When I was contacted to be one of the first mums in the UK to try out the Roarin’ Rainforest Jumperoo, ahead of it’s January 2016 release, I was over the moon! We are very familiar with the Rainforest Jumperoo and I should think so considering Toby got it for Christmas over 2 years ago! It held a very special place in my heart as it was the saviour of my sanity to some extent.
All round baby entertainment, perfect for Ted who was just about to start crawling when it arrived. I was so excited to get it out of the box and see how it compared to our existing one. Initially, I was impressed. I love the new curved supports and feet on the base and I was taken with the new toys on offer – and I wasn’t disappointed when I hoped for a couple of new melodies! However, upon the super easy assembly I was left a little deflated. It was certainly a lot lighter and I was left wondering how robust it was. It also seemed much bigger than our existing jumperoo and I couldn’t really see how the Roarin’ Rainforest Jumperoo would offer a space saving solution.
Oh how wrong was I? Check this out, cool huh? This is quite the redeeming feature! After playing around with it a bit, we actually managed to fit it down the side of the sofa and it stores like a dream! The Rainforest Jumperoo does this too so you don’t lose any space when storing.
Equally fascinating and frustrating are the soft hanging monkeys which replace the old parrot and frog (although I call it a gecko). Toby who’s almost 2.5 usually tries to hang off of them and they’re still in place so they’re pretty robust. I have to admit though, I do prefer the older design where the height of them could be adjusted. Unfortunately, these are just clicked in place and have no room for movement which is a bit of shame as they’re out of Ted’s eyesight, and reach.
Identical to our old Jumperoo it has toys placed 360 degrees around the seat. This is a brightly coloured, removable and washable tiger’s head. Trust me, you need to be able to wash these things because I’ve made the mistake of putting a small human in there not long after a full bottle of milk. Not forgetting all the dribble they seem to produce!
The toys include a butterfly teether, a dangling hippo for Ted to have a good go at batting, a sliding alligator which clicks and has a mirror like sticker, a roller with a lion and some rather small and noisy balls in and another dangling elephant between a giraffe and palm tree (this is where the melodies are played from too) and the leaves on this toy light up with the melody.
I think these are all great as there’s thought behind each toy. Whether it’s because Fisher Price knows that baby’s are fascinated by their own reflection, or that they know that both gross and fine motor skills are important things to learn, there’s a reason for each one.
Four height settings are offered on the Roarin’ Rainforest Jumperoo, compared to 3 on the older one, which are wonderfully easy to adjust. The lowest height is still taller than the lowest setting on the Rainforest Jumperoo, but the springs are much more forgiving and so there’s no real difference.
The Jumperoo is perfect from 6-12 months depending on how mobile your baby is. I personally wouldn’t really use it after baby is walking. On a side note, I used it with Ted at 4 months for short periods of time – his neck control was wonderful. It helps them find their feet, get used to bearing weight and will help when it comes to finding their balance.
Fisher Price have outdone themselves here because I genuinely believe this is an improvement on the previous model, especially with the space saving feature. However, a top spec product comes with a top spec price tag of £119. Is it worth it?
I think it’s one of those things you’d do as a present at Christmas, if the time is right. Or it’s one of those things that your parents/grandparents would maybe like to chip in for if it’s something you really wanted. But know this; the Roarin’ Rainforest Jumperoo offers so much for you, as well as your baby. It gives you peace of mind that your baby will not have moved from where you left them and it gives you half an hour to get some housework done (aka sitting down with a cuppa and a biscuit to catch up with some rather rubbish television) – now that is priceless some days!
Hi, I would like to know if the seat of the latest version is cushioned and if it provides neck support like the old version? I am still not sure of which one to buy.
Thanks for your help!
Hello! The seats are pretty much exactly the same. Neither of them offer neck support though so please ensure your little one can hold their neck before putting them into one. Personally, if I was going to buy one from new I’d stick with the original version rather than this one. Hope that helps! Jade x
Thank you so much for that!! Does the old one still fold down? Similar to the way the new one folds?
and I assume we should still be able to get plenty of use out of the old one with only the three height adjustments? Most of my friends have said the same as you: that once their babies are a little older and more mobile, it’s hard to get them to stay in anything anyway! didn’t know if you found the old one to have smaller leg holes or anything.
I think you’ve helped me make my decision…. The new one looked appealing, but the old one seems like an old faithful that so many people have liked. and honestly, size is my biggest factor! If the space saver ones bounced more, I’d opt for that one, but I know my baby wants to actually bounce! Really appreciate your help!!! Thanks so much 🙂
You’re very welcome! Yes the old one folds in like the new one does, you literally just detach a leg and fold it in on itself. You’ll still get more than enough use out of the old one, I’ve had it through both of my boys and I’d still keep it for the next one too, so they can always be put in storage. The base circle is smaller on the older one but the metal bars that make it up aren’t any thicker or anything like that. The newer one has curved supports which make it bigger too. If space is what you’re short on, I’d go for the new one xx
Hi so out of the two re compact? I’m confused as read the older model has smaller base then you reccomrnded the new one for compact? Many thanks
If you’re looking for something that’s compact when set up then the older model is much better as the base is smaller. In terms of storing, by disconnecting the bars at the base and folding them in on themselves they both fold the same way so if you want it based on how small it folds up, it doesn’t matter too much. Thank you 🙂
Both the old and new versions are available on Amazon for around the same price. With both options available, which of the two would you say you prefer? Smaller size and fold ability are major bonuses in our house! It’s hard to tell online which one of these is smaller and more portable. I’ve also read reviews saying babies prefer toys on older version and that toys are easier to reach?? At our last dr visit, we were around 60 something% for weight and 80something% for height. Almost 6 months old and would like to know we’ll get at least a couple months of use.
Would really appreciate your input. Thanks 🙂
Hi Kristine. Despite them being a similar price on Amazon, you can actually pick the older one up on Ebay in pretty good nick for around £40. I expect Amazon will have inflated their prices slightly for the older version because they know if some people would prefer to have that, they’d be likely to pay. Having said that, with both options available, I would probably go for the older one; it’s smaller and more portable than the newer one. However, the older one will last a bit longer because it can go higher, so if you’re looking for a longer life, that’d be the one to choose. The only toys that are slightly out of reach, compared to the older one, are the two hanging toys. They aren’t able to be moved down like you can on the older one, and I did mention that in my review. However, Teddy preferred both lots of toys, I don’t think that’s either here not there really. Ted is now 9 months and we barely use ours anymore, just for the simple fact that he likes to get around. I maybe put him in it a couple of times a week, just to get 10 minutes where I don’t have to watch what he’s doing, and it’s been like that for almost a month now. Should he have not been as mobile, we’d definitely still be using it as we could go up another notch. I hope that helps! Any more questions, feel free to ask xx
We love the jumperoo in our house and also have the rainforest version. Had it for almost 5 years now and it’s still going strong 🙂
We never had a Jumperoo but they look like great fun! x
I literally wish they did adult sized ones because I’d probably be fighting over it with the kids, haha x