advice on activity gyms??

[dreamtiger]

so my 4 month old DD (6 weeks premature tho) is not yet grabbing things or rolling over and the pediatrician & physical therapist recommended those activity gym type things so that she can develop her motor skills.

I never bought one because the idea of a big plasticky thing that sings and shakes and lights up while my baby lies under it didn't appeal to me. I mean come on, what did our parents use on us? And we all know how to grab things! and children around the world, they learn how to roll over eventually without the help of fisher price.

but now i'm thinking, maybe I'm depriving my child and hindering her motor development???

so just wanted to hear...
did you use those activity gyms with your dd/ds?

if so, any recommendations?

are there any "natural" but good alternatives to the gymini/baby einstein varieties?

thanks for any advice

[Leininger27]

Yes we have one and my ds loved it! We got ours from carters and it is made with minky! Gotta love it!

[Rhianna'sMommy]

We looked long and hard for ours. We just got a basic bar that you set over baby that has loops you can hang most any toy over. Then we took off the one battery run one that came with it and replaced it with a plain rattle. I rotated the toys but would put keys or nice simple toys like that on it. DD loved it.

I did a quick look on the web for something similar to what I have but of course can't find anything. Everything is battery run. Ours was just plain but it is hard to describe.

[dreamtiger]

thanks for the help! anyone else??

[urchin_grey]

My DS has this one:
http://www.toadsandtulips.com/whgymtogobym.html
(We didn't pay that much though we got ours at Target on clearance for $8. )

Its all cloth, no plastic, no batteries. And the top bar part detaches from the mat so you can toss the bottom part in the washer whenever it gets all spitup-y.

ETA: Oh, and it also comes with a (plastic) carrying case so you can take it with you to a friend's house or whatever.

[cicily]

My son loved his Baby Einstein Discover and Play Activity Center . I really think it helped with his hand-eye coordination. You can also check your local craigslist to see if you can find a used one for cheap.

[Leininger27]

Originally Posted by cicily My son loved his Baby Einstein Discover and Play Activity Center . I really think it helped with his hand-eye coordination. You can also check your local craigslist to see if you can find a used one for cheap.

We have that too and it is a huge hit in our house as well! My ds loves the exersaucer!!!

[adrocksmommy]

I so wanted this one.

http://threesisterstoys.com/storedet...Activity%20Gym

but we already had Adrock's left over. Jude hates the plastic one. It scares him.