Are Activity Gyms Necessary?
I know there isn't much that is truly *necessary*, but I guess I mean, if we never received one, would it be worth it to go out and buy one?
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I would only because my LO loved hers! But it's definitely not a necessity!
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@citymouse: My son loved ours. It has various textures and interesting things to look at during tummy time, and he loves swatting at the hanging toys. You could do something similar with a regular blanket by placing toys around it, bit not sure how you would hang things above it. For us, it would have been worth buying. You could always try Craigslist or consignment if you don't want to buy it new -- they're used for a short time!
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It was nice in the early days when LO was so teeny that I felt odd just lying him on the carpet. Plus all he could do was lie on his back so it gave him something to look at because there was a mirror and toys hanging from the top. You could get away with just a blanket, though, too.
Now that he is five months, I usually put him on a blanket because the play gym gets in the way of his constant rolling around. So I guess I would say they are nice to have, but I wouldn't spend much on one and maybe look for used because you won't need it for long!
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@citymouse: LO loved hers, so it was worth it to us...she still plays with the toys that hung from it now at 11 months.
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Like you said, nothing is necessary but LO really liked hers!
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Ours was pretty invaluable to me. When you have a newborn having a place that they are willing to be put down for the amount of time it takes you to pee, or eat a sandwich is pretty awesome. We had this one and LO was obsessed:
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DS loves his and we still use it at 8 months. He mostly sits at it now, but he loves to get the toys off and play with them. I think they are worth it and they are inexpensive.
Ours also folds up nicely and fit n my suite case which was very handy when we did some traveling when he was just a few months.
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I thought it was nice to have! We found them super cheap at TJMaxx! Like $16!
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LO really liked his until he outgrew it. It was great for tummy time, playing, etc. I think it's good to have one.
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We used ours almost daily from 2 weeks to about 8 months. Not necessary, but nice to have.
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We use ours multiple times a day- LO loves it. We borrowed one, but I would absolutely buy one if we had to give it back.
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@citymouse: I think they're totally worth it esp because they're relatively cheap used.
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Yes, get one! I was not going to get one, as we live in an apartment and I hated the idea of a big colorful activity gym in our living room, but man am I glad we were gifted one. LO spent tons and tons of time in there. He loved it, and I loved that I could leave him there and hang out on the couch and relax - he was having fun and I was getting some rest! I miss the non-mobile days! Hee hee.
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Meh. My LO never liked tummy time, but we did get a lot of use until she started rolling. I would say yes, to buy one. But you can always get one pretty cheap used or on sale.
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We didn't get one, but went and got one after lo was born. He's almost 9mo and still uses it. It's one of the grow with me piano ones.
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I wish I would have gotten one!
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I think an inexpensive one is totally worth it! We have a grow with me piano one like @Mrs. Polish: and DS has loved it since birth.
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Since newborns don't really play with toys (can't grab em! or hold em!) an activity gym is really the only thing they can "play" with in the beginning... so I would totally get one!
That being said, it was the first thing I got rid of, too! By the time they're crawling/walking it's just a big spacesucker. All they wanna do is get places and put things in their mouths.
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Totally worth it. LO played with hers from about 6 weeks until after she started walking. We borrowed ours, but I'm definitely buying one for the next LO.
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Not necessary but very much worth it during the first couple of months.
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Worth every penny. DS LOVED his, and it was the only way he'd do tummy time.
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YES! Xander still uses his at 9 months!!!
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DD loved/loves hers! I didn't think it was necessary as we're space challenged but I'm so glad we got one.
She's almost eleven months and still loves it. At first I was a little bummed my dad didn't pick out the "cute one" but the one we did get has gotten way more use than the one I wanted. DD was an early crawler and walker but it still got a TON of use.We have this one
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@oliviaoblivia: We have the same one!
LO loves it! He's still interested in it at 5 months. It's nice because it gives him something to do on his own since he can't sit up unassisted for long periods yet.
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@Pepper: love it! She now uses the piano part as a step stool to get on the couch. Crazy kid!
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@citymouse: yes yes yes and yes. I am a prefty extreme minimalist and just purchased the absolute necessities. (Crib.changing pad.onsies.) I like to feel things out and buy as I go. At 8 weeks dd needed, yes needed an activity gym. I could tell she was developmentally ready for it. She is 6 monrhs today and still loooves it. It promotes coordination, cause and effect understanding, self guided play. We got the kick piano and she loves it still! It just has one bar where we have different toys and she rolls around and plays the piano with different parts of her body.
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@oliviaoblivia: oh that's what we have and she loves it!
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You could also string toys across the legs of a table, if you sliding want to buy one. We had one, my son liked it well enough and I would buy one again.
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We have the one that @oliviaoblivia posted. We just moved it into the basement at almost 9 months. She loved it but now won't sit still long enough to play with it. Even sitting up and playing the piano. But it was so worth it in the beginning. She loved looking at herself in the mirror.
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DS really enjoyed his, but maybe you can find one used. Then if you don't end up using it much it isn't as big of a hit?
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I would say yes, get one. A used one would be great!
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i got one used. i don't think it was really worth it. there were a couple of weeks where he lay on his back and grabbed at the toys, but then he was rolling and it was hard to keep him on the mat. i guess it depends on the baby to a certain extent and how long they are in the grabbing phase but not the rolling over phase.
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@oliviaoblivia: we had this one too and DS LOVED it. He would kick forever. But once he could sit pretty confidently he was over it.
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@citymouse: I don't think they are necessary. But my son LOVED his and it helped with tummy time.
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I think so. For us it was a toy that basically grew with her. In the beginning, it was just something for her stare at (newborn days). As she grew, she started reaching for items, swatting them, crawling inside it, then she started using the sides to try and pull herself up. We kept ours up until she was starting to walk because she liked having a blanket on it, like a tent. I was surprised how long we got to use it for. We had the Skip Hop Treetop Friends gym.
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Not a necessity in my mind but LO loved hers!!!
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I think it's great to have when they aren't mobile yet. Plus, it's great for tummy time! Both of my boys played with it until about 12 months so I'd say it's worth getting if you don't get one as a gift.
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For us it is a necessity. LO loves her activity mat. She loves trying to grab the toys and moving around so she can see herself in the mirror. She can happily look up and bat at the toys for 30 mins. Now that she is trying to roll I also jus put her on a blanket with toys around her, but we do use the activity mat multiple times a day. We have a Tiny Love one.
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@oliviaoblivia: that's the piano gym we have! My LO loves it! We got it when she was 2.5 months and at first she would just kick and stare in the mirror and then she started practicing grabbing with the toys and now at almost 6 months she still loves it and even pulls the toys down and hits them against eachother. She likes to practice sitting up and hitting the piano keys now too
Obviously she would have learned these skills, but this was a great toy for her to practice those skills on.
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