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August 2020 Moms
emiliadkay
member
Product Spotlight Series 2/28: Bouncers and Swings
emiliadkay
member
This is a place for FTMs to ask questions about, S+TMs to share their prior experience with, and everyone to share what they're eyeing in the world of maternity, baby and postpartum products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to refer back. This week we're discussing BOUNCERS & SWINGS.
To view past Product Spotlights or the upcoming schedule, see here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DzmfbSu7toufv3p1VWNu1XOXDaU-tbI5FEfV8av46pc/edit?usp=sharing
Re: Product Spotlight Series 2/28: Bouncers and Swings
That said, we used a friend's mamaroo while traveling when DS was itty bitty, and that thing was awesome.
It seems like this is one area where every baby is so different in terms of what they like, that I'm thinking these might be one of the products I try to borrow from friends or buy secondhand. I've been super tempted by the mamaroo, but the mixed reviews (seems like some babes love and some hate) have kept me from justifying the splurge.
The one bouncer/swing item I registered for is the baby bjorn bouncer. Does anyone have experience with this one and if it's worth the hefty price tag? Not entirely sure if I'd still get it if I'm not gifted it, but since I'll be living solo with my little guy having at least one or two spots to place him while I shower/cook/etc. seems like it would be super helpful.
@hypermusic omg your whole description - being scandalized. Lol we don't have all that kind of space so I didn't register for a swing, either. Not sure where we would have put it if we were to have received one anyway! 😬 We opted for more portable lightweight options, similar I think to just the detachable bouncer portion of your swing.
@rivercitynik definitely find a way to borrow if possible first. My BFF had a tough time putting her son down, and borrowed a mamaroo - not totally her kids thing either. :/ For the occasional times it worked well for him, I think they would have felt silly spending that much.
ETA same with the Bjorn, I know it has that whole sleek look, but beyond that I'm not sure that it really does much of anything that any other bouncer seat wouldn't do. 🤷 Plus, you might want to look at the age ranges on that. I think I was surprised to see that you can't put them in it when they're that young really. the more I thought it through, it ended up not being something we thought was worth spending that kind of money on.
//
As I mentioned on the sleep surface thread, I highly recommend getting one of those fancy PnPs with the removable bouncer chair included. The whole setup was just so versatile, and that was the only bouncer / swing type thing we used.
Otherwise mostly play mat, babywearing, flat sleep surface etc.
Some babies are picky about the which swings they like best, but IMO just gets whatever is available for free from a friend between babies or on your local groups, and pass it on when you are done. You only need them for a few months, but during those months you will be so glad you have them.
I'm definitely minimilast with baby gear, so I'd say one bouncer/swing thing is nice to have, but it's not necessary.
But also holding her in my arms and leaning up against or sitting on top of a dryer or washing machine that was running was just as effective for that colic for whatever reason.. so we could have survived without it. Having the swing in the living room was just a nicer space than the laundry room. Our daughter HATED bouncers, I'm glad the time we tried it was with a friend at their place and we didn't spend money on it. I think we're planning on getting a swing for this one, but we are planning on checking on some of the baby/kid consignment stores for them first. No reason to buy one brand new if we can get a gently used one for cheaper. (I really truly HIGHLY recommend kids/baby consignment stores, while I love thrifting for kids clothes because I'm a cheap MFer, and kids are tornadoes at best, when it comes to toys or equipment the consignment stores tend to have higher standards for what gets put on the floor and the prices tend not to be all that different. They also typically have a lot higher quality clothes if that's a concern you have in general.)
Honestly, the more I read here, the more I think a fancy pack and play may be the way we go here. Seems like that might be where I can get the most bang for my buck and MH and I are starting to consider if we can push off a move to a bigger place for this kid's first year and maybe instead move straight to buying a house rather than moving to a slightly bigger rental for a year and then buying a house.