Baby: Picking the Perfect Bouncer / Swing

After more than a week of non-baby posts, I think it's time for one now. For first-time moms like me, I had no idea that there are lots of baby bouncer / swing options to choose from. I just thought it was as simple as picking a design and then you're all done.

The main reason for buying a bouncer / swing is to have a safe place where the baby can hang out when your arms get tired of rocking her. Bouncers and swings can have extra features too such as having a canopy, music-playing capability, speed and rocking/vibrating/cradling options.

We've searched high-and-low for a baby bouncer that fits our needs. Here are some of our choices:

#1 Bright Starts Kashmir
#2 Fisher-Price Cradle Swing
#3 Bloom Coco Stylewood
#4 4Moms Mamaroo

#1 Bright Starts: Pros - Super quiet and has 6 speed settings. It has different reclining positions, and can be both a swing and a cradle. Con - Occupies a big space, which we don't have in our house.

#2 Fisher-Price: Pros - 16 music choices, and it can move like a swing or a cradle. It has a sheer canopy on top, and has star lights that the baby can watch. Cons - Big footprint too, and a fire hazard according to some mommy reviews. So this one is out.

#3 Bloom: Pros - Simple, sleek and very, very stylish. It's tiny too.  Cons - Not electric, and too pricy. (*I still adore it though*)

#4 4Moms: Pros - 5 motions (car ride, kangaroo, ocean wave, tree swing, rock-a-bye), 5 speeds, 5 built-in sounds and iPod-compatible (isn't that awesome?), washable fabric cover, auto-voltage, and has a small footprint (huge plus for us). Con - It's not whisper-quiet... but still acceptable though.

We ended up getting the Mamaroo, because of the rave reviews, and the amazing deal I got for being an Amazon Mom. Free shipping, tax-free, 10% off, and 365-day free return deal if the baby doesn't like it.

What would you get?

Image from Amazon.com

Mamaroo in the news: Apparently, celebrity parents like Mario Lopez, James Van Der Beek and, just recently, Elton John, got Mamaroos for their kiddies, too. Hmmm. We'll see if it's really that good.