Which bouncy/vibration seat do you have and how do you feel about it?

[jennyriver]

we just rec'd the FP Kick-n-Play as a gift (i registered for it) and put it together to find i wasn't that crazy about it. i looked at it for some time in the store and thought it was OK but once we got it home i just didn't feel the same - the vibration feature (maybe it's just THIS particular seat) is LOUD! the toys are Ok but since they can't be removed i'm thinking eventually baby will get bored with them. the kick feature seems a little lame too...baby has to kick pretty hard and then it just lights up quickly and plays a short song - baby has to kick several times to get any longer response. you can turn it on for continuous play but that seems to defeat the purpose of having a kick feature at all. and nothing happens when they grab for the toys (unlike the FP aquarium one). i am now considering the FP soothing massage chair, which has just 2 small toys but you can change them out for others and seems to also recline a bit beter. anyone have experience with either of these seats or another you just love/hate? thanks!

[Lynnie]

i have the kick and play and we loved it. i didn't shop around, a friend bought it for me and said it was the best.

we didn't use the kick feature until my son (now 2) got a little older and we are now using just the seat without the toys or kick feature for our 4 week old. once we did start using the kick feature with our older son, he loved it. when we went to grandmas when he was 2 months old, she had a normal, non kick bouncy seat, and he would kick his feet and look around for the reaction - and actually got quite miffed that there was none. he didn't seem to get bored with the toy bar either. of course how would i know, as brilliant as he is - ha ha - as are all of our kids - he wasn't talking at that age !!? i just know he much preferred it to the swing, and we also used it countless times without the toybar to bounce him to sleep. which is how i am using it for babyboy#2 at the moment since the guy has been up pretty much all night and morning and i am at my wits end. so here i sit, typing on the computer and bouncing the seat with my foot....

in sum, he did enjoy the kicking feature, and could do that much sooner than he could reach for the toys and whatnot. don't know anything about the aquarium one though.

[rrosen]

We could not have done without the FP kick n play for the firt four months! In fact dd napped many a day in the bouncy seat. She was able to activate the kick feature fairly early on. We also found that though the vibration seems loud to you it acts as a sort of "white noise machine" to your child.

Really this item is on the top ten purchases we will never regret and would repeat.

Rebecca

[jennyriver]

your reviews sound much like what i read on amazon (which is why i registered for it in the 1st place) so now i'm REALLY torn! can i ask you more about the vibration feature? u say it is a little loud - but when i say loud i guess i'm trying to say it tends to rattle the whole seat. when the toy bar IS in the seat it shakes it and it causes that plastic-y jingle sound. the vibration box seems to rattle too. it almost sounds as if something is not tightened correctly but we triple checked it out. it does seem that when you put some wt. into it it gets a bit quieter and since baby isn't actually here yet, that could make all the difference but it seemed like a LOT of wt. had to be put in to make it quiet down...it just sounded "broken" and not just "loud". is this the same thing yours do? also, one of the toys seems to be sewn on funny - instead of facing the baby it turns so it's sideways - not a big deal but an imperfection. so maybe i canjust return this particular seat and see if another seat is any better in the vibration sound/toy dept. i still wish i could change the toys out but i'm really happy to hear that even little babies enjoy the kick feature. thanks!

any moms with the FP massage chair that wanna comment?

[jvorhis]

We have the FP Kick and Play also. I did notice that if you did not tighten the battery box enough that it made a really horrible noise when you turned on the vibrator. My daughter seemed to like it though. She was very fussy and many nights this was the only place she would sleep.

Jenn

Mommy to Emma
9-10-03

[kaitlinsmommy]

I loved this bouncer too, although I know there are newer things out now. DD never liked the vibrating feature. In fact, she'd get cranky if we turned it on. But she did love the kicking part and the lights. By the age she might have gotten bored with the same toys on it, she was way past a bouncer. She was able to wiggle out of it by 7 or 8 months so then it wasn't really safe to use anymore. I picked this one after a lot of research and it seems most parents who have it were very pleased with it.

[jubilee]

My son had the Aquarium bouncer and really liked it. I also was concerned about the "rattling" sound it made, but the weight of the baby lessened that. Also, having it on carpeting makes it less noisy. I thought my son was board with the toys attached, so I removed the whole toy bar when he was about 3 months old. I proped his Gymini against the couch, so two legs were on the floor and two on the couch. Then put the bouncer on it so the dangling toys from the Gymini were within his reach. (I hope that makes sense- if you also have a gymini, try it) It gave him tons of fun and more toys to play with.

[HallsofVA]

I bought a used Kick and Play on ebay and my son has enjoyed it from about month 2 on. Before 2 months, he could have cared less and was positively bored. We don't use the vibration feature much, since that doesn't seem to do anything for him. When he was younger, and first using it, we put it on auto play but he didn't show much interest either. But the first time I put it on Kick and Play, and he found that if he moved at all it went off, he became suddenly interested. Now as soon as we put him in it, he starts moving his feet back and forth so it'll go off.

BTW, they don't have to kick hard to set it off. Slight movements will do it as well. It seems much easier for him to make it move than for me to try to get it to go off using my hand on the kick pad.

I put my 7 month nephew in the bouncer as well, and he goes straight for the toys, that my son still can't really reach.

[JLiebCamm]

I really loved the Kick and Play bouncer. DS used it from infancy to the time that he could sit up on his own and never grew tired of it. I remember that loud, rattling vibration disappeared if I adjusted the position of the battery box. I think the box bounces off the frame when they touch each other so you have to put space between them (I remember putting a folded baby washcloth in between).

[JennyLynn]

We have the Fisher Price Learning Patterns Rocker and LOOOOOVE it. It was a lifesaver early on! The toys come off the toy bar, the toy bar is easy to get on and off, you can adust the angle of the recline, it is lightweight, and it can be used into the toddler years as a rocker. Definitely one of our better purchases. When he was very little we did use one of those carseat-padding things to help him stay in place better as the seat is somewhat large and we didn't want him to slump over. Some nights this thing was the only way we could get DS to go to sleep.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_2/601-2874919-7260159?%5Fencoding=UTF8&asin=B000070IW0

Jenny

[heidi_timms]

Another vote for the Aquarium bouncer. We had this one at Grandma's and it's really cool. We had the Combi one at home, which I don't think is anything special. The Aquarium noises are really cool and DD loves to watch the fish!
~Heidi
Mom to Kailey Ashlin
4/27/03

[jamierush]

I was a total fan of the Kick and Play. I actually had both teh KnP and Aquarium and returned the Aqauium to get another KnP. I needed to have one at my mom's house who was watching her when I went back to work.

If that one seems loud to you, my was not, take it back to BRU and get another one.

[kellyotn]

I second the Fisher-Price Learning Patterns Rocker!! I had it with DD #1, and she's now 19 months and STILL uses it!! VERY nice to have it in use rather than in the basement with the rest of her "baby" stuff. She's now using it in the rocking feature, no toy bar. She sits and reads books or hugs her doll while I shower.

When she was small she was completely in love with the the toys. She never cared for or against the vibrating feature. It wasn't too loud though, she just didn't seem to love it so we didn't use it much.

Its also a great price! I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. We had an additional hand-me-down infant bouncer / vibrating seat. We NEVER used it. It was an older style (probably circa 1997), but it wasn't a good "fit", it didn't cuddle her in at all, seemed odd. And, even if we had liked it, she'd have been much too big for it by about 4 months. And, she was just under 50%-tile on the doc chart height/weight.

HTH!! This seat isn't the flashiest and it doesn't grab your attention at the store, but we loved it! Even bought a spare for granny's house.

kelly

[tippy]

Hi,

We also purchased the FPK&P after reading all the reviews we could find. At first I was suprised because I din't think it looked like anything special but as my son got a bit older (2 mo+) he stated to like the seat more and more. He loved the kick feature (once he started using it). He would KICK KICK KICK with a vengence. As for the toy that doesn't face front (is it the smiley face one?) It kind of twirled around when AJ batted at. The heavier the baby gets the more of a recline there will be in the seat.

[starrynight]

Another vote for the rocker! I love it and I liked that I could attach other toys since the ones it came with are removable. And it's nice to still be able to use it now eventhough Eliza would be too big for any other bouchy seat at this age :). My toddler sometimes sits in it to read a book or watch a movie, so it's nice that my other kids can use it too!

[August Mom]

Another vote for the FP Kick 'n Play. DS LOVED it! I could not have lived without the vibration feature for the first several months. I did notice it being loud when the battery door wasn't tight. So, if your battery door is tight, I would return it and get another.

[murpheyblue]

I feel like the bouncy seat queen. We bought DD a Kick n Play bouncer before she was born. When she was born a friend sent me the Aquarium bouncer (which she toild me I could not live without - how true!). We used tha one at G-ma's house and then as an extra chair in ours. When we went East for X-mas we borrowed by nephew's rocker, which worked really well. DD liked it and my SIL would put up the "kickstand" feature and use it to feed my nephew whcih I thought was handy. He was a big baby (20 pounds at 6 months) and he was still able to use the rocker when I saw him.

I have loved all of them. The KnP and Aquarium are essentially the same chair but I have found the Aqaurium one is slightly larger and DD was able to stay in it longer. She liked both the Aquarium feature and the KnP hanging toys although she spent 90-95% of her time in teh chair without the toy arch.

I found the vibrating feayure was louder with new batteries.

We definiitely got our monies worth out of our bouncy chair!

Ali
Mom to Megan 9-28-03

[ckate1]

We received the Kick and Play as a shower gift and were happily surprised with it. As a fussy-not colicky, but close- baby, our DD would only sleep in this thing with the vibrator(sounds wrong!) on, some nights. My husband and I began worshipping this chair! I thought the sounds were too loud and obnoxious when DD was little, so never used them. But since about 3-4 mos, I would use the continuous play so I could shower. And now that she's almost 6 mos, I use the kick feature and she seems to like it. The toys are just now within her reach, but just barely. It's a good temporary spot for her. We also use it right after a bath. We put the towel in it and then when we lift her out of the tub, she goes right in it. We towel her down then take her into her room. FYI: My friend said her Ped (also ours) said that once they can pull themselves up in the bouncy seat, that they shouldn't be put in it anymore. Hope this chair comes in handy for you as it did for us.

-Cindy

[llcoddington]

We bought a Combi Activity Rocker on ebay and have used it since day one. Lauren slept in it when she was tiny and now sits in it to watch videos. It vibrates and has a toy bar. We also have a simple infant seat with a toy bar by Summer that she loves. A friend has the FP Kick-n-Play and Lauren has enjoyed sitting in it when we are visiting. However, I am happy with the Combi simply because it will get so much more use. The weight limit is something like 40 lbs! (I'm not positive about that but know it is high.)

Edited to add: I checked and the weight is up to 25 lbs., not 40.
Lana
mommy to Lauren 12/5/03

[kijip]

The Combi Rocker that I have only goes to 25 pounds. It was nice but for us it was not the same as a real bouncer. The Rocker/vibrators don't replace that springy bouncing. We opted for the Combi then the Fisher Price Rocker once he had outgrown the Combi (The Fisher Price does go to 40 pounds) and both were not a hit- no bouncing.

[goosey77]

I registered for the Ocean Wonders but ended up exchanging it for the Kick&Play b/c we had the Ocean Wonders swing. Plus, I had read more positive reviews on the K&P than the OW. For the longest time I wondered if I had made a mistake b/c DS really didn't like being in the chair. But.... since he was about 2 months or so, he has loved it. He loves kicking around and getting the music in return. Now that he can reach for things, he's having a ball with the toys that dangle down. They make noises and spin around, so I wouldn't call them worthless at all. He loves grabbing at them and kicking them.

I wouldn't consider the vibrator excessively loud, but that's probably a matter of opinion. I rarely use it b/c we don't use his bouncy chair for calming him down - it's a little entertainment center for him. One thing to mention with the louder sound, though, is that it could be good white noise. When I got the Ocean Wonders swing, I initially couldn' believe how loud the swing was - I almost took it back. But it turned out to be perfect b/c it was good white noise for the baby and I very quickly got used to it.

[Jennamax]

We have 2 - the Aquarium bouncy seat and the Learning Patterns Rocker.

He likes both of them very much. He sits in the Rocker and watches Baby Einstein. The removable toy bar makes it easy for him to see around him when he's in it. He frequently falls asleep in the Aquarium seat - I think the water sounds lull him into a trance!

[jp96]

Has anyone tried the baby papasan? I was sold on it from all the positive reviews online but then saw that a few people said their babies were sliding off of it and the restraint did not work well.

[SneezeDragon]

We have the FP Soothing Massage bouncer. DS loved it when he was very young (it put him right to sleep), but now at a more-active 4 months old he seems bored with it. The music is really pleasant--not annoying like in his activity gym or swing. Just as you said about the Kick 'n' Play, the vibration feature can be a little loud when the batteries are on "full juice," but it hasn't bothered us.

My big gripe about the seat is the position of the straps that hold toys on. They're too far back, so the toys end up really close to the sides of DS's head, and he doesn't notice them. I finally got to rigging a thick plastic coat-hanger so that it would extend toys out way in front of the seat. This way, the toys capture his attention constantly, but the hanger drives me mad because it's always falling off.

The seat position is also at quite a recline, so now that he's interested in sitting upright (even though he can't keep himself there), he fidgets and twists in the seat.

If you want a bouncer for entertaining an alert baby, this isn't the one to get. But as a place for a sleepy baby, it works great.

[dowlinal]

I have the baby papasan and have mixed feelings. I never had any problems with the restraints or with my daughter sliding out but now at 3 months she is just plain bored in the thing. My mom has the fp aquarium one at her house and my daughter still loves sitting in that seat looking at the bubbles and lights. Until recently the papasan was great to pop her in so I could get stuff done around the house but now after 5 minutes she hates it. I am actually planning on going out Monday to buy the kick and play seat.

[mum1day]

I have the baby papasan and DD (now 11 weeks) loved it for a while but now slides out and doesn't seem to like it too much. When I put her up, she stands on her feet as if to say, "Get me out of here!"

[amydiara]

The Kick and Play ROCKS. I think its the best- I did a lot of research on this and polled a lot of moms. Babies LOVE this. And the loud machine-like noise on these toys? Babies LOVE that too. The best things we have had for DS are as follows:

-FP Aquarium Cradle Swing- LIFESAVER, esp 0-3 months
-FP Kick and Play - LOVES it, now 4 months. Really got into it at about 2.5 months
-Bobby, gotta have it if nursing
-FP Aquarium Crib toy- Great white noise, Jack loves the lights
-Eurobath/Tubsider - total back saver for babies who love baths

Also like baby einstein mobile (after 1 months) and dvds (after 3 months)

Good luck!

Amy
Mom to Jack 12/29/03

[Raidra]

I haven't read all the other posts, but I thought I'd put in my two cents.

We have the Kick-n-Play and love it. We still use it every day while I take my shower, although Colwyn is just starting to try to get out of it (nearly 7 months).

In the beginning, we took the toy bar off and he slept in it. If he was awake, he would look to the side and stare at the fabric on the seat.

Just in the past two months or so has he been able to reach the toys, but he hasn't lost interest yet. We've also put it under the gymini, and under the FP Symphony Piano (or whatever it's called).

As for the vibration feature, it may be the battery pack.. but ours sounds really loud when Colwyn's not sitting in it. Babies do like white noise, though, so if it's not actually broken, I wouldn't worry about it. That said, we didn't use the vibration feature a lot as Colwyn always seemed to spit up when I had that turned on.

Oh, and the Kick feature was pretty easy for Colwyn to do.. he was able to set it off (though not on purpose) by the time he was a month or two old.

Hope that helps!