Fisher-Price Rainforest Bouncer
by Fisher-Price
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List Price: Our Price: $43.39 You Save: $19.60 (31%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $33.45 (click here) Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of Fisher-Price Rainforest Bouncer
Customer Review: Better than its predecessor, still needs work though
Summary: 4 Stars
This seat is for our 3 month old daughter who weighs 15 pounds. First, I'll point out the pros of this bouncer seat. The music is wonderful. The waterfall is captivating. The colors are mesmerizing. She can sit in the seat for 25 minutes easily. The seat takes 4 D-size batteries. Unlike other bouncer seats we have used, there is only one compartment for 4 D-sized batteries. Unlike its predecessor (the Ocean Wonder Aquarium), the Rainforest bouncer keeps our child AWAKE. If we wanted our child to sleep, we'd put her in bed, not the bouncer. So Fisher Price definitely got it right this time! A++!
The cons is that the seat was used twice before it started to make this loud clicking noise from the bar. Being an engineer, I took it apart and noticed that the gears are designed to click (or skip a gear) if a child were to grab the frog or the monkey while it is moving. This prevents the gears from being stripped or the motor overheating. However, the tension on this "gear skipping" behavior is too sensitive such that after 3 hours of use, the clicking occurs from just the friction of the frogs moving up and down on the bar.
I called customer support about the clicking and they promptly sent a replacement bar. After 2 weeks of using the new bar, it started clicking. Argh! The good thing is that the new bar does it randomly. We're willing to live with the flaw and the annoying clicking from time to time for the Pros listed above.
The other con is questionable. There is much debate about the height of the toys on the bar. Being an "infant" bouncer, it is designed such that the child can grab the toys and even pull the rings off the monkey. Our daughter loves it! We do have the Fisher Price "Kick and Play" which is designed for slightly older children in that it provides more clearance between the child and the toys ... hence "Kick and Play."
The bouncer comes with a one-year warranty. So for a year, I can get replacement bars as the clicking becomes annoying. After replacing enough of them, will their engineers will fix the problem? I hope so.
19 March 2007:
The clicking has returned with the replacement bar and won't go away. I called Fisher Price for a replacement bar. While they really wanted to send a voucher for $48, I pressed to have another toy bar sent as a replacement. At that point, customer service informed me that there is a backlog of replacements on this bar till 30 April 2007. Customer service continues to be very friendly and easy to deal with. We're willing to wait for the new bar ...
Customer Review: An Essential Piece of Equipment for Your Little One...
Summary: 5 Stars
I admit that I agreed with my son-in-law, at first, on the Fisher-Price Rainforest Bouncer - it seemed like it would not be particularly useful. Then the little one arrived, and we both changed our minds. This is definitely an essential piece of equipment for any little one - and an even more essential piece of equipment for the adults caring for the baby.
Like all Fisher-Price products, this is a well made item. The cloth seating area is nicely finished and the fabric is not cheap or scratchy. If necessary, and it will be, the cover removes easily for washing.
The seat can be inclined as the baby grows to allow for a more upright sitting position, although it does not incline enough for an fully uprighted seated position. The incline feature is very useful if your little one suffers from reflux since keeping the baby upright, after feeding, for the 15 - 30 minutes your doctor may recommend can be tiring if the baby is large or it is o-dark-thirty at night.
The incline is also nice because once your baby is a bit older and staying awake more, you can move the seat from room to room as you go about your daily life. This allows the baby to observe different environments and allows you to explain your activities so that the baby's language learning can advance.
We found the "bouncy" feature, actually a vibrating, very useful when the baby was fussy or when he was having difficulty going to sleep. It was soothing and helped calm him down.
The arched toy which can be attached and turned on is another very nice feature. It does not "go" continually, but requires that the baby do something to activate the music, motion, or toys. This is particularly nice if you are an individual who dislikes the continuous, automated music on some toys. The colorful parts are eyecatching and stimulate your baby's visual sense.
The Rainforest Bouncer is useful up to about 20 pounds. At that point, the baby's weight is sufficient to prevent the upright position from being particularly useful. Regardless, this is one piece of equipment that is essential for any parent or caregiver - it fills a number of useful functions, is well made, and is reasonably priced.
Customer Review: My friends were amazed I got a relaxing shower every day with my newborn son
Summary: 5 Stars
And I owe it all to this bouncer. I'd feed him, let him get sleepy, then strap him into the bouncer next to the shower. Between the vibrating chair and the white noise of the bathroom fan, he's sleep the entire shower, every time. Fisher-Price must have made some modifications to the product recently, because our bouncer looks a little different than the picture and many of the complaints of previous reviewers I haven't experienced. We've had no problems with the monkey making clicking noises (and we've used it heavily for 3 months now) and the toy bar doesn't seem too low - we have a pretty big little guy and they're not in his lap or anything. When he was a lot smaller he would sometimes hit the toys with his legs while kicking, but now that he's bigger his legs extend far past the toys and this isn't a problem anymore. Our monkey didn't come with rings, so they either redesigned that or we just got an incomplete unit - either way, I don't think they would have added much. The toy bar is easily removed should he become bored with it or it just gets in the way or something. At 13 weeks, he's just figured out how to control his hands and has taken and interest in toys. It's fun to watch him learn that he can bat the toucan or monkey and make the music and lights come on himself. The plastic unit that creates the vibration has been covered on the top and sides with the fabric from the seat cover, so no chafing on little legs. We use rechargeable batteries in this and they seem to last a long time even though we use it for an hour or so every day. The other thing I like is that this bouncer is quite "bouncy." Some of the other ones on the market are stiff or don't bounce at all. If you're looking for a stationary seat that won't move much, this one isn't for you. And to address another reviewer's concern - it may look a little upright before you put your baby in it, but because it has so much give, their weight will cause it to recline. In fact, our baby lays pretty flat with just a small upward angle (maybe 20 degrees or so) now that he weighs 15 lbs. Overall, a good bouncer and it's served us well, though every kid is different and you'll need to decide what features you're looking for.Customer Review: Entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
I have a 7 week old daughter and she loves it! She has been using it for 2 weeks now. We started using it without the waterfall attachment before she paid attention to it. The chair with the vibrating function alone was worth the purchase. It calms her right down when she's fussy.
The waterfall attachment is very entertaining for her. When I need to get a few chores done around the house, the attachment really keeps her attention. It lights up and there are spirals inside that spin to make it look like the water is falling. There is a monkey and frog that move and keep her attention. The monkey and bird that hang down give her something to hit with her feet and hands. They also activate the music when put on the baby controlled settings. There is also a continuous setting that automatically shuts off after about 10 minutes. Your child can activate it again by hitting the monkey or bird. There is also a choice between rainforest sounds or music and a volume control.
I was against getting a bouncy chair because we already had a swing and I also didn't really want to get one that was so colorful to clash with the decor. I know it's crazy! Anyway I am very happy that I purchased this. My daughter is very alert and it keeps her attention for long periods of time and/or puts her to sleep.
Now here is why it didn't get 5 stars:
It would be better if the vibrating function also had an automatic shut off.
The batteries last about 2 weeks. (2 Ds)
The vibrating mechanism started to make a lot of noise which currently is being fixed by adjusting the wire legs. I called Fisher Price and they are sending me a new vibrating piece.
It doesn't fold up like the lamb one does to travel with it.
Overall-
Pros:
Great price on amazon.
Excellent customer service from Fisher Price.
Keeps my daughter occupied.
Love the child activated feature.
Cons:
Vibrating doesn't auto shut off.
Goes through batteries quickly (2 ds about every 2 weeks).
Doesn't fold up.
Vibrating piece started quiet, but is loud after 2 weeks.
Customer Review: How low can you go?
Summary: 3 Stars
My son (5.5 weeks old) really loves this bouncer. He loves the light show, especially in a dark room. He gets bored easily so this keeps him well entertained. He also sleeps in it sometimes, since he has acid reflux it works great for that. Laying him flat down in his bassinet after a feeding has proven disastrous and this bouncer works great as a 'middle man' to help him digest his food first. My husband and I just set it for vibrate for his naps. (no music (this music is great but it is too upbeat for naps if you have a fussy baby or one that has problems going to sleep and will keep your baby awake- use it for the playtime option only.) Here is the problem with this bouncer though, the toys are entirely too low. My son is a kicker but even when he just changes positions, the freaking parrot (more so than the monkey) hit his feet, knees and legs. And this is no cotton quilt like parrot! The toys are hardy, sturdy and kick back! You could probably throw them down a flight of marble steps and they would not have one nick! He also runs his hands into that darn bird accidentally while napping due to the way many babies make sudden jerky movements while sleeping. Also, the vibration sound go up and down. Sometimes it literally sounds like a car going down a bumpy road and other times, you can barely hear it. To me, this means something is amiss with the manufacturing of it. I too have heard the clicking noise from the frog, as others have mentioned but for us, it comes and goes and is not a huge bother. I also like the rainforest theme. It is gender neutral and has great colors. I would recommend this product but the QC department of fisher price need to make a new version of this bouncer that addresses all of these issues.