Best infant bouncers & rockers according to redditors

Just fyi, despite all the advertising, a RNP is not considered a safe sleep surface. Our Daughter almost suffocated in hers, scariest moment of my life.

The Rock n Play bassinet is though, and conforms to the AAP safe sleep guidelines. https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Rock-Play-Portable-Bassinet/dp/B008DDPL32

Fisher-Price Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat [Amazon Exclusive] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M67C5S9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_qbeBDb7TQ5JX7

This seat is amazing! We started using it when baby was about 2/2.5 months and it solved the wanting to sit up by himself problem

Ftm here too, I registered and received this one, but it’s flat with no buckles, more like a bassinet. Think this one is recalled too? Are there specific recalled model numbers?

fisher price rock n play portable bassinet

I have twins - they have physiotherapist consults every month because they were preemie and the dr's wanted to make sure they stay on track (currently just short of 9 months old).

They said jumpers/exersaucers were fine but to

a) limit how long the babies are in it at a time (so like 15 min session then time on the floor and time cuddled and time practicing sitting etc... then back in saucer...) and

b) to make sure that the babies are able to put their foot flat on the ground when standing in the saucer or jumper becasue that helps prevent any tightening of tendons and will help them develop balance better than the way the jumpers often say to set them up for the right height.

We got the saucers for the twins when they were 5 and a half months and they LOVE them. We have this exersaucer activity centre and this jumper centre

its nice becasue we can switch up the toys between the two, and we trade twins time so they get time in each style in between playing on the floor and playing with us and playing with each other

And the physio lady has been super happy with the kids progress - they are really good standers when holding onto stuff, they are good sitters, they are hitting their milestones and have no loss of mobility or loss of desire to tear around on the floor now that they figure out at least how to army crawl lol.

Congratulations! Rock n play bassinet - it's a flat surface and rocks. It is not under the rock n play recall because it's completely different.

First time dad of a 3.5 month-old here. This will be a little off topic, but I think it bears mentioning. I'm sure you'll get plenty of advice on brands and styles here. So instead here are some things to get more of, of those recommended brands, to make your life easier.

Rags, rags, rags. You want rags everywhere you can possibly think to be feeding/nursing him/her. Once your wife sits down to nurse, or you sit down to bottle feed, you will not want to get up and root around for something to wipe his face off with. They make a huge mess of the top of their shirts and face every time they feed. We have rags within arm's reach of all the popular spots around the house. We are so damn tired half the time we do this, midnight feedings etc., that it makes a huge difference to our mood and outlook to not be frustrated by little things.

Extra swaddling blankets. Learn how to swaddle well and it makes a big difference on naptime and nighttime. We now keep one the in the diaper bag and near the crib and near the bouncers, they get dirty quick so it's nice to have backups so you don't have to constantly do laundry. Again, it's the little things that really start fraying at the edges of your sanity, having to do three loads of laundry a day because you only have one of something, is one of those things.

An extra base for your carseat for all the cars that might be used to drive him/her around. Once again, when you haven't slept well in a month, having to constantly un-tether and re-attach that damn base every time you need it in a different car, or forgetting and taking that car to work and effectively stranding your partner with the child, will hurt your brain, and your fingers. My parents keep a base in their car all the time, they don't really use the backseat anymore anyway, but my in-laws keep theirs in the trunk just in case.

He loves this thing

We're using a Pack N Play with the raised bassinet (NOT the Newborn Napper which is not safe for unsupervised sleep). A smaller and less expensive option is the Fisher Price Rock'n'Play Bassinet (NOT the Rock'n'Play sleeper...while many people DO use the sleeper for their newborns, it's not really great for newborns to sleep at an incline as they may slump forward).

I really like the Pack n Play if you have room for it because you can continue using it as a travel crib for awhile.

Babywearing is great. It frees up your hands, and some babies will nap well in a carrier. I loved using bouncers something like this. You can put it in any room and let them watch you do things or play with the dangly toys. Some babies love swings too, but those are pricier and take up more space. You can also simply lay the baby down in a pack and play or on the floor. If you have a baby who spits up constantly, spread out some towels to protect the carpet/bedding/upholstery.

But in the end, you and your wife probably won't be able to get every single thing done that you want to around the house for a while, so just lower your expectations and sort out your priorities. The baby won't be so clingy forever, everyone will sleep better eventually, and you'll back into a routine that works for you.

I'm not sure what your price point is, but there are a few options out there! Fisher Price has the Rock N Play Bassinet at $89.99.. Or similarly there's the Dream On Me Traveler Portable Bassinet at $79.99. If there's a place to put it, something like the Brica Fold N' Go Travel Bassinet for $34.99 might work. If you're wanting to comply with the AAP, look for the words crib, bassinet, or playpen - they're the only ones that have been tested and approved. Words like sleeper and napper are not tested and not approved for use by the AAP.

This said - please excuse me while I observe a moment of silence for my beloved Rock N Play.

38+3 today! The nursery has been done for a while, but today had some pretty light streaming in to get some great photos!

The skiing images in frames will eventually get replaced with baby photos! Our guest room that this was before was also ski themed, so some of the items transitioned well!

Crib and Dresser: Babyletto

Rug: Surya from allmodern

Handmade Mobile: helloxsugar on Etsy

Bouncer: fisher price

Bookshelf: IKEA

Photo frames: Belmont by Michaels (I stock up on these when they’re on sale, which they almost always are!)

I had the rock n play bassinet- not the original reclined one, but they make a green flat one. We loved it because it met all safety standards, our newborn could be swaddled in it, and it was a small foot print. Highly recommend.

Edit to add: we bought it just a few days in when we realized how freaking huge the pack n play was. It seemed way too big for a newborn who wanted to be cozy. Plus it was cumbersome. They work great for older babies, though.

Very similar to our situation. We got both home on the 3rd after 10 days with just 1. We stuck with the nicu feeding schedule they were on which was bottles on the hours of 3,6,9,12. We have pretty much been able to stick to that, occasionally getting off by a half an hour here or there. I don’t set an alarm for when to wake up to feed them overnight because one of them always lets me know. Even if one is not crying they both get woken up for food and diaper so they stay on the same schedule. I have just recently started occasionally feeding both at once if they both are screaming but i usually just do one after the other. Thankfully our girls eat at a good pace so it’s not an issue if one is crying a little waiting for her meal. During the day our girls like to nap in the fisher price infant to toddler rockers and they go down pretty easy in their cribs at night.

Here is a rundown how my days have been and I should mention we are exclusively formula feeding. I am on maternity leave and my husband works 4 days a week, so those days i do both the 3 am and 6 am feedings by myself and they take around 45 mins between warming bottles, changing diapers, feed and burping. So i sleep between 12-3, 3-6, 6-9, minus the wake time for feeding. I wake him up to help overnight on days he is off. Sometimes we stagger things, for instance I’ll go to bed after 9 pm feeding and hubby will handle the midnight and put the girls down to bed by himself so i can get a more solid chunk of sleep. If they eat every 3 hours and one person can do one by themselves the other person can get a 6 hour stretch of sleep which is all you need to feel like a new person! Anywho days I’m alone...After 9am bottles and diapers they go in their chairs and I get my coffee, this is essential and should never be skipped. Between feeds when they nap or are just hanging out i use the time to restock diaper stations, do some laundry and one time a day i make 24 hours worth of bottles for each girl. Staying organized and on top of little things like always having wipes when you need it can keep you from getting frustrated. My mom has come about once a week to help out, I time her visits with my own dr visits or errands so i can leave the house without the babies.

We have a swing and haven’t even opened the box yet and not sure i want to! They actually go to sleep in their cribs or their little chairs with little to no soothing from us and i’d like to keep it that way. Maybe we will set it up down the road or maybe we will just return it. Here are some things we’ve loved
disposable changing pads to put on our changing pads.
infant to toddler rocker
formula mixer pitcher
flat head boppy pillow
No link for this but cloth diapers have been the best burp cloths, we took a bunch from the hospital and I’m about to order some more, Green Sprouts brand has been pretty good too.
We have been using the app baby tracker to keep track of feedings and diapers.
Time to feed a baby...might add more later!

We've been considering this since it seems to be similar.

Crib mattress - Just make sure it's firm, fits your crib tightly, and highly reviewed. You don't have to spend a ton on one. I think we bought a $50 Sealy and it's gone through three babies without showing any signs of wear.

Bouncer - I used one of these for a reflux baby and it was awesome. My second and third slept in their crib from birth, but it was still nice to have something light and easily transportable to put them in while I was cooking or doing other chores. Lots of parents rave about the Rock N Play for a bassinet substitute. For that, I used a cosleeper type thing. I like it because we travel to visit family a lot and it's easier to carry and set up than a pack n play. It's good to use until they start sitting up or crawling.

Bottles - I personally prefer Dr. Browns. They were the miracle bottle for my babies, and with this specially made dishwasher basket getting them clean is super easy if you have a dishwasher (I wouldn't have them if I had to hand wash every time though, that's kind of a pain). However, you might find your baby prefers something different, especially if you mostly breastfeed. Don't make a big investment in one type of bottle until you know your baby will like it.

Misc. items - If you are formula feeding, do yourself a favor and get one of these pitchers. Also, I don't know how anyone survives without a Boppy pillow. And like /u/glory87 mentioned, skip the glider and go with a rocking recliner, sleep deprived you several months from now will thank you. Personally, I have loved my cloth diapers, but that's a whole other investment and something I'd be happy to talk about if you want to hear about it. If you can spare the money, I love my video monitor. It's one of those things you don't really need, but are wonderful to have.

Swings and play yards - Only one of my three babies liked the swing. And even then, she could have done without it. If you have a colicky baby or one that's otherwise difficult to settle, it might be worth it. So my personal experience says wait and see, and if you do end up finding you need something like that, just go out and buy one then. I've never used a play yard. I liked play mats like this one for tummy time.


The biggest thing is that newborns only really eat, sleep, and poop. If you've got boobs/bottles, a crib/bassinet and some pajamas, and diapers, anything else can come as you find a need for it (Amazon prime shipping is pretty amazing for those instances!).

We had a baby bouncer- not a rock n play but still inclined. Baby hated it, and the couple of times he fell asleep in it, it just freaked me out and I moved him right away. He did great in a pack'n'play bassinet with a mobile though!

Stuff that worked really well: thick XL over the shoulder burp cloths (great for all drools and spit ups, now that he's bigger great for wiping him after he eats solids), sleep sacks and a foam playmat - the kind with interlocking tiles.

• Don't waste money on expensive bottles.. it's kind of a crap shoot what bottle your child will like, some are more picky than others. We bought the "first essentials" bottles from babies r us for like $5 for 3 and haven't needed anything else. Some people spend hundreds on bottles needlessly.
  
  
• However many pacifiers you have, go ahead and double it. The frequency that you lose these things is nothing short of insanity.
  
  
• This bouncer was the only thing our son would sleep in for the first 2 months. Life saver.

If I'm not too late, I can recommend this - Fisher-Price FMN39 Infant-to-Toddler Rocker, Baby Bouncer Chair and Rocker, Suitable for New-Born to Toddler https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0716R7FDR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_x5vrDbS4RC9JG

We got it in the pink colourway for our daughter, she loves playing in it at 4months, and her 2 year old cousin couldn't wait to steal in and sit watching telly in it!

We have a Fisher-Price Stow n’Go . It’s super light and portable, you take the legs out, it’s folds down and comes with its own travel bag for carrying.

My kids LOVED the toys that suction to the table top. this one
and this one
were favorites. In fact, these along with this high chair are my go to baby shower gifts.

I had a pack and play for my first baby and I just sold it to a secondhand store. I think they are too big for their intended use. My daughter never liked it as a sleep device and she hated it as a containment device once she got mobile. We ended up getting a snuggle nest to put in the pack and play for her to sleep in because the pack and play was too wide open.

This time I went with a travel crib to put next to our bed for the first few months. I hope the new baby likes it. I guess we'll find out here in the next week or so.

Another option I considered was the Fisher-Price Rock and Play Bassinet, because as I said the pack and play was just too big.

I had a similar concern. So I went with the Rock N Play Bassinet. It worked great for my LO. I could rock it back and forth when needed, but it still had a flat bottom. It was super easy to move to the pack n play and then ultimately his crib.

Amazon actually has a good description of it with different pictures, too: http://smile.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Rock-Play-Portable-Bassinet/dp/B008DDPL32/ref=pd_cp_ba_0

Lily loved her activity mat and her bouncy chair at 2 months old. We would walk around the flat and look at things and we took a walk every day. She napped A LOT on me at the time so we watched A LOT of Netflix and 4OD. My favourite thing to do with her was just to stare at her and copy all of her noises and talk with/to her.

1. The idea of a diaper bag isn't so much just for a place to carry the diapers but a place to carry all of the things your baby might need. We have this Skip Hop diaper bag that I really like. We cloth diaper so we usually just keep it packed with 2 diapers, a wet bag, wipes, a pacifier, swaddle blanket, receiving blanket, and a change of clothes. We also throw in a bottle for whenever we'll be out long enough to need one. It also has an awesome feature of being able to easily clip on the stroller which we love. It worked great when we went walking at the state fair.
   
   
2. Yes, you can go straight to the crib. We tried having our son in a pack and play with a bassinet in our room but we all sleep better with him in his own room. We do like having the pack and play though so we can travel with him if needed and for overnights with grandparents.
   
   
3. We went middle of the road. We wanted a travel system for while he is small since we live in a cold climate and I don't want to have to take him in and out of the carseat in the dead of winter and carry him in/out of places. We went to babiesrus one day (not sure if you have something similar in Canada and played with a bunch of different brands so we could find one we liked in the price range we wanted. We ended up with the Chicco Keyfit 30 and love it.
   
   
4. We did get a glider. I never nurse in it. I pull up a spot on the couch or bed and just do it there. I like being able to watch tv because my son is a slow eater. I think we could have lived without this. I have a boppy and a my breast friend. I hate nursing with the boppy but it's great for having him sit in.
   
   
5. Probably the glider. We could have lived without this.
   
   
6. We got a bouncy chair as a gift that I really like. Our son likes the vibration so it was a great thing especially when he first came home. I have a Moby wrap that I like so I can wear him while I do stuff around the house. Our baby loves being swaddled, it's like a magic way to make him calm down. He's always cold so the fleece sleep sack styles ones are great.
   
   Honestly, for a newborn you don't need much. They basically sleep, eat, and poop. Our guy spends most of his time in onsies unless we're going to see people in which case I'll put a little outfit on him.

I was/am in the exact same boat - first kid, limited funds, starting from scratch, going through reviews and prices drove me insane. It took me probably three months to get my registry together, and, even then, I am still switching things up, lol.

lucieslist.com was invaluable while picking everything out. I highly recommend you check it out.

What we have bought ourselves that fit our tight budget:

Graco Comfy Cruiser Travel System. We had already decided to go with that car seat, given that it seems to be the top-rated budget option, and the stroller ended up being a much-needed bonus. We go on walks a lot, so it works for us. If you don't need the stroller, the seat itself is, I think, only ~$100.

The Pack N Play, which I've heard from literally everyone and their mother is almost a necessity.

Because we don't have an IKEA near us to get our hands on a swanky $99 crib, we bought this DaVinci crib. We still only ended up paying $100 for it, as we found it on sale, however, we would have paid the $200 for it, given that the reviews are good, and, when compared to some other cribs that cost $400 and up, the price isn't bad at all.

As for the rest of the registry, we have on there a Moby wrap (affordable baby wearing, yay!), nail clippers, outlet plugs, nursing pads, a wipes case, a baby tub, baby wash, assorted crib sheets, waterproof crib sheets, Pack N Play mattress, and sheets to go with, crib mattress (we actually bought this one when we found it on sale for $20, and it's just fine), receiving blankets, dirty diaper bags (because we aren't getting a diaper pail, just a small can with a seal-able lid), changing pad, and a cover to go with, pacifiers, Dr. Brown's Gia Nursing Pillow, a bottle brush, bottle warmer, thermometer, booger sucker, camera to monitor the baby, and a few other assorted things that I couldn't really find a definitive "best in class" for, so pick at your own discretion: diaper bag, swaddles (although I've read good things about the Summer Infant brand), bottles (we're going with Phillips Avent), a bouncer (we got this one), and a swing.

I agonized over this stuff for what felt like forever, lol, so I hope it helps you and saves you some hair-pulling. It's all so overwhelming!

My kid never liked being in it for more than 10 mins. I recommend you get one that is versatile. We got the Graco Everyday Soother. He didn’t like it much as newborn, but he sat in it long enough for me to shovel some food in mouth. Now that’s he’s 19 weeks, we set it up to the straightest level so he’s basically sitting up in it. It’s like an amusement park ride to him. He will sit in it long enough for me to clean his room and do laundry.

https://www.amazon.com/Graco-EveryWay-Soother-Removable-Josephine/dp/B079PCW6ZH

Are they not falling asleep? Not staying asleep?

I forgot that we actually transitioned from rnps to bassinets THEN to cribs. We were using the rnps for naps and night time up until about 6-7 weeks, when we got the bassinets. (Kept the rnps in the living room for naps and the bassinets in our room for night time). Then around 4 months they were starting to bust out from their swaddles and kick and roll a little, so we moved them cold turkey to their cribs for naps and night. Somehow we got lucky and it went pretty well. It was hard getting them down by myself at times, but one of my boys was a pretty good self soother at that point so I just put him down with a pacifier while rocking the other for a bit. We never really had any issues with the transition. I think it helped that they were on a pretty good sleep schedule and I was really dedicated to sticking to it. So they were tired and ready to sleep when I put them in the crib. Then once they could roll onto their tummies, forget it. They were asleep in minutes.

This is the bassinet we used. Doesn't take up much room and is good for travel: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Rock-Play-Portable-Bassinet/dp/B008DDPL32/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452466145&sr=8-1&keywords=Fisher+price+bassinet

Also, have you tried a mobile? We had these and our boys were OBSESSED. http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Toy-Wimmer-Ferguson-Infant-Stim-Mobile/dp/B00009ZIKH

Good luck!

I got it off amazon, but it seems to be out of stock right now. If you google Asweets alpaca rocker, it looks like it is also sold elsewhere.

wow, I just looked them up for shits and giggles, they've come a long way in 5 years! It's all fancy schmancy now lol. I hope it works even better for y'all!


ours was closer to this one (but with a bunny instead of a puppy) https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-Snugapuppy-Deluxe-Bouncer/dp/B01N3LXXJN/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=vibrating%2Bbaby%2Bchair&qid=1555526523&s=gateway&sr=8-4&th=1


the vibrations worked for my son, but your baby might prefer the swing, dunno. But I thoroughly endorse the whole line. I jump in to recommend them whenever I can. I think it was responsible for 90% of the sleep I got the first year or so. Good luck

I can't find the one I had on my registry (took it off because I ended up getting a set of the poang chairs on clearance), but this was the same concept:
https://www.amazon.com/RockerMama-Ready-Rocker-Chic-Gray/dp/B07T811SNJ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=rockermama&qid=1563166896&s=gateway&sprefix=rockermam&sr=8-2

The one I saw had glowing reviews for comfort, portability, etc and I loved that it was so small and seemed so convenient

Our baby hated her bassinet for the first couple of months. She didn't like to lay completely flat so we ended up bringing her bouncer chair in our room (positioned flat) and she slept in that instead. I was worried at first but our doctor said it was perfectly fine and safe to do so. As she got bigger she eventually took to her bassinet. Good luck!
https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Love-3-Close-Bouncer/dp/B01KH8OW1W

http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Starts-Playful-Portable-Swing/dp/B009WQKW4C/ref=br_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=DA63964QOFUO&coliid=I24FXA6Z7JMT29


this is the swing we got, more compact than most


http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Y0899-Infant-To-Toddler-Rocker-Turtle/dp/B00KA8ID06/ref=br_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=DA63964QOFUO&coliid=I204XHAB3S2STT


this is the bouncer we got.. i like how it converts to a chair eventually.

Yayyyyyyyy! How exciting!!!


this is just too freaking adorable :)

My daughter loved this when she was a baby

This is silly and fun!

You are going to want this for sure. Helps cover up diaper smell!

For the due date.... I'm going to say.... May 21 because that's my birthday! :D

We've gotten one of each of a lot of the big things like swing, bouncy seat, bopper thing, until we know if one or both hate them. So maybe instead of two swings get a swing and a [bouncy seat thing] (http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-Snugapuppy-Deluxe-Bouncer/dp/B00CZFAZGM/ref=sr_1_7_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1464294695&sr=1-7&keywords=bouncy+seat). Link since my powers of description are failing.... I figure we can always get another if they both want to be in the same thing. The only thing we got two of were cribs, car seats, and rock and plays.

Fisher Price makes a rock n play bassinet that someone bought us for our baby shower. That could be a better option because baby lays flat, and it's only a little bit lower than our bed so baby is closer. Our bedroom is teeny and with this bassinet it's a bit cramped, but not as cramped as with a Pack N Play. Also someone gave us one of those bassinets that goes into your bed so baby can safely co-sleep. Will something like that work?

I originally looked for the lullago because I liked the way it looked and wanted to spend under $100 on a bassinet. It was backordered where I wanted to buy it from for a decent price and I couldn't find it locally. I ended up getting this rock n play bassinet which is flat and not tilted like the rock n play rocker thing. I got it for a much better price and like it better for our small bedroom.

We used this bassinet from the get go (LO was 9lbs 9oz and has always been in 99% for height)

I think it’s 25lb weight limit and is 31 inches long.

link

Note - it can rock or you can flip the feet and it won’t rock

This type of deal was really helpful for my friend's little baby who refused to be swaddled or baby worn. The vibrations are similar to riding in a car (which we don't have) but without using gas. It's also good for bringing to the kitchen and setting the baby in if you need to cook/do dishes, etc, or into the bathroom if you need to do bathroom things.

FALSE. It's a bouncy seat. Proof.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002OOWAB2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_j58XDb46JR4HT

This is our godsend for naps. We got it when the rock N play was recalled right around the time our baby was born. With the baby in it it reclines almost flat (not completely, but way flatter than most inclined sleepers and I've never worried about her angle for sleeping). We've been using it since she was a month old and she's six months now. Her naps are mostly supervised in it but I feel comfortable leaving the room for a few minutes to fix myself some lunch or something. If I need to leave for longer periods of time I would put her in the bassinet or crib with the monitor. This little rocker is also super portable so you can move it to whatever room you're hanging out in, or you can fold it up to take visiting friends/relatives. The layout of my house lets me get enough stuff done while she naps in this rocker twice a day, every day. Plus it is adjustable so she can use it as a regular rocking chair into toddlerhood, which I love.

ETA my kiddo is a crazy fussy eater and our last resort is always this rocker to bottle feed her, so it's a blessing for more than just naps! It has the rumbly vibration switch which is a big deal to soothe this baby in particular.

These are so cute!