Let’s face it; if you have multiples, you are outnumbered from the start. So you are going to need an extra “pair of hands” every once in a while. I personally consider rockers, swings or bouncers for twins and more an essential piece of equipment. They are your spare pair of hands.
Find out our other tips in our blog on how to survive the first year HERE.
Types of Rockers, Swings and Bouncers
We had five rockers/swings in total. Two ‘normal’ rockers which were the same, two vibrating rockers (both different brands, one of which has lights and music and one that doesn’t) and a swing.
Battery/Electric Swings
We opted for battery operated rather than an electric one. We didn’t want to be tripping over power leads all the time, plus we wanted the flexibility to be able to move it to other locations within the house if required. Our swing had five speeds and it played songs. Being “Open Top” though means they don’t have any toys hanging above it. However, I just strung some up myself. Our babies would often fall asleep in the swing.
Vibrating bouncers
You may find that the toys are way too high for the babies to reach. What I ended up doing was adding three links to a toy to make it low enough for them to be able to touch them. However, once they are bigger it isn’t an issue.
Kick and Play Vibrating bouncers
These were a winner in our house. Both babies loved this one. Initially, I was a bit concerned that all the flashing lights and noises it makes would over stimulate them, but sometimes it’s just what they need. Generally though, we keep it on the setting where the lights only flash if the babies make a lot of movement.
Rockers
The ones we had were so sensitive that they would rock slightly even with the breathing of a child. The more active (or upset!) they were, the more they would move and the more the rocker would rock. It was magical. We could also adjust the recline of the seat from flat to almost upright. The tips of the rocker also rotated, so that you can make it stable. We could then use it as a place to feed a baby in once they started solids.
Additionally, we could change the direction of the rock so that it rocked either front to back or side to side. The seat part separated from the rocker base, so this made transporting it quite easy. We used to take to BBQs etc, as sometimes the babies would want to be able to sit up and join in the fun. This way we knew they were safe and secure and that no one will accidentally tread on them.
My general tips to consider when buying rockers, swings or bouncers for twins and triplets
Don’t buy matching rockers/swings.
Just because you are having multiples doesn’t mean everything has to match! It is better to get different rockers or swings (or one of each) as then you can swap the babies around in them when they get bored. Plus you might find that one baby prefers a rocker, and another baby prefers a swing.
Buy second hand.
New rockers and swings and bouncers for twins and more are expensive. They don’t get damaged much, and generally the covers can come off and be washed. You can get several second hand rockers and swings for the price of one new rocker or swing. We had a fairly large deck that we spent a lot of time on, so I didn’t want to be carrying rockers and swings back and forth all the time. We would leave one set of rockers on the back deck and the other ones are in the lounge room.
Adjust and change the toys on them
Use the plastic links to add/change/lower the toys that dangle from the rocker/swing. Change the toys regularly so they don’t get bored with them.
Buy a battery recharger
Buy a battery recharger that takes different sized batteries and then buy the various sized rechargeable batteries. I think it was about $100 and the various batteries were approximately $20.00 a pack. It’s really good in that the one charger can take any sized battery. Initially I bought new batteries for them, which cost me about $50.00 for all the various sizes we needed. Additionally, there will be numerous times when you pick up a crying baby, and forget to turn the switch to ‘off’. By having rechargeable batteries it’s not such a costly mistake! Plus, I’m sure a recharger will be very useful once they start getting all the battery operated toys that are on the market these days.
Keep a small screwdriver close by
All the batter covers are screwed down for safety, and we are forever hunting for a screwdriver to take off the panel to recharge the batteries. When you have several swings, rockers and bouncers for twins or more, you will be changing batteries quite a lot!
ALWAYS strap your babies in
Even if you think they can’t get out, make sure you strap them in. We learned the hard way, but thankfully no damage was done. Our little girl managed to wriggle down and fell half out. Luckily I saw her before she fell out totally.
My “babies” are now 8 years old, so I am going back a while now. I know there are much fancier (and no doubt more expensive!) rockers, swings and bouncers out there these days.
What rockers and bouncers do you have for your babies? Share with us in the comments which ones you have and why you like it.