Based on NSB comments and some general surveying of friends, I started writing posts about the "Top 10" most essential baby products for someone living in a small space. First, I covered places to sleep. Next, I covered baby carriers. After many moons, I'm revisiting the Top 10 list with a post about things that hold the baby while mom is cooking dinner, taking a shower or doing random stuff around the home. Just because baby's awake, doesn't mean mom can reasonably and logistically hold baby. In comes vibrating chairs, swings and bouncers. Each is slightly different in concept, but all three provide the baby with some stimulation while mom is zipping around.
Today's product, as always, work well in small spaces. They are light weight, compact and mobile. In the world of baby chairs, swings and bouncers, those words are rarely used. In fact, I found the opposite is true. These type products are more often heavy and bulky with limited mobility. Despite this, I managed to hunt down a few good
Graco Swing By Me 2-in-1 Portable Swing ($69.98). This swing got mixed reviews on Amazon. The overall consensus was that it is in fact small and portable, but it eats batteries. Several people also complained that the swinging motion is pretty noisy.
Bright Starts Ingenuity Portable Swing ($58.99). I was simultaneously impressed by the low cost and depressed by the use of "Ingenuity" in the product title. Baby swinging isn't all that serious (or ingenious). Amazon reviewers had great things to say with rare exceptions.
BABYBJORN Babysitter Balance ($149). Yes, this is the high roller choice. But this is also the most compact choice, it literally folds flat. And, it's not battery operated, so no burning through costly AAAs. The vibration comes from the baby's natural movement and the unique design of the chair.
Fisher Price Playtime Bouncer ($38.69). This is the least expensive product that I found and it is truly compact. That's the good news. The bad news is that more than one reviewer used the word dangerous (or some synonym) in the review...
Infantino Fold and Go Bouncer ($65.99). The reviews were overall good. But, the consensus was that it wasn't great for newborns because there is only one reclining position that is fairly upright. It was also noted that this product is more of a chair than a bouncer despite it's title.
Have you used any of these products? Anything to add about their functionality in a small space? Any other recommendations for compact baby bouncers/swings/chairs?