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

[Anonymous]

FTM here. Wondering if most people really get/need an activity center, a bouncer and a swing or if you typically select one or two of these products? Do they all serve basically the same purpose? Which is the most important? We don't have a huge house and it seems like most of these products are only good for the first year, so would like to skip unnecessary expenses if possible.... thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

I never got a bouncer or a swing. I am not sure what an activity center is. We got our newborn an owl arc thing. She'd lay under it and bat at the toys hanging down.

[Anonymous]

I had none of the above.

[Anonymous]

Swing and activity center serve complete opposite purposes. Swing is to make your baby stop crying and sleep. Activity center is for them to play when they are rested and happy.

Lots of babies like to sleep in bouncers but you can also park a baby there to bat stuff if it has things hanging down from a bar up top.

You don't NEED any of them, but if you have them you will probably use each for different things at different times.

[Anonymous]

I liked having all 3. If you have the space, go for it. You can start using the bouncer at a very young age. Ours was invaluable. I had him in there when we were playing together on the floor, and also when I needed him to be somewhere safe (within eye range) while I made dinner or whatever. It allowed me to interact with him even if I wasn't holding him. I also liked that he could hold a toy or stuffed animal or book in his lap while sitting in the bouncer.

We caved and bought a swing with ds was about 1.5 months old, just to see if it would help him sleep a little during the day. It was somewhat helpful. I know some moms couldn't survive without a swing.

And when ds was about 4mo old, the Jumperoo (like an exersaucer or activity center) was awesome too. He LOVED it; it was less of a place to park him, and more a place where he could go nuts grabbing baubles and spinning toys and pushing buttons and jumping and laughing. It was a nice alternative to the bouncer.

Honestly, if you have the room, get all of them. I agree with pp who said you can use them for different things at different times.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I'd like to point out that I didn't ALWAYS have my baby in a contraption. But even with spending tons of time in my lap or laying on the floor, or being held or carried...it was still necessary to have other places for him.

[Anonymous]

Bouncy or swing for times baby needs put down. Some kids do better with a recline. Bouncy seat was our lifesaver. At 6 months when baby was climbing out of bouncy seat we switched to activity center. Loved it. Need no, but helpful yes.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

I used all three. The swing was maybe the least needed. You can get all of these cheaply on your neighborhood list serve or cl.

[Anonymous]

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.

Oh, give the OP a break. Everyone needs SOMEwhere to put the baby down; it's not like she's going to leave baby in a swing 24-7. I can't leave baby on the floor because of my big, clumsy dog. It's more likely to retard development getting stepped on by a giant paw than to be put in the bouncer while I make dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. I'd like to point out that I didn't ALWAYS have my baby in a contraption. But even with spending tons of time in my lap or laying on the floor, or being held or carried...it was still necessary to have other places for him.

Agree with this PP. The swing and the bouncer may be a bit redundant but not totally. The activity center (I assume you mean exersaucer/jumper etc) is a totally different thing.

[Anonymous]

We had a swing and jumperoo (I think that's what you're calling an activity center). So glad I had both of them. I had one of those babies that could only sleep while being held - he would sleep in the swing for about 15 minutes though. That was just enough time to get some food in me before the next nursing session.

[Anonymous]

We had the swing in the kitchen for when we were doing kitchen stuff.

Bouncer for putting baby down in the bathroom or living room.

Activity thing for when she was a little older for the living room floor.

If you plan to wear your baby all the time, then you might not need all or any of these items, but for me I found that it was really nice to have a safe place to put the baby down in each area of the house.

[Anonymous]

I am not sure what you mean by an activity center. A play mat? I think you do need that or something ad hoc that serves the same purpose. I think you also need somewhere safe to put the baby when he's little to shower, etc. - for us, we used the bouncer. We have an exersaucer now that she's mobile and use it here and there when we need to (she only likes it in very small doses).

[Anonymous]

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.