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August 2023 Moms
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Product Spotlight: Swings/Bouncers/Play Mats

gingermama29gingermama29 member
in August 2023 Moms
S+TMs:
What swing or bouncer did you use in the past?:
Likes/dislikes?:
Cost?:
Did you use any play mats or play gyms?:
Likes/dislikes?:

FTMs:
What swing/bouncer/baby play surface are you looking at?:
Any questions?: 
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Re: Product Spotlight: Swings/Bouncers/Play Mats

  • ccmrc143ccmrc143 member
    We used the baby bjorn bouncer and DS was never a huge fan. We didn’t do swings and instead had him in a boppy (the one that is now recalled). I hope new baby will like the baby bjorn 

    as for a playmat I used a cheap one from Amazon but just found the Lovevery playmat for $65 on consignment so I’m super excited about that for new baby! We also bought the “little nomad” foam mat that’s like puzzle pieces. I recommend one of those if you don’t have a thick or cushy carpet/rug 
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  • emeraldcity603emeraldcity603 member
    I don’t have specific brands but I ended up getting a swing last time just for bedtime routine with the other kids and it was amazing. I never used one with any other kid. I would suffer through bedtime with a screaming baby sometimes. 

    Since I have so many kids I keep a PNP in my living room with a playmat inside of it. It protects the baby from the other kids and the dog. I’m scared they will trample the baby when they are running around. Plus my dog tramples me so he has no sense about what he is doing. 

    I may buy a cheap bouncer this time around because the toy bar is gone. I can’t find it anywhere. I won’t pay more than $40 for one of those. 
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  • AlexisJoy92AlexisJoy92 member
    I’m so glad to see this one I completely forgot about swings lol I haven’t looked into any baby prep yet I think I’m waiting to find out the gender 

    I remember borrowing a bouncer when my daughter was a newborn because I could not set her down for the life of me I think it was the mamaroo not sure though either way it did nothing she hated it we did end up getting the fisher price dual motion swing when we were out of the newborn phase that was a life saver her play mat was a random one I found on Amazon that was soft with different patterns and colors we mainly played on soft/fuzzy blankets with her boppy (@ccmrc143 i had no idea they had been recalled) and her wooden activity gym 
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  • justyouraveragemamajustyouraveragemama member
    With DS I had one of those fisher price swing/bouncer combo that we didn’t use much outside of when I had to take a shower and would bring him with me into the bathroom.

    with this one I have DS, and two very large dogs roaming the house and realized after one stepped on the baby I’m watching that I’ll definitely need something to put baby in😬 I picked up a brand new rockaroo for $50 from our local liquidation store and it’s been a lifesaver so far with the baby I watch!

    im thinking about those big play pen type things I keep seeing for when baby is mobile but our living room is so small that I don’t know if that’s really all that practical.
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  • tumbleweed-1tumbleweed-1 member
    I’m not a fan of a lot of baby activity gear, but we did use a few things. A friend made a us a Montessori topponcino mat that DS was on nearly 24/7 as a newborn. Helped transition him from being held to being on the bed or floor, helped combine with nursing pillow to get in good position, etc. He had a rock and play he napped in often 😬 I don’t think we even have that anymore. We also have the bjorn bouncer, which will probably get more use this time. DS didn’t use it all that much. Mostly he was placed on the floor on a blanket (the only pet we had was an avoidant cat) or on an ikea gym mat. Hopefully this baby is good about not being held too. I lean definitely towards the ideas of Magda Gerber and having infants only lay down, unless they are held, until they can move on their own
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  • tumbleweed-1tumbleweed-1 member
    @emeraldcity603 totally fine with us being opposites. Respecting the family is respecting the baby. I work in an infant classroom at a preschool and I’ve seen a lot of parenting choices around sleeping, eating, gross motor movement, medication, etc you name it that I would not choose for my kids. I try to keep a very open mind. As long as babies are healthy and safe, different things are going to work for different families. I wasn’t even sure about chiming in since I don’t use most baby gear, but thought I would just to share that perspective. 
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  • emeraldcity603emeraldcity603 member
    @tumbleweed-1 Never feel like you can’t chime in. Everyone has their own way of doing things. Families function so differently across the board that there isn’t one way/method that would work for everyone. There are definitely some things that some parents do that make me scratch my head but I’m sure the same is true for them when they see me doing things. 
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  • ki1244ki1244 member
    We have one of those vibrating bouncer seats (that I took the batteries out of) that becomes a toddler chair. That was great when my daughter was a baby and we'll use it this time around. We were also gifted a couple play mats (the Mr Ray Finding Nemo one and one random one that I think my sister's MIL got at a consignment store and had until my sister's kids grew out of it, but it worked fine for us) and I registered for a Skip Hop farm stand one that's just adorable. We mostly just played on a blanket on the floor though.

    I do want to get a swing, I think. We had a borrowed one from a friend last time that was GREAT, I think it was a Graco one, and a friend gave us one she had used that's more like a glider (the seat part attaches to a base and moves on that, rather than a true swing) but I need to see if it was recalled -- I thought I remembered seeing something about that a while back. I'll probably start checking our local consignment stores for swings pretty soon, since I'm not terribly picky on that (short lifespan+we only need it for this one baby and then we're done). But with our house's floor plan (living room/kitchen/dining room are all one big space) having the ability to pop baby into a swing to buy myself 20 minutes while I get things done in the kitchen (since I'm thinking I'll probably go straight formula this time so extra dishes to do every day) be so helpful.
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  • tumbleweed-1tumbleweed-1 member
    @ki1244 I saw the ray teacher/nemo playmat on Amazon when I was adding stuff to my registry. It was really cute
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  • ki1244ki1244 member
    @tumbleweed-1 it actually is really cute. We didn't use the lights and sounds on it (whyyyyyy do those even exist?!) and I probably wouldn't have even listed it on our registry, but Finding Nemo is kind of sentimental for my husband (he's 13/15 years older than his sisters and he watched it a lot with them when they were little) as it turned out she loved it.
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  • cecemettacecemetta Newbie
    I am just curious. New to the group. I didn't notice anyone mention this but how much I general does it costs for one year ? As in clothes, toys, furniture, etc?
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  • tumbleweed-1tumbleweed-1 member
    @cecemetta welcome! We have an “introduce yourself here” thread near the top of the of the board if you’d like to share a bit more about yourself. I have no idea how much a baby generally costs per year because there’s so many variables. I think there’s probably calculators online that can estimate based on cost of living in your area and your current lifestyle. It’ll depend on how much furniture/gear you want or need to buy, if it’s used or new, cloth or disposable diapers, cost of $ buying formula or “cost of time” breastfeeding, childcare, what kind of insurance and medical needs the baby has, etc. 
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  • cecemettacecemetta Newbie
    Thanks. So do I have to reposts? This is my first baby and I have lots of questions. I know I will not be the traditional mom.
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  • lmn823lmn823 member
    @cecemetta hey there, I’m a first time mom too. What is traditional nowadays? 🤣 I’ve been learning a lot from all these threads and taking everything in with my own perspective on it. 

    There is a “questions mega thread” that’s super helpful and there’s plenty of stms that are interactive on these boards that can help you with their own experience. 
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  • emeraldcity603emeraldcity603 member
    @cecemetta We generally keep the questions in the mega question thread. This is also an appropriate place to ask about the gear being discussed in this thread. 

    You get as fancy or minimal as you want. Babies really don’t need much. I wouldn’t go crazy buying all the high end stuff. You can find lots of gear in FB marketplace or a local thrift store. 
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  • lmn823lmn823 member
    What does everyone think about these amazon knock off export brands of swings bouncers etc?? I see thousands of reviews on them and the price is cheaper than say a maxi cosi 

    I just don’t want my baby to eject out of the seat into space 🤣🚀👶🏻
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  • cecemettacecemetta Newbie
    Replying to the person who replied to me. I don't get this website. I asked what do you eat and no one responded. I read the guidelines and posted in the introduction. So I don't know what the problem is and I keep seeing this black little circle next to my post.
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  • emeraldcity603emeraldcity603 member
    @cecemetta just take some time and look at the weekly/monthly threads to get a feel for what each thread is about. Then once you get comfortable start jumping into the conversation. 

    As for what to eat, I eat what I can tolerate. I haven’t really craved a lot of different things and eating is a struggle for me. I pretty much have to force myself to eat stuff so I don’t get nauseous or malnourished. 
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  • ki1244ki1244 member
    @lmn823 I try to steer clear of random Amazon brands. Quality can be so hit or miss, and I don't know if they'd ever notify you in case of a recall (or if they would ever even have a recall, even if it's warranted?) and for me at least, the price savings doesn't offset the safety risk. I know this stuff is stupid expensive but personally I'd check consignment stores or FB Marketplace or garage sales (do those exist in NY? Honestly have no idea -- I wouldn't think so in Manhattan but maybe the other boroughs?) for secondhand stuff before buying baby equipment from some alphabet soup brand on Amazon.
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  • emeraldcity603emeraldcity603 member
    I agree about random brands on Amazon. Their quality has gone down a ton and it’s frustrating. 

    I bought one of those mushroom teethers for  my last baby and they got recalled. I contacted the store I bought from and they didn’t recognize the recall and refused to give me a refund. I have stopped buying from those  sellers. One easy way to recognize them is their name will be in all caps. 
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  • priyadocpriyadoc member
    Also agree about the random amazon brands!

    We had a babybjorn for baby#1 and she sort of liked it sometimes? Maybe #2 will like it more. 
    Agree that the lovevery play mat is pretty great. I actually love all of their products but we have especially gotten tons of use out of the play mat and the block set. 
    We have a graco swing that was gifted for baby #1 and she loved it, but I think it's a good idea to limit the time baby is in it (at least that's what all my peds friends say!)
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