Fisher Price Hoppy Days Bouncer vs. Babybjorn Babysitter Balance Air

A bouncy chair is an essential in the Wagon house, and Wagon Jr. and Lil Miss Wagon have both loved sitting in them and just hanging out during awake and play times. We’ve owned both the Fisher Price and the Babybjorn, so here is a side-by-side comparison in various categories.

ADVERTISEMENT

Looks
Obviously, the FP chair has fun, loud, vibrant colors for baby. The BB is a lot more adult-decor-friendly and comes in many colors. We scored a neutral beige one on a deal website, and it looks much less babyish.
Winner: Babybjorn

Space
When in use, the FP chair has a slightly smaller footprint than the BB, but the BB folds flat for storage and travel which is HUGE for us.
Winner: Babybjorn

Material
Both babies have seemed very comfortable in both chairs, but our version of the BB is made of mesh, which allows for breathability during the hotter summer months. Both seats come apart for washing, but we’ve never had to wash either of them– we’ve been able to wipe clean any diaper or spitup disasters.
Winner: Babybjorn

Cost
This one is a no-brainer: the FP retails for $30-$36, while the BB retails for $189.95 – $199.99. With sales, you can probably find some version of the FP at any time for around $30 while the BB will set you back at least $150. Even with the deal website we found ours on it was still $82. I scoured local online classifieds, but no one is ever selling that thing since you use it for so long.
Winner: Fisher Price 

Length of Use
Speaking of using it so long… LMW is both tall and heavy, so she outgrew the FP, which is why we bought the BB. Her head and feet were reaching the top and bottom of the chair and she was practically horizontal in the FP. In the BB she’s still pretty upright in the most upright setting, and there’s plenty of space above her head and below her toes. The BB also has the feature of 3 different positions (play, rest, sleep) while the FP is fixed at one reclined angle. Older babies will get frustrated with this angle while the BB can sit them up a lot straighter.
Winner: Babybjorn

Safety / Ease of In and Out
The FP has a three-point harness while the BB just has a piece that you slide baby into. While buckling the harness definitely makes you feel safe with the FP, the BB isn’t any less safe because the piece is shaped just like the harness. However, getting baby in is a bit tougher with the BB, since you have to maneuver their legs into the holes, while with the FP you can just place them in the chair and then pull the straps of the harness around their body.
Winner: Fisher Price

Toy Feature
The FP comes with a detachable toy arch that has a musical frog in the middle. The music is nice probably the first 10 times. Then, for us, it just became annoying. Also, the music is pretty loud and fast (it plays the song “3 Little Speckled Frogs”) and the song is super short, so you have to keep bending down to pull it for younger babies. The BB doesn’t come with any toys, but you can purchase a separate BB toy bar or attach any toy arch (which is what we did). Even though this is an extra cost, getting rid of that loud frog music is worth it for me. But I guess technically FP should win this category since theirs comes with the arch.
Winner: Fisher Price

Vibration
The main feature we really miss about the FP is the soothing vibrations. Many moms consider this feature total magic in quieting their fussy babies. It has led to many naps in the bouncer for both babies. The BB is easy for older babies to bounce themselves in, but there’s no vibration feature, and LMW has never fallen asleep in it.
Winner: Fisher Price 

So believe it or not, if you tally up the scores, it’s tied 4-4! When I began writing this post, I did not plan for this to happen. I think the long and short of it is that the FP is better for younger, smaller babies while the BB is better for older, bigger babies. You just have to decide which one is right for you! For us, we are so very happy to have the BB in our lives. LMW naps just fine in her crib and is very content to just sit in the BB, so we don’t miss the vibration feature too much.

What kind of bouncy chair do you have, and what do you love/hate about it?