As a family who lives the small European apartment life, space is certainly at a premium at our place. When we had our first baby, we didn’t want to become overwhelmed with container gadgets that would take over whatever limited floor space we already had, so we tried to choose wisely. Over and over again, we heard from friends about the BabyBjörn bouncer (in fact, I used this particular bouncer myself as a baby in the United States). We decided to go with it as our one and only “baby container,” and it was an excellent decision. In fact, we will be using it this summer for our third baby, too.
Why is this particular item so well-loved by generations of parents? Some of the excellent features of the BabyBjörn bouncer that I personally appreciated is that it doesn’t need batteries, it can be gently rocked with a hand or a foot, and as your baby gets a bit older, they can “rock” themselves. Another thing is its longevity compared to other baby containers. Babies can typically only use electric swings and many smaller bouncers till they’re about three to four months old, whereas we were able to use our BabyBjörn bouncer for six or seven months, both as a place for the baby to chill and observe life and as an infant seat for starting solids.
As any parent of a young baby knows well, babies project quite a bit of bodily fluids, whether it’s a bit of a diaper leak or an epic spit-up. An incredibly helpful aspect of the BabyBjörn bouncer is the fact that the fabric is easily machine washable. The fabric part comes right off for a quick wash and you can put it back on good as new. Many other swings and bouncers don’t have this feature or require hand-washing, so this is certainly a perk with the BabyBjörn.
The BabyBjörn bouncer’s height can also be adjusted, so when your baby is a small newborn and needs to be lying in an inclined position, you can adjust the bouncer to tilt much farther back. This feature is fairly unique to this particular bouncer. When your baby is older and has better control over their head and neck, the bouncer can be adjusted to sit farther upward. This is especially handy for babies who like to see what Mom, Dad, or their older siblings are up to around the house.
Unlike a baby swing, the lightweight BabyBjörn bouncer folds up easily. This makes it especially handy if you want to take it on a road trip, for storage purposes, or to bring along with you to a cafe or restaurant when the baby is too young for a high chair. As your baby gets older, you can string a strand of toys across the bouncer for them to play with (the company sells bouncers that include toys as well). And because the bouncer doesn’t require batteries, that’s one less thing you have to worry about stocking up on.
The one thing about the BabyBjörn that might daunt prospective parents is the price. The company is European and ethically sources the materials for its products. That’s why the price for a new BabyBjörn bouncer is higher than other comparable products on the market, which don’t have the same kind of regulations for their factories and materials. Luckily, we were able to snag our bouncer secondhand in excellent condition for a far lower price, and it’s still going strong for baby number three.
I’m not someone to usually sing the praises of a particular branded item, but the BabyBjörn bouncer is one of those rare baby things where, well, I am. If, like our family, you’re looking to be a bit more minimal in acquiring baby gear, or you’re just on the hunt for the ideal baby container, I give two thumbs up to this bouncer.