Bouncer vs Swing?

kee271

Hello!

I know every baby likes (and hates) different things, but I was just curious: did you end up buying a bouncer or a swing (or both)? And which one? I'm looking at different models, and wanted to get people's experiences with different models.

Thanks!

asm07

Our baby hasn't arrived yet, but we registered for both the Fisher Price Snugabunny swing and bouncer. We ended up getting both, which is great since we don't know which one the baby will prefer until she gets here. Babies R Us has a great return policy for registry items, so if we find that she really doesn't like one of them, we can always take it back. I did TONS of research on different swings/bouncers and found a lot of moms love the snugabunny line. 

RebeccaY1

We have the snugabunny bouncer.  

mandm329

We have the snugabunny swing and bouncer, and we definitely got more use out of the swing.  It's probably because we also got the Rock n Play, and that is much more portable than the bouncer.

LittleFish1

A friend loaned us a swing. Didn't use it. Skipped the bouncer as well. Did have a play matt & rock n play though. The sitter used the rock n play more than us.

LittleApple

I have both and used both.  Baby sometimes liked the swing for naps or different scenery and the bouncer was nice because I could take it from room to room.

slh6363

We use both. The swing more, wouldn't survive without it! Def a plug in batteries wouldn't last long at all at the rate we use it. We use the bouncer for moving around to different rooms or even take with us some places.

MrsBigTime

We had both a bouncer and a swing, and loved them both. If I had to choose one or the other, I'd choose the bouncer, but I was glad to have had both.

We originally borrowed our friend's Combi bouncer, which was great. I assumed all bouncers were created equal, so when we had to give that back, I purchased a cheap FP one (a Monkey one), but it did not live up to the Combi. I didn't think it was as comfortable for my daughter, and I really didn't like the flashy lights and music. I preferred the bigger seat and more plush padding without the fancy toy bar. The Combi legs were a bit annoying because they stick out a bit far, but it was a nicer bouncer in general. In fact, I sold our FP one and plan to buy a nice Combi (or similar) when we have another baby.

For a swing, we borrowed an original MamaRoo and my DD hated it! We didn't have a swing for a few months, but when I went back to work, my DH needed another tool for soothing DD, so we found a FP Snuga-Bunny swing and tried it. It was great! DD liked the faster motion and she loved those silly little birds! I liked the look of the MamaRoo better, but the function of the FP swing was what made it a win for us!

slwprincess

We have both. My babies tend to like to move from 1 butt shaker to another. I don't think they would like a mamaroo or similar b/c of this. Someone gave us a FP gliding motions thing this time so I'm curious to see if baby will like it as much/more than the swing/bouncy.

KikiCohen

We have both and use them for different purposes.  

We have the My Little Lamb Platinum swing.  It's nice b/c it has different swing motions and plugs in.  Definitely buy a swing that can plug in!  It's pretty big, so we can't move it.  We use in for LO to nap if I need to get stuff done or if he's fighting sleep and needs to calm down.  

Our bouncer is by Baby Trend.  I'm not sure if it has a specific name.  It's nice b/c it's portable.  I mainly use it when I shower to take LO in the bathroom with me.  

MelCfromMN

We also had both. We probably could have gotten away without the swing, our kid didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. Like, if he was crying, the swing wasn't going to soothe him, but he wouldn't cry because he was in it, and he did occasionally take naps in it, but we rarely used the "swing" feature, because he didn't seem to care. He did like the mirror/moving mobile on it though. I guess our kid just like being propped up more, he was always content in the bouncer.

My word of advice on the bouncer, make sure it has a good angle on it, like the Fisher Price almost chair like ones. We had 2 bouncers, but one of them was more "papasan" like and it was really stiff (can't remember the brand, maybe Summer Infant?), but A could never weight it down enough to be comfortable. He was almost always standing in it and before he had neck control, his head would just flop forward. He really only sat in in it a few times(we ended up keeping it at my mom's house because we liked our other one way better), and by the time he could sit in it comfortably, he was too big for it. The Rock N Play was also very handy for a place to set baby down while you shower or whatever.

JilllyBean

We have both. We didn't have a bouncy seat at first and went out and got one bc he didn't like his swing. He likes his swing more now at 4.5 m but prefers the bouncy seat. Get a bouncer with the toys that can come off or put on. He loves those as he has gotten bigger but we didn't use them at first. He would take a lot of naps in his bouncer

kelli&dave

we have both. and he likes both. as pp have said, the bouncer is nice because it is so easy to move from room to room. both are great for naps. if he is clearly tired but fighting sleep while in my arms, i just put him in the swing on the lowest setting for a gentle, consistent rocking that really seems to relax him.

if i had to choose one, it'd be the swing. he just seems more comfortable in it. but like you said, every baby is different.

Hnova86

I bought a swing that does both functions when I had first son! It's made by graco. The seat comes on and off and you can take it to other rooms. Ours was similar to this one https://www.gracobaby.com/products/pages/sweetpeace-infant-soothing-swing-astoria.aspx