There’s two things I must say upfront. The first thing is that I love the BabyBjorn Bouncer and I believe it is a lifesaver. The other thing is that I urge you not to buy it for your kid before you test it out because not all children love it that much and the Bouncer does cost quite a bit so you might even consider getting a second hand bouncer.
Our BabyBjorn Bouncer experience
We got our BabyBjorn Bouncer as a used gift from a family friend with high praises that could be summed up to the bouncer practically being able to raise children on its own. We tried it with our son who was about 6 – 9 months old expecting he would use it as a rocker but he instantly rejected it leaving the bouncer waiting for almost a year until my niece started using it… and she loved it and her parents loved it! Then 3 years later my daughter came to this world and I started gradually making her comfortable in the bouncer fearing she would reject it like my son. Even though it is completely safe for newborns but we didn’t use it until my daughter was almost 2 months old. I kept her in it for 5 minutes, today she is 4 months old and can be in the bouncer for around an hour and sometimes even a bit more per day. Let’s be realistic, anything that can keep a baby entertained and your hands free for 15-30 minutes at a time is a godsend; in case you’re wondering why even buy and use a baby bouncer.
Don’t get me wrong I love holding babies but sometimes I just can’t do it. Sometimes I have to work on something, or do not have the strength. For example, my wife had a fever once and one of the things that kept the entire house from descending into anarchy and mayhem was the bouncer as it gave me precious time to take care of my wife and older son.
This is our over ten year old time and life saver :). Check out how one looks like after over a decade of use and several children, click the image if you want to see a larger photo of it:
This particular bouncer was replaced by new and better models with more fabric and color options, as well as perfected design.
Is the bouncer safe for a baby?
Yes, it is completely safe for a baby, the minimum weight is 8 lbs or around 2.5 kilos.
But remember, this isn’t a device where you put your child and forget about it. Some people expect that they can just put their baby inside it and leave it alone. While this may work for 5 minutes, most babies do not like being left alone and there is no such device yet on the market which will replace a parent; you can hire a babysitter if you’re looking for that ;).
You can use the bouncer to put your baby inside it so that it can watch you perform tasks like cooking or tidying up a bit. Also, it can be used for you to rest your hands and still play with your baby without it lying on the bed. I bonded more with my baby daughter while I had her in the BabyBjorn Bouncer than in my arms. You see, when I put my daughter in it I sit on the floor next to her and we laugh and play and can see each others faces. If daddy gets boring, various toys can be attached to the bouncer ( not exclusively BabyBjorn Bouncer toys, which seem amazing but I haven’t tested them out because they are just too expensive). You can find Tiny Love
It has 3 positions ranging from lying down to sitting up which can later be used for older toddlers as a chair. My older son who did not want to be in the bouncer as a baby played with the bouncer as a chair when he was 2-3 years old; he would even playfully jump inside it and laugh. It is quite portable as it can easily be folded completely flat so you can take it with you in your car if you’re going on a vacation or are visiting someone or you can easily store it without it occupying a lot of space; no disassembling required.
The BabyBjorn bouncer we have is over 10 years old and is now being used by a 5th baby/kid. This makes it incredibly durable as some baby cribs can’t survive as long. The only damage which was done to it is when someone was carrying it and it got stuck to something sharp (who knows what the person was doing, it wasn’t me!). It is also very easy to clean as you will see when your baby poops in its diaper and the diaper does not do its job.
It requires practically no maintenance or repairs as it is a bouncer without batteries or any complex mechanisms.
Cotton vs Mesh
You just pull the fabric part of the bouncer of the solid pieces of it and wash them according to the instructions. Speaking of fabrics you can order an organic cotton or mesh cover and if by some chance it gets destroyed you can order a replacement seat. We have the cotton version and after many wash cycles 😀 it is still quite comfortable. We try to go for organic materials because they’re better when coming in contact with the babies skin and since this is a bouncer and not a carrier for example, there will be times when your baby will be in without that much clothes. If you’re concerned about the heat being generated by the cotton do not worry… this is a bouncer and not a carrier. The baby will not generate that much heat even when it is summer.
What did happen to our bouncer is that it got torn and my wife carefully sew it back together and it never gave us any problems on that exact location. I do not know if we could repair it as easily if it was mesh and not cotton.
Final thoughts and review
But to get back to the durability of this item. Because it is a product of high quality I would recommend that, if you’re buying it for yourself and not as a present for someones baby shower, you get a used bouncer from someone near you. Just test it out to see if all the positions are working and that it can be folded up and that there is no damage to the fabric.
The reviews online for it are amazing and what little is offered in opinions by people that don’t like it can be summed up to some babies not liking it and extremely high expectations by people who have bought it. Well I have 2 kids and it’s true… one did not like it… but oh boy did the other like it. Also while you can use the bouncer instead of a baby crib this is not a bed, it is a bouncer… it is not intended for the baby to sleep in it and as I’ve said before it’s purpose is to give you a little bit of time during the day so you can easily do work that needs to be done and it fulfills that purpose perfectly.
The manufacturing company is constantly updating its products which has resulted in the BABYBJORN Bouncer Balance Soft, one of the best baby bouncer to buy, that comes in 15 colors and two types of material:
UPDATES:
- 7/15/2015 – Our daughter started to crawl like crazy when she turned about 9 – 10 months of age and we stopped putting her in the BabyBjorn Bouncer, which means she had been using the bouncer for 8 months. We’ve borrowed it to our friends which means it is now being used by it’s 6th baby 🙂
- 7/26/2016 – It’s been a year and the bouncer is back. My friends used it for nearly a year with their kid. A totally worth it item!
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