Finally, we have completed the Baby Bjorn Cycle [above]. We got a Bjorn carrier [original, blue] at the very beginning, and then soon after, we picked up the BabySitter 1-2-3 because it was the only non-offensive bouncy chair out there.
[The Oeuf Lounger came out like two days later, of course. But we stuck with the Bjorn because of the darker color and the alleged longer life: they actually claim the thing can be used until the kid is two. "Can" and "will" are very different. The kid wouldn't go in the chair hardly at all after she started crawling.]
Then, when the kid started on solid food, my mother sent us a molded plastic bib with a scoop thing on the bottom. It had a penguin on it, and it was pretty big, a real workhorse. We helod onto it for a several months before getting the smaller, slightly better-looking Bjorn Bib. We've had one in each place for over a year now, and they still do great. [Then we use Bibsters when we're eating out.]
And since the kid is now seriously entertaining the notion of potty training, and since we didn't want to travel with our Philippe Starck-for-Target [ebay, baby. New in the box, $20.], the kid and I hoofed it over to Buy Buy Baby, where I feared getting ambushed by a wall of purple Dora Disney Princess toilet monstrosities.
Fortunately, the endcap of the shelves was stacked high with Bjorn Little Potties, right at kid-height. So she even got to choose her color. $9, and we brought it home. It's parked in the space next to the toilet, and she talks excitedly about using it every night.
All that was left to do was to figure out how Bjorn decided which products to launch once the Carrier was established. But then I saw this graphic of the Bjorn Life Cycle on a website in India, and it all made sense. [Apparently Bjorn is called Giardia over there. Guess they want it to sound more Italian.]
Get Bjorn, Bjorn, everything Bjorn at Amazon [amazon.com]
We were debating between the BB and Oeuf bouncers before finding another nice, inoffensively-styled model by Valco. Our 2.5 yr old has already abused it, but it's fine, and the 3wk old still bounces away happily. We picked it up on sale at kiwi-kid.com.
(Note: pic shows black/tan model, "Black Magic" color in stock turns out to be black/gray)
[wow, that is nearly a clone of the Bjorn. The base is shaped slightly differently, but everything else seems identical. And it's only $50. -ed.]
Now I can see going with the rather expensive bjorn carrier and the little potty is cute and inexpensive, but there's no way I'd pay 100 bucks for a bouncy seat just because it's "non-offensive" So we went with the Fisher Price Cover N'Play for $19.99 and LOVED it :O)
That said, I do kinda like the new pink Maclaren bouncer at Babiesrus and well... I might have to have that when #2 is born in September... we will see (it does say the weight limit is 20 lbs and that seems a bit light!)
[But freaking people out by paying a lot for design is what I DO, Rachel. -ed]
The Bjorn Chair rocks! It did well as a daytime lounge in the early weeks and months and now that our son is 5 months old it has a whole new life with the toy attached. Now if only they sold extra covers so you can have a backup when there are major spills...