should I get a gymini?

[Anonymous]

DD is 4 months old, and she's just recently showing interest in toys. (Before that, she was interested mainly in our faces.) Everyone seems to have a gymini (or similar type of play area) but we don't--do your babies really like it? If it's significantly better than just playing with individual toys, or if it seems like it would be better for her development, I'll get one. But if it's just another thing that takes up space and doesn't seem that worthwhile, I might not. (We live in a townhouse and don't have much "extra" space.)

[Anonymous]

yup - loved ours

[Anonymous]

We have the gymini super deluxe and DD loves it. She kicks and grabs at the toys, and sometimes just looks at them. I think it's good to have as an addition to individual toys because the gym toys stay in place for her to grab, and I can leave her on the mat while I do something else. No fussing over a dropped toy, mom doesn't get tired arms from holding toys up. We bought the Tiny Love wind chimes to add to it. They make a nice sound and she can kick them, or grab them. Sometimes we pop the toys off and use them in other places, like stroller and bouncy seat.

[Anonymous]

Ours was a lifesaver. Get one!!

[Anonymous]

Yes! Ds is 10 months and still plays on his sometimes. It's fun to watch them change the way they play with it - at first they just stare at the arches, then comes batting at toys, laughing at the reflection in the mirror, mouthing everything, to now trying to undo the toy rings and flipping the edges of the mat up to see what's underneath. We skipped the exersaucer, jumperoo, etc., but the mat is a must-have! Like another PP, we also have a few extra chimes/toys so we could change things up and use the ones that came with the mat other places (in the stroller, bouncy seat, shopping cart cover, etc)

[Anonymous]

Another vote for yes. And they fold up rather easily for easy storage and transport. We often took the gymini with us to family/friends houses when we'd go for a visits.

[Anonymous]

I am in the minority - ours got bored with it after a couple weeks. If you want to get one, borrow or purchase for cheap on craigslist (I already got rid of mine).

[Anonymous]

I am a minimalist and as a pp, borrowed, bought used, or did without. We had something similar to a gymini and we rarely used it. Our son just wasn't interested and preferred the bouncy and this other toy we had that makes noises and has lights.

[Anonymous]

I thought it was great for the first couple of months but as your child gets closer to sitting up, he/she won't need it as much. You'd only be using it for a month or so.

[Anonymous]

Yes, my baby loved hers but it's a pretty limited period of usefulness. So, I would try to borrow and buy second-hand.

[Anonymous]

Don't. i wish I hadnt' used it for 1.5 months.
Go straight to the jumperoo.

Or buy a cheap gym.

[Anonymous]

Yes!! Our baby loved hers from 2-6 months. It was truly her favorite place to play, and I think it helped a lot with eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. She was always pulling at the toys and batting them around and later playing with smaller details on the toys.

I bet you could borrow one or find one on CraigsList and then re-sell it when your baby grows out of it in a few months.

[Anonymous]

Both my sons have loved our gymini. That said, I agree it gets less useful as the child matures and yours is probably a month or two from the end.

When traveling, I'd make my gymini by stringing a carrier seat toy (designed to hang from both ends) on chair legs. Worked just as well, and cost about $7.