Archive for 'Gear'

Cozy little sleep machine
I did quite a bit of research to find the "perfect" swing for my new baby and my lifestyle. I got exactly what I was looking for in this Boppy travel swing!
- safe: no red flags that I have seen yet
- comfortable: something that would be a cushy little spot for my infant
- portable: folds up very easily to slide behind my sofa when not in use. should be easy to take along when traveling by car.
- affordable: priced right for me
- easy on the eyes: my husband's a designer, and this agreed with him. no garish colors or strong patterns to conflict with home decor

I haven't had any trouble with the swing mechanism, and the music component seems to lull my little guy.

Great product!

Not as good as the reviews
I read the reviews and thought I was getting a high quality Boppy Swing. It has a really jerky motion and the toy bar is instable. When in a reclining position it is crooked. I purposely bought the low one so it wouldn't be tippy with a house full of people but it rocks back and forth. Definitely a defective purchase.

Fatal Design Flaw...
I love this swing. The colors are soft and attractive, the fabric is soft, the toys are cute, the swing and music settings are easy to use, it has a nice swing lock mechanism, the seat position is adjustable, and it is ultra portable. Like I said, I love this swing. The only problem is, I'm not the one using it, my son is. The seat is really deep and when my son would lay in it his chin was always smashed into his chest. He was rarely in a comfortable position. I had to put a blanket under him to fill in some of the seat. I got this swing when my son was 2 months old and I ended up returning it when he was 4 months. I kept it for 2 months to see if he would grow into it and he never did. He is small for his age, weighing only 13 lbs in something like the 6th percentile, so perhaps that's why he wasn't a good fit for the swing. I'm giving this swing a 2 out of 5 because it really has some nice features, but no matter how much I like it, my son didn't. And there is no point in having a swing that isn't going to get used.

Whats up with the automatic shut off?
I didn't know that this swing had a timer on it. It has 8, 15, and 30 minutes and even if you don't chose any of those it still shuts off after 45 minutes, which then causes my son to wake up again. After he wakes up for his middle of the night feeding the only way to put him back to sleep is a swing. He also takes a big nap for about four hours during the day. I have the fisher price papasan swing and he sleeps in that for hours and hours at a tim. My parents decided to buy this swing to take less room but he does not like this swing at all. Even when I do manage to get him to sleep in it, he wakes up after the swing automatically stops. I also think another reason he doesn't sleep well in it is that its very exposed. It doesn't cuddle him in. He's even preffered to sleep in his car seat over the swing. Honestly I wish my parents would have never wasted their money on this swing, but maybe I can figure out a way to make him feel more cuddled in this swing. The one huge plus for this swing is that it is practically silent.

Best Baby Swing EVER!!!
When we had our second child, I decided to go portable with the swing so I could bring it around the house with me. We tried a few brands with no luck before finding this gem of baby equipment. First off, the batteries last forever on this thing. We used it for over two months almost all the time before they needed to be changed. There are three different timed periods if you want to use the timer and lots of speed settings. It's so soft with nothing to scratch baby as well. I loved it so much, I bought another for my sister who's having a Baby :)

Wow, it's like a miracle...
We purchased the Bjorn Synergy carrier for our newborn daughter, and it has been one of the best investments in gear that we've made. She LOVES being in the Bjorn, and the head support for her as a newborn is excellent. When she's fussy, putting her in the Bjorn immediately calms her down. Sometimes she'll fall asleep, but other times she'll be bright-eyed and spend her time looking around and taking in the sights as we go about our chores.

Also, a note for tall folks. I'm 6'5" and my wife is 5'11", and we are both able to use this carrier comfortably. At first I felt I couldn't use it, even with the straps at the longest settings, because the lumbar support panel sat up way too high on my back, but then we figured out that the lumbar support will slide down along the straps, and allows for adjustments that are NOT SHOWN IN THE MANUAL. All the manual says about the lumbar support is that you should tighten the lumbar straps first, it does not describe that the lumbar support is mobile and can be adjusted up and down the straps. Once we figured this out, I was able to comfortably wear the carrier.

Another nice feature is the fabric, which is an open mesh weave. We live in Central Texas, and the heat here in the summer is oppressive, and the winters don't really get cold, and the mesh fabric allows for us and our daughter to be as comfortable as possible when we're outside. In fact, we were almost ready to purchase the Baby Bjorn Baby Air Carrier, Grey/White because of the open weave, but then we discovered that the Synergy is made from the same material, but also includes the lumbar support feature, which was very important to us.

So even though the carrier is a bit pricey, it has been worth every penny for us.

complex to put on
The original was so much easier to set up, adjust, and put on. Most of the time I get frustrated. So far, I tried putting my baby in it 10-15 times. Perhaps it will get better with practice. He does not like it yet so I don't get much practice.

Excellent carrier
This is an excellent baby carrier and is so comfortable to wear. My daughter loved being carried in it facing me, she'd nap away. Now that she's big enough she loves looking out. The back support is wonderful. I carried her through NYC for hours and never had any trouble with my back or shoulders. Great padding and adjustments. I particularly like that it's so breathable so neither of us get too hot.

Good carrier with lots of support
Serves its purpose. Great for when going grocery shopping. Seems breathable enough, but a bit stiff for my taste. Material is mesh but not as soft as I would have liked. Baby doesn't seem to mind though. I have an Evenflo Snugli for home use and it is much softer, minus the lumbar straps that Bjorn provides. All in all, am glad I got the top of the line Bjorn, especially since Amazon had it for alot cheaper than store price, free shipping, no tax! I originally bought it from Babys R Us, liked it, but returned it once I saw Amazon sold it for cheaper. I told Babys R Us since they couldn't match the price, they just lost some money. Ordered it here and am a happy, happy, customer. Good product to own, even better when you can save some money since it is indeed alot more expensive than most!

Excellent If You Have a Good Back and a Light Baby...
When my daughter was looking for baby carriers, I really encouraged her to purchase a Baby Bjorn Synergy carrier. The mesh material seemed as if would would allow for good air circulation, and I felt it would be comfortable for the baby and for the person carrying the child. Several of the individual who would be using the carrier are hot-natured, so the lighter, aerated fabric seemed to be a real positive. Further, I liked the fact that one could position an older infant facing outward while still carrying the child on one's front. Since my daughter was able to work from home, this seemed to be an ideal way for her to keep her baby close while allowing him to have a good view of his world. Additionally, it seemed the outward facing position would help keep him from grabbing her lips or the telephone during teleconferences. As the Synergy is one of the few carriers on the market that allows the baby to face outward, while being carried on the adult's front side, it seemed to be a fine choice.

Unfortunately, we found that for all its positive features, the Synergy was not everything we expected it to be. The Baby Bjorn Synergy might have worked well if all the adults carrying the baby had had healthy backs. We thought the lumbar support was to have helped in this area. Instead, we found that because of the waist strap, the baby's weight was concentrated on our lower back instead of resting on our hips as weight would with a good quality backpack. My son-in-law is an avid hiker and even he could not reconfigure the Baby Bjorn so that the weight was distributed more comfortably. Further, our grandson was and is a large child - so using the Baby Bjorn Synergy for more than 30 minutes is out of the question - anyone who did so, even those with healthy backs, had significant back discomfort. Thus, we were unable to use the Synergy for carrying the baby for any length of time. This is quite disappointing as he is interested in seeing the world and loved riding on our front when any of us carried him that way.

Perhaps if we all had healthy backs and a lighter child to carry, the Baby Bjorn Synergy would have received a higher rating. However, the expense of this item is greater than its utility and I cannot give it a higher rating. I would recommend looking at the Beco carrier which has excellent lumbar support and is easily adjustable for multiple users.

Fun, but requires a lot of repeat assembly
I have three children ranging in age from

Piece of junk
From looking at pictures of this playhouse, it looked like a lot of fun. I think it would have been if it would stay together.

The tracks on the side could barely be put together at all, let alone stay together. I had to get grandpa to get some screws, drill holes and fasten them on permanently.

The feet would not stay on the legs, and the top arches would not stay attached to the roof or to the legs. Very soon, the plastic cylinder legs cracked at the top (brittle plastic) so that it could not be put back together. That's when I got out the duct tape. That worked for about two weeks. Now it is just headed for the garbage can.

Complete waste of money. Find another kids tent product to buy.

Okay
Tent is very cheap made....it comes apart alot...and the track where the ball goes WILL NOT SAY IN AT ALL NO MATTER WHAT! However my son has still found enjoyment in this ....

Instant hit with my Toddler!
I love this playhouse! As soon as I had it together and the balls slid down the tracks it was an instant hit with my 19 month old. He could not get enough of it. Calls it his house. Loved the keys, although he can't quite work them in the locks. The shaker balls he loves as well. I would have given it 5 stars, but the tracks were not easy to install and they don't stay put. I am constantly putting them back on so the balls can go through. Other than that it was easy to put together and easy to store as well. I also bought one for a first birthday present I liked it so much.

The quality doesn't equal the price
I wanted so badly to love this playhouse, but alas, the quality didn't hold up. Upon opening, my husband snapped one of the tabs to the ball chutes. I thought that was the reason that it didn't stay in place, but the others don't stay in place either. It seems so much sturdier than it actually is too. My kids (1 and 2 years old), are constantly moving it around and knocking it over. The big feet bases don't provide the stability I expected. Also, the size was a bit smaller than I expected. My two toddlers cannot fit in it at the same time. I just love the idea of this and really wish it had held up quality-wise.