8 Best Baby Jumpers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed by Experts

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Entertain your child with these doorway bouncers and stationary activity centers with stands.

We updated this article in March 2023 to ensure that all baby jumpers previously tested were in stock and correctly priced. We edited a few favorites to reflect current versions and added one new Jumperoo.

Having a large, colorful and possibly noisy toy center is something most first-time parents of newborns hope to avoid, but as an infant grows more curious and begins to sit up, it's easier to see the appeal of giving them their own baby-centric indoor playground. A jumper does take up space, and its aesthetic is usually aimed at babies, but jumpers can provide parents with a few minutes to prepare dinner or clean up while the baby is having fun. Bouncing up and down is by no means required for development. Tummy time, which leads to rolling and crawling on the floor, is what sets your baby up for walking, according to pediatric experts. With those factors in mind, we suggest using a baby jumper no more than 15 minutes a day.

There are two different kinds of jumpers: A stationary jumper sits on the floor and works with a stand, like a baby's activity center but with bounce; a doorway jumper hangs inside a doorway. Our list includes both options. At the Good Housekeeping Institute, our experts regularly review a range of kids' products, from baby gates to the year's best toys. When our Lab experts review products, we check to make sure they meet the necessary safety requirements, are easy to use, are well constructed and offer value to both parent and child. Our team of engineers and parenting pros have vetted more than 15 baby jumpers to find the best ones for every home.

After our list, read about how we test baby jumpers, get shopping tips from our experts and learn more about age and safety guidelines. If you're in the market for more baby gear, check out our picks for the best baby cribs and best car seats.

Naturally, the zaniest-looking jumper was the favorite of our tester babies and therefore won over their parents too. Every tester and parent appreciated the variety of engaging activities and sensory toys that keep a baby entertained. There's a toy piano, a mini bead maze, several kinds of spinning toys and more. You can also set it to say words and phrases in English, Spanish or French. For example, it can name colors in any of the three languages. It plays six songs and, in keeping with Baby Einstein's roots in educational entertainment, they're all classical compositions, including tunes from Beethoven and Vivaldi.

"The jumpers with all the different toys and the option to hang more toys are great," said Good Housekeeping Institute Executive Director of Textiles Lexie Sachs, a mom of two young kids. "I tried out more simple activity centers, hoping for something that looks less babyish, but my kids weren't impressed." And, she noted, since she wanted to keep a baby in the jumper while she made dinner or got dressed, she needed it to hold their attention for 15 minutes.

We're impressed that this jumper has five height adjustments — more than most — so a short baby will fit into it, and even a tall baby should be able to use it until about their first birthday. The seat spins 360 degrees, so your baby is able to choose any toy or activity they'd like to play with and also turn to watch family members and family pets. The spring action works well, and babies can really bop up and down just by bending their knees.

You'll save money and space if you skip a stationary jumper and get one that clamps onto a doorframe. You'll need a doorway with trim that will help hold the clamp; this jumper wouldn't work in a rounded, frameless doorway, for instance.

This value choice has no toys or extras, but it does what a jumper does: gives your baby a way to flex their little knees and bop around for fun. In our tests, we found that the spring enclosed in the suspension cable does make a noise as your baby moves around, and that's normal.

Evenflo touts this jumper as portable, since it folds up small and is easily carried in a bag — great for family travel, whether you're taking it to grandma's house or an Airbnb, as long as either place has a suitable and safe spot to hang it. The fabric seat can be taken off, machine washed and air-dried if needed.

This activity center is popular because of its modern design and attractive color palette. The seat spins around completely, and there are a half dozen stylish toys, though some testers felt that the activities didn't hold their babies' attention for very long. (You can always buy other toys to sit on the tray.) One cute feature: A clear panel lets your baby stare down at their own feet as they step on the toy piano and activate it.

Instead of having springy cords that hold the seat, this jumper has a springboard on the seat's underside. It moves your baby in a side-to-side motion, like they're surfing — not so much up and down. If you really want your baby to bounce, you might try a different jumper.

The huge plus of this model is that it converts to a useful preschool table when your baby starts cruising, which means taking steps while holding onto something. The springboard is designed to take the place of the seat, forming a flat tabletop, and the whole thing becomes a great table for coloring, playing with dough and other toddler and preschool activities.

RELATED: Find more products to make parent life easier in Good Housekeeping's 2022 Parenting Awards.

When it launched the Jumperoo in 2004, Fisher-Price was one of the first companies to introduce a stationary baby jumper that doesn't need to hang in a doorway. It's since become a classic, not least because it comes with 10 animal-themed toys, along with music, sounds and blinking lights. It's basically a baby arcade!

In our Lab testing and in our homes, we've found this jumper to be easy to assemble and simple to adjust to any of the three heights. We like that the fabric seat can spin 360 degrees and that it's machine washable if you let it air-dry. "We loved the Jumperoo," says Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab Director Stefani Sassos, whose daughter is now 1. "It was so great for keeping her occupied."

This activity center can be folded if you take the legs out of the stand — we had one tester stash it underneath a bed — though the saucer-shaped part is fairly large.

Granted, this won't last through preschool like Skip Hop's jumper-to-table (also on our list), but Bounce Bounce Baby becomes a toddler toy table that's useful until about your child's second birthday. Because there are no overhead arches, it has a slightly lower profile than other baby jumpers. We especially like that you can replace the seat with a net that holds toys for your toddler to fish out.

The seat spins 360 degrees and can be placed at any of three different heights. Its under-$100 price tag may appeal to parents who anticipate using it for only a few months, as well as to grandparents who just want something fun to pull out when the baby visits. It also comes in a bright-pink version.

The base under the seat is what bounces, and our tests show it doesn't move as much as the larger stationary jumpers or doorway jumpers. The fabric seat is removable, which makes it easy to clean. This jumper — and many others on our list — requires some assembly, and a few online reviewers found it a bit time-consuming. But it may be worth it for the nice price.

Expecting or already have a newborn? This toy can be used from birth, since it begins as an activity floor mat with an overhead arch. When you convert it to baby jumper mode, it's good for infants up to 26 pounds, making it a great jumper for a heavy baby. Finally, it can be a toy table throughout the toddler years.

The fully rotating seat adjusts to three heights. It includes lots of interactive elements — more than 25 toys, lights and sounds — to promote exploration and spark curiosity. Our testers liked this jumper, but some found assembly to be tricky — or, more accurately, intimidating. As one online reviewer noted, "It looked more complicated than it really was."

For pure silliness, this newer version of the Jumperoo is cute (a little ice-cream truck!) and becomes a floor toy later, extending its life into toddlerhood. The seat, which is machine washable, bounces up and down well. But note that the seat doesn't spin on this one, so for the months that your baby is sitting in it and not beside it, they'll be able to reach only the steering wheel and the toys at the front of the vehicle.

This jumper employs the Fisher-Price Smart Stages system, which lets you set it to stage 1, 2 or 3 as your baby grows, teaching concepts like letters, numbers and shapes in nuanced ways as your toddler begins to acquire more vocabulary. When your baby is riding in the seat, the interactive steering wheel sets off more than a hundred songs and sayings. Once this jumper is off the stand and on the floor, your toddler has access to all of that, plus the toys on each side and the back, including a shape sorter.

For all the minimalist parents and families who are short on space, a doorway jumper works great as long as you have a doorframe to attach it to. This one includes a tray for snacks and two electronics-free toys. It's especially well-suited for the kitchen doorway so your baby can paw at some finger foods while you prepare a meal.

Testers noted that it's easy to get baby in and out of this seat and that the fabric is machine washable. The height of the strap is adjustable, so you're able to change it as your baby grows taller. Note, however, that many online reviewers say that the adjustment is not intuitive; see how it's done in this video from Graco.

Scientists, engineers, journalists and, yes, parents all have a hand in reviewing consumer products for the Good Housekeeping Institute. Baby products are tested year-round in our Labs and in consumer homes. Our experts also attend trade shows, meet with brands and regularly scour the market for new items to test and try. (See our expert picks for the best lightweight strollers and best high chairs.)

To create this roundup of best baby jumpers, our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute tested a variety of both freestanding jumpers and those that hang in doorways. We looked at the top brands and gave preference to jumpers that have been on the market for enough time to get month-over-month reports. We examined 15 baby jumpers in our Lab and sent those same jumpers to parents for use with more than 10 energetically bouncing babies at home.

It's important that baby jumpers are both sturdy and so easy to build that parents don't require outside help. We don't want to see any exposed metal parts, nor any toys that are too difficult for a young baby to operate. These picks consist of our product pros' favorites, reviews from parent testers we spoke to and popular brands with hundreds or thousands of five-star reviews. We'll continue to test new jumpers as they come out this year.

Our Lab experts do not recommend baby walkers with wheels. These are a leading cause of baby injuries. A baby on wheels can get into trouble fast. For instance, they could yank the edge of a tablecloth and knock everything on the table onto their head. They can also quickly get to stairs, a swimming pool, a hot stove or a fireplace — you get the idea.

Baby jumpers, like the Jumperoo, are safer, but parental supervision is important. You should also take note of the following:

✔️ Make sure the jumper is in an open, level space . It will be safest if you keep it within your eyesight, and your baby will be happiest if they can see you too.

✔️ Don't use a jumper until your baby has strong neck control, often around the 6-month mark. Some jumpers are marked as safe from 4 months as long as your baby can hold their head up well. More on that in the box below.

✔️ If your baby falls asleep in the jumper, move them immediately to a safe sleeping space.

✔️ J umping will not help your baby learn to walk. In fact, too much time in a jumper could be detrimental. "A baby's motor development is best supported by playing on a mat on the floor, practicing tummy time, rolling and sitting," says pediatric physical therapist Magdalena Oledzka, Ph.D., clinical lead for pediatric rehabilitation at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. "Sitting a baby in a jumper places your baby on their toes and creates altered biomechanics. Used too much, it may contribute later to a tightness in the calf muscles and bias toward toe walking."

✔️ Your baby should not be left in a baby jumper for more than about 15 minutes a day . "Time spent on the floor in a safe environment exploring freely and playing is more conducive to your baby's motor, sensory and cognitive development," Oledzka says.

A baby jumper is for use during the period when your baby has great neck control and is ready to sit up but not yet trying to take steps. Babies this age are super curious and eager to play. How do you know if your baby is ready for a jumper?

"You want to make sure your child isn't able to cruise around on their own, but can support their own head before putting them into a jumper ," says Rachel Rothman, Good Housekeeping's chief technologist and director of engineering. That sweet spot starts between 4 and 6 months and ends between 9 and 12 months, but it depends upon the development and physicality of your child. "Doorway jumpers usually require even more head support," Rachel adds, "and it's important to check the weight and any size restrictions as well, which can vary from product to product."

As soon as your baby begins to cruise — holding onto things and taking steps — they're too old to sit inside a baby jumper.

When you're searching for a jumper to entertain your baby, keep these things in mind:

✔️ Doorway vs. freestanding jumper: A jumper you can attach to a doorframe is good if you live in a small apartment, but be mindful that you're going to have to continually either move it out of the way to get past it or take it down and put it back up. Doorway jumpers aren't always compatible with all doorways (most require molding, but not too thick, etc.). A freestanding jumper is much easier to move from place to place and has many more toys to play with, but it will take up much more room.

✔️ Size and storage: The jumpers we tested range from weighing a couple pounds for the doorway jumpers to more than 20 pounds for the big activity centers. The big ones are not easy to travel with at all, but some of them can be stashed out of the way.

✔️ Activities: Some jumpers come with lots of included activities, and many offer space for you to add your own toys.

✔️ Always buy new: With all baby gear, new and unused products are a safer bet than vintage gear or hand-me-downs. Safety guidelines change, and it's best to be up-to-date. Also, babies really put their mark on their jumpers — handling all the toys, gumming whatever they can — so a new jumper will be more likely to be germ-free.

Everything that babies and kids play with goes through Rachel Rothman, the Good Housekeeping Institute's chief technologist and executive technical director. In addition to being a 15-year veteran of the Lab, she's a parent of three kids ages 6 and younger. See her picks for the best STEM toys for kids and the best baby bath toys.

This story was originally reported by journalist Ingrid Meilan, a writer and mom in California who also knows the best bento boxes for kids. This update was written by Jessica Hartshorn, a mom of two who has reported on baby gear for more than 20 years, including for Parents magazine. She's also written roundups of the best nursery gliders and best baby bassinets.

Ingrid Meilan is a Los Angeles, California based writer and reporter. She hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and a cardigan back in 2007 and has been loving life in Southern California ever since. Wife, mom to a wild little boy, amateur crafter, proud Disneyland Annual Passholder.

Jessica (she/her) is a freelance writer with several decades of experience writing lifestyle content and evaluating home and parenting products. A mom of two teens and two cats, her previous work can be seen in American Baby and Parents.

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