Baby Toys | My Mills Baby

We had the most amount of fun ever with this Jump About from Lindam and it’s by far the most enjoyable review I’ve done for this blog.

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I resisted getting him one of these at first as we have elaborate door frames downstairs that won’t take a door bouncer. In the living room we have a Jumperoo too so if we need hands-free time, we can pop him in there for 15 minutes. Upstairs however, we have no place to pop him to safely play if we’re bathing, dressing or cleaning. He used to sit still or play happily in his cot but now he’s getting more adventurous we’re having to be more safety conscious.

The Jump About has been the perfect solution. We hooked it up on his bedroom door frame that is smack bang between our bathroom and the master bedroom. It’s great as it means I can supervise him perfectly from anywhere upstairs whilst he has a bounce around. Given we can’t bath together anymore as his skin is so sensitive, it’s given me greater flexibility to bathe alone whilst he’s awake (ordinarily I’ll take my own baths when he’s napping). I can also go through my beauty regime in the bedroom whilst watching him tire himself out.

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From a safety perspective it offers a strong and secure frame clamp and dual fastening around Dexter’s bum and back. Craig and I had several tugs on it before popping Dex in and were confident it would take his weight (note the maximum weight limit is 12kg). It’s also height adjustable and the seat is fully supportive to maintain correct posture. I will admit that it’s not as easy to get him in or out as I thought it would be and there’s some fiddling involved, but when he’s in he’s very secure.

It’s actually a logical progression from free-standing bouncers as baby isn’t restricted by a bulky play station. Dexter can do 360′s with ease and his arms are completely free. I also spotted he was pulling away from the door frame to test how far he could go - he seemed to enjoy being tugged back toward the door.

At £16.99* it’s incredible value for money when compared to the free-standing bouncers. If you can get past the fact it’s unlikely to complement your decor, and resembles a sex swing for short people (every time I walk past it I find myself smirking like a schoolgirl) - it’s a must-buy. Massive thumbs up from Dexter and I!

*You can buy the Jump About at a number of retailer’s including Argos (£24.99), Tescos (£19.94), and Amazon (£16.99)

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As reader’s of this blog will know, we were recently told by our health visitor to restrict bouncing time to a minimum to try to correct Dexter’s tendency to stand on his tippy toes. In response to this, I’ve started massaging his feet daily and flexing his ankles to avoid his tendons shortening. Dexter also has approximately twenty minutes standing time a day holding onto the sofa supported by me. I’m not prepared to do anymore than this at this stage as he isn’t standing unaided yet and gets easily frustrated when we force his feet to the floor. It doesn’t seem fair to rush him so I’m trusting my instincts. I’m also only allowing Dexter to ‘bounce’ for 2x twenty-minute intervals throughout the day - but boy do we love those intervals!

DISCLAIMER: I was sent the Lindam Jump About free of charge in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This purchase was never in doubt. I first came across them in Debenhams and dragged my OH over from the cooking department to gush over them.

Me: “What a cool idea. He’s using his feet loads but doesn’t seem bothered by his hands at all. This might make him more aware of them”

OH: “But will he use them Gem?”

I hate this line from my OH! It’s true, Dex only takes to 50% of the toys I buy him, but if you don’t try things, you’ll never know! I’d rather he try them out and turn his nose up, than miss out on something that could really contribute to his development. I do have a couple of worries about Dexter; he seems to really favour holding his head to one side and his arm on this side is far more active than the other, he doesn’t often unfurl his hands, he only tries to stand when he’s on me… I’m always looking for little solutions to my concerns.

I was right to trust my instincts on these rattles as they’ve been an utter godsend. Dexter LOVES them - just look:

Look mummy!

The colours are fabulous and totally grab his attention. When I get them out to show him (and ask if he wants to wear them) a little shake produces a huge smile. Lamaze also do these in plainer colours but I prefer these as I think they look more fun. The bugs are big enough to entertain him, but not big enough to smash him in the face every time he gets a little overzealous. The noise is also gentle and won’t irritate mummies wanting a 5 minute respite. They’re also machine washable so you don’t have to worry about ruining the sound by saturating them.

You attach them to baby using velcro which is great as they’re easy to get off without waking baby if he falls asleep. I also don’t have to worry about them catching on all his other apparatus as they’ll just fall off - I must admit he has quite the collection to play with!

My only criticism (and I’m ALWAYS fair) is that they’re very tiny. They fit around his wrists now (at 11 weeks) and he was a teeny baby at 5lbs 14. I suspect they’ll continue to wrap around him for another 5 weeks, but after that he’ll be too big. The socks also slip off easily due to the face they have no built-in heel. I can completely appreciate why this is the case - different babies have different sized feet - but the weight of the bugs will see them flying off if your baby is prone to thrash a bit.

The cute little foot rattles

Back to why I love them… he’s started lifting his legs to find his feet. If Dexter is due a poo (his pattern is highly erratic) this helps him gently move his bowel without him realising. I wouldn’t want to champion them as a solution to colic (and I’m sure Lamaze wouldn’t want me to either) but from my experience they have totally helped.

Also, if I’m concerned he’s favouring one side of his body, I can attach the toys to the other side and gently encourage him to play. The fly on one of the rattles also have crinkle paper on its wings so I always pop this on his underused side as he likes to bring this bit to his mouth. In my picture, Dexter is laying down but he also uses these when sat upright or in his bouncer as he’s not impressed by hanging toys. This allows me to leave him for those all important 5 minutes to grab a shower, eat my breakfast, pour a glass of wine etc.

My verdict? At £12.49 from the Lamaze website (and other stockists including Debenhams), they are worth every penny - 5/5

You can buy direct from the Lamaze website, or at Debenhams.