An exersaucer can be called many things…an entertainer, restrainer, babysitter, or mom’s best friend. In short, the best piece of baby equipment out there!An exersaucer is nothing more than a round plastic tray full of exciting toys to entertain your child, with a seat in the center for him to sit safely in. It’s very similar to another standard baby piece of baby equipment, the walker, only the exersaucer is usually stationary. Some of them allow the baby to bounce up and down, and others permit them to spin 360 degrees in order to access each and every toy available. Exersaucers come in a wide range of complexity and price, from the very simple and inexpensive to the one with every bell and whistle and a price tag to match. For $40 or so, you can get a basic exersaucer with a few toys such as rings, something that plays music, or colorful animals. At the other end of the spectrum, you can purchase an exersaucer with a multitude of entertaining features such as puppets, hanging rings to pull and play music, lights, and buttons. Some versions have toys that pop out and can be replaced with different ones to keep your little explorer entertained and challenged. Others have the option of converting to a play table as the child grows and becomes able to stand on his own. These models may run you $100 smackeroos or more.An exersaucer is generally intended for babies who can sit up with support but aren’t yet at the stage of crawling and exploring on their own. A baby between the ages of 4 to 8 months is probably going to get the most use out of an exersaucer. So why buy a huge piece of equipment that’s really only going to get use for a few months? Like the bassinet and the swing, the exersaucer is a piece of baby equipment that is worth its weight in gold.Personally, I purchased one of these when my son was about four months old. For five consecutive months, the exersaucer was my best friend. In the mornings, my son played in it for about an hour while I did computer work and ate breakfast. It was a great place to put him when while my husband and I cooked dinner, or if I needed to run upstairs for something during the day. When friends were over, we could drag the exersaucer into our living room and know that our baby would be happily entertained for a bit while we chatted or watched a football game. As the weather grew nice, we took the exersaucer outside to give our son somewhere more exciting to hang out while we did yardwork. The exersaucer was also an alternative to having him lying on a blanket on the floor. At times, it was not desirable to give him free reign on the floor-such as when the dog was in the house, or friends with bigger kids were visiting, or when he started to do the army crawl and would inevitably drag himself into trouble.When my son first started using the exersaucer he could barely sit up, and we tucked blankets around his body for extra support. He would sit, mesmerized, batting at a colorful toy with jerky, uncontrolled movements. Soon he became more coordinated, and was able to move himself around a bit to try out each of the toys. By the time he was 9 months old, he knew just how each and every toy worked and was an old pro at doing everything from playing a certain song to spinning a certain ring. Sadly, he was also bored much faster and entering the world of mobility. The exersaucer briefly became a source of facination again when he learned to pull himself up into a standing position.The exersaucer has since been through two other babies, both of who’s mothers will rave about it just as much as I do. Though I was happy to share the wealth, I reminded both of them that I needed in back, in working condition, for the next baby! Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society