Customer Reviews

Evenflo Exersaucer Smartsteps Jump & Go

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I never write reviews, but I thought it was necessary to warn people about this toy. We first tried it out with our daughter when she was five months old or so. Like I would think many babies would do, after playing with the toys, she was interested in the straps above her head. This made her look up and put her head back. As she did that, she swung the whole thing over to the side, which sent her toward the door frame. She banged her head pretty hard on the door frame. Not good.

SO, we thought that even though the product said four months and up that she was too young. So, we waited a month. We put her in and stayed next to her this time, and the same thing happened again. We kept her from banging her head, but she would have. I don't see why they wouldn't have made the tray wider to prevent this from happening. Do they think babies are just going to jump up and down, and not move from side to side?

I also wonder sometimes if the people who write these reviews are actually parents who have used this stuff...or PR people who have some reason to endorse what is clearly a lousy product.

This is a really poorly designed product. The plastic frame is not wide enough to prevent a child's hands from gripping the sides while bouncing. My 8 month old son did this and smashed his hand into the door frame. Yes, we set the item high enough so that he was on his tip toes when sitting. The item was set in the middle of the door frame. I guess no one at Evenflo realizes that kids go side-to-side - not just up and down. That means you can only safely use it with a double-wide door. Needless to say, it went right back to the store and a complaint letter was sent to Evenflo.

I purchased two of these Jump N Go's for my twin sons, when they were about 6 months old... and I HATE them!

First of all we bought them since its easier to move the jumpers from room to room than the exersaucer's. I also knew my sons LOVED jumping, and the Jump and Go seemed to be fitted with the most toys. There is actually only one toy, but it plays music, and seemed to be the most entertaining of all of the jumpers.

I have to admit, the assembly was horrible! Well, one of them went together no problem, but the other one just wouldnt click! It was completely ridiculous, so we wound up exchanging it for another, which was easily assembled while we were in BRU... This is obviously not a huge problem, but it may happen to someone! Attaching them to the doorframe was also easy, and they seemed very sturdy. I put my sons in them for about 3 minutes, (in a doorway measuring about 12 ft across!) before I decided they were unsafe!

(1) It seemed like when the boys would jump maybe 4 times in a row, that the clip that holds it over the molding would start slipping out of place! I began to hold the jumpers still when this happened, and watch the clip "slip" back into place, this is certainly not safe!
(2) The boys were banging against the doorframe really hard! I know that they were both in a jumper in one doorway, but it was basically the same room they would have if it was one child in one average sized doorframe. They would also look up at the cross above their heads, causing the jumper to sway over to the doorway and crush their fingers, and bang their heads!
(3) The jumper didnt "jump" right. I believe its for the reason described in a previous review, its built "backwards". When we later purchased the bumper jumper, the twins were fine, and used a lot less energy to jump in them!
(4) They happened to be wearing white onsies, and they were wet with baby drool... The onsies turned BLUE, which came right off of the dye on the seat! I wasn't sure how dangerous this was, or what would happen to the twins if they ingested the stuff, but obviously it wouldn't be washable either!
(5) The seat was also oddly designed. Instead of "propping them up" in a standing position, it sort of set them up with their legs sticking outward... This seemed very awkward, and the boys were leaning forward the entire time, I guess to achieve the correct placement to jump? I know that babies lean foward in most jumpers, but I KNOW that they are supposed to be supported into a standing position, not held in a "sitting" position, anyway this was never a problem with the Graco!
(6) The spring was VERY noisy! At first I didnt purchase these to keep the noise level down, but since the saucers have music (not too loud, but music none the less) I now know its better to have something like this WITHOUT music and sounds... I actually wouldn't have cared, but the music is about 10 x noisier than that of my saucers! No WAY you could watch television with your baby jumping in this apparatus. It was also the kind of noise that worries me, like it sounds as if its malfunctioning, which is very odd since the Jump and Go isn't mechanical at all!

I was quick to return the jumpers, came home with two new Gracos, and am very satisfied... MUCH better quality, and we just add on our own toys (especially since they provide you with the "links" to attach toys to).. I would stay away from this jumper, its not good at all!

I originally wrote a review about this giving it 5 stars, but since my son has learned to jump using his Graco Bumper Jumper at my house, he can't figure out how to jump on this one at his dad's house and ends up getting very frustrated. The toy bar is great. He loves it and likes looking at his reflection.
It's built backwards, if you will. Most jumpers have springs that coil together as the child jumps up, and stretch as the child comes back to the ground, allowing him to be pulled back into the air- allowing him to jump and giving him the assistance needed to jump off the ground. This jumper is built backwards. I'm not sure if it's my jumper or Evenflo built this one funny. As the child is placed into the jumper, the coils come together. The top of the sheath (this holds the straps) over the coils is on top of the coils, which allows the jumper to be built the way it is. So picture this... the child is trying to jump, when usually, he can be pulled into the air. For the child to get started jumping on the Evenflo, in theory, he has to pull himself *down* to get the spring action to jump up. For a baby, this just doesn't work.
I'm giving it two stars because the toy bar is great and my son eventually figured it out. He still LOVES the Graco Bumper Jumper much better, and it even has the pads to prevent him from hurting his fingers. Please consider the Graco instead. Your child will thank you!

We have been using this bouncer for about 3 months now. Since the beginning of use, the material strap that is holding the seat to the top anchor has been fraying. It is now very close to snapping and my son is no longer able to use it. It also gets tangled extremely easy and is not easy to store.
My son loves the bouncing, and unfortunately we are going to have to buy him a new one (a different brand) for Christmas because this one will not hold up.
Go with a different brand!!!

I just want to warn everyone about this toy. I put my 5 mth old baby in it and she was all excited to start jumping and playing when the bottom of the seat fell out and my baby went flying toward to door jam and hit her head. I was so extremely upset that I took it back to Babies-r-us and they were kind enough to let me exchange it for the Graco one. Needless to say, I wish I would of read these reviews before I purchased this product. I really do think this product needs to be recalled.

My daughter LOVES this jumper! I was actually surprised reading all the bad reviews. I got it when she was about 3 months old. She was a little small for it so we got towels and padded her up and absolutely did not leave her unsupervised in it. She's a pretty active 6-month old and as she's gotten older, she just jumps and jumps. She even jumps when people hold her.

However, she does tilt her head backwards and she also grabs the outside of the tray. And I've had her in small doorways. We haven't had a problem with her bumping into anything or pinching her hands, but I can definitely see the potential for this to be a problem. But I remember when these doorway jumpers were just a seat hung by a couple ropes on a spring.

She plays with the toys and music and we hung a couple toys from the loops on the straps. At this point, it's one of the few places that I can put her down and feel like she'll be safe. I recommend this if you've got an active child, but would pay attention to how your child will play in it.

We bought this for use at Grandma & Grandpas house when my 7.5 mon old and I planned an extended trip to see them. We have the FP Jumperoo at the house, and while my daughter liked it, there was NO comparing her reaction to this jumper! She LOVED it. Especially since it gave her the ability to move in a gentle swaying motion, turn in circles and of course, bounce.
For those who gave this a less-than-stellar review, I'd recommend:
A) using this on an older baby, not a 4-5 mon old. (Keep in mind that the instructions recommed that the baby should be able to sit unassisted!) and
B) use in a DOUBLE witdth doorway! There is NO WAY this could be safe in a single doorway. Baby's fingers and head would be dangerously exposed to the door frame.

I heard that these jumpers are very entertaining for children. This is surpassing her other favorite apparatus, the swing. I have tried not to overbuy on unnecessary baby products however this is a must have. At times she squealing with delight. The jumper has lights, sounds, and toys that entertains her. I originally purchases a jumper with just a tray. This one is well worth the extra $10.

I just returned mine. My son liked it but The strap (which is encased in plastic to make it safer) started to fray. It was noisey as well. I would not recommend.