Do I NEED a baby bouncer/chair?

[Strawberry06]

I'm about to give birth and this just occurred to me! (FTM)

I'm talking about one of them bouncy/rocker chair things that you put baby in when you want to do stuff.

They seem ridiculously expensive given how long baby is in them? Or can they be in them a while? I've checked locally and there's nothing second hand either.

We have our pram bassinet which is up to 6 months so I was planning to just put them in there if I need to put them down?

My mum is telling its an absolute must item but I'm not so sure, please correct me if I'm wrong!

This! Bouncers are definitely not a new concept, how funny. I have photos of me in one in the 80s!

Definitely a must have for us. We had a baby bjorn one and it was a lifesaver.

So baby dependant. We had a free second hand one and I'm so glad I didn't pay for it - we used it very very little. Dc didn't like it at all. Preferred to be lying on the floor in the baby gym.

I'm so surprised by these replies! Never had one, it's better for development to be on the floor or in arms, so that's where he went.

Reflux babies hate lying down. Sometimes you need to put them down somewhere without them screaming house down so you can look after your own basic needs or cook dinner.

When it comes to babies there is nothing that is strictly necessary but there are definitely things that make your life way easier.

I had a fancy swinging vibrating one fron fisher price from my older kids that my baby wasn't terribly interested in.
With this baby I bought a hauck wooden highchair that you can put a bouncer seat on so baby is adult height or it can be used on the floor as a bouncer. Absolutely love it. At 8 months baby uses the highchair and still sits and naps in the bouncer.

If you can't get a cheap second hand one I'd wait and see how baby is like.
My DC1 would scream in anything that wasn't a sling. So when DH was away I would pop her in the cot if I wanted a shower to scream there rather than in the bouncer. DC2 was chilled (and I was used to slings by then) and would fall asleep in the pram bassinet when rocked and was happy in a high chair at 6 months. So our bouncer was never used.