Should you buy a baby jumper? (No, not the cardigan kind).

Becoming a parent for the first time is an exciting, life-changing journey. But it can also be a very expensive one.

If the sales assistants are to be believed, you need a hell of a lot. Cots, prams, change tables and clothes, and don’t forget the medical costs. Once you start dipping your toes into the ‘baby world,’ it quickly becomes apparent that the credit card can take a beating.

Of course every parent-to-be wants the best for their baby, but surely there are some things on the seemingly endless baby-shopping list you can go without?

Five months ago, I welcomed baby number three. I like to think that by this stage I’m fairly across what’s actually needed and what’s not. In fact, off the top of my head I can think of at least four items that I was told I needed for a young baby that probably got a run maybe once or twice.

But there’s one thing I learnt I needed very, very quickly -- a baby jumper.

It doesn’t matter what kind of baby you are blessed with, there will come a point where you need use of your hands. Having a young baby is draining and exhausting. There will be days when you feel like whenever you put your child down, they lose it. You can’t get anything done that you need to, let alone have any kind of ‘me time.’

A baby jumper gives you that.

My children have all been dramatically different.

The first would not let me put him down, ever. I didn’t have a jumper with him so I held him. All. The. Time. This resulted in me being tired, drained and swamped in housework. I was stressed and thought I was doing everything wrong.

He cried, I cried.

Before I had my second son I knew that things couldn’t go the way they did with the first. I had a very active two year old to run after so I did some research, and on the advice of other mums I got a baby jumper to make sure baby was safe (and happy) while I attended to other things.

My second child was a dream (or was it the fact that I had a jumper?). He happily played while I got things done. I was able to shower, stack the dishwasher and be present with my older child. It was a stationary Fisher-Price jumper, which he loved.

Enter child number three. She is a little clingier. She likes to be able to see me at all times. As long as she is in the room with me, all is right with the world. As much as I loved the bigger jumper, we had moved house and didn't have the space that we did before. I went searching for a solution that would tick all the boxes.

I was lucky enough to come across the Fisher-Price Jumperoo, which, in my humble opinion rivals sliced bread in the greatness stakes.

With the Jumperoo, baby is encouraged to be active with lights, music and sensory-stimulating activities that are designed to develop motor skills through their natural jumping and kicking actions. I work from home and my daughter happily bounces away next to me while I type. Each day, I see her progress a little more with her skills, being able to do just that little bit more. And being height adjustable, it can grow with your child.

The Jumperoo is portable too, which means that I can move my baby from room to room, keeping her happy and my hands free (and clean, I park her outside my bathroom to shower). And it’s compact, which is great because with two older children I often feel like I’m drowning in kids’ stuff. I’m able to fold it down easily at the end of the day, and easily slide it beside the couch so I can have my lounge room back. It’s also light enough to throw in the back of the car when the children went to my in laws for the weekend. Finally, the Jumperoo’s fabric is machine washable, which, let’s be honest, is essential for those cute little grubs.

So if you’re feeling a bit lost in the world of baby stuff, do yourself a favour and put the Fisher-Price Rainforest Space Saver Jumperoo on your shopping list. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

What are other baby products are essential to you?