We got it for him when he was four months old, and chose it for its sturdiness and potential for long-term use. Wombat was already too heavy for most of the infant rockers and bouncers, and I didn't want something he would grow out of in a few months time.
It comes unassembled, but I put it together myself with no troubles at all. The instructions are very clear and it all clicks together very easily. There are only four screws, requiring a Philips head screwdriver. It took about half an hour from opening the box to sitting Wombat in it.
For younger babies and naptime, the stand folds out to hold the rocker still. In this position, baby is almost fully reclined. There are two positions for the seat back - upright or reclined - but there is very little difference between them, so I just leave it upright which is what Wombat prefers.
I was a little concerned that it would need more padding, as the seat is a piece of hardboard without a lot of foam over it, but Wombat has always found it very comfortable and never needed any extra cushioning. The seat is deep and supportive, so would be great even for a newborn (with perhaps a blanket underneath for snuggliness).
The T-shaped three-point harness system does a good job of holding baby in place, and when he is old enough to crawl in and out by himself, the harness simply slots to the back, out of the way.
The attached toys are very cute and entertaining - unfortunately we lost the rattling turtle (which was his favourite) after only a few months, but the bird and the mirrored sun are still regularly pulled out of the toybox and played with! They can be attached in various positions by velcro snaps - to the arch which clips onto the seat, holding the toys within reach of a small baby, or attached to loops on the harness and seat for an older baby. (The velcro is not that strong and a good tug by an older baby will pull the toys off - but this was around the time that Wombat was growing out of the infant stage of the rocker.) Even the arch has become a toy in itself for an older Wombat. He carries it around and holds it above his head like a rainbow!
The seat cover comes off easily by undoing a few snap-buckles, and is fully machine washable. Ours has been washed many times and shows no fading, marks or wear.
The rocker got a huge amount of daily use up until Wombat first became mobile and didn't want to be tied down any more - then he started trying to tip himself out over the side, so the rocker spent several months sitting in a corner with a teddy bear in it (he never actually made an unaided escape - it was just obvious he 'wanted out'). Now that he is walking well, however, the rocker is back in favour. Teddy gets unceremoniously dumped out, and Wombat climbs in. We never used the vibrating feature when he was a baby, but I left the battery in (a single D cell, not included) and Wombat likes to play with turning it on and off. Despite being crawled all over - and even stood up in - the rocker is very stable and has never tipped over. The rockers are very smooth and provide a good rocking action, while the rubber stops at the end are an effective barrier against toppling.
The picture below was taken soon after we bought it. It is light enough that it can be carried in one hand while carrying baby in the other, so it is quite easy to take it outside, or move it from room to room. The instructions say not to carry it with baby in it, but I have done this as well, and it has stood the test of time!
It is rated for a maximum of 40 lbs/18.1 kg so we will still get a lot more use out of it. I can foresee a two year old (or more!) Wombat very happily using it as a reading chair.
Overall, a great product, and one we have certainly got our money's worth from.
1 comment:
Since we have brought the baby chair out again for analeise haelyn has started using it as a rocking chair - only problem is - for the baby you want the bar and for k you want it off - sigh so they cant use it at the same time
Post a Comment