I am getting a head start on my registry and was wondering what is really needed between a bouncer, swing, rocker and jumper. What is a necessity and what can you do without?
My sister is going to give us a bassinet but I was also going to get a rock n play sleeper to use in the living room...is that too redundant? Trying to be minimalist since we live in a small house.
Thank you!
pomegranate / 3791 posts
No way of knowing - my first son loved the swing and hated the bouncer and jumper, my second son is the complete opposite. The rocker is a must for us though because we basically use it as a portable crib/spot to set the baby. But I do think the bassinet is redundant if you'll have a Rock'n Play
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
@wonderstruck: I should have specified that the bassinet is used (my sis wont need it anymore) and we are just going to keep it next to my bed for the first few months until we are ready for him to go in his crib. I can see why the rocker would be good.
persimmon / 1481 posts
My LO only sleeps at night in the newborn napper attachment in the Pack n Play. The swing is also a lifesaver for when we both want to eat dinner and not hold her or something. We don't have a rock n play but I can see how it might be useful. She also really lives the vibrate function on anything.
pomegranate / 3565 posts
It really just depends on your kid and your family. My 1st slept in the pack n play before moving to his crib. We bought a rnp with the 2nd and I loved it. We still use the pnp because it's a safe place to keep them when you need to do something. I used the bouncy seat a lot with both of them. I had the swing with my 2nd but we only used it to about 4 months.
Mine also liked vibration!
pineapple / 12526 posts
We had a bouncer, cradle swing, and a jumperoo later on.
The bouncer was great when she was a newborn. The swing had a much longer shelf life. The real estate for a big cradle swing was 100% worth it for us.
We bought the jumperoo used after she outgrew the swing and bouncer, so they weren't around at the same time.
cherry / 157 posts
For us, a small bounce/vibrating chair (that also swung) was vital for the first little while. We were able to keep it in the kitchen while I cooked. She didn't like the big swing at all. the only thing that she fell asleep in other than her bed was a Mamaroo -- that thing was amazing!
clementine / 920 posts
There is a similar thread that I found helpful recently: http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/rock-n-play-vs-swing-vs-bouncer
I keep hearing every baby is different so I plan to have them all. We bought a swing second hand from a friend so I won't feel it is such a waste if LO isn't a fan. Too much baby gear 
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
We had sleeping stations stashed around the house....the RnP folds flat and stores under a bed, which is nice. We had that plus a PnP in the beginning (started using the crib for naps at a month) and also had a swing downstairs. The bouncer stayed upstairs (and was great while we ate dinner and stuff. She liked the lights and music). At about 5 months, we switched to a jumper. So for us, the items you're talking about were used mostly in stages so we'd put one away, and replace it with another.
grapefruit / 4291 posts
In terms of baby "containers" we had a bassinet for sleeping, a basic bouncer so LO could hang out and then an exersaucer once she was five months old or so. I loved the bouncer because I could pop LO in there while we ate or even to nap occasionally.
grapefruit / 4418 posts
We went with a swing and RnP to start. I don't think you need a bouncer with an RnP. The RnP is great to drag around the house (and for sleep if you're comfortable with that.) You won't know until baby arrives but I say pick one or two things to start (def get at least one thing that's easy to move from room to room.)
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
Like pp it really depends on your child. The only thing my DD 1 tolerated was the bouncer. Hated the swing with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. With dd2 it's a lifesaver. She is 5m and still sleeps and naps in it... 
IF swing I highly recommend the snuga ones! Or the Fisher price my little lamb which is is essentially the same.
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
We had a bouncer, swing, jumper. We used a three w ds! Swing from birth til five months. The bouncer he didn't like at first then grew into it and we used for a couple months. The jumper he loved from 4months - he could stand on his own/got too big!
apricot / 274 posts
We have a mamaroo and I wish we had gotten a regular swing instead. We also have a bouncer which is nice because they are pretty cheap. We keep it upstairs next to my husband's desk, but it is definitely used the least. We keep the RNP in our master bathroom for the baby to have somewhere to be when I'm getting ready in the mornings. We have a jumper now, but you can wait a few months after baby is born to get it to save on space.
watermelon / 14467 posts
We had a travel swing, a bouncer, and a Moses basket. She hated the bouncer, tolerated the Moses basket (only when I was showering), and LOVED the swing. We used it daily until she was nine months old.
pomelo / 5041 posts
We had a swing, bouncer and PnP for ds1. He lived in his bouncer (my little lamb deluxe) for the first few months during the day and he slept at night either in his pnp or with us (primarily with us though). When he got to be about 4-5 months he absolutely loved his swing (my little lamb) and slept in it for naps often. The bouncer was also great for him to sit in while I took a shower in the morning. We used our PnP primarily as a changing station for quite awhile but it has become a great baby jail of sorts after our son hit about a year. At Christmas we bought him a jumper which was fabulous to keep him busy from about months 3-12. With our twins we've added RnPs since we can't put both babies in the bassinet of our PnP. But like all have said, every baby is different; I'm just praying we get lucky and our babies like a lot of what ds1 did.
persimmon / 1135 posts
A slept in her rock n' play until we transitioned her to her crib and she loved it! it was also super easy to take with us to people's houses and the slight vibration was great too!
we also used a mamaroo swing which is kind of like a swing/bouncer and takes up less space than a traditional swing, but now that she's 8 months she doesn't want to sit still in the swing anymore and i ended up getting her a jumper which she LOVES!! didn't get an exersaucer because i figured it was too similar to the jumper and just takes up so much space.
papaya / 10343 posts
LO slept in a pack n play bassinet in our room for almost 6 months. Having a bouncer chair was nice when she was a newborn until about 3 mo because she would sleep in it sometimes and it was just a good place to set her down. We had a swing and she liked sleeping in that but really only for about a month around 2 months old. For us it was nice to have but not a necessity. She never liked the rock n play we had. And we have a jumper and she loves that but that is sort of a different class of item (an activity thing vs. a sleeping thing and used when she was older).
Everything we had except the pack n play were hand me downs from friends and I have (or will) pass along to other friends. In the unlikely event that we had another baby I'd buy another bouncer chair and another jumper (and we plan to keep the pack n play) and call it good.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
Unfortunately you really don't know!
K slept in the rock n play the 1st 2 weeks but stopped liking it. I was bummed bc this is such s popular item!
We have a hand me down swing, but I wish I had gotten the fisher price swing bc she seems to love motion for sleeping.
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
Thanks everyone! I ended up registering for all of them, maybe our subsequent children will like them if baby boy doesnt.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
@simplyfelicity: it does, it's a boppy brand but I think the fisher price one is more fancy with more power/range, etc? But it's also $$ and bulky.
Forgot to mention we also have a pnp but we co sleep right now and will prob end up transitioning to crib we we use it occasionally for naps.
I would suggest looking on Craigslist or local FB groups to buy used ones if you want to have a variety on hand to see what LO likes!
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