The Ingenuity Smartbounce Automatic Bouncer mimics natural movement that can rock your baby to sleep without any effort on your part. However is the bounce so gentle that the baby won’t notice it? Will the overhead toy bar pop off and bop your baby? Or will this bouncer save you many hours of exhausting swaying?
Customer Reviews
The reviews for the Ingenuity Smartbounce Automatic Bouncer Piper range from slightly above average to decent. Unfortunately these reviews may not be comprehensive as there really aren’t enough reviews to go off of quite yet. So you’re left with the question, does the prospect of an automatic baby bouncer outweigh the risk of a product that may not be all it’s cracked up to be?
- 4.2 stars, 31 Reviews: Toys R Us
- 3 stars, 37 Reviews: Walmart
- 3.6 stars, 41 Reviews: Target
- 4.5 stars, 14 Reviews: Buy Buy Baby
- 4 stars, 16 Reviews: Bed Bath and Beyond
Key Features
Mimics Mother’s Natural Motion: The biggest selling point of the Ingenuity Smartbounce Automatic Bouncer Piper is that it mimics a mother’s natural bouncing motion. Everyone knows that babies love to rock so this baby bouncer takes care of the rocking for you so that your baby can be soothed to sleep. It bounces gently up and down to calm even the fussiest newborn.
2 Speed Bounce: This unique bouncy seat has two different settings. One that is geared towards newborns as it is more gentle, and one for when your baby starts packing on pounds. The speed settings are on the back of the bouncer so that you can easily adjust it as needed. You also can always choose to manually bounce your baby in addition to the automatic bounce if your baby really likes to move!
3 Point Harness: The ingenuity bouncer has a secure three point harness to keep your baby on their back and safe as they bounce. The straps are easy to adjust as your baby grows so that they can use the bouncer longer. You can also choose to leave the straps loose, slip your baby in from the top before tightening the straps around their tummy.
30 Minutes Continuous Bouncing: This automatic baby bouncer will go for 30 minutes before stopping on its own. It is meant to soothe your newborn completely asleep before turning off to conserve batteries. That way you don’t have to remember to turn it off later.
8 Melodies and 3 Nature Sounds: If your baby likes background noise as they fall asleep you can turn on one of the 8 melodies or 3 nature sounds. It can help drown out noise from the rest of the house for your babies nap or allow you to sneak back into bed even if your floor tries to squeak and rat you out.
Removable Head Support: The Ingenuity Smartbounce Automatic Bouncer Piper is designed for babies from 5 through 20 pounds and comes with a removable cozy newborn insert that provides body and head support. Though it does support your baby the incline can be a tad steep for them to sleep safely.
Removable Toy Bar: The smart-bouncer has a nifty toy bar across the top of the bouncer that has two fashion forward plush toys for your baby to look at or play with as they get older. It could also serve as a canopy with a blanket if your baby prefers to sleep in the dark or if they need everything blocked out to sleep soundly. Since the toy bar is removable you can always take it off to make the bouncer more portable. You can also easily add your own toys onto the bar as well.
Washable Cover: As with any other baby product, easy wash-ability is critical to usability. Babies tend to be on the messy side so if you can’t wash their bouncer it would be difficult to use it regularly. Not to worry the entire cover of the ingenuity bouncer is removable and washing machine safe.
Works For Colicky Babies: Medical professionals still aren’t exactly sure what causes colic but sometimes certain things work to calm colicky babies better than others. The Ingenuity Smartbounce Automatic Bouncer Piper has been known to help some colicky babies, and parents, find relief and a good night’s sleep.
Automatic Bouncer Demo Video
Cautions
Very Gentle Bounce: The biggest complaint of this automatic bouncer is that the bounce is incredibly gentle. And sometimes you can’t even tell it’s bouncing unless you are watching the toy bar go up and down a little bit. Though this might be enough if you’re baby is already almost asleep it will have a hard time settling your baby down as the movement won’t be enough to distract them.
You may find yourself having to manually add to the bounce even though it is supposed to be completely automated. As your infant gets heavier the bounce will do less and less if it does anything at all. So if the automatic bounce doesn’t bounce hard enough is it even worth the added cost?
Does Not Vibrate: Since the Ingenuity Smartbounce Automatic Bouncer Piper is an automatic bouncer it should come as no surprise that it doesn’t vibrate. However it’s an important caution since babies often really enjoy being vibrated as it simulates sensations they are used to feeling from inside the womb.
So if you are a parent who currently has a baby who loves their vibrating bouncy seat and also likes you to bounce them to sleep then this bouncer may not be able to replace your current method. Since the bounce function isn’t very strong and there is no vibration your baby may not find this to be any more soothing than a regular bouncy seat that isn’t on.
Difficult To Tell Settings Apart: The two setting feature is meant to allow you to ramp up the bounce for your baby however the difference between the settings is so slight that it is quite difficult to tell them apart. Without being able to increase the bounce by enough to make a difference the bouncer may not be useful once your baby starts weighing a bit more.
Turns Off After 30 Minutes: While turning off after 30 minutes may save battery it may also wake up a baby that was almost asleep. Most parents will tell you that 30 minutes sometimes isn’t enough to help your baby get into a deep sleep. Especially if they started off a little on the fussy side. It would be much more useful if parents could set the shut off time themselves.
Overhead Toy Bar Falls Off: Since the Ingenuity Smartbounce Automatic Bouncer Piper overhead toy bar doesn’t snap into place it is very easy to pull or knock off. This is a serious safety hazard as the bar could fall and hit your sleeping baby. If it has toys or blankets on the bar it could also cause suffocation and could be a Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) hazard. However since the bar is removable it can be easily made safe.
Steep Incline for Newborns: Another potential SIDS hazard is the steep incline for newborn infants. It is best for babies to lay flat on their back on a hard surface to sleep, especially before they can hold their heads up. You should definitely exercise extreme caution in leaving your newborn in this product overnight or without supervision. However this product should still work fine while they are awake or while being watched by an adult.
Difficult To Assemble: Though the smart bouncer is easy to move and use once it’s assembled it can be quite tricky to get together. Sometimes the base pieces don’t fit very well and can leave you struggling to get it up. This means that it isn’t really feasible to tear it down for easy portability.
Straps Tend To Stick: There’s nothing more frustrating than having to bend over and fight with straps before getting your waking baby out of their bouncer but it’s something you may have to deal with while using this smart bouncer. The straps are very secure but sometimes stick and don’t easily unclasp.
Short Battery Life: Like any other battery operated piece of equipment, battery life is an important element to consider. Though the Ingenuity Smartbounce Automatic Bouncer Piper turns off after 30 minutes it’s battery may not last terribly long if you use this product frequently. It would be better if it had the option of plugging into the wall but it is what it is.
360º View Product Video
Pros
- Mimics Mother‘s Motion
- Automatic Bouncer
- Music
- Washable
Cons
- Gentle Bounce
- Does Not Vibrate
- Toy Bar Falls Off
- Turns Off After 30 Minutes
My Overall Recommendation
The Ingenuity Smartbounce Automatic Bounceris a relatively cheap bouncer that could work wonders for getting and keeping your little one asleep. However there’s a distinct possibility that the bounce won’t do much of anything for your baby and there are potential risks with the steep incline and detachable toy bar. I am currently 7 months pregnant and I won’t be putting it on my baby registry but if nothing gets my baby to sleep in the months after he arrives I’d be willing to give it a try!
