10 of the best baby activity centres and jumpers
Our pick of the top activity centres and jumpers for babies, including winners from our 2020 Toy Awards
Anything that keeps little ones entertained for more than a moment or two gets a major thumbs-up from us, and activity centres, packed with toys that encourage exploration, hand-eye coordination and learning about cause-and-effect, provide a safe play space for inquisitive little minds to explore for hours.
Most can be used once your baby is able to sit up and many have a dual purpose – whether as a walker, craft table or jumper.
Price points vary depending on the functionality on offer, but it’s worth considering how much use you’ll get out of your activity centre as your little one grows, as some offer the chance to change up as your child gets bigger.
Each activity centre featured includes different toys in all shapes and sizes, many have musical and light options, some include soft toys and some are removable, so you can switch up activities for your mini explorer. After hours of testing by the MFM team, toy experts, judges and most importantly, at-home testers, we’ve found the best activity centres out there.
For more ways to allow your child to entertain themselves independently, take a look at our best bouncer chairs, swingers and rockers.
Best activity centres at a glance
- Best activity centre for longevity: Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Baby's View 3-Stage Activity Centre, £150
- Best value activity centre: Red Kite Baby Go Round Jumparound Peppermint Trail, £59.99
- Best activity centre for transformation: Infantino Sit Spin and Stand Entertainer, £69.99
- Best activity centre for colourful toys: Fisher-Price Roarin' Rainforest Jumparoo, £104.99
- Best activity centre for a range of songs: Little Tikes Fantastic Firsts 3-in-1 Switcharoo Table, £30
- Best activity centre for scooting safely: Red Kite Baby Go Round Jive Walker Peppermint Trail, £35
- Best activity centre for smaller spaces: Oribel Portaplay Convertible Activity Centre, £145
- Best activity centre for innovation: Skip Hop Explore & More Jumpscape Foldaway Jumper, £149.53
- Best activity centre for a great light show: Little Tikes Light 'n' Go 3-in-1 Walker and Activity Table, £36
- Best activity centre for bouncing: Baby Einstein Neighbourhood Friends Activity Jumper, £89.99
Here is our pick of the best activity centres, as tested by babies...
1. Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Baby's View 3-Stage Activity Centre, £150 – best for longevity
Age: 4 months +
Awards: MadeForMums Toy Awards 2019 Best Activity Centre or Jumper – Gold
What it is: A multi-stage activity centre with a seat that rotates 360 degrees. There are 25 developmental activities, including 5 toys that clip onto the tray. When your baby grows too big for the activity centre, it transforms into a drawing table with a plastic chalkboard surface (you can buy matching chairs, sold separately).
Why we love it: It has a much longer lifespan than your average bouncer, so it really works hard for its slightly higher price tag, making it our Gold award-winner. And it has fun features – the light-up foot piano was a particular favourite with our testers and once it has changed into a drawing table, the chalkboard was a big hit with our toddler reviewers.
It comes with an additional suction snack bowl, a cute extra. It’s super-easy to assemble, in lovely colours, and there’s masses of stuff to keep your little one entertained.
Daniella, MFM tester and mum of 7-month-old Archie, says: “This jumper does so many things in one, so you do not have to have loads of toys lying around, which is a must for me as I have a small sitting room. It sits nicely in the corner and provides hours of fun – I can tell by my little boy’s cooing noises he loves it!”
Available from: Amazon and JoJoMamanBebe
2. Red Kite Baby Go Round Jumparound Peppermint Trail, £59.99 – best for value
Age: 6 months +
Awards: MadeForMums Toy Awards 2019 Best Activity Centre or Jumper – Silver
What it is: A musical electronic activity jumper with 3 height settings, removable play tray and 360 degree rotating seat. Comes with a number of moving and sound toys.
Why we love it: A multifunctional jumper, the Red Kite Baby Go Round Jumparound Peppermint Trail matches the functionality of many other products on our list, but goes one better with its price – half the cost of most on the market, it offers exceptional value for what it delivers.
Our testers loved its squishy rotating seat which swivels with ease and its selection of toys, which in comparison to more expensive models on our round-up like the Fisher Price Roarin’ Rainforest Jumparoo, were equally as enjoyable for their baby.
Abbie, MFM tester and mum of Phoebe, 10 months, says: “It’s easy to assemble, good quality and it’s an ideal size for small lounges as it folds away and stores well.”
Available from: Red Kite and Kiddies Kingdom
3. Infantino Sit, Spin and Stand Entertainer, £69.99 – best transformation
Age: 4 months +
What it is: An activity centre with 3 height settings, folding legs and a spinning seat that converts into a fun stand-and-play activity table. Comes with 6 detachable toys with light-up buttons and musical effects.
Why we love it: The animal characters are very cute and chunky and our mini testers loved the rolling toys. Like others on our list, such as the Oribel Portaplay Convertible Activity Centre and Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Baby's View 3-Stage Activity Centre, it reinvents itself as a play table once your little one has outgrown the jumper, but it’s a much more purse-friendly option at under £80.
The play table features a great bird’s-eye jungle scene that makes the perfect base for games and crafts and the tucked-away seat can hold any unused toys, a clever option. It folds up nice and small too and our testers were big fans of its premium feel and bargain price.
MFM tester Meghan, mum to Amelia, 11 months, says: “This is brilliant, sturdy and versatile. The quality of the attachments and toys are perfect.”
Available from: Amazon
4. Fisher-Price Roarin’ Rainforest Jumparoo, £104.99 – best for colourful toys
Age: 9 months +
What it is: A bold and rainbow-bright bouncing activity centre first launched 15 years ago. It’s got a 3-level height adjustable seat that swivels 360 degrees and a number of toys including soft monkeys, spinners, clickers, a bead bar and mirror.
Why we love it: Ask most parents about jumper toys and, chances are, the name Jumparoo will crop up. The Fisher Price Roarin’ Rainforest Jumparoo has garnered a legion of loyal fans as babies love its music, lights and bouncy movement and parents adore its sturdy design and removable, machine-washable seat.
Priced in the middle of the market, the range of toys on offer is impressive and little ones can twist, turn and bounce as they explore the attachments.
While it was once a bulky, room-dominating piece of kit, the newest version is slightly more compact and easier to fold up and store, although it’s still rather hefty, so those with less space to play with may need to check measurements first. Read our full review of it here.
Available from: Amazon
5. Little Tikes Fantastic Firsts 3-in-1 Switcharoo Table, £30 – best for range of songs
Age: From 12 months
Awards: MadeForMums Toy Awards 2019 Best Activity Centre or Jumper – Joint Bronze
What it is: A sturdy, adjustable-height activity centre with three modes – a sit-and-play toy for babies, a stand-up table for toddlers, or, with a removable centre toy, as an on-the-go activity. It has over 75 songs, sounds and a number of colourful activities.
Why we love it: The Little Tikes brand is renowned for quality and durability in its products and the Fantastic Firsts 3-in-1 Switcharoo Table has both in spades.
The sheer number of fun songs is unrivalled in any other activity centre on our list and the interesting activities for children to play with are numerous, with buttons to push, flips to switch and cute animals to play peek-a-boo with.
The scene swaps from a school to a zoo with a quick switch, a nifty touch.
Samantha, MFM tester and mum of 1-year-old Harry, says: “Harry and I love that the house door opens and closes – it’s a cool feature that keeps him entertained! It’s nice and colourful, the perfect height and there are lots of things to play with.”
Available from: Little Tikes and Amazon
6. Red Kite Baby Go Round Jive Walker Peppermint Trail, £35 – best for scooting safely
Age: 6 months +
Awards: MadeForMums Toy Awards 2019 Best Activity Centre or Jumper – Joint Bronze
What it is: A super-robust baby walker with removable electronic activity tray, 3 height-adjustable frame that boasts a number of bright toys and tunes.
Why we love it: A walker and activity tray in one, the dual use of the Red Kite Baby Go Round Jive Walker Peppermint Trail means babies are kept entertained for a good length of time, scoring it a Joint Bronze in our awards.
At under £30, it’s the cheapest on our list, and while there are fewer things to play with than other more complex models, like Skip Hop’s Silver Lining Cloud Baby's View 3-Stage Activity Centre, the play tray can be removed and your little one’s favourite toys can replace it while they scoot around.
Our mini testers adored its comfy seat, smooth walking motion and eye-catching, gender-neutral design.
Importantly, it also comes with an extra safety function built in, with a stop-and-go base.
Laura, MFM tester and mum of Lola, 9 months, says: “This walker is an excellent price point. It looks lovely and Lola is clearly comfy in it. It folds fairly flat too, so can be stored easily under a table or sofa when not in use.”
Available from: Kiddies Kingdom
7. Oribel Portaplay Convertible Activity Centre, £145 – best for smaller spaces
Age: 5 months +
What it is: A battery-free activity centre with a rotating, bouncy seat, 6 activity toys and folding, height-adjustable legs that can be converted into a play table for toddlers and pre-schoolers.
Why we love it: It’s an investment toy that can easily last for the first 5 years of your child’s life. Like the Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Baby's View 3-Stage Activity Centre, it converts into a play table once your child grows out of the seat.
It’s £10 more than Skip Hop’s offering, and it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of singing, light-up toys, but the quality of the activities it does have is undeniable, the design is beautiful, it’s a neat size and it folds up nicely for storage.
MFM tester Honey, mum to Alfie, 8 months, says: “It’s very well made – and the colours are bright but not garish. The toys are perfect: the bead maze and mirror are Alfie’s favourites.”
Available from: Amazon and Kidly
8. Skip Hop Explore & More Jumpscape Foldaway Jumper, £149.53 – best for innovation
Age: 4 months +
What it is: A height-adjustable, bouncing activity centre with a rotating seat and a cloud-shaped bounce counter that tracks and rewards your baby’s jumps with lights and sounds. The 4 toys are detachable and the whole thing folds flat for storage.
Why we love it: When it comes to innovation, the Skip Hop Explore & More Jumpscape Foldaway Jumper is top of the pile – we rate the ‘parent reminder’ that lets you know when your baby has been playing in the centre for 10 and then 20 minutes.
The clapping sounds for 100 jumps was also a delight for little bouncers, along with the detachable leaf teethers. While it’s at the top end of the price range for this category, especially as it doesn’t grow with your child like others on our list, we still think it’s a great buy and one that your child will undoubtedly love.
Terrianne, mum to Trixie-Maize, 9 months, says: “A brilliant jumper with a lovely deep seat. The soothing music and lights help her wind down in the evening before her bath and bed.”
Available from: Amazon
9. Little Tikes Light ‘n Go 3-in-1 Walker and Activity Table, £36 – best for a great light show
Age: From birth
What it is: A walker, table and activity centre in one. The walker has lights that project from the dome onto the floor, and the activity board slides up for table play and is filled with fun features.
Why we love it: We love the light show, which for its modest price, outperforms any other products on our list. There’s no waiting around to use this Little Tikes Light ‘n Go 3-in-1 Walker and Activity Table either, as the activity board can be taken off to be played with by younger babies, who will no doubt be enthralled by the 70+ activities, songs, and sounds – a huge selection in comparison to others in the same price bracket.
Although it's slightly clunky to move around, it’s certainly packed full of entertainment and will help toddlers to slowly grow in confidence on their feet.
Available from: Little Tikes and Argos
10. Baby Einstein Neighbourhood Friends Activity Jumper, £89.99 – best for bouncing
Age: 6 months +
What it is: A jumper with a rotating seat, 4 activity stations, 5 height settings and a 3-key piano with lights and volume control.
Why we love it: When it comes to activity centres that bounce, this Baby Einstein Activity Jumper is one of the springiest we found and little legs have boundless energy for bouncing when placed in its squishy swivelling seat. It’s not one of the most compact bouncers available, but it’s certainly one of the busiest, with 4 different activity stations that feature all manner of spinning, rattling and rolling toys.
The lights, music and multi-sensory activities lend themselves to a much higher price tag, making it excellent value for money.
There’s even a piano, with a merciful mute button – a godsend when little ones undoubtedly spend hours fixated within this fab jumper.
Available from: Amazon and Smyths Toys
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