Keep Baby Content In A MamaRoo {Review & Giveaway}

When I was pregnant with Rylie, I registered for, and received, the Cleanwater Infant Tub by 4moms. This awesome tub made bath time so easy for us. The tub actually tells you if the temperature is right for your baby, and cycles fresh water during baby's bath. I liked this tub so much that I even posted a review of it before I really started writing product reviews here on my blog. The tub has changed some since I owned one, but it still has the same awesome features.

This innovative company founded by 4 moms (well really 5, but one is "The Stealth Mom") has since developed two other great products that absolutely WOW me. Their latest product offering is the Origami Stroller, which is the "mack daddy" of all strollers. Jennifer (the other writer on this blog) recently won one of these strollers, and was so amazed by it that she wrote a review about it. You have to check it out!

The product that I have had my eye on for a while is the mamaRoo. By the time I learned about this awesome infant seat, my kids were too old for it, but that certainly didn't stop me from admiring it. The mamaRoo is not like any other ordinary swing or bouncer, it actually mimics the movements that parents make when they are trying to calm their babies. 4moms recently upgraded the mamaRoo and now offer the mamaRoo Plush.

The only infant seat that moves “like you do,” the mamaRoo is now available with an ultra-soft plush seat fabric that’s even more comfortable for your baby. The plush seat is machine-washable and easily zips in and out of any mamaRoo, and the reversible toy balls are one-, two-, and three-eyed monsters in colors that match the plush patterns.

I was recently given the opportunity to review a mamaRoo Plush. Since I no longer have any babies in the house to try it out with, I knew just the person who could help me review it and then get plenty of use out of it in the upcoming months. That person is my very best friend Melissa who is expecting a little girl in April. I surprised her with the mamaRoo at her baby shower last weekend. She was so excited when she saw what was in that big gift bag!

It turned out that the mamaRoo was desperately needed at her house immediately. Her sister and her cousin had flown in for her baby shower with their new babies, and there had been some sleepless nights around there. We tasked the husbands with putting the mamaRoo together, and within minutes, it was all assembled and ready to go. The pieces snapped together with ease and the machine-washable cover is easy to put on and take off.

When I first saw the mamaRoo assembled, I was even more impressed with it than I thought I would be. It just looks cool! The shape is perfect for cradling your baby! It reclines to any position along it's axis by undoing the lock in the back and sliding it up and down. It then locks securely in place. You can set it for a more upright position when baby is awake, or recline it to a laying down position for a sleepy little one.

It has three simple plush toy balls that remain in baby's field of vision. They are black and white on one side for infants, and then colored on the other for older babies who can see in color. (I guess we should have explained this to the dads that put it together.) Since the designers of the mamaRoo worked with doctors, nurses and parents to develop it, they found that a stationary mobile was better for babies than one that rotates and can actually confuse younger babies, and their field research confirmed this.

Once the mamaRoo was assembled and in the proper position, it was time to test it out on a couple of fussy babies. We quickly found that both babies became calm when placed in the mamaRoo and fell asleep easily. Abbie was in it first and was sleeping peacefully until the dogs barked and woke her up, and when we transferred her to a swing to give Ella some mamaRoo time, she started fussing. I'm not even kidding. We decided that both babies definitely preferred the mamaRoo to the swing.

The mamaRoo is very easy to operate and all of the controls are in the front on the base. It has five different movements and five corresponding sounds. The sounds are changed by the top left knob, and there is a volume control on the right. The speed and the movements are changed with the controls in the front.

The movements are very smooth and there is very little mechanical noise when it is moving. The sounds are very peaceful for baby. Check out our demonstration in this quick video.

As you can see, there are five sounds that correspond to the movements of the mamaRoo, but you can choose whatever sound you want, regardless of the movement. If you find one your baby specifically enjoys, you can use that sound with every movement. I realize that some of the movements look the same in the video, but they aren't. Here are the five different movements the mamaRoo makes:

When I first observed Abbie and Ella in the mamaRoo, I didn't think it went fast enough. I know when Rylie was a baby, we had to put her swing on full speed for her to be happy, so I thought that the mamaRoo was going to slow, even on the highest speed setting. I did a little more reading on the 4moms website about the mamaRoo speeds, and this is what they had to say:

We chose the mamaRoo’s speeds for two reasons: safety and comfort. Making those choices was a challenge, though, because there’s a very real difference between how a motion looks and how it feels. Think about the swinging pirate ship rides at amusement parks: they look like they’re moving slowly, but step on and you’ll find that’s not the case. The mamaRoo’s motions were chosen for how they feel, and most importantly, for how they feel to an infant. What seems slow to an adult may be just right for a baby, and that’s what we’ve seen time and time again with the mamaRoo. We’ve done extensive field research, and babies consistently love the mamaRoo and find it very soothing.

I am going to trust them. After all, both Abbie and Ella were both very calm in the mamaRoo, so I would say that everything about it is perfect. I applaud 4moms for doing such extensive research in all steps of the design process so that they could get it right. And they definitely did.

Overall, the mamaRoo is beyond awesome, and I highly recommend it to all expecting parents! The only downfall of this innovative infant seat is the price. It retails for $239.99, which makes this more of a luxury item for a lot of families. That said, many expectant parents buy both a swing and a bouncer for their new baby, and I believe that the mamaRoo could replace both, which would make the price seem a little better. After seeing the mamaRoo in person, though, and seeing how it does keep babies calm, I still recommend it, despite the high price tag. It is worth the price, for both babies and for parents. The mamaRoo can be purchased directly from 4moms, at specialty retailers and online at Amazon.com.

For more information about the mamaRoo and the other innovative baby products made by 4moms, visit them on the web. While you are there, you can register to become a 4moms Insider to get the latest news on 4moms products, plus exclusive opportunities to win 4moms gear and more! That is how Jennifer won her Origami Stroller! Follow 4moms on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with the latest product news.

~*~Giveaway~*~

~*~mamaRoo Plush~*~

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received the mamaRoo at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. A big Thank You to 4moms for providing the giveaway prize!