I’ll take a wild guess and assume you’re either a parent or about to become a parent, and you’ve got questions about the BabyBjorn Bouncer.
It’s a great tool and small piece of furniture that can offer some sweet relief from tired arms and give your baby a spot they’ll actually enjoy sitting.
As a new dad myself, the bouncer was fairly intuitive, but I did have questions. And I’ll answer a lot of the questions I had (and some more) in the BabyBjorn Bouncer guide below so you hopefully don’t need to google countless different questions to find all the right details.
(And congratulations on your little one! What a great gift to even have a little one to put in a bouncer.)
BabyBjorn Bouncer Review
Sweet relief for your arms (and mind)
When your baby is little and constantly wants to be held, both your arms and your patience get tested. Our son was pretty cooperative as a newborn and not that fussy. But he still wanted to be held a lot and would cry if we put him down on his own.
We were super happy we had the BabyBjorn as it gave us a break from having to hold the little guy and the bouncing still kept him happy. We were able to send a few emails or put our attention on something else while still moving him up and down with a foot.
Once our son got to about 3 months old, he was strong and coordinated enough to kick his feet and bounce himself. It’s not a surefire way to keep him happy, but it’s a whole lot more entertaining for him than putting him down on a play mat.
Easily portable
There isn’t a huge price difference between the bouncer and a MamaRoo swing, but the bouncer is far more easily transported. You can’t take apart a MamaRoo and fit it in the car without disassembling it and fitting it back into the box or a bag. And you’ll need an outlet to plug it in wherever you’re going.
The bouncer is much easier and only takes a second to fold down flat (more info below on how to do that). Much more realistic if you’re driving on vacation or going somewhere you can’t plan on holding your baby the whole time.
Bathroom help
From birth to about 2.5 months old, bouncing was an unusually good way to get our son to gift us a dirty diaper. He didn’t go often and it made us nervous when we thought he may be stopped up. Sure enough, bouncing helped him go.
I’m not sure if it’s a universal thing for all babies, but it sure worked well for us. Which leads me to the next thought…
Easy to wash
We’ve dealt with several blowouts that occurred while my son was in the bouncer. That led us to frantically pull the fabric off the frame and throw it directly into the washing machine.
The nice thing is the fabric comes off very easily and you can machine wash it. There are a lot of other bouncer options you can buy but I’m not sure they’re as easy to take apart and wash. When you’ve got a nasty looking stain on your bouncer, it’s a whole lot easier to be able to put it in the washing machine rather than having to spot clean it.
Not cheap
Probably the only con I’ve found is that it’s not cheap. There are several other bouncers you can get on Amazon that are less expensive and seem to accomplish generally the same thing. We’ve used one other at a family member’s house while traveling and it didn’t bounce as easily as the BabyBjorn or look as nice, but it kept our son generally happy.
If cost is a concern, I’d expect you can get a cheaper bouncer that has very minimal differences.
How does a BabyBjorn Bouncer work?
A BabyBjorn Bouncer is a small seat with a propped up seat that bounces with slight movements of the baby. It doesn’t require any batteries and the seat even distributes the weight of the baby so they’re propped up nicely with the baby needing to support their own weight. As your baby grows and gets stronger, they’ll be more capable of bouncing themselves more consistently. (My nephew’s signature bounce method was a left leg judo kick that had him loving the bouncer.)
What age can babies go in the BabyBjorn Bouncer?
The general recommendation is from newborn up to 2 years old. There are suggestions from BabyBjorn listing the minimum weight at 8 pounds and maximum weight at 29 pounds, which most babies and 2 year old children will fall within. After a baby reaches 20 pounds and can walk and sit on their own, the fabric can be turned around and the seat can be used as a chair (here’s a video on how to flip to a chair).
How long can a newborn be in a bouncer?
BabyBjorn recommends a baby not stay in their bouncer any longer than one hour at a time, which is based on the World Health Organization’s guidelines of not letting young children sit in the same position for more than an hour.
Can a baby sleep in the bouncer?
Nope! A baby shouldn’t sleep in any bouncer. There’s research from the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine showing babies shouldn’t sleep in upright positions as they aren’t strong enough to support their own weight. It doesn’t matter whether it’s during the day or at night. The safest place for the baby to sleep is on a flat surface with less than a 10 degree incline (see more details from Healthy Children)
When can the bouncer be raised?
The lowest position is recommended for newborns and the middle and highest positions are for when the baby is able to hold their back and head upright in these bouncer positions.
BabyBjorn Bouncer Weight Limit:
BabyBjorn has weight limits suggested at each position of the baby to rock properly.
When used as a bouncer, the weight limit is 20 pounds when it’s adjusted to it’s highest position. If in the lowest position, the weight limit is 15.5 pounds.
When used as a seat with the fabric reversed and adjusted to the highest position, the weight limit is 29 pounds. If in the lowest position, the limit is 15.5 pounds.
How to change the BabyBjorn Bouncer positions:
With one hand, hold the top of the seat. With the other hand, adjust the the small handle underneath the baby’s seat to raise or lower the frame.
How to collapse the Bouncer flat:
To fold the bouncer flat, put the seat into the highest or middle position, then pull back on the red latch and let the move down flat with the base.
How do I wash the BabyBjorn Bouncer fabric seat?
- Unhook the elastic loops at the bottom of the base and pull the seat up and off the frame.
- Machine wash in warm water with bleach free detergent (works for any of the seat fabrics – mesh, jersey, or cotton)
- Let the fabric air dry. Neither tumble drying or ironing are recommended.
See here for more washing and drying instructions.
What’s the difference between bouncers Bliss and Balance Soft?
Both are almost exactly the same, except in colors and the Bliss has another fabric option called 3D Jersey. 3D Jersey is a bit stretcher (80% polyester, 16% cotton, and 4% elastane) and typically more expensive. Both bouncers operate the same way and just come in different colors.
Does the BabyBjorn Bouncer rock?
Yes! Just not on it’s own. Babies often kick or rock themselves and get more capable of consistently rocking as they get stronger. There’s no motor or batteries that make the bouncer move.
Are there toy attachments for the bouncer?
Yes – there are 3 toys attachments that can be attached to the top of the bouncer one at at time: Flying Friends, Soft Friends, and Google Eyes. Each can come in multiple colors as well.
Can you disassemble the bouncer?
Yes – if you unhook the seat cover hooks and remove the fabric, then you can disassemble the bouncer into 3 pieces. You’ll need a hex wrench or hex screwdriver to first unscrew the two screws on the bottom of the base.
After unscrewing those screws, you should be able to pull the bouncer into three pieces, the seat piece of the frame, the base piece of the frame that touches the floor, and the front piece of the base with the brand name on it.
Can you take a Baby Bjorn Bouncer on a plane?
Yes! I’d recommend collapsing the bouncer and putting it in some sort of carrying case. (Baby Bjorn has a carrier on their website.) Once it’s collapsed, it can go through security and could potentially fit in a large suitcase or be taken onboard as a carry-on. I wouldn’t recommend checking it as checked luggage by itself as it may get thrown around and damaged.
BabyBjorn Bouncer Dimensions:
In the highest position: 22 x 31 x 15.5 inches
In the transport/storage position: 4.5 x 35 x 15.5 inches
Weight: 4.6 lbs
(Height x length x width)
Both versions of the bouncer – the Bliss and the Balance Soft are the same size and dimensions.
How to assemble the bouncer:
Well, awkward topic. There actually isn’t any assembly required.
When you pull it out of the box, it’s ready to go and can be stood up immediately. Only thing needed is taking off the plastic packaging.
Have a question?
If there’s a Baby Bjorn bouncer question we didn’t cover, email us at gdhquestions@gmail.com!
