Please, God! Make it stop!

Pandering. That’s all this is—instant gratification for parent maleficence.

Look how happy she is. Oh, and she loves the parrot and little Froggie. And there are five other toys she can play with. I can’t wait to get it home.

A 10-second search on “are baby jumpers good for child development” turns up this …

“Baby jumpers are fun, but they are not beneficial in any way. In fact, they promote movement that is detrimental to the motor skills your baby needs to be developing, according to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. First of all, babies aren’t mature enough to control their own body movements when they are bouncing quickly. This is especially true when it comes to leg and trunk control. The position of the baby in the sling is also a problem, as baby’s weight is supported by the hips, the crotch and under the arms. This pushes the baby forward instead of upright. Because of these factors, babies who often use jumpers may experience developmental problems when it comes to proper posture, and leg and trunk control.

In addition, because jumpers are designed to be propelled by pushing off with the toes, infants who use baby jumpers often will get used to pointing their toes. This, plus the posture problems, can delay walking skills.”

https://www.hellomotherhood.com/article/286964-development-infant-jumpers/

I didn’t review all the experts who were listed but they seemed to have the same comment while explaining that 15 minutes per day is the recommended dosage.

So I went on to my next search, “are too many toys bad for babies?” Again, another trove of experts weighed in to sound the alarm.

“Experts agree that the too-many-toys syndrome isn’t just about the aesthetics of domestic order. It can have negative effects on kids’ developing psyches. For toddlers and preschoolers, an overload of playthings can be overwhelming and distracting. “They pick up one toy, drop it, and move on. They can’t focus on using any of their things to the fullest,” says Margaret Sheridan, Ph.D., chair of the human development department at Connecticut College, in New London.”

http://www.parenting.com/toys/toddler/taming-toy-overload/

I don’t want to go into a rant here. But, at the very least, we need to include parenting and child development in high school. Parenting is the most important responsibility anyone can take on. Yet we require decades of schooling for jobs.

As I read the tragic stories of so many children that illustrate what a terrible job we, in America, are doing raising our kids, it breaks my heart. All I can do with the skills and time I have is support more play systems and voice my concerns.

I am confident that anyone who finds this blog is doing much the same. Good on you!