Sometimes you’ll discover an ingenious product and think, “Damn – my first kid missed out!” And that’s exactly how I feel about the BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance.
With an ergonomic design and molded seat, a calm, natural rocking motion and the ability to help refine your child’s motor skills and balance, it is undeniably in a class all its own. But what makes it even better is that my little guy LOVES bouncing away. He is truly content to stay in his Babysitter Balance for as long as I need to have my hands free (and even longer sometimes), and it’s the only bouncer he hasn’t fallen out of (believe me, he tries to get out of everything).
Now I’ll admit it – the very first thing that attracted me to this product was its looks. With clean lines, a modern design and sophisticated colour schemes (no bright green dinosaurs in sight) the bouncer suits our tastes perfectly. Set up took exactly 1 minute – simply unfolding the bouncer and selecting a position – as opposed to traditional bouncers, which require tools and patience. And the bouncer folds flat for transportation and storage, making it our preferred babysitter when we’re on the go.
I love the bouncer’s three positions: play, rest and sleep. We started Reid on “sleep” mode, but the curious little guy would constantly lean forward to get in on the action around him. So we quickly adjusted him to “rest” mode, and this is actually his perfect position for the moment (“play” is an upright position which is slightly too severe for his tastes). Did I mention that you can adjust the position without disturbing baby? Just another one of its design features you’ll love. As for Reid, he bounces, bounces and bounces away, and as the maximum weight capacity is a whopping 29 lbs in play mode, he has a LOT more fun to look forward to! A bonus: no batteries needed!
The Babysitter Balance rocks back and forth with the child’s own movements. Reid has adopted a bit of a foot-slapping technique; he likes to smack his foot down as he picks up speed. This is in no way required to make the bouncer move – just a quirky little habit of my baby.
With a little help from the theme song of The Young & The Restless, here’s the bouncer in action (set in the rest position):
You can see that as soon as the rocking motion slows to a stop, he begins to wind back up again. He normally keeps this up until I remove him!
The Babysitter Balance was developed in close collaboration with pediatricians, and is the result of over 45 years of product development and experience. It boasts proper back and head support and a molded seat which distributes baby’s weight evenly. Now a few moms have asked me about the safety features – in the absence of a three-point harness, some parents may be nervous about their child’s ability to stay firmly secured in the seat. However, the safety harness is aligned correctly and designed to safely hold children within the weight capacities – and should be removed when the child is old enough to climb in/out on his own. Here’s a quick video showing Reid trying to break out of the bouncer – and proof of the fact that he’s not going anywhere (set in the play position/>
The Babysitter Balance cance comes in six (6) hot colours with reversible fabric. The bouncer is also available in the Balance Air, an airy and pleasant version, and the Balance Organic, made from soft, organic cotton. You can find it at most retailers of baby goods and it is worth every penny. It is 100% Lena-Approved!
Click here for more information on the BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance.