probably beating a dead horse but...

my mom and i are going shopping for the baby registry next week and im trying to narrow down my choices by reading reviews and then making my final decision once i get there. SO...which swings and bouncers did you all like best? the boppy swings and bouncers look SOOOO comfy but the majority of the reviews said they were boring, and they dont work well once the baby gets past the newborn stage. here are the choices i have narrowed it down to...all opinions are welcome..tia
bouncers
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2508004
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7732464
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3538831
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8072092
swings- if i got the swing/rocker combo i would get a bouncer
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8154690
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7732465
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2960299
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7756641

 

Holy cow! They have swing/rocker/bouncy combinations? I would go for one of those in a heartbeat! Think of all the room you will save. Trust me, it's a lot.

 

I got the two bobby bouncy seats and then two of the travel swings so it didn't take up the whole house. I used the trave swing with DS and LOVED it!

 

I didn't have much success withe bouncers. However, my girls LOVED the swing. I had the Pasasan Swing for each of the girls and not only would they sit there and enjoy the music and the mobile but they would nap for a good 2 HOURS. I LOVED IT TOO!!!! The seat is very comfortable so they could just hang out and enjoy themselves. I highly recommend it.

 

I have the rainforest swing but not the travel one. I like swings that go both directions frontwards and backwards or side to side.

 

in my experience (i have a 4 and 2.5 year) and from looking at all my friends (13 good friends had their first babies within the past 6 months) the fisher price cradle swings are the way to go. any of them from the rainforest to the papasan to the new zen collection coming out next month (this collection is pretty pricey though). the music on these isn't annoying for adults and the babies love it. the fact that you can switch from a forward to side by side motion is key as well. the zen collection swing seat also detaches to be a stationary seat on a stand. with my son and daughter i had a graco swing with the most obnoxious music and a mobile that i had to turn myself. it was irritating! on the other hand my kids LOVED it anyway and my son took 3 hour naps in it daily from 6-12 weeks.

in terms of bouncers, i once again point to fisher price. there are all these new "bouncers" on the market that don't actually move. the babies need some stimulation. my kids never liked the vibrating seats but we got through many a dinner bouncing the bouncy seat with our feet. they aren't the cutest things out there but they certainly are functional. i actually just read in a twin book i bought that basically you should get the same basic gear you'd get with one child when you are having twins (meaning one swing, one playmat etc...) but get as many bouncy seats as someone will buy you or you can fit in your house! that should show how important these are.

the bouncy seats you linked to just seem a bit boring (no offense). they are really rockers which is very similar to a swinging motion and maybe superfluous then.
check out the difference between those and this:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2508008
there's stuff to kick, you can bounce it with your feet and there is vibration. plus there is soothing music and a waterfall. the same is true of the aquarium bouncer.

check out this swing:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265072
soothing music, mobile above that moves, two-way swinging motion. there are fancier versions of this swing as well that aren't as cutesy - like the papasan swing.

one more thing - the combo swing/bouncers are really cool but you'll have two kids so unless you plan on owning two of everything, you'll need one swinging while the other is bouncing .

there you go... my two cents (and no i don't sell baby products. i'm just obsessed with them!) i hope this helps.

 

I had this swing for my son:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265072
He absolutely LOVED it! He used it until he was pushing the limits on the weight restriction.

I also have the travel swing, but we never got a chance to use it. I'll bust it open for the twins, so one can use the full-size and one can use the travel-size.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265152

For a bouncer I had this one:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265002
Also a great big hit. I am going to get either a second one just like it or the rainforest one. My son loved the vibrating setting. We used the bouncer so much - at mealtimes before he was big enough for the highchair, during my showers, when he was snoozing in the family room. It was so easy to grab and move from room to room.

By the way, can you guess my nursery theme from all this? Heeheehee.

I really like the idea of those combo ones, though. I don't remember seeing anything like that before my son was born.

 

I agree with fishfood2, the more stuff on the swing or bouncer the better. Lights, music and toys are what it's about after the first couple of months. We are already replacing boppy bouncers (that don't bounce) with ones that bounce and have more toys and lights. We got a rainforest swing and the boys love it. We have another older swing that they don't like and I'm considering getting an aquarium swing instead because they like the rainforest one so much.

 

I never had much luck with the rocker/bouncer combos. They were too stiff when they were babies and the kids never used them as toddlers. I did best with the wire frame bouncers that actually bounce with baby's movement or like the PP said, with your foot.

Best swing hands down is the Fisher Price kind that can go back and forth or side to side. We've been through 2 with our boys and I am buying 2 new ones for these girls.