activity center vs. bouncer vs. swing --- do we really need all 3?

[Anonymous]

Swing - lifesaver, only place my 3 month old will sleep, got it on craigslist
Bouncer - DS loves it, got a $20 fisher price one on amazon, simple, lightweight and can easily be moved. Useful so you can pee, shower or make lunch and have a place to put DC

We don't use the playmat a ton. Prefer to just be in a blanket with toys

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Activity center/bouncer are pretty much the same thing - a safe place to put baby down when you need to cook or go to the bathroom - so you probably don't need both. Bjorn has a reclined bouncer that you could use with a young baby who doesn't sit up yet - I borrowed that from a friend and it was nice to have something to bounce the baby in other than my arms. I could sit on the couch, baby in the bouncer, and rock the thing with my feet - some days it was my only chance to put my feet up but it wouldn't have occurred to me to buy it.

We never had a swing but tried one out at a friend's house and my kid loved it. It the only additional piece of gear I'm considering getting for baby #2.

I disagree. If OP means something like an exersaucer or jumperoo (aka activity center?) then they are different. The bouncer is reclined, can use it at a much younger age, and the only entertainment it provides is maybe the arch with dangling toys in front of the baby's face. You can't use the exersaucer/jumperoo until more like 4 months. When ds was around 4.5 months old, I started putting him in the Jumperoo, which not only gave him a safe place to sit, but was incredibly entertaining for him. He could play with all the little toys/spinners/mirrors etc, and later jump up and down in it. With the bouncer seat, I could give him a book or toy to hold in his lap, which was fine, but different.

[Anonymous]

For us, the bouncy seat has been the most useful. Baby is 4 months old and it's a safe place for her when I cook, take a shower etc. The play mat is very entertaining for her too. We did end up caving and buying a swing at about two months to help with naps, but only after we were fairly certain that she'd like the swing (she enjoyed it when *we* swinged her) as I've also heard that some babies don't like swings. She loves it. I didn't want to buy one because it does take up space, but it's been worth it for us.

All that being said, we didn't buy any of these things before she was born. The bouncy chair and play mat were hand-me-downs. I'd say invest in a bouncy chair and then wait and see on the other stuff.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read any of the responses, but IME, the activity gym was a must have, and we are still using it for our eight month old - she no longer lays underneath it, but rather sits next to it and plays with the toys and crawls through the arches like a tunnel. We have a swing, but didn't use it very much. The bouncer got more use but not nearly as much as the activity gym.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read any of the responses, but IME, the activity gym was a must have, and we are still using it for our eight month old - she no longer lays underneath it, but rather sits next to it and plays with the toys and crawls through the arches like a tunnel. We have a swing, but didn't use it very much. The bouncer got more use but not nearly as much as the activity gym.

PP here, I assume that by activity gym, you're talking about the play mat and not the jumper. We have a jumperoo, too, but didn't get it until baby was 6+ months old.

[Anonymous]

You don't need them, but they are nice to have! The swing takes up the most space but I used it the most. There are swings where the seat comes out and is a bouncy...which is nice if you want to take the baby into another room with you (while you shower or make dinner) and they can also play with the toy attachments. The activity gym you really don't need, a blanket on the floor and toys serves the same purpose but they fold up and take up hardly any space so if someone gives you one, nice but you don't need to spend $ on it. So, I found the one that takes up the most space to be the best lifesaver!

[Anonymous]

Oh, I assumed you were talking about the flat activity gym too...but if you were talking about the exersaucer/jumper thingys that was GREAT too for when the baby got older. For the poster who said they interfere with development, please! Just make sure they get enough tummy time, and time to roll around on the floor too. Sometimes you need to keep them contained for their safety while you attend to other things and these contraptions are very valuable!

[Anonymous]

Another FTM here - what's the difference between a rock and play and a bouncer? One rocks and one bounces? So one is like holding a baby in a rocker/glider and one is like holding a baby while bouncing on a birthing/exercise ball?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another FTM here - what's the difference between a rock and play and a bouncer? One rocks and one bounces? So one is like holding a baby in a rocker/glider and one is like holding a baby while bouncing on a birthing/exercise ball?

I used the rnp for sleeping & the bouncy seat for awake time.

[Anonymous]

Anyone seen the movie "Babies"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These contraptions actually retard your child's healthy development, so the less you use any of them, the better.

Magda Gerber of RIE, says a lot about the need of free movement for babies.

Well the activity gym would certainly allow for that.

No, that's not what I see. What are "activity gyms" supposed to be for?

[Anonymous]

We had all three. But I got the lease expensive version possible.

[Anonymous]

Get them from CL or consignment stores, or borrow. You won't know which will be useful or which your baby will like until you try them, but you might very much want them. But they are all very short term things, so there's no point in getting them new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone seen the movie "Babies"?

This documentary shows you what babies really need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone seen the movie "Babies"?

This documentary shows you what babies really need.

To almost get stepped on by a goat? To hang out with pet dogs and a slightly older sibling all day? To not wear diapers and just poop wherever? Please stop romanticizing primitive cultures. Yes we can all do with less "things" - but we also don't all have the luxury of not working or having a village to help raise kids. Some cultures have those bare bones lives for their kids because they have no other choice, not because it is better. The other 2 families in the movie probably did have all the things listed here and more.