersaucer comes with 6 toys with musical effects and light up buttons. The toys are distributed around the table, ensuring your child has a toy to engage with each time he or she turns. This activity center includes a seat that can accommodate up to 25 pounds. The seat can spin around, allowing your baby access all toys.

2. The Galt Toys Farm Baby Activity Center

The Galt Toys Activity Center is not an exersaucer because it doesn’t have that bouncy base. But, we’ve included it on our list as an option for parents with babies below 6 months. This Playnest features an inflatable ring with a soft triangular center. It is made using soft, durable fabric for comfort and longevity. The top side features vibrant images of farm animals for your child to explore. This Playnest helps stimulate hearing, touch and vision.

3. Tiny Love Meadow Days Dynamic Gymini Activity Play Mat

If you wish to enhance your baby’s motor skills, creativity, and senses, the Dynamic Gymini by Tiny Love is a perfect choice. This activity play mat includes a machine washable pad, arches, and tummy time pillow. The arches are adjustable, allowing you to customize play time. This play mat also includes a bird with a built-in voice recorder. You can leave messages for your tot to enhance their listening skills. This Tiny Love play mat is a must have for your little one.

4. Oribel PortaPlay 4-in-1 Travel Baby Activity Center (Grey)

The PortaPlay 4-in-1 Activity center is great option for traveling families. It comes with an easy-to-fold design that allows it to fit in a trunk. The adjustable legs are made from sturdy plastic while the seat is made of soft fabric. The seat is incorporated with elastic bands that allow your little one to bounce. This exersaucer comes with activity toys that will keep your tot occupied. When you child outgrows the seat, you can remove the seat and transform it into an activity table.

5. Baby Einstein Neighborhood Symphony Jumper

The Baby Einstein Neighborhood Symphony Jumper is an activity center ideal for babies between 6-12 months. This exersaucer features music-themed toys that allow your child to explore their musical talent. It includes a guitar, tambourine, drums, and piano. The drums are removable. Much like the Oribel Portaplay, it rotates 360 degrees, allowing you child access to each musical instrument on the toy bar. This activity center can hold up to 24 pounds.

6. Jolly Jumper Baby Exerciser

Made for super active babies, the Jolly Jumper Baby Exerciser will help keep your little one occupied for hours. It is designed to help babies develop rhythm and coordination. It also helps in strengthening their muscles. This exersaucer is easy to assemble and can stand without support. This allows you to use it indoors or outdoors. It stands at over 6 foot tall and folds flat for easy storage. The seat is comfy and supports the spine. With the Jolly Jumper Exerciser you active baby will have so much fun.

7. Summer Infant Pop N’ Jump Portable Activity Jumper

If you thought you could never travel with an exersaucer, think again. The Summer Infant Pop N’ Jump is designed specifically for travel. It weighs 13 pounds, which makes it one of the lightest exersaucer on this list. Its frame folds down easily for transportation and storage. This on-the-go activity center comes with interactive toys that include a teether, spinner ball, mirror book and rattle. Your tot will have fun bouncing up and down this activity jumper.

8. Fisher-Price Jumperoo

The Animal Activity Jumperoo from Fisher-Price is another excellent option for parents with little tots between 6 to 12 months old. It includes colorful animal toys that will keep your baby entertained. The seat is well padded and rotates 360 degrees. We particularly love its unique reward system that encourages the baby to keep exploring. The Animal Activity Jumperoo is height adjustable and can hold up to 25 pounds.

9. Evenflo Exersaucer Bounce & Learn

The Evenflo Exersaucer Bounce & Learn is a height adjustable activity center that was designed to replace dangerous walkers. It comes with a bunch of fun activities that your baby will enjoy. Apart from having fun, your little one also gets to develop hand-eye coordination and strengthen his core muscles. We like that this activity center is available in 5 different themes; Zoo Friends, Taupe Stripe, Moovin & Groovin, Sweet Tea Party, and Polar Playground.

10. Kolcraft 1-2-3 Ready-to-Grow Infant/Toddler Activity Center

Another exersaucer that features three stages is the Kolcraft 1-2-3 Ready-to-Grow Activity Center. It includes Spanish and English modes for poems, music, and games. Stage 1 is ideal for babies between 4-12 months and includes a rotatable seat, piano, and a variety of toys. Stage 2 is perfect for children between 12-24 months. At this stage you can remove the seat and transform this exersaucer into an activity table. Stage is ideal for children 24-36 months old. You get a magnetic art easel that can be used on the table or the floor or on-the-go.

11. Bright Starts 2-in-1 Silly Sunburst Activity Gym and Saucer

The Bright Starts 2-in1 Silly Sunburst Activity Gym and Saucer offers value for money and is designed to grow with your baby. The Silly Sunburst includes 2 products; an activity gym and exersaucer. The activity gym comes in vibrant colors and has toys to keep little hands busy. The saucer has an awesome toy bar with dancing lights. The lights show offers three modes; baby activated mode, lights only, and lights and music.  This amazing combo will keep your baby entertained and is worth every penny you spend on it.

 

12. Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo

The Rainforest Jumperoo from Fisher Price is not exactly an exersaucer because it lacks that base on the floor. But it is a stationary activity center and performs a similar function to an exersaucer so we included it on our list. And for good reason. Aside from being widely popular among parents and babies, this product allows your baby to jump and turn around 360 degrees as he is stimulated by the soft toys dangling around and overhead. Music, lights, and sounds are activated by his movement. And the seat is height adjustable, enabling the toy to “grow” with your child. There are drawbacks, of course. This takes up a lot of real estate which isn’t ideal if you live in a small space. It is also not foldable for storage and the toys on the table cannot be removed once attached. In short, this is not a portable exersaucer. Changing batteries on this thing is quite difficult and requires a screwdriver.

13. Evenflo Exersaucer Bounce and Learn

Exersaucer is a word that was invented by Evenflo for their innovative take on an activity center that replaces the dangerous walker. This exersaucer allows your child to strengthen his back, legs, and neck muscles as he spins and rocks around. He or she also gets to explore the different toys attached which stimulates his/her fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. We love that this exersaucer comes in different themes that you can choose from – Barnyard Saucer, Moovin & Groovin, Sweet Tea, Taupe Stripe, and Zoo Friends. The unit is pretty lightweight so you can transfer it from one room to another. Plus, it features a 3-position height adjustment which prolongs its use as your child grows. However, if you’re looking for music and lights, you won’t be finding those in this one. There are hard plastic toys on this exersaucer that some parents may be concerned about if their baby is on the young side (4 months old). And the bounce is hard to achieve in some units.

14. Evenflo Exersaucer Triple Fun Active Learning Center

Here’s another exersaucer from Evenflo but this one has an even longer lifespan than the other which is probably why it costs double. The Triple Fun Active Learning Center can be used in 3 stages. It can be used as a playmat, an exersaucer, and an activity table. There are 11 toys included; they can even be removed and used on other Evenflo items. You do need to get 9 AAA batteries to get this thing running. The seat pad can be removed and is machine-washable. It has a 3-position height adjustment. Plus, it folds flat for travel and storage. However, it’s not easy to set up as the others. As we’ve mentioned, it’s expensive. And some parents have reported that the paint on some parts on the unit has started flaking off.

15. Bright Starts 3-in-1 Around We Go Activity Center

Unlike a lot of other activity centers on our list, this one from Bright Starts doesn’t allow your kid to jump, bounce, or spin. Instead, it mimics a walker and allows your child to “walk” around the activity center table in order to explore the different stations. Unlike the usual walker that allows your child to go anywhere (and therefore is dangerous), this one just lets your child rotate around all the toys. Even better, the walker part is removable which allows your child to play with the activity center even if he has outgrown that part of it. Other highlights include 3 adjustable height settings, removable toys, fun music and lights, and a machine washable seat pad. However, it does take quite a bit of room. The wheels also don’t roll very well on carpet. Plus, once your baby gets big enough, running around in this walker can cause the table to move around or slide around. If there were a “stopper” or a suction that would prevent the table from sliding at all, then this would be our number one pick.

16. Evenflo ExerSaucer Jump & Learn

This is another version of Evenflo’s Exersaucer. The Jump and Learn is a bit similar to the Fisher Price Jumperoo. The saucer has a soft bounce base that helps strengthen your baby’s leg muscles as well as develop his gross motor skills. The “smart” electronic toys included have fun lights and sounds that will entertain your child to no end. The 3-position height adjustment lets the toy grow with your baby. However, this takes up a lot of space and not easily stored away. Plus, it is more expensive than the others we’ve reviewed on this list.

17. Baby Einstein Neighborhood Friends Activity Jumper

This exersaucer or activity center from Baby Einstein has a unique build – it folds flat and can be easily stored under the bed or inside a closet when not in use. Not only that, this activity center has 5 height settings! Like the others, the chair swivels around 360 degrees. Aside from 3 entertaining activity stations, you can add your baby’s favorite toys in the extra loops provided. Plus, there is a language mode to introduce your baby to words plus a light-up piano that will enable your little one to compose his first concierto. However, it can be a bit difficult to put together especially since the instructions aren’t all that great. And it takes a whole lot of space. In addition, while it does fold flat, you still need to disassemble it a bit. There have also been reports that their seat wasn’t working properly and unable to spin without adult help.

18. Skip Hop Explore and More Baby’s View 3-Stage Activity Center

The Skip Hop Explore and More Baby’s View 3-Stage Activity Center is another activity center that features 3 stages. The first stage allows your baby to bounce, sit, swivel, and play. The second stage lets your child interact with the activity center from the side as they learn to walk. Stage 3 is when you convert the exersaucer into a play table using the bounce platform. One huge difference between this activity center from others is the discovery window which lets your child see his/her feet to help him learn cause and effect. The included toys have an innovative attachment system so you can rearrange the toys to your baby’s liking. However, the toys are situated facing the center which makes them a little unusable once the baby starts using the activity center as a table, cruising on the side. Also, it isn’t really as bouncy as other exersaucers. Compared to other activity centers, this one isn’t as “busy” and could be less entertaining for some babies.

19. Bright Starts Springin’ Safari Bounce-a-Bout Activity Center

The Bright Starts Springin’ Safari Bounce-a-Round Activity Center is an affordable exersaucer for parents with a limited budget. It features a bounce pad and a seat that swivels 360 degrees. There are toys attached to this activity center, giving your child more than 12 activities to entertain himself with. 3 height settings allow the toy to grow with your baby. Plus, compared to other models, this one is quite compact and doesn’t take up a large amount of space. However, there’s not a lot of bounce in this model. The seat is not well-padded. Also, some parents reported that a few of the toys were easily pulled off by their babies.

20. Baby Einstein Rhythm of The Reef Activity Saucer

The Baby Einstein Rhythm of The Reef Activity Saucer is another affordable option for an activity center. Like most models, this has adjustable height settings and a 360-degree swiveling seat. The toy has several underwater toys that will keep your little one entertained. It’s quite easy to assemble. However, some of the toys on the activity center are easily pulled off. There are stickers on some of the toys which can get eaten off by a baby who’s teething. And it doesn’t bounce like all the other exersaucers.

21. Oribel PortaPlay 4-in-1 Foldable Travel Activity Center

The Oribel PortaPlay 4-in-1 Foldable Travel Activity Center is one of our favorites on this list because it’s the only one that is truly portable – no disassembly required. The legs can fold into the table while the toys can be removed for storing. The chair turns 360 degrees so your child can explore each station at his own pace. The beauty of this activity center is that you don’t need to put this away after your child has outgrown the seat. It can be transformed into a full table where your baby can draw or play with different toys. You can even get Oribel PortaPlay stools later to go with the table for some arts and crafts time. However, the seat which is elastic isn’t as bouncy as other exersaucers with dedicated bounce pads. Also, the toys don’t do much which can get boring for some babies. Plus, they can’t be turned to face outward for when your baby outgrows the seat.

Best Exersaucer Buying Guide

As entertaining as it is to take care of your growing baby, sometimes you just need a break from it all. Time to enjoy some really good coffee, do a quick change of laundry, or just flop down on the couch for a breather. If only you could put your baby somewhere that’ll keep him busy while you do you. Well, as you’ve probably already read on Google, there are ways to keep your baby busy and one of them is by using an exersaucer. Not only are you able to take time for yourself, your baby can get mentally and physically stimulated when using an activity center. Of course, you can’t just go out and buy one. They aren’t exactly cheap. Plus, you have to make sure they’re safe for your baby. So, how do you find the one exersaucer that will make your life worth living again? This shopping guide discusses the different types of exersaucers you can choose from and the features that you might want yours to have.

What’s an exersaucer?

An exersaucer is actually a brand created by Evenflo for their stationary activity center that serves to replace the walker. Because of the popularity of this walker replacement, the name has become interchangeable with stationary activity centers. In this guide, we’re going to cover all stationary activity centers including actual exersaucers and jumperoos.

Types of Activity Centers

Basic Stationary Activity Center

This type of activity center features a fabric covered seat that is at the center of a frame that has attached toys. The seat typically turns 360 degrees, allowing the child to explore all the toys surrounding him/her. Some models will have music and lights. Others feature removable toys. Most will feature adjustable height settings so it can grow with your baby. Unlike actual exersaucers, this type typically doesn’t have a bounce pad that the baby can push off from. The Baby Einstein Rhythm of The Reef Activity Saucer is a good example of this type.

Exersaucer

Evenflo’s exersaucer and similar models typically feature a plastic base or bounce pad that keeps your baby’s feet off the floor. Most of the features of a basic activity center can be found in an exersaucer – turning seat, entertaining toys, etc. There are several models that fall under this category like the Evenflo ExerSaucer Jump & Learn.

Stationary jumper

This type of activity center features attached springs that allows your baby to jump as he plays with the toys surrounding the frame. Some models will feature 360-degree rotation. This type of activity center is ideal for very active babies. One good example is the Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo.

Features to consider:

Toys

Because not all exersaucers are alike, you’re going to have to examine what toys each model features and how they are placed around the frame. Even an activity center with a few toys can easily keep your baby happy as long as they’re well-designed. Some models like the Evenflo Exersaucer Bounce and Learn feature a lot of toys that will move, shake, and make noise. Other models like the Evenflo Exersaucer Bounce and Learn feature enough space .

Music and Lights

There’s no question that a toy that makes sound is going to catch your baby’s attention. The problem is, some of them can get downright annoying for parents, especially if it only plays one song over and over again. Adding music and lights to the mix typically increases the cost of an exersaucer. Not to mention, you’re going to need batteries to keep those going which adds to the product’s lifetime cost. If you want something that plays sounds, we recommend the Baby Einstein Neighborhood Friends Activity Jumper since it allows your baby to play his own music or play built-in melodies as well as a language mode to give your ears a breather every now and then.

Seat rotation

Most stationary activity centers feature seats that rotate 360 degrees. This allows them to explore the different activity stations as well as track your movement around the room. A few models like the Bright Starts 3-in-1 Around We Go Activity Center allows the baby to rotate around the activity center instead of turning the seat at the center. The type of seat rotation device you get is a matter of preference. What matters is that you get a model that has a smooth rotation. Some models have been reported by parents as being difficult to turn.

Height adjustability

Your baby is going to grow up fast. That doesn’t mean that your exersaucer should be only good for a few months. A lot of activity centers like the Bright Starts Springin’ Safari Bounce-a-Bout Activity Center feature 3 or more height settings that allow the baby to use them longer which means you get more bang for your buck.

Convertibility

Speaking of longer use, some exersaucers are convertible, allowing you to transform it into a different configuration. Some models like the Evenflo Exersaucer Triple Fun Active Learning Center can be used as a playmat, an exersaucer, and an activity table which adds years to the products usefulness.

Portability

Only a handful of exersaucers are portable, easily taken on vacation or even from one house to another. If you want to be able to take your exersaucer wherever it’s needed, you must find a model that is foldable or collapsible. You must also consider a model that has removable toys. The Oribel PortaPlay 4-in-1 Foldable Travel Activity Center is one of the few models we’ve come across that folds without having to partially disassemble the unit.

What about safety?

Most exersaucers have been extensively tested for safety. The base of these units are typically wide to make tipping a non-issue while the seat depth is deep enough that your baby isn’t going to need a safety harness. However, that doesn’t mean that you should leave your baby unattended for longer than 10 to 15 minutes while in his/her activity center.

Another way to ensure safety is to make sure that your baby is already physically ready to use an exersaucer. This means that he or she should be able to sit with support as well as hold his head up and his back straight. Once your baby is able to crawl out of it, you’ll need to convert the activity center to a different configuration (if possible). Most models have a maximum height of 30 inches which you should also take note of.