One of the things to come out of Baby Gym is just how good an exercise it is for your baby to be perched on top of a big bouncy ball and then being made to bounce – it activates and stimulates their sense of balance as well as speed of recovery, and combining it with some other exercises like rolling them side to side or over the top on both their tummy and back, really does turn the simple hopping ball into an essential home gym accessory!

Finding one at a toy shop however isn’t quite as easy as you might think, especially when the balls come packed in boxes which aren’t spherical in shape at all, never mind the staff that don’t quite understand what you are trying to mime to them when inquiring about bouncy balls in the first place. Nevertheless, I persevered and was eventually rewarded with a bright orange Winnie the Pooh hopping ball from Toys R Us in Bellville, along with this really cool green elephant plush toy that laughs when you pull on its cord! (Truth be told, I was more excited about the elephant than the ball. So was Ryan. Jessica on the other hand couldn’t care less about the elephant as it turns out).

I must admit to being a little bit stumped when I extracted the deflated stretchy balloon from its box, struggling to figure out just how in the world one was meant to inflate this giant monstrosity. Unfortunately for me, it would seem that I’m the only one who doesn’t know about these cool removable plug systems, as Ryan and Chantelle were quick to point out how dumb I was being in terms of struggling to get this thing inflated.

As it turned out, Chantelle did most of the donkey work.

Still, it was all worth it, because Jessie can’t seem to get enough of the bright orange chew toy which Daddy occasionally throws her on and then makes her bring up her lunch with some vigorous hops…