Bouncing Chairs
A bouncing chair is a baby item that can be used from the day baby comes home from the hospital up until about six months of age.
Once a baby can sit up on its own or weighs more than 25 pounds, a bouncing chair should no longer be used, although some chairs are safe for use into the toddler years.
Types of Bouncing Chairs
A bouncer seat can be very useful for babies as it is a safe place to keep baby, giving the caregiver some freedom to perform other tasks. Bouncing chairs are lightweight, portable and some are space-savers. In some cases, parents may prefer a bouncing chair over a swing, which saves money rather than having to purchase both items. Bouncing chairs are stationary however, most offer some kind of movement and sound. Typically, once the baby gets older the chair will bounce up and down when he or she starts kicking.
Some bouncing chairs recline whereas others stay in a semi-upright position. Some bouncers have interactive toys whereas others have stationary toys. Another distinguishing feature is a mobile – quite a few bouncing chairs have mobiles overhead. An additional feature to consider is how long the chair can be used for. Some of the bouncing chairs just go up to 20 or 25 lbs whereas others can hold up to 40 lbs. These chairs transform into toddler chairs and therefore are more versatile and useful.
Bouncing chairs all have the same premise: to occupy a baby. They tend to differ on the additional features they offer. Some upgraded features that may be included are: connectivity to an MP3 player, different motions, different speeds, LCD screen instead of standard screen, more than one recline position, interactive toys that light up, different musical sounds, removable toy bar and so on.
Brand Names of Bouncing Chairs
As with many baby items, there are quite a few brands of bouncing chairs, however, only some are known for their quality of product. Some quality brands include: 4moms, Mamas & Papas and Fisher-Price.
4moms is a manufacturer of baby items that have moms in mind. One of their bouncy chairs is the mamaRoo Plush Infant Seat. It claims to move like a parent does – bounces and sways. This seat offers five different motions, five nature sounds and five speeds. It also offers an LCD screen that allows an MP3 player to connect to it. The chair will also recline and sit upright as it has multiple positions. Another good feature is that the fabric is removable and can go in the washing machine.
Mamas & Papas is a higher quality brand of baby gear. One of their popular bouncy chairs is the Magic Astro Bouncer. This bouncer chair has 4 different entertainment settings if the Mamas & Papas Magic Card and Toy Pack is used. The chair offers a multipositional toy bar that provides sound and light which the baby can control by kicking an interactive pad. An MP3 player can also connect to it and it also has a vibration function to gently soothe baby.
Fisher-Price is a household name for baby products and of course they also manufacture bouncy chairs. One of their bouncy chairs is the Deluxe Infant to Toddler Comfort Rocker. This chair is very functional as it grows with the child up to toddler age. It also features a kickstand that folds so it can become a feeding chair, an adjustable seat from reclining to upright sitting, vibrations feature, stimulating toy bar and music.
Price of Bouncing Chairs
Bouncing chairs are typically not very expensive compared to other baby gear items. As they are so useful in giving the caregiver a break, their prices are quite reasonable compared to their benefits. A simple bouncing seat without all the bells and whistles starts around $25-30. Battery-operated chairs can range between $30 and $70. The higher priced models typically have interactive toy bars, canopies, different motions and different music selections and so on. Of course there are the designer models with fancier materials as well as sleeker and modern styles which are much more expensive. Some of these models can cost $350 and higher. Of course more well-known brands typically have higher prices than less popular brands but often this higher price is also associated with higher quality products.