Baby Registry: Rock N Play, Bouncer, AND a swing?!

maribeth0721

Do I really need all 3 of these? They all seem like they serve mostly the same function. I keep reading, "you never know what your baby will like" as the reasoning for all 3, but all 3 seem like a waste. I don't want any of them for night time/bedroom sleeping so I don't see the functionality for that. I could see using them for daytime sleeping (not in my bedroom or nursery). But then would I really need all 3? What is everyone else doing?

nktrodden826

So for DS we put him in his crib, in his room down the hall, first night home from the hospital so we didn't have a rock n play although I know a lot of moms who had their babies sleep in that first. We had the mamaroo (which he HATED), bouncer which we never used, and the swing which we used sometimes.. the most helpful thing we had was actually the little sleeper part of his pack n play! 

notachanski

My DD's slept in the Rock N Play right next to my bed for the first 3-ish months.  I didn't have a bassinet and I liked the convenience of having them in the room. Its small and light and easy to move and my girls liked laying semi-upright.  My older DD loved the bouncer, hated the swing, second DD was the opposite.  Loved the swing hated the bouncer.  All 3 were shower gifts for me and we had the space so I kept the swing in one room and moved the bouncer around if I needed to be in the kitchen or something. It worked for us, but as you say, totally unnecessary.  For what its worth, daytime sleeping was usually in my pack-n-play.  The swing is good for naps but I didn't want them to get in the habit of ONLY falling asleep when rocked.

virginiaunicorn11

Hm...we used a borrowed bouncer the first two months, then moved/gave it back, and borrowed a swing for the next several months. I was shocked at how briefly we were able to use it.

In general, I think you just need a) somewhere for the baby to sleep and b) something to hold the baby when you can't. And truthfully, B could be a mat on the floor, but a bouncer or swing is really nice to have. 

I personally don't see the point of a Rock n Play unless your baby has reflux, but I know many mothers swear by it. 

nktrodden826

Yessss! I should have added that ^^ best thing we ever did was put DS in his crib (or whatever you decide) while awake and let them fall asleep on their own!!!

Yiggle09

Lurking from may 17- I would say absolutely need a rnp. When I was showering or eating or what not I used it to keep him in early on as well as he slept in it from 4 weeks on because he got a cold that he needed to be elevated from the bassinet i had borrowed then we just kept him in it till he went to the crib at 11 weeks. My son hated the swing and we never bought a bouncer. 

longhairdntcare

We are registering for a swing that the seat comes off and doubles as a bouncer. And I registered for a rnp but I was just at BRU with my sisters last night and found an open box one for $30. The pnp that we are registering for, the infant sleeper portion also comes out and is a bouncer. But that will stay upstairs (versus swing downstairs) so I think it will be nice to have both. 

AdaByron

I think it depends on the size of your house also. I wouldn't be opposed to having one in every room if I had money to throw away. I think a swing or mamaroo or some type of motion device can be a life-saver. And then a non-moving one like a bouncer or RnP is good to have because they'll be easier to move around from room to room. I think a RnP and a bouncer serve pretty much the same purpose, so after that it's just about space. Lots of people like to have one on every floor because carrying the baby and the RnP up/down the stairs all day isn't fun.

OperaSingerMommy

DD had reflux so the RNP saved my life and she looooved the swing.  I don't have a bouncer.  Someone gifted us a little rocker chair that is similar to a bouncer and I hardly used it compared to the other two.

It's tough picking out things like this because it's hard to be sure what your routine will be once baby comes (even for STM+).  If you get more than one of these, maybe keep them in the boxes until you are home with the kiddo and you have a better idea of where you want him/her to sleep for naps?

mrscate88

Our house is TINY and cramped as it is, so I'm just going off of my space limits and my experience with the last baby. You don't need much. Something safe to keep baby strapped in and comfy is all that you need for naps or arm freedom, whether it's a PNP, RNP, Swing, bouncer etc. You could also go hard core and just do the crib from day one, my baby got sick a lot and needed an incline to sleep, but power to those mamas who manage that! One of these items will do, you definitely don't need all three. 

megandchase

Never used my swing for either kid ended up selling it. I liked the rock n play as my lo2 had reflux and did well in it for naps and lounging, because it is not a flat surface it really isn't recommended for sleeping all night in because of the risk of restricted air flow. The thing my kids loved the most was a simple vibrating chair didn't rock or sway just vibrations. 

nikkiandchris

Totally depends on your baby and size of your house. We wouldn't have survived without the rnp because we had a colicky refluxy baby the second time around, but were fine without it the first time. Bouncer is nice because it sits up a little more and hey can watch what you are doing. We had a cheap swing that was good if baby was fussy but I could have lived without that too.

LuLiLaEv

All we registered for (and had before baby got here) was a swing that came off and became a bouncer. Honestly, I didn't like the bouncer part of it, so a friend gave me her bouncer, which DD loved as she got bigger. We used the swing all the time especially when she was little. We didn't have a rnp but this time I got one around Christmas when they went on sale on Amazon for like $30, because so many moms swear by them. We have a 2 story house so I don't mind having lots of items cause it keeps me from carrying everything up and down stairs constantly. I think you could definitely get by with just 1 or get all 3 depending on what you and baby prefer. 

PurplePoppy424

Honestly, it depends on what your baby ends up preferring. I got a lot of use out of the swing and the bouncer. If you can find one that has the bouncer as the swing seat, it's even better. We weren't able to find one at the time dd was born that had that and also plugged in instead of using batteries so we have two separate entities. The bouncer was the only way I got a shower in those early days. The swing was the only way I ate lunch. It really just depends on your kid. 

cssme13

My son hated the rock n play but loved his bouncer and swing, they were life savers for me. My daughter on the other hand hated her swing and would tolerate the bouncer. We didn't have a rock n play with her because my son hated it so much. This time we'll just stick with the swing and bouncer again since we already have those and I don't want to spend money on a lot of baby stuff since this will be our last.

MrsLa3

Bouncer and swing yes. I've never had a rnp so I can't give advice about that, but to me it's unnecessary. Especially if you get a bouncer and swing.

abmommy15

We don't have rock n plays here so can't comment on that but to have these all in the same room would be overkill.  If you have multiple rooms you spend time in then one in each would be awesome if you have the money to spend or are getting them as gifts.  With DS we had a mamaroo on the main floor, swing in my bathroom so I could shower and a bouncer in the bonus room.  I loved that I didn't have to move them around and they all got a lot of use but wouldn't have bought all 3 myself.  I was given the swing and bouncer as hand me downs and my work gifted us the mamaroo.  

yellow1daisy

We only had a bouncer. It wasn't automated. I had to manually bounce it when she was little (baby Bjorn). Then she learned to do it herself when she got a little older. It never got used for naps. We survived. I probably won't buy a swing this time around either. I did heavily rely on nursing to get her to sleep though so yeah.. 

ljd2010

We had a rock and play for upstairs (sleep/when I showered) and at a bouncer and a travel swing that swung forward and backward downstairs. My son loved the rock and play and hated the other two. I wound up buying the floor model of a plug in swing (that swung left and right) and boy was that thing a lifesaver. My doctor said there are no health concerns about a baby sleeping in a rock and play and the only concern is weaning them into sleeping on a flat surface. We had no problem transitioning my son, even though he also napped a fair amount in the swing. Like everyone had said, each baby is different--and will make their preferences known! A lot of my gear was second hand, so I didn't feel bad cycling through them. 

Creedon778

We had all three which my first two used but if I had to only pick one it would be the rock n play. You can get a good one used for $20 - $25 on CL if you are ok with not having new.

chiquita928

We got all three as gifts. I like the swing best. But we got a little tiny one. We barely used the bouncer, but it was a close second. To us, the RNP was almost useless.

nktrodden826

The baby store near me (BuyBuyBaby) is SO flexible with returns. We bought a mamaroo, off of our registry, tried to use it for 2 months and DS just hated it so I brought it back in with the box and directions and said it was a waste and basically in perfect new condition they gave us the money in a store credit to purchase something else! So that's always an option! 

neludelu

We hated the mommaroo. But the rock and play was amazing, he only slept in this for months.

Mrs.EmmaLouise

We had a swing for DD. It was the fisher price one that goes side to side to help them sleep, and then also forward/backwards for when they are playing/awake. I'm sure we could have lived without it, but it was nice to have. We had a small apartment at the time, so that's all we went with. I don't think you need all three... your house/apartment will already look like BRU threw up all over your place without every single baby item possible. 

I got the mommaroo for my nephew, and my sister is hand-me-downing it to me. She said her DS liked it well enough. I personally thought they were overpriced for a swing, but they have a really small footprint as far as how much space it takes. 

longhairdntcare

I have heard a lot of babies hate the mommaroo. I don't think they swing fast enough. Which sucks because they are so much smaller than the traditional swings. Ugh, oh well. 

satsumasandlemons

we borrowed a swing and dd liked it for about ten minutes and then never again. glad we didn't pay for the thing but even the time we spent transporting and setting up were so not worth it. moral of the story:depends on the kid and how desperate you are to find relief. 

abmommy15

Rae1 said:

I have heard a lot of babies hate the mommaroo. I don't think they swing fast enough. Which sucks because they are so much smaller than the traditional swings. Ugh, oh well. 

Wouldn't let me tag you so a quote will have to do.  DS loved his mamaroo and it came highly recommended by quite a few of my friends.  I think it's like anything, some babies love swings, some hate them.  If you want to try it just wait until baby arrives and then pick one up so you have time left on the return policy.  If it doesn't work for you then you can always return it.  For us it was a lifesaver and bought me way more time than the swing or the bouncer.  

longhairdntcare

@abmommy15 good point! Definitely something to think about!

postywiththemosty

Has anyone used the babocush with a rocker where they can lay on their stomach?  I have been wondering about those and they seem really interesting.

longhairdntcare

maybeitsmadeline said:

Has anyone used the babocush with a rocker where they can lay on their stomach?  I have been wondering about those and they seem really interesting.

I have seen the videos on facebook. Also interested if anyone has used one! My only fear there is that the baby would get used to sleeping on her belly and then not sleep well at night on her back. 

nktrodden826

I haven't but I've seen it all over FB. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable leaving them on their belly and walking away. Although it must be good- when I went to their website to see what you were talking about it said they're currently sold out! However if this baby has colic or something I'd probably try anything. 

MrsLa3

maybeitsmadeline said:

Has anyone used the babocush with a rocker where they can lay on their stomach?  I have been wondering about those and they seem really interesting.

I looked it up last week it's $124, that doesn't include shipping. I plan on getting one, I don't think it's a nessecity tho.

alcrimmins

DD hated the mommaroo and I returned it and she just didn't have a swing. We didn't have a rnp either. She loves her bouncy seat for a few months, but that's it, a few months. She does love the swing at the child watch she goes to and they actually still put her in there when she asks. 

Sassenach1743

@maribeth0721, Same boat girl! I spent a lot of time researching these same items trying to figure out what I should register for and what I would actually need. We live in a one bedroom apartment right now, so no room for excess or clutter. Here are my findings:

1) A Rock-N-Play seems redundant and with only one function. I say this because, as someone who won't even be purchasing a crib, a friend is giving me her Halo Bassinet for nighttime sleep in my bedroom, and I will be using a Pack-N-Play in my living room for it's multi-functional capacity (i.e. crib, play yard, changing station and newborn napper) it appears the RNP will not be useful for very long. *Unless my child ends up with reflux, then I'll consider this product. 

2) As stated above the Pack-N-Play has multi-functional appeal. The one I've selected has a changing station and a removable napper seat that also vibrates... so that's basically the same thing as a Bouncer. 

3) A Bouncer can seem equally as redundant as the Rock-N-Play, however IMO the Bouncer is easier to move around... had I not found a PNP with a vibrating napper seat I would probably have picked out a Bouncer. 

4) A Swing is a completely different animal, IMO. Most Swings also vibrate or can be used as a Bouncer... but what I really like is that the swinging action is a different sensation than vibrating, and their weight capacity is greater than a Bouncer or RNP. Baby can chill or sleep and be soothed in a Swing, provided they like the movement. I'm taking a gamble on this and registering for a small Swing that will fit in my space, hoping that it will be of use for as long as my baby will safely fit in it. Obviously, if he hates it then I'll have to rethink this and find something else that he likes. 

TLDR: I'm registering for a deluxe Pack-N-Play that includes a vibrating napper seat and a Swing. I'm forgoing the Rock-n-Play and Bouncer until Baby demands a change. I'm using my parental decision making skills based on what I think will work for my living space and my personal preferences, but if Baby decides otherwise I will make the necessary changes then. I wish you luck in doing the same! 

karissa0307

I had all 3. My swing came apart and was also a bouncer, both of which my son hated. He loved the rock and play and was the only thing he would peacefully hang out in while I was showering or couldn't hold him. 

nikkiandchris

Just one more thing we learned- if you can get a swing that goes side to side too as many babies prefer that motion. Mine went only back and forth and my girls were not impressed. 

jkbrownstein

My mother's a physical therapist and detests bouncers, they're terrible for your baby's hips! Crawling changes their hips gradually to get them ready to be in the standing position. They bounce because of the standing and stepping reflex, they shouldn't be in that position until they're ready to walk. 

AdaByron

jkbrownstein said:

My mother's a physical therapist and detests bouncers, they're terrible for your baby's hips! Crawling changes their hips gradually to get them ready to be in the standing position. They bounce because of the standing and stepping reflex, they shouldn't be in that position until they're ready to walk. 

I don't think that's the type of bouncer we're talking about here. 

nktrodden826

I think this is the bouncer we're talking about not the jumping kind @jkbrownstein