Which baby bouncer?

[bb2605]

We're expecting our first baby in July and I'm not sure which baby bouncer to go for. I like minimalist design, not keen on the plastic, brightly coloured stuff so have been considering the baby Bjorn. A compromise is the Joie Dreamer Rocker which vibrates and bounces as well plus is a lot cheaper at only £60 including the entertainment bar.

My concerns about the baby Bjorn are that despite the great reviews it has it seems pretty expensive for what it does although I acknowledge that it is supposed to last until they are 2 (dubious about whether you'd keep a 2 year old in a baby bouncer?!). It also doesn't seem to move under the babies own bodyweight until they are a little older as well so wondering if the ones that are electronic and vibrate/swing themselves might be more useful?

On the other hand the all singing all dancing ones that vibrate/swing/play music/wash the dishes etc. generally only last until they're about 9-12 months so I'm thinking perhaps just a straightforward well made bouncer that has potential to last a little longer might be sufficient?

Does anyone have either the baby Bjorn or the Joie Dreamer Rocker? If so which would you recommend? Alternatives also happily considered!

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MNHQ

All it needs to do is bounce and vibrate. It doesn't need to play music or have loads of toys. It's pretty much just to keep them happy so you can put them down to have a poo or wash the dishes or for occasional naps. I don't think we ever used one after about 6 months at most. Once babies are rolling and mobile, they probably aren't safe and most of them can easily tip. I can't imagine we spend more than about 50-60 (we had 2, for 2 different babies spaced apart) and both absolutely did the job.

@mindutopia thanks very much for the input - Joie one it is then! :-)

The baby bjorn one is good quality, and the advantage being it folds completely flat when not in use if you want to store out of the way or take in car etc.. They hold their value well if you want to resell afterwards (or buy secondhand in the first place). I bought as wanted something super light and compact to move around house and in the garden.

Im not sure we will bother using it in toddler mode though as I can't see the point. The base is wide though hence its stable enough i guess for baby not to tip over.

I'd bear in mind that you could shell out loads of money and they hate it. My daughter had one (a Joie one) that cost about £40. She hated it. Probably been used 10 times max.

My son loved his all singing and dancing vibrating bouncers but my daughter hated them and screamed blue murder when in them. Tried a friends Bjorne and she loved it. She loved that she could bounce herself. Super light weight and folds flat. We got it second hand and sold on again for WgSt we bought it for!

Joie Serena is amazing. Get it used, I paid £70 and it has been the best thing we bought.

Every child is different - my first loved the swinging style wheras my second preferred the vibrating one (Fisher Price Rocker). I'd buy second hand that way if your child hates it you don't throw money away.

You can get ones that go from newborn (lay flat) to toddler (turns into a chair) - really handy!

Bjorn you're mainly paying for the name. It is good quality but doesn't have much functionality.

My son loved his baby Bjorn. We bought second hand for £30 including the toy bar and he was in it all the time. We only bought it as we wanted to take a bouncer on holiday and the nuna we'd bought wasn't portable, but the bjorn folds flat. nuna didn't get a look in after. But you really do need to get a spare cover as they will poo on it. A lot.

I had a nuna leaf. I got it second hand and sold it on for the same money.

It all depends on the size of your baby really. I have nephews that had to stop using the Bjorn at 1 and nephews who could continue using a swinging style until 2. My DS has a swing but he’s happiest making his cybex dream lie flat car seat bounce so it was a waste of £40.

The baby bjorn is so worth it. It looks simple but babies love it! They are expensive but get one second hand. Once they can move they won’t be in a bouncer so don’t bother thinking about longevity - you just need somewhere you can put them down safely in the first 6 months.

Baby bjorn all the way - my baby loves bouncing away in it.

Our 8week old loves the baby bjorn and hates the vibrating swing thing we got.

Also may sound silly but the baby bjorn is so light and folds so flat we had planned on taking ours on holiday with us in the case!

We were after baby Bjorn as well for being lightweight but found one at Argos (chad valley) that does the same thing for £15 so didn’t invest too much if baby hated it. It’s not as pretty but as other posters said, you’ll be able to have a shower and move it around the house (esp if you can’t lift/move due to delivery/csec).

The Baby Bjorn is worth every penny. They hold their value well so you can sell it on afterwards and recoup a fair amount of the cost.

Another vote for the bjorn. We got a different one for our first and she didn't really like it. Borrowed a bjorn for our second and he loved it. Only lasted till he was about 6 months though as he's a mover and just wanted to wriggle out and move around. You can probably pick up a good quality second hand one quite easily. The cover washes easily.