The Mamasaur Reviews: Skip Hop Activity Center

After using the Skip Hop Activity Center for my Irish twins, here’s my honest review.

There are few parenting purchases I’ve enjoyed buying more than transitional, multi-stage, convertible equipment. As long as the products are built to last, the bargain exists in the longevity and multipurpose functionality that they offer. The Skip Hop Activity Center is one such item that touts versatility. But does it deliver?

(Find out in my review or, if brevity is more your thing, skip right to the end for a link!)

I bought our Skip Hop Activity Center in April 2021, when Orson was nearly 4 months old. After previous satisfying Skip Hop purchases (like a tummy time mat, foam floor tiles, and this ADORABLE bathtime set), I expected great things from this convertible activity center. Designed to accommodate infants to toddlers with 3 different configurations, we’d be sure to get a LOT of use from it!

First Impressions

If you’re like us and prefer more subdued, monochromatic decor, you’ll love the desaturated palette used for Skip Hop equipment. The pretty, soft pastels. The sweet, smiling expressions on the toys (no tacky, gaudy, overly-cartoony faces with this brand). And the musical toy on this activity center is quiet, NOT overstimulating.

This activity center offers 3 stages of play. It has kind of a bouncer/swivel stage with a height-adjustable foot platform. That changes to an activity station set-up as your little one transitions to walking. And, ultimately, it can be modified for use as a coloring/snack/activity table. So, LOTS of options, lots of activities, lots of potential usage.

For the promising potential, the price seemed like a worthwhile investment. It was super simple to assemble right out of the box, just clicking together with ease. And aesthetically pleasing enough that we didn’t consider its presence in our living room intrusive. So far, so good.

Where It Fell “Short”

For starters, Orson, proportionally, just has shorter legs. He didn’t stand a chance, really. Both of his grandfathers and I have longer torsos, shorter legs. He just got “short”-changed by genetics there.

As I mentioned, I ordered this Skip Hop Grow-with-Me Activity Center when Orson was about 4 months old. It was a long while before his feet could reach even the highest level of the platform settings. He did derive a great amount of joy and excitement from the attached toys, however, and would happily pull himself around with his hands, swiveling from one fun activity to the next.

Wordplay aside, it didn’t take long to notice how certain grooves on this activity center were a magnet for crumbs. Especially the clear “Discovery Window” that allows babies to view their own feet on the platform below. I discovered that the window was kind of a pain to clean. Otherwise, the flat surfaces do tend to wipe clean with little effort.

Also, to call the earliest configuration a “bouncer” is a stretch. It wobbles a bit under an infant’s weight, but there’s absolutely no spring to it.

Last of my gripes: after bearing adorably chunky toddler weight for long enough, the platform seems to warp just a bit. Just enough that when transitioned to a table surface, it doesn’t completely line up flush with the frame. Minor pet-peeve, and still completely functional. Nevertheless, a little irksome for a stickler.

Skip Hop Activity Center:
Did it Ultimately Deliver?

I look at our Skip Hop Activity Center from time to time and second-guess my decision. Just knowing what other offerings are out there. Seeing a cute, wooden, minimalist, multi-functional Montessori table like this at Little Land, for instance…

But, ultimately, I find myself drawn back to the Skip Hop every time. Maybe it’s sentimentality at play. After all, I did use this for Orson AND Nova through both of their youngest stages. And we still use it today. I’ve seen them enjoy its many configurations for years now. It’s sturdy, durable, and has held up well, in spite of its minor flaws.

Orson and I sit at it almost daily for reading lessons and phonics practice after Nova goes down for a nap. He’s reading his first tiny words at this tiny table. Scribbling on it with dry-erase markers (that fortunately wipe right off). And speaking of the STURDY pint-sized chairs…they hold up to mine and Nathan’s weights easily.

It’s my toddlers’ go-to for any snack times throughout the day. Orson and Nova love sitting themselves down at the Skip Hop Activity Center. Love indulging on Pumpkin Bites, Bedtime Bars, or unsalted pretzels at their “big kid” table. Playing footsie and making each other laugh. Their older cousins have even enjoyed using it during holiday meals when we need extra table space.

For as much value as we’ve gotten out of this table, for as many memories as we’ve made at it, it’s a steal. The Skip Hop activity center is an inexpensive investment, and we’d buy it again if we had to remake that choice. Knowing what we know now, it’d be an easy choice to make. The Skip Hop Activity Center has absolutely delivered.