1  | 

I found this helpful Thank You! Your vote will be tallied soon!

So far, Mira is proving to be a baby who loves to be held. Constantly. And while I'm happy to oblige most of the time, there are many times where I need my hands free, such as going to the bathroom, showering, eating, or just because I need a break. But this movin' and shakin' baby doesn't want to be left motionless, not to mention leaving her on the floor with an active (and jealous) toddler might be a bad idea. So we needed to find a good seat to keep Mira happy for short periods.

When Cordy was a baby, we had a bouncy seat for her. She spent a lot of time in that seat, but it didn't hold up well enough to keep around for a second child. First, the seat didn't recline enough for a newborn, so until she had neck strength we often found her head slumped over slightly. Second, the seat's "bells and whistles" - the lights, the music, the activity bar - were noisy in a mechanical sort of way. By the time Cordy was six months old, the activity bar didn't work reliably, either. We parted with that bouncy seat in a garage sale last year.

So this time around I wanted to make sure we got a seat that would work from the very start, and didn't have too many electronics that could break down. What we found was the Boppy Cradle in Comfort bouncer. This bouncer comes in pink or blue - I wanted blue (I just don't like pink), but all we could find in town was pink. Ah, well. The seat is luxuriously padded with side cushions and a head cushion. The seat is like a papasan seat, where the baby sinks down into the seat, preventing any chance of rolling out. (There is also a seat belt as well.) It has a toy bar that has two soft toys hanging down, but the bar can also be pushed out of the way if not needed.

The seat reclines back to accommodate a newborn, but also can be adjusted to a higher angle for older babies who like to sit up more. The cushions can also be removed for an older baby. The frame is also different from many other bouncers, featuring a circular frame that is more stable than many other bouncers out there. The vibration feature is strong enough to soothe a baby, but thankfully very quiet. There are also five melodies and three soothing sounds available as well.

Mira likes the seat so far. While she still insists on being held when she's awake, she is happy to nap in the seat, as long as the vibration is on. My only complaint is that the Boppy bouncer has an automatic shut-off on the vibration. While I understand this is to preserve battery life, in case you forget to turn it off, it doesn't help when you have a baby who will wake within a minute of the seat ceasing to vibrate. Still, this is a minor complaint. She is comfortable in the seat, it doesn't make her head droop forward, and there are no loud mechanical sounds.