The Not So Cheap Seats

**This is a review of the Fisher Price Aquarium Wonders Bouncer which I have the displeasure of owning.**

The Fisher Price Aquarium Wonders Bouncer certainly has a lot going for it in the looks department, but my love affair with this particular piece of baby gear ends there.

Upon receiving the bouncer as a gift, I was thrilled. It was attractive, and matched perfectly with our seaside nursery theme. I thought that my son would really adore the ocean scene, music, sounds and lights since it really impressed me and my husband. Chalk that up to our being easily amused and extremely naieve when it came to practicalitly.

After Jonas's birth we quickly realized how poorly designed this contraption is.

For the newborn infant, the seat is not reclined enough, causing baby to slump dangerously to one side, and making his head fold down upon his chest. Since, at such a young age, baby had no interest in the fish, we decided to remove the aquarium/toys because they make it difficult to get baby in and out of the seat. They also make it rather heavy and bulky to move around. Without the aquarium part attached, baby cannot enjoy the soothing music and sounds that the package proudly boasts. With frustration, we placed this seat off to the side, hoping that it would prove more useful to the older infant.

As a four month old, our son now seems too big for this seat. The seatbelt barely reaches around his belly, and the part that goes between the legs is too short, causing the seatbelt to not fit properly around his hips. While our son is a bit on the chunky side, he is still firmly in the middle of the growth charts for his age, and so I must attribute this downfall to poor design, and not to the fact that I have a fatass for a child. In essence, the seatbelt barely holds him in at all, and I do not feel secure placing him in the seat unless I am sitting right beside him the whole time.

On to the aquarium/toy bar: Baby seems to quickly grow bored of it unless it is used in a darkened room, otherwise the color change is not noticable, and the fish become quickly predictable. The music is nice, and soothing, but my son doesn't care for any of the other sounds. The toys attached below the aquarium are inconveniently placed so that only a gorilla baby could effectively find any enjoyment in them. They are low and out of baby's reach and only serve to whack him in the shins whenever he kicks his legs.

I do give this seat a single star, simply for the fact that it is nice looking, and well padded, and the vibrate feature is nice. But all of these things could be, found on a much less expensive model. Perhaps one that also took into consideration the dimensions and physical abilities of the average infant.

Save your money on this one. Your baby will thank you.