Thoughts on No Swings/Electric Bouncers, etc. for Baby

pixieprincss

We have had several well-meaning people just not "get" that we don't have a swing for LO, rocking chair, electric bouncy seat, etc. and tell us that if we don't get him used to one now, we're going to have problems. So far LO doesn't seem to need them, but we are still very early in the parenting game. He loves being worn and to be swayed in our arms, and we do this as long as our backs hold out. This is tougher for me because I have back issues, but still--we are making it so far. Am I nuts to think that we can make it without these things? We aren't against them, at all we just have a small house, like to live simply, and prefer touch as a soothing method for LO.  Also--and this may be a ridiculous question--should we try to avoid using the swing at church or at friends' houses so he doesn't get used to them?

someflower6

we went through 2 swings and 2 bouncy chairs... LO never liked any of them. i wish she did, too. i'm all for wearing the baby, but sometimes a mama has to go to the bathroom, and it would be nice to be able to put LO down somewhere. it would be even nicer if that place was warm, comforting, and would lull her off to dream land...

 alas, it never happened for us. i don't think you absolutely NEED them, but i certainly wouldn't avoid them like the plague. you never know, maybe LO would love a bouncy chair or something. i say consider it, especially if someone actually GIVES you these things. but it's up to you whether you have the space in the house for one.

ncbelle

I don't see them as "needed" or "bad" (unless baby is constantly parked in one).  Most of the time, if kiddo needed movement he was worn (I bounced on an exercise ball if I needed to sit - swinging him in your arms will soon get impossible!).

I don't think it matters if he's in one elsewhere - I don't think he's going to get addicted or anything ;-)  We had a small travel swing which kiddo used occasionally -  he liked it fine although never fell asleep swinging.  If you find you want to get a swing, I'd go for one of those.

Temp206787500007404

We didn't plan on using any, but when DD was about 2-3 weeks old, she refused to sleep anywhere but in bed with us or in her swing.  My DH wasn't comfortable bedsharing full-time, so the only way she would sleep was in her swing.

We did what we had to do.

Calabaza78

Our son really only likes the swing if he's just woken up, is fed, changed, and in a good mood.  It's not something he prefers to being held or worn, by any means, and he didn't like it enough to use it until he was about a month old or so.  He doesn't spend much time in it as is (and will soon outgrow it), but it allows me to use the bathroom in peace, or drink a cup of coffee and talk to him face-to-face, or chop things/ cook dinner-- a few things I'd prefer to do while not wearing baby.  I continue interacting with him while he's in it, so he doesn't associate it with being left all alone.  The rocking of a machine will never compare to his mama's arms!

BelhurstBride

I think you'll be fine. If you end up deciding you'd like to have something then get it.

cstyles

By the time Coop liked a swing he was too big for it, so I bet he used for a total of an hour his entire infancy.  I'm so glad we had borrowed one from a friend instead of bought one new.  He did however LOVE a bouncy seat.  He would sit in it while I showered and when we ate dinner.  We would sit it on the table facing us and play with him while we ate.  With the exception of the shower, we used the bouncey seat for face to face interaction.

However I definetly don't think you "need" any of it for baby.  I also wouldn't be afraid to use one though if you're somewhere that one is available.  I don't think it's a "bad" thing for them to like it either. 

JenniferJaneC

The nice thing is that you can always get a swing if you change your mind.  Some babies just don't seem to want one. 

The only time we really used ours was when I was taking a bath when Jack was a tiny baby.  I'd bring Jack into the bathroom with me and put him in his swing so we could still "talk" and play while I was bathing.  The running water sounds soothed him, as did the steam from the water, so it was always a really nice experience for both of us.  I took more baths when he was a newborn than any other time in my life.

superned

We only had a bouncy seat, which was simple and small enough that I could bring it in the bathroom with me while I showered.  DD was also born in the summer, so there were times when I just needed to put her down because it was so freaking hot.

We do not have an exersaucer/jumperoo/walker - none of that.  I'm like you in that I have a small space and prefer to keep things simple.  I have never missed having any of it.

DD does use an exersaucer at child care and she enjoys it.  At first it bothered me because I don't care for any kind of "baby positioning" stuff (things that hold a baby in a position they can't maintain themselves, like standing in an exersaucer), but I know she only uses it for a short period during the day and gets plenty of tummy time and time being held while she's there.  It's not hurting her and has no effect on what she prefers at home, so why not let her have fun with it?  : )

beccer

We don't have a bouncy seat but we have a swing. While we could easily get by without it, its more of a luxury. Last night it was a lifesaver though. She is sick and needed to be upright. She slept so much better in the swing than in her crib.
Do what works for you!

BlindysWife

We've got both a swing and a bouncy chair... Linus could care less about the swing but the bouncy chair has come in really handy. Like others have said, it is where he goes when I shower, or when hubby and I are eating dinner at the table. Most recently, he was sick... snotty, cough-y, ear infection... and slept SO much better inclined in the bouncy than he did laying flat in his bed. So for about a week, thats what he slept in.

So, yeah I think you could get by without one or the other, but its kinda nice.

teamsweet

It's not that you *need* any of these things, but a happy baby makes a happy mom.  I didn't buy a bumbo and instead used a bouncer my mom picked up at a yard sale to put DS in before he could sit up.  I would sit in front of him and show him toys or sing songs and be at a good distance for eye contact and smiles (this was around 3 months I think). 

He didn't like the swing we had, but there were plenty of nights where I wish he had liked it.  We ended up bouncing him to sleep if nursing didn't work - I could only bounce him in my arms for the first 10lbs or so.  So we have an exercise ball that we use all of the time.  Seriously - all of the time.  And if I could put him in a swing instead of using that ball, I would have done it.  My back hurts just thinking about it.

All of this to say, yes you can survive without it, but you may not want to.  (And bouncers are great when you want to take a shower!)

CinnamonBun

If you don't want one, don't get one. With saying that though, LO loves her bouncy seat. I am not sure what we are going to do when she out grows it, her little feet are going to be hanging off of it soon. I think she sees it like her own little recliner and she likes to chill in it, or sometimes kick her legs and make it move. She never liked the vibrating piece on it.

LouiseB2001

We are minimalist parents and had nothing like this. No Swing, no bumbo seat (didn't know what that was until I heard about it on these forums). DD lay on the floor on a blanket (or were carried of course) and we had a Baby Bjorn bouncy seat, the non-mechanical one that the baby bounces herself. That said, we live in a bubble of non-parents and other minimalist parents so we never got any questions or people who thought we were weird. Don't worry about your LO using these things outside the home, I put DD in a friend's baby's swing once and she looked at me for 30 seconds like I was crazy and then started wailing. No mechanics for her :-)

Que*Syrah

I never had a bouncer, but my swing was a lifesaver. Between reflux and colic, it was one of the few things that soothed him and allowed me to put him down for a few minutes. He even slept in it for awhile because it's the only place he would sleep.

If it's not for you, that's cool but it doesn't mean there is anything wrong with other people using them.

erinkate23

No, you're not nuts.

DS did go through a period of time where he would only sleep on me - in desperation, we got a swing and he did use that for about a month. 

All the other stuff, we never had and never needed.  

I don't think there's anything wrong with having those things (overusing them yes).  I also don't think there's anything wrong with avoiding them!

tct1219

you're not nuts at all. we don't have anything like that except a swing that my cousin made me borrow and i never put bay in it unless it's for less than 2 minutes while i move laundry over or something. she almost always cries when i put her in it anyway.

it's my personal preference to avoid unnecessary/ electric items in general, though, so i guess it just depends upon your view of those things. i don't think you're going to be neglecting your child if you use them once in a while but you can certainly do without.

people think i'm crazy because i don't use a carrier carseat. when we go to restaurants [and we always take her with us], people are amazed that i hold her the whole time either in my arms when she's awake or lay her in my lap or next to me if she falls asleep. imo, parents have been doing it that way for thousands of years and i'm all for the least complicated, most natural way to do it so it works for us.

Bride2b2004

Of course you could "make it" without most anything... the question is whether or not you want to.  For now you don't need it, your LO is only a week old.  Things will change drastically each day for months.  You can always go buy what you need as it arises.  As far as other places, if you want to use them you can, no, he won't "get used to" anything he has on a rare occasion for a limited time.  

iris427

Bride2b2004:

Of course you could "make it" without most anything... the question is whether or not you want to.  For now you don't need it, your LO is only a week old.  Things will change drastically each day for months.  You can always go buy what you need as it arises.  As far as other places, if you want to use them you can, no, he won't "get used to" anything he has on a rare occasion for a limited time.  

Exactly.  People have been raising babies since way before those things were invented.  But it can be nice to have something around, if even for occasional use.  

My daughter never liked being penned in much and spent most of her time in my arms or playing on the floor, but if I had to go down to the basement to put a load of laundry in, it was a lot easier to stick her in the swing for 2 minutes.  It was nice to have a jumper to put her in while I made lunch.  Things like that. 

pepomntpat

We have two swings. They were hand me downs from my sister. DD doesn't love them, but she will sit in them rather contentedly for a few minutes while I cook dinner or do something else that just doesn't go with BWing.  I don't know what else I'd do with her while cooking around the hot stove.  DH isn't usually home for dinner, so I'm on my own and the microwave gets old.

Tonya_G

Having them isn't anti-AP, FTR. It's nice to get a shower sometimes. You may very well find yourself wishing you had some sort of swing or bouncer, if only to be able to cook dinner, or eat without dropping food on your child's head, or even go to the bathroom without wearing your child. If you're surviving without- I'm sure you'll be fine. Just smile and nod at them, and move on and do what you want to do. It's just their opinion.

I wouldn't however, be picky about them being used at church or if someone else is watching him- church especially, as they have other children than yours to watch, and may not be able to carry him around as he is used to at home.