The Best Baby Bouncer of All Time (Every Parent We Asked Agrees!)

When I was putting together my baby registry many years ago, one baby product that kept coming up in my research was a baby bouncer – and not just any baby bouncer, but BabyBjörn’s Balance Soft Bouncer. It was kinda pricey ($209 now, $140 when I purchased it almost a decade ago), but the reviews were unanimous: This thing was worth it. Get it. Get it for your baby! Get it for your sanity! Just get it. So, in the throes of nursery nesting, I used a gift card I’d been saving to purchase said bouncer, and two kids and four years of use later, I now can say unequivocally:

Yep, everyone was right. That bouncer was 100% worth it. Here’s why I loved it:

• A stylish, unobtrusive design: I knew this bouncer was going to be a very visible item all around our apartment for a few years, so I didn’t want it to scream “I’M A SUPER COLORFUL KID’S OBJECT” everytime I looked at it. The bouncer design is so minimal and comes in lovely, muted colors (BabyBjörn is a Swedish company, so this almost goes without saying). When it became – as expected – a fixture in our living room, it was wholly inoffensive and made my inner design nerd very pleased.
• You can use it right away: Because of the ergonomic design and the secure strap, the bouncer was a safe place to put down our daughter, even in those early weeks. The gentle rocking motion is completely hand- or foot-powered, no batteries required! 
• Light, easy to move around, and stable: You can also fold it for storage and traveling!
• Babies love it: The bouncer is REALLY fun when babies discover they can make it bounce themselves by kicking their legs and moving their body. So. many. squeals.
• A solid resale value: Like many parents, when my baby days were over, I passed all our gear and clothing on to friends and neighbors, or I sold it. I ended up selling this bouncer on Craigslist, and even after almost four years of consistent use, it was in great resale shape.

Need more convincing? I polled fellow parents recently on BabyBjörn’s bouncer, and even parents whose kids have long outgrown it remember fondly how awesome it was. Here’s what they said:

“In my opinion, the BabyBjörn bouncer is a must-have for all parents. We rely on it both during wake windows and meal times — I even put our daughter in it once for a telehealth appointment! You can bounce the baby with your hand or foot at first, but our daughter really got excited when she learned she could bounce herself. The different incline settings allow the bouncer to grow with your child, and there are also a few different toy bars that attach to it for play time. We keep one at our place and one at my parents’. I cannot imagine living without it, to be honest!” – Anne Ebeling, Executive Video Producer at Apartment Therapy Media

“The bouncer was such a nice tool to have in those early days when my baby was starting to explore more during wake windows. It was a great way for him to explore the outside world and allow my arms to rest. We used the bouncer until the very last minute when he grew out of it. We loved it so much actually, we had one at my in-laws and one at our home. I also loved how easy it was to travel with.” – Rebecca Longshore, VP Audience Growth at Apartment Therapy Media

“The BabyBjörn bouncer is so good we had two – one for upstairs and one for downstairs so we didn’t have to move it around. It was really easy to clean, too!” – Phil Vuong, CFO/COO of Apartment Therapy Media

Now, if only there was a grown-up version (!).

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