How crucial are baby bouncers?

[Princesspowersparkle]

DH and I were looking at them at the weekend and we can't decide how crucial one is. We have got a playmat/ gym that the baby can lay on, plus a moses basket.
Any opinions welcome!
PPS (33+3) XXX

I found them great with both my DS's, but IMO you don't need an all singing all dancing one, the more basic ones do the job just fine!

If you mean the chair type ones - absloute must!
I had one that lay flat and had carry handles - it was teh best piece of equipment ever - far more use than a moses basket which I used 6 times!!

Ohhh- yes the chair ones!

Do you mean a bouncy chair? We had basic one, just wire and fabric, was pretty useful but DS was too energetic and heavy for it by 5 months. I also sneered at its vibrating function, but it did give me a bit of peace occasionally.

I have the Baby Bjorn one and it is brilliant. It is more versatile than most of them out there but also costs quite a lot more...you don't need a clever one but I would recoemmnd you do get one. The simple piece of cloth over wire frame ones are better for little babies than the heavily padded ones (but they look better when you're picking).

Agree with DeviousDaff - a must have. From about 4/6 weeks they really come into their own - the baby can sit more upright and see what's going on. Then later on, you can sit the baby in it for weaning.

DD liked hers for four months and it's a good transition to a bumbo from the floor. Also the little buggers tie into them so you can actually go in the shower and leave them bouncing in their chair on the bathroom floor (believe me this will become important to you!)

Get one that is easy to wash the cover though. Also the toybars are completely crap on most of them. But you can get lots of take along buggy toys that hook or clip onto them. Get one with a mirror though - babies are vain!

we had a £20 fisherprice one from argos, was the best buy of all our 'baby stuff' by far! an absolute must have!!

With DS2 I bought a basic rocker type chair with a toy bar, which was reduced from £20-£5!! It was the best £5 I've ever spent!

LOL WMMC...so right about mirrors!!!

The toy bar on the babybjorn is still popular with my DS (7 1/2 months)...its really simple though, thats probably why!!!

DD still sits in hers now, she's five pounds over its recommended weight and her bum is on the ground when she's in it, but she still likes to loll there eating croissants (bad mommy!)

We had a 10 quid, no frills one from Mothercare, great, and am now going to pass it on to it's 4th user. We used it from birth till babies were about 7 mo. The gym mat for the floor will not come into it's own till your baby is about 3 mo.

I also have a cheap one from Mothercare - but honestly they don't break - just get dirty - so you can just as easily get a used one if money is an issue. Just wash the cover and it'll be fine (oh and that thing they say about sponge cleaning the toybar, unless it's electronic - is complete tosh - I wanged ours in the bath and then hung it on the line after DD wiped something unspeakable on it and it's fine!)

i found the basic rocker things the best. baby can rock themselves with their own kicking. this and the baby gym were excellent super duper cant do without.
except with dc3. dc2 was only 18 months when she came along. i couldnt put her in the rocker, coz he wanted to sit in it. couldnt lie her dowdn on the babygym as he would give her a 'cuddle'

Vital as somewhere to put them in the early weeks. Get one that is easy to clean though.

Yes they are a must. Useful for when weaning too.

Crucial if you want a life! It is a safe place to put the baby and my dd loved hers. We had a fisher price all singing vibrating one and she loved it and would happily spend ages happily playing in it.

They are so good because you know that they are safe and you can put them down for a minute to answer the door etc when you are on your own and not worry about them rolling etc. I can't imagine how I would have survived without ours!

We did not buy ours until after the baby was born and used the money friends/family gave us as a gift to buy it.

If you have a windy or refluxy baby then they may hate being laid flat and may need the propping up that a bouncer gives. Which is one reason why I found bouncers very useful for all three of mine, though none of them ever fell asleep in one, nor ever bounced theselves. But lots of babies do. A bouncer also gives them a better view of what's around them, which babies love. It allows them to watch and join in more easily.

There are all sorts of fancy models, but even the cheapest, simplest, wire-and-fabric ones are excellent.

The bouncer i used for DS1 was an absolute necessity!! I dont think i could have lived without it!

He used to love sitting in it and looking around rather than lying flat and not being able to see anything around him. He later had his nightly babyrice in it too.

A definite MUST HAVE!!!

Did n't have one for ds and used hii car seta indoors and a playmat/gym. Had a Chicco one for dd and it was indispensible. She had reflux and lyign flat on the floor on a mat or in bed made her very unhappy. She could still reach her gym from it. She napped in it a lot too.

I never had one

I had a reclining chair which was indispensable though

ah true, ours wasn't a bouncer as such either, a rocking or static chair which lay flat, upright or somewhere in between.

Great- thank you ladies thats definitely answered my question and I will be investing in one!
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