11 best baby bouncers and rockers: tested by parents

Tested by parents: Read our full BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss review

The BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss comes pre-assembled, and it’s exceptionally simple to fold down and transport. While it's impressively lightweight at just 2kg, the Bliss feels sturdy, supportive and well-made, which is why we think it's the best baby bouncer to buy right now. We tested it on carpet and tiled floors in four different rooms.

Our parent tester, Luci, says, "It can be used from birth as there are various heights that you can adjust the bouncer to so that it suits a newborn. My eight-week-old was happy in it! It gives great support to baby’s neck, back and head." She also found the harness to be soft and comfortable.

This nifty seat is ergonomically designed to react to your baby’s movements, so it will bounce when they start kicking their legs and waving their arms. This feature is excellent for teaching your little one about cause and effect as well as improving their balance and motor skills. As they grow, the three-position recline provides support for your child for up to two years if they want a break from their play mat or playpen.

Made of a breathable mesh, we found this bouncer simple to keep clean (we tested this with milk and spaghetti Bolognese). The material repels stains and can be spot cleaned and, if the mess requires it, the cover is easy to remove and chuck in the washing machine. It's quick to dry and keeps its shape beautifully.

The only downside is the price. The BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss is one of the more luxury models on the market and we were disappointed that it lacks additional features like a vibration mode and toy bar (the toy bar is available to buy at an additional cost). But if you're looking for a minimalist bouncer that your child will be comfortable in, the BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss will be worth the spend.

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Tested by parents: Read our full Chad Valley Jungle Friends Bouncer review

The Chad Valley Jungle Friends is a basic bouncer that's ideal for families on a budget. It is easy to assemble – it took our parent tester, Luci, just 17 minutes. The seat has a bounce mode that parents can initiate in the early weeks. After that, your baby will be able to kick their legs and make it move.

Unfortunately, there's no toy bar, but that's to be expected for the price. There is no newborn insert either, however the seat is deep and cosy, so there's plenty of support. Our tester liked that the shape of the seat allowed her to take her baby in and out of it without having to unbuckle the harness.

The stain-resistant and wipeable cover is super quick to remove and pop back on after a machine wash. It can be gently tumble dried too, and the frame can be cleaned with hot soapy water if needed. Our tester was thrilled with the easy maintenance of this chair, describing it as "perfect" after putting the seat through its paces and cleaning it.

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Tested by parents: Read our full Tiny Love 3-in-1 Rocker Napper review

The Tiny Love 3-in-1 Rocker takes a long time to assemble. But once it’s up, it provides a safe and secure place for your baby to relax or play. During testing, our parent tester, Luci, found it stayed firmly in place on all styles of floor from carpet to tiles.

She was delighted with the versatility of this baby rocker as it also functions as an upright seat. Each mode is easy to switch between, making it useful for soothing your newborn and later keeping your baby in one place as they try their first foods.

In chic dove-grey, the Tiny Love 3-in-1 Rocker will suit most households. The fabric is soft and comfy yet durable, and it can be wiped clean with a damp cloth or machine washed at 30 degrees.

The play modes on this clever seat are superb. There are 18 melodies, two vibration settings and a rocking mode. The sturdy bar has entertaining lights and detachable soft toys, making the mobile an excellent sensory toy for babies. The arch is also adjustable and can be removed if needed.

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Tested by parents: Read our full Maxi-Cosi Kori Rocker review

Not too dissimilar in style to the BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss, the Maxi-Cosi Kori Rocker is around half the price yet still provides comfort and quality for your little one.

We love the cosy, deep seat, and it also includes a newborn insert for added comfort for small babies. It's an attractive choice too. The sleek, Scandi-inspired design has been described as "modern and stylish" by our parent tester, Rachel. It offers three recline positions and converts from a rocker to a seat as your baby grows, so it's fairly versatile too.

Our biggest grumble is that the rocking motion isn't exaggerated enough for babies who are past the newborn stage, but for a simple, sturdy option, we rate this as a more pocket-friendly alternative to the BabyBjörn.

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Tested by parents: Read our full Joie Serina 2-in-1 Swing and Rocker review

The Joie Serina 2-in-1 Swing and Rocker is surprisingly easy and quick to set up. It took our parent tester, Luci, just 10 minutes to assemble. This is a heavy piece of furniture though and much of that weight is in the base, which means it has a large footprint and isn't very portable. However, it’s ideal for large families as it won't move if toddlers and pets brush past it.

As your baby starts to engage more with toys, whether that's in the tub with a bath toy or exploring on their playmat, they'll start to learn more about the world through play. With the Serina and its included toy bar, Joie has created a cosy and comfy seat ideal for playtime and peaceful moments. The swing seat is also padded and has a newborn insert that provides adequate neck support. The seat has three simple-to-adjust recline positions, however we should note that it doesn’t lie completely flat.

If you’re looking for a baby seat that will fit into the style of your front room, the minimalist Serina is an excellent option. The covers aren’t machine-washable, which is a shame, especially as the colours are light. However, they can be spot cleaned with a stain remover.

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Tested by parents: Read the full Nuna Leaf Grow review

The Nuna Leaf Grow will last right from the newborn days to age three or four, which means it's great value despite the hefty initial investment. Motion-activated, one push will last around two minutes and, once your little one is strong enough, they can bounce themselves with just a kick of their legs.

This seat is streamlined in design, so there are no nooks and crannies for dirt to accumulate. The breathable mesh fabric is 100% organic cotton and can be spot cleaned or machine-washed when needed. When tested by our parent tester, Luci, she was impressed that the Nuna Leaf Grow stayed firmly in place on the different floor types in her house, including kitchen tiles, thanks to its anti-slip feet.

The Leaf Grow has three recline positions and the luxuriously padded three-point harness will keep your baby extra safe.

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Tested by parents: Read our full BabyBjörn Bouncer Balance Soft review

Identical in design to the BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss but with different fabric options, the BabyBjörn Bouncer Balance Soft is a lightweight and comfortable baby bouncer that offers great longevity. 

It can be used as a bouncer up to 9kg, which is somewhere between eight and 10 months of age, after which it converts to a toddler chair to be used until your child is around two years old. 

Supportive for both babies and toddlers, the Balance Soft evenly distributes your child’s weight to provide exceptional head, neck and back support. At just over 2kg in weight, it can also easily be moved around your home for use wherever you need it, and it folds down completely flat for travel.

It doesn’t vibrate or play music and there isn’t a toy bar included, but it’s the simplicity of this bouncer - and the fact that babies love it - that makes it particularly popular with families. The cover is also removable for machine washing.

MNHQ parent tester, Maaike, who has used this bouncer with both of her children for around six years, says, “The bouncing isn’t mechanical. It’s just the frame that allows for some bouncing, but it’s enough to rock [babies] gently. I used it throughout the day. It was easy to move around to other rooms or other houses if I needed to. It allowed me to keep both of my babies calm and to have my hands free to do other things when they were unable to sit up by themselves.”

Like the BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss, the Balance Soft retails at around £210, which is high considering it doesn’t have any extra features, but it can usually be found online for closer to £160. But if it’s the support and longevity you’re looking for then this bouncer is more than worth its price tag.

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Tested by parents: Read our full 4Moms MamaRoo 5.0 review

The most innovative baby bouncer on our list, the 4Moms MamaRoo 5.0 is the only baby swing on the market that mimics a parent’s natural rocking, bouncing and swaying movements.

New for 2022, the MamaRoo 5.0 features upgraded Bluetooth and voice control capabilities. It now allows you to stream music as well as use the bouncer with Google Home and Amazon Alexa. Like its predecessor, its smart technology allows for remote operation via the 4Moms app so that you can tailor the settings to perfectly meet your baby’s needs. 

It has five motions and speeds to choose from. You’ll also find four built-in sounds, an adjustable recline and a toy bar to offer extra stimulation. While it’s suitable from birth to 9kg, you may find it doesn’t last longer than the six-month mark. Our parent tester Luci says, “My 11-day old (9lb 13oz) newborn is taking up three quarters of the seat already.” With that said, the hefty price tag may not be worth it for you if you only plan to use the bouncer occasionally.  

It’s also not designed to be portable. Luci adds, “It’s not super heavy but it’s a solid piece of kit which you would probably keep downstairs. I would want another basic bouncer upstairs to pop baby in if I had this one.”

Despite this, parents have found the MamaRoo to be a game-changer when it comes to soothing and calming their newborns, which is why we think it’s worth the consideration if you’re looking for a bouncer that goes the extra mile. 

Tested by parents: Read our full Chicco Hoopla review

The 2-in-1 Chicco Hoopla converts seamlessly from a baby bouncer once your child reaches 9kg to a toddler chair that will last until around three years of age. 

Lightweight and portable, the Hoopla can be folded flat for storage or travel, so is the ideal companion for overnight stays with the grandparents or family holidays should you wish to take your bouncer with you. Our parent tester Luci says, “The Chicco Hoopla has a compact fold. Second best to the flatter BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss but far better than all the others I tested. It lies completely flat so it’s easy to pop into the car to take to a friends’ [house].”

It has two modes - fixed and rocking - depending on your baby’s needs, and the seat is well-cushioned with a generous amount of padding. You’ll also find a cushion insert that offers additional support for newborns. Luci adds, “The main fabric is more durable but the soft insert makes it feel more baby-friendly. I would keep it in as long as possible.” Although a little high, we also like the toy bar with three hanging toys. 

Both sturdy and safe, this bouncer stood up well to knocks during testing and the five-point harness offers additional safety, although you may find it a bit fiddly to click into place if your baby is particularly wriggly.

Tested by parents: Read our full Red Kite Cozy Bounce Linen review

Budget-friendly, but with impressive features such as a detachable toy bar with hanging toys as well as vibration settings and 16 soothing tunes, the Red Kite Cozy Bounce Linen is ideal if you’re looking for a no-frills bouncer with added extras. 

While our parent tester Luci found it tricky to assemble, the bouncer is very simple to use once set up. It’s also lightweight enough to easily be moved around your home, although unfortunately it doesn’t fold for travel. 

The seat, although not reclinable, is lightly padded and covered in a comfortable linen fabric, and has a built-in padded insert that offers comfort and support for younger babies. However, we would have liked for the insert to be adjustable to better accommodate growing babies. Luci says, “The support cushion was located too high up the seat once my daughter was two months old (approximately 10lb). As a result, she looked slumped in the seat.”

Due to the lack of recline, fixed support cushion and the inability to fold flat, the Red Kite Cozy Bounce Linen may not be the most versatile choice compared to bouncers like the BabyBjörn Bouncer Bliss. But we think it’s a practical option if you’re on a tight budget, and one that will fit your home no matter the style.

Tested by parents: Read our full Stokke Steps Bouncer review

Cleverly designed to replicate the feeling of being cradled, the Stokke Steps Bouncer is a comfy seat to place a newborn baby in. The soft insert and harness will keep them safe, secure and cosy. There's also a detachable overhead arch included to clip toys onto to keep them stimulated. The toys aren't included though, so you'll need to choose and add these yourself. The design is very stylish - we love the muted colours and cloud print, but a plain grey version is available if you'd rather keep things minimalist.

The main drawback is that this bouncer is pricey. However, we're impressed that it can be clipped onto the Stokke Steps Chair so it can be used at the dinner table, keeping your baby cosy and at eye level.