I am trying to not get a ton of "baby containers" (swing, bouncer, RnP, PnP, etc. etc.) not just for the clutter (though that is a reason) but also because I'd like to babywear if possible, and create good sleep habits. Nothing against those that have swings - I've heard they are magic! I am just wondering if any parents here DIDN'T have a swing and how it worked for them. We will probably still register for a bouncer to have a reliable safe place to put the baby down.
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We didn't. Well, a friend dropped hers off for us.. LO hated it, and it went into the basement for weeks until the friends picked it back up. It was fine. LO preferred to lay on the floor under the activity gym.
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We don't have a swing OR a bouncer! Just a RnP. LO is 3 months old. We've done fine without. He does love to be rocked in the RnP or bounced while worn, so I'm sure he would've loved a swing. But I'm glad we didn't get one. They take up too much space and I think we'd probably way overuse it!
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We did but she hated ours and loved the snuggabunny at daycare.
Some babies don't like to be worn! So have backups.
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We didn't have one & while P is fine being worn out of the house she hated it if we were home! P has slept in the rnp/pnp/crib (beginning of the night) & our bed since birth. She also had a bouncer she liked to sit in & catnap in when she was sick (when she required being in close proximity to sleep).
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@regberadaisy: Oh, I know! I think we are going to get a well-regarded bouncer (Snuggabunny is definitely on the short list!) as our back-up, and an activity mat as @Weagle mentioned.
@allison: I'm leaning against a RnP only because I want to get the baby to sleep on flat surfaces as soon as possible and I feel like it would be too easy to use the RnP as a bassinet full-time!
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@daniellemybelle: Yeah, that can happen, I've heard. E was weird--he didn't like sleeping in the RnP much until about a month ago. He preferred to sleep flat! Go figure. We only use it for naps.
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C was a swingaholic and still had/has awesome sleep habits. We had the Snugabunny swing and couldnt have survived the first 3-4 months without it.
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We had a swing, but LO didn't sleep in it. Just awake time.
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Our LO hated both her bouncer (F&P My Little Lamb)and her R&P. I did a lot of babywearing, but I really wished I had a swing sometimes, like for cooking or showering. She turned out to be the kind of baby who calmed down instantly when swung, but I was too cheap to buy another baby holder by the time we found that out.
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We don't have a swing and I haven't felt the need for one. We have a RnP that we don't use and we have this bouncer/rocker that I really only stick her in when I'm in the shower.
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Deluxe-Toddler-Comfort-Bouncer/dp/B009PQ3BFQ/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1367437075&sr=8-15&keywords=fisher+price+infant+to+toddler+rocker -
@daniellemybelle: My LO slept in the R'n'P for the first 6 weeks and had 0 problem switching to the crib.
In regards to the crib, we didn't get one until LO was about 4 weeks. She was having a hard time napping so we found a used one on Craigslist. We'll resell it when we're done with it.
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We had one that was gifted to us but we ended up not using it because LO was able to fall asleep on her own. Plus we live Ina. Small apartment and space was a big issue since the swing is gigantic. We had a bouncer but she was also indifferent to that as well.
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We didn't! I had the same exact reasons as you for not wanting one. I don't regret our decision and we probably won't get one when we have another baby, either. We had a bouncer and that was enough.
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Both my kids were great in the swing... I napped Wagon Jr. in it constantly but LMW needed to be rocked to sleep in our arms, then we could place her in the swing and she'd stay asleep in the swing. The rock n play was great but if you're tired even just waking up for a second to push the rock n play again kind of sucks. They both loved the vibrating bouncy chairs but they both got heavy quick and we had to retire them quickly because they were too heavy for them (they'd bend the chair almost horizontal with their weight).
They are both phenomenal sleepers. Wagon Jr. sleep trained at 4 months, nap trained at 4.5 months, STTN 10-12 hrs straight and put himself to sleep for all naps in his crib since the training. LMW we didn't sleep train and she learned how to put herself to sleep in her crib at 7.5ish months, right around the time she STTN on her own.
Sorry! You heard from me and i DID have a swing
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We didn't have a swing and didn't think we needed one. We had a bouncer which worked for when I needed to shower etc but lo hasn't had much interest in it.
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We didn't have a swing, but we did have a vibrating bouncy chair that was so helpful. No regrets.
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We didn't - I'm also not a big baby container fan. I thought most of it was just kind of space stealing and junky. I wore her or let her chill out in a moses basket or just on a blanket. She napped on me a lot, or in the basket at first.
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I ordered one overnight from amazon when we hit 6 weeks but might as well have skipped it since he rarely fell asleep in it. The bouncer was key to have a safe spot to put him while I showered etc but he really only slept on me or in his crib.
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We had a swing but he hated it. Tolerated it maybe once, and definitely didn't sleep in it. He liked the bouncy chair more...I think he even fell asleep in it once or twice (but probably only once or twice, sigh). He also doesn't really like being worn around the house (although he doesn't mind being worn when we're at the store or something). Basically he wanted to be actively held all of the time.
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We did not have a swing and did not miss it one bit. We went with the RNP Sleeper and a bouncy seat to begin with and I told myself if LO was fussy then we would try a swing. We lucked out and she was a very, very easy baby. We could have done without the bouncer too, as she really probably only used it for a couple of months. RNP sleeper was the BEST!
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My sister insisted on getting a new swing, even though she had offers of hand me downs... and her baby hated it. never calmed him down once. He loved the vibrating bouncer chair though.
The upshot is I have a practically brand new swing for my baby!
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We have a hand me down one but she doesn't like it at all. We put her in the RnP for naps or the bouncer for when she just wants to hang out.
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No swing here! Just a $30 bouncer. It was so easy to move from room to room so I could get things done and LO was always happy in it.
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We never considered a swing just because we had no space for it, but we did get a lot of use out of our bouncer. I did some babywearing in the beginning when I wanted to get things done, but having the bouncer was also very nice as he got heavier.
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We didn't have a swing. I was gifted a new bouncer and bought a cheap bouncer at a garage sale. A didn't take to the bouncer right away, but he preferred the cheap one once he did. He never slept in it. I never put batteries in it - it was just for play and containment.
He slept in the crib, on us, or in the car seat if he fell asleep when we were out and about. DH is able to wear him in the Ergo, but so far he doesn't like it when I wear him.
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I didn't have a swing. I was gifted a bouncer but she refused to sleep in it or even be in it. I did break down and get a rock and play when LO was 3 months bc I needed a place to put her so I could cook or eat. She still wouldn't sleep in it tho. She only slept in her crib.
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We didn't have a swing, LO napped just fine in his bassinet. We did have a bouncer that we still use at 9 months old so we can shower and know he's safe.
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We had two swings lent to us; a newborn swing where they lay down and a swing where they can sit. My baby is almost 4 months and really didn't care for either. I was glad that we borrowed both and could send them back. We hold our baby a lot and actually don't even have a rocking chair. Our baby slept in a bassinet that could rock for the first 3 months and then transitioned to his crib without a problem.
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We didn't have a swing. We did have a bouncer, but only used it a handful of times. I would recommend not getting either until baby is here, and then if you feel you need something you have an idea of what baby might prefer more.
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We didn't have a swing and have a bouncer. LO napped in the bouncer for the longest time! It worked just fine...
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No swing here either. Our "baby containers" (ha, love it) are the RNP, ergo, pack n play bassinet, and crib. We use the RNP only in day. For example, he might eat, play on his activity mat for a bit, then sit in the RNP and watch me make dinner / wash dishes / do other glamorous tasks :). If he's drowsy and happy I might move him to crib for a nap at that point. Butttt if naps haven't been great and he's overtired I might let him just fall asleep and stay asleep in the RNP.
At night we did pack n play for a week then crib. Ergo is perfect for when he really wants to be held. He calms down and observes quietly and then always falls into a deep sleep.
Regardless of what you choose, you will want some kind of place to put them down! My back could not handle 24/7 attachment and some tasks are much easier without a baby in a carrier (such as picking up dog poop!)
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We didn't have a swing or r n' p -- we had a small bouncer that he didn't really fit until he was about 6 weeks old (at first he didn't like it either, but grew into it as he got older). I don't know, we just didn't have those items so we didn't use them!
He always slept in his crib for naps and nighttime. It wasn't always easy (there was a period of about a month or more around 2 months that naps were few and far inbetween and would cry as soon as his head touched the mattress), but we stuck it out and he's been a champion napper/sleeper since then!
i'm sure they are useful and i have nothing against them at all, but we don't have the room or budget, and i really only wanted him to get used to sleeping in his crib
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We had one and never used it. The next parent who gets it will be lucky to receive a pristine swing! I'm in the don't need it camp
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LO has never been in her pnp, I still don't really know what an rnp is and we don't own a bouncer. The swing was a lifesaver the limited time we borrowed one, I think like most baby things only a must if you feel it is, you'll make it work without it
I wanted to babywear lots and sometimes it was nice to have her in the swing sometimes! I could have done without it, and have since returned it from who we borrowed it from (we didn't use it beyond 3.5m) but I will keep my eye out for one used for future LOs.
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We got a bouncer, but not a swing. Same reasons. I didn't want a ton of huge baby-holding devices taking up our entire house. Honestly though, if I could do it again, I would *absolutely* get a swing. DD was not a good napper (still isn't), and the only thing that would reliably get her to sleep was motion. The bouncer just didn't cut it on that front. I know every baby is different though. Some hate the swing, so maybe you can try one out at a friend's house before committing to purchasing one.
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If you DO end up getting a swing, we have this compact one. It's not huge at all! In fact, people are always commenting on how small and awesome it is because it doesn't take up a bunch of space. It folds flat, too.
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I am a babywearing fanatic. No swing here, and we loved it. I would say that if it's not your personal style or preference you will have no problems living without. You can always change your mind.
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We bought a swing, but we might as well have not bothered. He would scream if he even saw it. He slept in the phil and teds nest, so we just moved that around to wherever we were and he chilled in there. Else we wore him in the moby
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We didn't. Just had a bouncer and I never felt like I was missing something
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