Worth the investment--even on a budget

I did a lot of checking before deciding to spend a little extra money for this jumper. I checked out exersaucers, baby einstein jumpers and lots more. This jumper had everything I wanted: lots of things to keep a kid occupied, a rotating seat and good bouncing! My son has loved this product for the past five months and counting. Sometimes he will jump endlessly and sometimes he will just play with the toys forever.
Speaking of the toys, I was really happy with the selection because when he first got in it he only could use the chew toy, but he gradually developed skills to use them all. There are five toy stations and each one has an activity involved--i.e. spinning an object, pressing a button, reaching and grabbing, and of course the best part, the motion activated sounds and lights. There are two settings: constant music and sounds and motion activated. When the baby jumps or plays with certain toys, the jumper responds with lights and music which encourages the baby to play. I really liked this because it kept him entertained longer and I could watch him learn new skills and practice them.
It is easy to set up and take down and adjusts well as they get older. We glanced at the manual a few times, and it is clear to read, but it wasn't really necessary because it was pretty self explanatory to put together. My son is currently 10 months, about 23lbs and 28inches and he is on the highest height setting, but can easily keep jumping for a while longer and he isn't even close to maxing out in the weight category. I originally first put him in the jumping at about 5 months when he was holding himself up better, but I could have put him in it sooner.
The 360 degree rotating seat is a must over previous designs--especially as babies get older. I spent $80 (which is a lot to me), but it has definitely been worth it. The main reason I went with this over an exersaucer is the kids get a lot better bounce in it, which keeps them entertained longer and gives a great little work out!