Baby Bjorn Bouncer - what's all the rave about?

[PurplePansy05]

As per the title!

I've seen countless posts on MN saying how good it is.

But it's massively expensive, doesn't have the handle to carry it, it seems really big in comparison to many other bouncers, I gather it's meant to last longer but I can't see a 2yo being strapped in it easily anyway?!

Finally, I actually don't really like the design of it, tbh. For the little time a baby should spend in a bouncer following all the scientific/medical advice, I don't see the point in buying something so expensive either.

Am I missing something? Please throw it at me if so as I'm about to buy a bouncer. And actually there's a BB I found second hand so that's an option if everyone tells me why it's supposedly so great.

Any other recommendations also welcome, particularly reclining bouncers as I'd rather my son stay flat as much as possible when he's born.

TIA 😊 xx

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MNHQ

I don't know, but following as I am in the exact same position. Not just on MN but everywhere online seems to have rave reviews, and a friend who doesn't usually throw money around invested in one and also swears by it, her baby loves it. I'm pretty sure I will get one tbh but interested to hear any alternative suggestions or different opinions!

Anyone???

I got one for DD1 - she enjoyed it but never went to sleep in it like other parents raved about and she never figured out how to bounce it herself. It was useless by 6 months as she wanted to sit up and move. With DD2 I got another generic bouncer for upstairs from a pass it on site. She much preferred it to the baby bjorn:

I dunno but we've got one of these, which was great at being an unmotorised, non-singing bouncer for DD and will be coming back out for number two, and £100 still in my pocket as well 😂discountbabyequip.co.uk/products/chicco-hoopla-baby-bouncer-moon-grey?variant=34479204270216&currency=GBP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google+shopping

Well that's didn't work. Recommend the chicco hoopla anyway

Interesting, thank you! Curious to hear more views and recommendations 🙏 xx

We were brought one by the in laws. Used it for both my children because we had it, but it's nothing special. I definitely wouldn't have paid the RRP for it.
DC also spent time in the one that was a hand me down from my sister, brought from Aldi for my two nieces. Tbh, I think DC preferred the Aldi one for the hanging toys over the Bjorn with none (or spending £50 on the co ordinating one which o couldn't afford on mat leave!)

I’m not sure why, but it was amazing. Perhaps because it was soft, like being held. The motion was gentle. I don’t know but my god it was good!

£50 for coordinated toys, total madness. You could get the whole new bouncer with toys for this, and not even a cheap one

I like the Chicco one, in fact I was looking at it before I posted.

It's a difficult one I know, babies may have different preferences. For that reason too I think buying a new BB is madness xx

I will say the chicco one isn't easy for a baby to self-bounce but she went in it every day while I had my shower more than happily. You can hang any other pram toys etc from it as well, we used to switch them round.

But do young babies really need to bounce? I am only planning on putting DS in it when I'm in the shower/bathroom/cooking, otherwise he'll be in the carrycot suitable for sleeping in the same room as me. Or in my next to me crib at night.

I don't mind investing in a bouncing and singing bouncer with toys for when he's 6 months+ if that's going to keep him stimulated, but do babies really like this sort of thing earlier on? xx

DD just wanted to bat the toys round and sit back and watch me doing bits and bobs so I'd say something like that would do you fine. I don't think she went in it much after 9 months as she preferred her walker (oh, controversial things!).
She did have a full on baby swing thing that she used to quite like when she was small but the tunes were annoying and the mechanism was really noisy too, that was a mothercare bargain. I'm not sure that will be coming back out the loft but the bouncer that didn't really bounce definitely will.

I'm really considering which bouncer to get for my son this time round.

My daughter had a normal mothercare one £40 at the time and that did her fine until she was 6 months.

Btw about the lay flat thing. You might find your baby rather not be lay flat. My daughter for 6 months hated being lay flat and needed to be up a little at all times but she has a beautiful head shape to say the least now!

DS wasn’t at all impressed by the baby born bouncer that was a gift from BIL and his gf, but I got a free comfort & harmony bouncer on freecyle that he absolutely loved! It vibrates and plays music

DT's had one each. They both liked them. DS in particular was a manic self bouncer.

I liked them as they folded flat and saved lots of space. Light weight and easily washed. Could stick them in the car with all the other baby paraphernalia when visiting.

My ds loved it, it was the only place he wasn’t fussy. Have a dd now who I try not to put in it as much as I think I relied on it too much with ds, but yeah it is also the only place she is chilled out. Dunno why. If there is a way to borrow one to try before you buy I would though as there are a lot of things other mothers swore by that were useless to me (sleepyhead being one very very expensive mistake!!)

It’s nice and light and useful in that respect but mine has only slept in it once!

I think if and when I have another baby I’ll buy this

Don’t get the hype at all. I fell for it and have discovered with our second child that a cheap and cheerful battery-powered bouncer is actually far better. I guess the only positives were the fact the baby Bjorne folds flat and is light, so it was good to take on the two occasions we stayed overnight elsewhere in the first few months. Not really worth the amount of money for that though

There was a fairly recent thread on this which will be worth looking up, with lots of people sharing their experiences of it.

I had a normal bouncer with my first and the Bjorn (2nd hand) with my second and the experience was just so different. I so wish I’d had the Bjorn with my oldest who had silent reflux, it supports them so well, a good range of positions and so easy to transport (and wash). We sold it for what we’d paid for it after two years of use (youngest liked to use it as a chair, not strapped in, until he was nearly 2.)

As for whether babies like bouncing... yes. Yes they do. Thousands of parents have the knee and back pain to prove it. You may get lucky and have a baby who is chilled about lying flat in a carrycot, though.

They hold their value (or they did 11 years ago when I had one) bought it second hand then sold it again for much the same = free bouncer

I wouldn't have paid full price for them as they are SO expensive brand new, but I had 2 for my twins second hand (still expensive) and I liked the fact I could fold them flat and take them easily to other places and set them back up super quick. Also easy to remove covers and wash, and they were reversible.

Also, I liked the fact they went with my front room hahaha 🤣 x

We had one of these and my son loved it from birth. Well worth the money but there might be better out there? Didn't have for DS1 but wish I had.

It holds the baby snug which is why I think it's liked by parents & babies. Then when they're older they can bounce themself in it & again my son loved this. It was used for much longer than our first nondescript one for DS1. Over 1 year old and still in it at certain times. It was great to put him in & he was safe & couldn't escape while I answered the door etc.

My sister had twins & had 2 of these again raving about them. She was able to feed them & everything in it!

It was the only place DS would nap for 9 months. I would have paid 10 times the price of it.

I am only planning on putting DS in it when I'm in the shower/bathroom/cooking, otherwise he'll be in the carrycot suitable for sleeping in the same room as me. Or in my next to me crib at night.

Honestly that plan is ok for newborns, but once they “wake up” at about 6 weeks they want to be able to see stuff and don’t want to lie totally flat looking at a ceiling for 23.5 hours a day.

Bouncers are great for plonking them in when you just need to get something done, if they’re a bit refluxy, have a stuffy nose or if you just want to eat dinner using two hands.

We used our cheap Argos one until both dc were six months- dc2 practically had to be surgically removed from it he loved it so much.

I think it's crazy to spend so much on a bouncer, even 2nd hand are pricey. I see too many saying this bouncer gets their baby to sleep well but I wouldn't leave baby to sleep in one. They are more for when they want to see what's going on while they are awake at our house, they have travel cot for sleeping downstairs.
I've got a cheap £24 new one from asda which will do the job fine.