Poll: Bouncer or no bouncer?

[Elana]

Hello!

I'm creating a baby registry right now, and am wondering how
usefull/necessary the bouncer seats are. Some say it's a lifesaver,
others say it's a toy and can be lived without. Also, how important is
a 5 point restraint on a seat? Most popular bouncer seats have only 3,
but there are reviews that say that babies flip over. The one with 5
point restraint (Combi) is $80!!!! Too much.

What is your opinion???
Thanks,
Elana

[Leslie]

I found a bouncy seat useful as a place to put baby on the rare
occasions I was not holding her. I wouldn't waste money on all the
bells and whistles though. Mine was about $30 and I only got it
because I couldn't find a non-vibrating non-musical one at the time--I
just never put batteries in mine.

Leslie

[Tori M.]

Never had one with Bonnie.. Xavier prefered the car seat..

Tori

--
Xavier 10/04 "Oh whats this on the floor? A dime? Yummy!"
Bonnie 3/02 "Mommy Look at me! Look at ME!"
349.5/319.5/135
"Elana" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hello!
>
> I'm creating a baby registry right now, and am wondering how
> usefull/necessary the bouncer seats are. Some say it's a lifesaver,
> others say it's a toy and can be lived without. Also, how important is
> a 5 point restraint on a seat? Most popular bouncer seats have only 3,
> but there are reviews that say that babies flip over. The one with 5
> point restraint (Combi) is $80!!!! Too much.
>
> What is your opinion???
> Thanks,
> Elana
>

[Nan]

On 7 Jul 2005 08:01:57 -0700, "Elana" > wrote:

>Hello!
>
>I'm creating a baby registry right now, and am wondering how
>usefull/necessary the bouncer seats are. Some say it's a lifesaver,
>others say it's a toy and can be lived without. Also, how important is
>a 5 point restraint on a seat? Most popular bouncer seats have only 3,
>but there are reviews that say that babies flip over. The one with 5
>point restraint (Combi) is $80!!!! Too much.

We had a FP Kick and Play for dd2. She enjoyed it and I got a lot of
use out of it for a while, but it only cost about $35. I wouldn't
dream of spending $80 on a bouncer.

Nan

[Ericka Kammerer]

Elana wrote:

> Hello!
>
> I'm creating a baby registry right now, and am wondering how
> usefull/necessary the bouncer seats are. Some say it's a lifesaver,
> others say it's a toy and can be lived without.

You have to put the baby down sometimes, unless you'd
like to figure out how to use the bathroom one-handed ;-)
A bouncer is a handy, portable place to put a baby down when
you need to. You can get by without, but it may mean running
somewhere else to put down the baby safely or using a sling
a lot of the time or what have you.

> Also, how important is
> a 5 point restraint on a seat? Most popular bouncer seats have only 3,
> but there are reviews that say that babies flip over. The one with 5
> point restraint (Combi) is $80!!!! Too much.

I suppose that depends on your baby and how long you
use the bouncer. I tended not to use them as much once the
baby was wriggly enough that the baby could have flipped the
thing. A very active baby could get out of the usual 3 point
harness, but not in the first several months, which was when
we usually used them. I personally wouldn't have placed much
of a premium on getting a 5-point harness.

Best wishes,
Ericka

[Cuddlefish]

"Nan" > wrote in message
...
> We had a FP Kick and Play for dd2. She enjoyed it and I got a lot of
> use out of it for a while, but it only cost about $35. I wouldn't
> dream of spending $80 on a bouncer.

Then I won't mention how much this one besides me cost, LOL ;) It seemed
quite cheap when I considered how much we spent on the stroller, LOL!

But it was still cheaper than the initial outlay on the cloth diapers. ;)

--
Jacqueline
#1 Due late Jul/early Aug

[Jamie Clark]

Both of my girls enjoyed the bouncer seat until they were about 3-4 months
old, and they got too large. We only ever had a 3 point strap system. Some
babies don't ever like them, and some do. If your baby likes it, it is a
useful thing to have, as you are able to put them down, know that they are
safe, and do something else for a few minutes, like wash dishes, read a
book, etc. I tell you, holding your baby is a wonderful thing, but having
the ability to put them down is also a great thing.

Because some babies like them, and some don't, and because they are only
really useful for a few months at best, I'd recommend checking out local
children's consignments shops, garage/tag sales, thrift stores, or friends
to borrow one. As long as it's clean and in good condition, you'll be good
to go. We have the one we bought brand new for Taylor, used it for a few
months, stored it for 2 years, and pulled it back out for Addie for a few
months. It's back in storage now, but still looks brand new. If you get
one free or very cheap, and your baby doesn't like it, you're only out a few
bucks, and you pass it on to a friend later.
--

Jamie
Earth Angels:
Taylor Marlys, 1/3/03 -- Little Miss Chatty, whose favorite sayings are
"What's going on in here" and "I've gotta get out of here!
Addison Grace, 9/30/04 -- Little Miss Into Everything, whose reach has
extended into the whole coffee table...nothing is safe!

Check out the family! -- www.MyFamily.com, User ID: Clarkguest1, Password:
Guest
Become a member for free - go to Add Member to set up your own User ID and
Password

[April & Baby]

OK here is a question

I have always liked the idea of the baby bouncer, im presuiming your all on
about the baby bouncers that attach to the door way thingies!!!!

Well anyway I have always liked these up until now because I now have 2
young labradors and im not so sure how they would react to this type of
thing.

Also has anyone on the group brought a baby home to two young dogs and if so
how did the dog react? Did you do anything before the baby was born to get
the dogs used to baby?

Thanks

April and BabyBump

Three weeks, five days, 13 hours, 10 minutes and 19 seconds. 530 cigarettes
not smoked, saving £126.11. Life saved: 1 day, 20 hours, 10 minutes.

[Nan]

On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 16:08:09 GMT, "Cuddlefish"
> wrote:

>"Nan" > wrote in message
...
>> We had a FP Kick and Play for dd2. She enjoyed it and I got a lot of
>> use out of it for a while, but it only cost about $35. I wouldn't
>> dream of spending $80 on a bouncer.
>
>Then I won't mention how much this one besides me cost, LOL ;) It seemed
>quite cheap when I considered how much we spent on the stroller, LOL!

Yeah, I still can't believe I forked over $89 for an Excersaucer :-)

>But it was still cheaper than the initial outlay on the cloth diapers. ;)

I can well imagine!

Nan

[Clisby]

Nan wrote:
t on the stroller, LOL!
>
>
> Yeah, I still can't believe I forked over $89 for an Excersaucer :-)
>

I can't even believe I paid $20 for one at a yard sale. My son got
about one month's enjoyment out of being in it (wouldn't tolerate more
than 10-15 minutes in it at a time, though). Then he got about another
month's enjoyment out of pulling up on it and cruising around the
outside. Then it was old news.

Clisby

[Ericka Kammerer]

April & Baby wrote:

> OK here is a question
>
> I have always liked the idea of the baby bouncer, im presuiming your all on
> about the baby bouncers that attach to the door way thingies!!!!

No, they're talking about bouncer seats--they're small, low
"chairs" to put the baby in. Some vibrate or play music.

> Well anyway I have always liked these up until now because I now have 2
> young labradors and im not so sure how they would react to this type of
> thing.

That's probably something you won't know until you try.

> Also has anyone on the group brought a baby home to two young dogs and if so
> how did the dog react? Did you do anything before the baby was born to get
> the dogs used to baby?

I think the main thing is to make any changes you're going
to make *before* the baby arrives so that the dogs don't have to
endure their *entire* lives getting turned upside down. Think about
their current routines. Is there anything they won't be able to
do when you're home with a newborn? Rooms that will be off limits?
Feeding times/locations? Times of day that they get walks? Play
times with Mom or Dad? If you're going to change anything, change
it now.

Best wishes,
Ericka

[Nan]

On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 16:56:03 GMT, Clisby >
wrote:

>Nan wrote:

>> Yeah, I still can't believe I forked over $89 for an Excersaucer :-)
>>
>
>I can't even believe I paid $20 for one at a yard sale. My son got
>about one month's enjoyment out of being in it (wouldn't tolerate more
>than 10-15 minutes in it at a time, though). Then he got about another
>month's enjoyment out of pulling up on it and cruising around the
>outside. Then it was old news.

Good deal! A has low muscle tone and gross motor delays so we got
several months of use out of it. Even now, at 15 months she'd like
being in it, but I packed it away in the shed.

Nan

[Circe]

"Nan" > wrote in message
...
> Good deal! A has low muscle tone and gross motor delays so we got
> several months of use out of it. Even now, at 15 months she'd like
> being in it, but I packed it away in the shed.
>
Hey, Nan, low tone and gross motor delays were my daughter's initial
diagnoses. I didn't realize your daughter has them as well. If you're ever
interested in talking about stuff, let me know. I have BTDTWTTS (and am
still there, although the issues have changed with time).
--
Be well, Barbara

[Jamie Clark]

"Clisby" > wrote in message
link.net...
> I can't even believe I paid $20 for one at a yard sale. My son got about
> one month's enjoyment out of being in it (wouldn't tolerate more than
> 10-15 minutes in it at a time, though). Then he got about another month's
> enjoyment out of pulling up on it and cruising around the outside. Then
> it was old news.
>
> Clisby

We did pay full price for our excersaucer, but Addie was in it around 3
months old until just recently, so we've gotten a good 5 months out of it,
give or take. At this point, she cries when I first put her in, then pretty
quickly gets distracted by the toys on it, and will stay in it for long
enough that I can take a shower, or put Taylor to bed, or work on getting
dinner ready. She also uses it to cruise, and I imagine that we'll be
putting it into storage or selling it at a garage sale soon.
--

Jamie
Earth Angels:
Taylor Marlys, 1/3/03 -- Little Miss Chatty, whose favorite sayings are
"What's going on in here" and "I've gotta get out of here!
Addison Grace, 9/30/04 -- Little Miss Into Everything, whose reach has
extended into the whole coffee table...nothing is safe!

Check out the family! -- www.MyFamily.com, User ID: Clarkguest1, Password:
Guest
Become a member for free - go to Add Member to set up your own User ID and
Password

[Nan]

On Thu, 7 Jul 2005 10:02:50 -0700, "Circe" > wrote:

>"Nan" > wrote in message
...
>> Good deal! A has low muscle tone and gross motor delays so we got
>> several months of use out of it. Even now, at 15 months she'd like
>> being in it, but I packed it away in the shed.
>>
>Hey, Nan, low tone and gross motor delays were my daughter's initial
>diagnoses. I didn't realize your daughter has them as well. If you're ever
>interested in talking about stuff, let me know. I have BTDTWTTS (and am
>still there, although the issues have changed with time).

Thanks Barb,
I remember reading about your daughter's delays a while back.
I was finally able to get her evaluated through First Steps and we're
working on getting a PT in once a week to work with her.
She's age appropriate in all other areas, but at 10-11 months in gross
motor skills.

Nan

[Circe]

"Nan" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 7 Jul 2005 10:02:50 -0700, "Circe" > wrote:
>>Hey, Nan, low tone and gross motor delays were my daughter's initial
>>diagnoses. I didn't realize your daughter has them as well. If you're ever
>>interested in talking about stuff, let me know. I have BTDTWTTS (and am
>>still there, although the issues have changed with time).
>
> Thanks Barb,
> I remember reading about your daughter's delays a while back.
> I was finally able to get her evaluated through First Steps and we're
> working on getting a PT in once a week to work with her.
> She's age appropriate in all other areas, but at 10-11 months in gross
> motor skills.

That was pretty much Aurora's situation, except that when she was evaluated
at 14 months, her gross motor skills were at 6 months. She was
age-appropriate in every other way, though.

The thing I've discovered in watching my daughter is that the problems she
had as an infant/toddler manifest in different ways as she gets older. She
made tremendous and relatively quick progress in gross motor development
once she started physical therapy, and nowadays, it's pretty hard to tell
that she was ever delayed. She's a little behind her peers, but it's nowhere
near as dramatic as it once was. But it's clear to me now that the biggest
reason her gross motor skills were delayed was because she has problems with
motor planning for tasks that require her to use both sides of her body
(bilateral control, as they call it in technical terms) if they are new or
novel or complex. So now it's showing up more in her fine motor skills.

When she was first evaluated, they told me that as kids with gross motor
delays get older, it's not unusual to find that they start have problems
with fine motor control. I didn't really believe it would happen with Aurora
because she had such wonderful fine motor control as a toddler. But, lo and
behold, here we are!

Anyway, your daughter sounds like she's not as dramatically delayed as
Aurora, so that's a good thing. If she's anything like Aurora, PT will do
wonders for her.
--
Be well, Barbara

[Nikki]

Elana wrote:
> Hello!
>
> I'm creating a baby registry right now, and am wondering how
> usefull/necessary the bouncer seats are. Some say it's a lifesaver,
> others say it's a toy and can be lived without. Also, how important
> is a 5 point restraint on a seat?

I wouldn't say I couldn't live without it or anything but I really thought
it was a nice option. They are kind of short lived so I wouldn't invest a
lot in them. The vibration was nice but mine was a battery hog so I didn't
always use it. I didn't feel the 5pt restraint was at all necessary. By
the time they were wiggling around that much I wasn't using it anymore.


--
Nikki

[Nan]

On Thu, 7 Jul 2005 10:40:59 -0700, "Circe" > wrote:

>That was pretty much Aurora's situation, except that when she was evaluated
>at 14 months, her gross motor skills were at 6 months. She was
>age-appropriate in every other way, though.

I'll admit, reading about your dd and odd discussion here and there
made me more vigilant about watching for delays in A. E was late in
sitting up, but was on target with all her other milestones. A has
been consistently late with all of them. She only began crawling at
14 months. So, I knew it wasn't just a case of, "she'll do it when
she's ready".

>The thing I've discovered in watching my daughter is that the problems she
>had as an infant/toddler manifest in different ways as she gets older. She
>made tremendous and relatively quick progress in gross motor development
>once she started physical therapy, and nowadays, it's pretty hard to tell
>that she was ever delayed. She's a little behind her peers, but it's nowhere
>near as dramatic as it once was. But it's clear to me now that the biggest
>reason her gross motor skills were delayed was because she has problems with
>motor planning for tasks that require her to use both sides of her body
>(bilateral control, as they call it in technical terms) if they are new or
>novel or complex. So now it's showing up more in her fine motor skills.
>
>When she was first evaluated, they told me that as kids with gross motor
>delays get older, it's not unusual to find that they start have problems
>with fine motor control. I didn't really believe it would happen with Aurora
>because she had such wonderful fine motor control as a toddler. But, lo and
>behold, here we are!

This is very interesting. I hadn't realized A could have issues in
other areas as she gets older, but now that you bring it up, I'll be
watchful.

>Anyway, your daughter sounds like she's not as dramatically delayed as
>Aurora, so that's a good thing. If she's anything like Aurora, PT will do
>wonders for her.

We're hoping! The evaluator seems to feel that she'll be getting up
to speed in less than 6 months, but she's approved for assistance for
a year, and I can have it extended if I feel it is warranted.

Thanks for the information!

Nan

[Circe]

"Nan" > wrote in message
...
>>When she was first evaluated, they told me that as kids with gross motor
>>delays get older, it's not unusual to find that they start have problems
>>with fine motor control. I didn't really believe it would happen with
>>Aurora
>>because she had such wonderful fine motor control as a toddler. But, lo
>>and
>>behold, here we are!
>
> This is very interesting. I hadn't realized A could have issues in
> other areas as she gets older, but now that you bring it up, I'll be
> watchful.
>
It may not happen, but it's definitely wise to be vigilant.

Another area to watch is language development. Aurora's was perfectly normal
and even a bit ahead at 14 months. By the time she was 2.5yo, she was
clearly behind and it was the basis on which she qualified for services.
These days, it's looking to us like her language problems are now (and
probably were when she was younger) related to an auditory processing issue
rather than to oral coordination/speech production stuff. (Her constellation
of symptoms is looking more and more to me like a sensory integration
dysfunction, as a combination of problems with motor planning, auditory
processing, and regulation--all areas she has problems in--is one of the
more common types of SID.)

Anyway, the biggest thing about language production and gross motor delays
going together is that, apparently, a lot of the early motor development
babies/infants do program their brains in ways that allow them to develop
language later. So children who go through those motor stages much later
than average often tend to have some delays in language development as well.
Again, not a certainty, but something to be on the look-out for.

>>Anyway, your daughter sounds like she's not as dramatically delayed as
>>Aurora, so that's a good thing. If she's anything like Aurora, PT will do
>>wonders for her.
>
> We're hoping! The evaluator seems to feel that she'll be getting up
> to speed in less than 6 months, but she's approved for assistance for
> a year, and I can have it extended if I feel it is warranted.
>
> Thanks for the information!
>
You're welcome. Good luck!
--
Be well, Barbara

[Nan]

On Thu, 7 Jul 2005 11:55:21 -0700, "Circe" > wrote:

>It may not happen, but it's definitely wise to be vigilant.
>
>Another area to watch is language development. Aurora's was perfectly normal
>and even a bit ahead at 14 months. By the time she was 2.5yo, she was
>clearly behind and it was the basis on which she qualified for services.
>These days, it's looking to us like her language problems are now (and
>probably were when she was younger) related to an auditory processing issue
>rather than to oral coordination/speech production stuff. (Her constellation
>of symptoms is looking more and more to me like a sensory integration
>dysfunction, as a combination of problems with motor planning, auditory
>processing, and regulation--all areas she has problems in--is one of the
>more common types of SID.)

Her expressive communication is at 12 months and the evaluator said
that having the PT in to work with her may help that. But at this
point we're not going to focus on it unless it appears she's
continuing to lag behind. There's the whole 'second child talking
later because bigger sibs do the talking for them' idea, too.

>Anyway, the biggest thing about language production and gross motor delays
>going together is that, apparently, a lot of the early motor development
>babies/infants do program their brains in ways that allow them to develop
>language later. So children who go through those motor stages much later
>than average often tend to have some delays in language development as well.
>Again, not a certainty, but something to be on the look-out for.

Would you happen to have any websites I can peruse? I never dealt
with any of this with my 2 oldest, so this is all very new to me.

Nan

[Circe]

"Nan" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 7 Jul 2005 11:55:21 -0700, "Circe" > wrote:
>>It may not happen, but it's definitely wise to be vigilant.
>>
>>Another area to watch is language development. Aurora's was perfectly
>>normal
>>and even a bit ahead at 14 months. By the time she was 2.5yo, she was
>>clearly behind and it was the basis on which she qualified for services.
>>These days, it's looking to us like her language problems are now (and
>>probably were when she was younger) related to an auditory processing
>>issue
>>rather than to oral coordination/speech production stuff. (Her
>>constellation
>>of symptoms is looking more and more to me like a sensory integration
>>dysfunction, as a combination of problems with motor planning, auditory
>>processing, and regulation--all areas she has problems in--is one of the
>>more common types of SID.)
>
> Her expressive communication is at 12 months and the evaluator said
> that having the PT in to work with her may help that. But at this
> point we're not going to focus on it unless it appears she's
> continuing to lag behind. There's the whole 'second child talking
> later because bigger sibs do the talking for them' idea, too.
>
A three-month "delay" isn't really even a delay, from what I understand,
just within the realm of normal variation.

As I said, though, Aurora was actually *ahead* verbally when she was
assessed at 15 months. What happened with her verbal development was a lot
like what happened with her gross motor development--she reached a certain
stage within the proper time frame and then things seemed to stagnate for
her. In her case, I think the problems with expressive language back then
were a direct result of her inability to understand and interpret what was
being said to her. Nowadays, her expressive language is mostly fine, but the
receptive side is lagging behind (and the speech folks all tell me this is
*very* unusual; typically, kids with receptive language problems have pretty
serious expressive language problems as well).

>>Anyway, the biggest thing about language production and gross motor delays
>>going together is that, apparently, a lot of the early motor development
>>babies/infants do program their brains in ways that allow them to develop
>>language later. So children who go through those motor stages much later
>>than average often tend to have some delays in language development as
>>well.
>>Again, not a certainty, but something to be on the look-out for.
>
> Would you happen to have any websites I can peruse? I never dealt
> with any of this with my 2 oldest, so this is all very new to me.
>
You know, I did a few Google searches trying to come up with the sites I
found most interesting/useful back in the days when I was really doing a lot
of research on this stuff and came up empty-handed. Sorry I'm not more
helpful!
--
Be well, Barbara

[Nan]

On Thu, 7 Jul 2005 13:35:41 -0700, "Circe" > wrote:

>A three-month "delay" isn't really even a delay, from what I understand,
>just within the realm of normal variation.

This is what the evaluator said, too. It's why we're not focusing on
it unless we notice a problem.

<snip>

>You know, I did a few Google searches trying to come up with the sites I
>found most interesting/useful back in the days when I was really doing a lot
>of research on this stuff and came up empty-handed. Sorry I'm not more
>helpful!

No problem. I'm sure I'll be able to find something out there that
will help. I tend to use our library a lot for research, so I'll put
that to use as well.

Nan

[Sidheag McCormack]

We didn't have one. We put DS in his car seat as somewhere safe to put him
sometimes, but mostly just on the floor TBH :-)

Sidheag
DS Colin Oct 27 2003

[Elle]

Elana wrote:
> Hello!
>
> I'm creating a baby registry right now, and am wondering how
> usefull/necessary the bouncer seats are. Some say it's a lifesaver,
> others say it's a toy and can be lived without. Also, how important is
> a 5 point restraint on a seat? Most popular bouncer seats have only 3,
> but there are reviews that say that babies flip over. The one with 5
> point restraint (Combi) is $80!!!! Too much.

I think it is a pretty good thing. I got mine for free second-hand at
it is in perfect shape. It vibrates but I never make it do that since
my daughter doesn't relly care for it. She likes the fish & bubble
though. I don't think 5 pt harness is important, the thing seems pretty
sturdy and well to be honest it's really close to the floor. Although
I've never heard of a baby flipping one.

[KC]

I did get a 10 minute break once from my 2nd baby with the bouncy seat
- lol. Mostly my first 2 didn't care for it. My 3rd likes it okay.
She is a wiggle worm and a very calm temperment, so that works for the
bouncy seat as her wiggliness makes it move and her calm temperment
makes that small movement enough to amuse her. Plus, it gets her low
where her sisters can lavish attention on her, but with her down with
her sisters it is not really a break for me.

So, you don't really know ahead of time if your baby will like it or
not, so don't spend too much money on it.

KC

[KC]

April & Baby wrote:
> OK here is a question
>
> I have always liked the idea of the baby bouncer, im presuiming your all on
> about the baby bouncers that attach to the door way thingies!!!!
>

My oldest dd loved the doorway bouncer. My second liked it a bit,
enough for me to get a break. Interestingly I saw one made out of
vines in a documentary about some isolated people in south america.
Even they liked it for their kids :-) I would definitely buy one of
those.

KC

[emilymr]

I second the jolly jumper recommendation (doorway jumper). Micah loved it,
and I could actually make dinner. ;) I never got the little bouncy
chair; I held him or put him in the stroller or sling.

Em
mama to Micah, 11/14/04

[Sue]

I used a bouncer for all three kids. It was the same bouncer. That was one
item I couldn't have lived without while they were that small.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)

"Elana" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hello!
>
> I'm creating a baby registry right now, and am wondering how
> usefull/necessary the bouncer seats are. Some say it's a lifesaver,
> others say it's a toy and can be lived without. Also, how important is
> a 5 point restraint on a seat? Most popular bouncer seats have only 3,
> but there are reviews that say that babies flip over. The one with 5
> point restraint (Combi) is $80!!!! Too much.
>
> What is your opinion???
> Thanks,
> Elana
>