We had great luck visiting with family and borrowing (and renting on another trip) an Evenflo Exersaucer. For stretches of time, the saucer is a great place to let your little one stretch his or her legs. Plays with some toys, spin around, bounce up and down a bit. We also noticed somewhat of a, um, laxative effect. Better at home than on the go, right?

There’s a great overview of some of the novel exersaucers out on the market here at About.com. They’re all similar for the most part. The toys, colors, size and adjustments differ, but the exersaucer concept is always the same – baby can spin around in a central spot and access a perimeter of colorful and noisy toys. A better babysitter than a TV. Perfect for when you have to unload laundry or dishwasher, actually eat something, go to the bathroom or make a phone call.

While the classic saucer was great for us, we’ve been blown away by the more-expensive “Bright Starts Tropical Smiles Around We Go.” We discovered it in the “you might like” recommendations on Amazon.com (sold via Target) and can now wholeheartedly agree with the universally positive comments over on Amazon.

Don’t let the corny long name steer you away from this giant plastic monster that will take up more than corner of your room. It’s a marvel and a world above the standard old skool exersaucer. Here’s the breakthrough, if the picture weren’t clear enough – the kid sits on the outside of the saucer. That’s right. Rather than the center of the action, the little bugger gets to motor – Fred Flintstone-style – around an activity pedestal filled with all kinds of doodads. Frankly, our little guy doesn’t really care about the doodads, but he loves being mobile. Loves it to the point of crying when he had to use his cousin’s classic saucer this past weekend. He’ll sit in it for up to an hour at a time.

So enjoy. When your baby start getting active, we think the Bright Starts Around We Go is a great choice for exercise and activity.