Graco makes a really great Exersaucer for babies. There are several varieties but basically they are all very similar.
In case you don’t know what an exersaucer is, it is an exercise gym with little activities for babies. Usually babies have to have good head control before they can be put into an exersaucer. This is for safety reasons, of course. An exersaucer is usually round with a cloth seat in the middle and activities around the edge.
The seat in the Graco Entertainer is very colorful and it is deep enough to be supportive of a small baby who may not yet sit on their own (as long as they have good head control). There are 2 leg holes in the seat that you lower the baby into. His legs than hang down and, if he is big enough, his feet can reach the saucer part of the exersaucer.
The saucer part of the Graco Entertainer is red and has a curved bottom. There are little yellow “legs” attached to the saucer so that you can have the saucer be sturdy and still or you can raise the legs so that the saucer can rock gently with baby’s movements. This exersaucer also has a height adjustment feature. For the smallest babies, it can be placed on the lowest level and it can be raised up to a mid and high level as baby grows. Of course, as baby grows and learns to walk and/or crawl, he may be less interested in this exersaucer as he will want to be on the go.
The Graco Entertainer is an entertainer because of it’s many little activities. These are all placed on the rim/edge of the seat so that the baby can see and play with them. The exersaucer that I have has a duck in water. This is in a clear domed container so that neither the fish nor the water can get out. It is fun for baby to watch, especially as he rocks the exersaucer around. It also has a “driving” area with a steering wheel, mirror, and mini “piano” keys. There is a fish on a tall bendy stick that the baby can touch. It has a crinkly tail and fins that babies seem to love. There is also an arch with beads on it that baby can move from side to side. There is a ball to be pushed that squeaks when pushed hard enough and there is a star that plays “twinkle twinkle little star.” The star is the only part of the exersaucer that needs batteries and even if you choose not to put them in, there is so much more fun to be had on the exersaucer that they won’t be missed. It takes hearing aide batteries and it is not always easy to find the correct ones.
I like this exersaucer for little ones because it gives them a safe place to play, especially if the parent has to walk out of the room for a minute. (Of course the toy suggests adult supervision at all times and this is wise advice but, in reality, we all have to use the bathroom sometimes!). It also helps baby develop upper body strength. And, it gives them a new perspective from the laying down position that they are often stuck in until this point.
The only things I would change about this exersaucer toy is that I would make some of the toys interchangeable so that it can be a new toy to baby once in a while. I know that some toys have toys that can snap on and snap off and if I could do this, it would be more interesting to baby.
My baby spent a lot of time in his Graco Entertainer over his first year. It has been a source of entertainment and exercise for him. I would recommend every new parent find one of these if they have the space to keep one.
