How to Use a Jolly Jumper

A Jolly Jumper has kept many a baby happy and entertained for hours. The rhythmic motion, and the fact that a baby can move himself as he wants, is enough to keep a baby from growing tired of the jumper too quickly. Put into mass production in 1948, the Jolly Jumper was first invented by Susan Olivia Poole in 1910 to soothe and entertain her own children. Susan attributed the design idea to elder Ojibwas who would attach their babies to a tree branch using a papoose while working. When a baby would cry, its mother would jiggle the tree branch to make him happy. 

Instructions:

1. Attach the door clamp above the trim in a doorway. Place significant weight on the clamp to test that it is sturdy.

2. Open the snaps on the cloth where the baby sits and put the cloth flat on the floor.

3. Lay your baby on the cloth, as he would fit in the jumper and snap the cloth around him, making sure his legs are protruding from the holes in the bottom and he is secure and comfortable in the seat.

4. Attach the top of the horizontal bar to the loose end of the spring hanging from the door clamp.

5. Move the chain attached to the top of the door clamp up or down to adjust the height of the jumper so your baby's toes are just barely touching the floor.

6. Push down slightly on the horizontal bar to show your baby that it moves and help him start jumping.