Fisher Price Kick ‘n Play Musical Bouncer review

After months of testing, the lightweight and portable Kick ‘n Play bouncer, impressed us with the sheer number of useful features it offers which is why we've awarded it Mumsnet Best Bouncer 2018. It's an exceptional all-rounder, wonderfully entertaining and brilliant at soothing your baby.

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Pros

• Suitable from birth to around six months or longer (depending on your child)

• Lots of baby-activated features to keep your baby entertained

• Hanging toy bar (can be removed for sleep time)

• Lightweight and easy to move from room to room

• Fun and bright design

• Good value for money

Cons

• Needs to be dismantled in order to be stored flat

• Batteries not included

Key features of the Fisher Price bouncer

• Musical piano keys that are activated when your baby kicks them – great for encouraging muscular development and teaching cause and effect

• Detachable toy bar

• Removable seat padding

• Musical and vibration modes

How much does the Fisher Price bouncer weigh?

• 42cm (H) x 50cm (W) x 12.5cm (D)

• Weight: 3.4kg

The Fisher Price Kick ‘n Play is supremely portable and lightweight – both important factors when you’re moving a baby in one arm and a bouncer in the other from room to room. It’s also jam-packed with amazing features designed to help your baby’s development.

We were impressed with the sheer number of useful features this relatively low-cost bouncer offered.

How easy is it to put the bouncer together?

The Fisher Price Kick ‘n Play is a bit fiddly to assemble. A screwdriver, batteries and a bit of patience are required.

Somewhat annoyingly, the bouncer needs to be completely dismantled if you want to store it flat, which can be slightly frustrating if you’ve just spent 10 minutes putting it together.

What is the bouncer like on a day-to-day basis?

If you are looking for a baby bouncer that will not only keep your baby entertained but also help lull them off to sleep (and who isn’t) then this is a solid choice. It has lots of baby-activated movements and more baby-activated features to keep your baby’s interest and are designed to help their learning and development.

For playtime, there is a hanging toy bar with a microphone and tambourine which your baby can bat away, and there are three panels on the top of the toy bar that light up in time to the music.

For a newborn, the simple bouncing action is sufficient to entertain and comfort them but as they grow you will find they become even more fascinated by all of the other functions of the chair. Our tester’s baby absolutely loved the responsive kick pads at the bottom of the bouncer, which played single notes of music when he kicked them.

The bouncer has a great selection of songs and sound effects. There are 10 song options and six sound effects, although be warned that even with this huge variety of options the tinny music can get a bit irritating for mum and dad. Although our tester’s baby didn’t mind one bit it’s great you can turn the sound off if it gets too much.

If you’re finding your baby seems overstimulated and in need of a bit of quiet time, you can remove the toy bar, turn all sounds off and turn on the seat’s calming vibration.

You will probably find you use the soothing vibration mode more when your baby is tiny. The music and toy bar really come into their own when your baby is that bit older and wants the stimulation. It’s nice to be able to add elements (at no additional cost) to the seat when your baby grows.

One of the main selling points with this bouncer is the fact it’s so lightweight you can pick it up and move it easily from room to room. You can bring it into the bathroom with you while you take a quick shower and then pick it up with one arm and take it to the kitchen while you make breakfast. No sweat.

How easy is it to clean the Fisher Price bouncer?

When it comes to cleaning, the Kick ‘n Play makes life very easy. Our tester was able to whip off the seat pad and pop it into the washing machine when her baby managed to squish raspberries and blueberries into it.

The bouncer’s bright colours were just as vibrant after 20 washes as they were straight out of the box. The toys can’t be removed quickly for washing, so you have to wipe them clean when mucky fingers leave their mark.

What does bouncer look like?

The Kick ‘n Play is very colourful and features a lion and elephant playing musical instruments. Although it may not be to everyone’s taste, babies absolutely adore it and our tester’s baby was mesmerised by the bright colours and pattern.

The bouncer is incredibly sturdy and comfortable and even when our tester attempted to knock it over a few times (to check the safety element) it remained in one place, reassuring her it wouldn’t topple over.

How safe is the baby bouncer?

The bouncer is very stable and softly padded to create a comfortable place for your baby to chill out in. The seat has a padded safety harness to keep your baby secure. Our tester’s baby seemed very happy and safe when in it.

The Kick ‘n Play has a clip fastening which made our tester a bit nervous as it is so easy to catch a baby’s skin or fingers in it but with a little concentration you can avoid that. In order to test the sturdiness of the bouncer dropped it more than 20 times and also tried to push it over, but it held fast and didn’t scuff or break at all.

Is the Fisher Price bouncer offer good value for money?

At £69.99, the Kick ‘n Play is excellent value. It offers so much more than many other bouncers on the market despite its low price. Knowing the Fisher Price brand and this product’s sturdiness, we think it’s likely to last through one baby (and even the next).