Fatherhood is an amazing time in a man’s life. It’s exciting, it’s scary, and usually it’s pretty fun. But let’s get real, there are some not so fun parts, too. One of the not so fun parts is when your baby is really fussy. A fussy baby can be difficult to soothe and many times, the only thing that calms them is being held, bounced and swayed. While it can be nice to hold a sleepy baby, it makes you tired after a while and it’s nice to put them down and get a little break. Unfortunately, some babies do not like to be put down, they don’t like the stillness of a crib or basinet, they want to be back in your arms bouncing and swaying, so the minute they’re put down they start crying again. This cycle can be endless! But don’t worry there is hope.
Enter the 4moms mamaRoo. Unlike a still crib, a vibrating bouncy seat or a swing, the mamaRoo sways and bounces just like you. The creators of the mamaRoo actually put sensor vests on parents to understand and replicate the movements they make when soothing their babies. The mamaRoo combines slick, robotic technology with natural movement to create a great way to soothe baby.
The motions and sounds
The mamaRoo has five built in motions – the car ride, the kangaroo, the tree swing, the rock-a-bye, and the wave. Each of these movements mimics a different bounce and sway pattern and there are five speeds for each movement so it can be tailored to baby’s preferences. Our baby loved the kangaroo but for baby’s who like to fall asleep in the car, the car ride is perfect. No more driving around the neighborhood trying to get your fussy baby to sleep, save some gas, the mamaRoo has you covered.
There are four built in soothing sounds you can play if you don’t want to use an mp3 player to play songs. The four sounds are rain, fan, ocean and heart. The fan was our babies preferred sound and I loved that the volume can also be adjusted to suit our baby’s mood.
The App
This baby seat is perfect for tech-savvy Dads. Not only is it robotic, with a very sleek and modern look; you can plug your mp3 player right in and play music for baby, and you can control the motion, speed, music and volume right from your smart phone.
All you need to do to begin is download the 4moms app from the app store to your smart phone. First you need to register your mamaRoo which was very easy to do if you follow the simple instructions. The app connects to the mamaRoo using Bluetooth. The first thing you will notice is just how easy it is to use. You can easily toggle between two pages by clicking the tabs on the top of the screen and move between control of sound to control of movement. I wanted to test the distance of Bluetooth connectivity and am amazed to say that when I tried it from 30 feet away, through two walls! I was able to switch the mamaRoo on, start motion and sound and control speed and volume. You even have the option to plug your phone into the mamaRoo using the auxiliary cord (this cord comes with the mamaRoo) and play any sound or song you like. You can also add more than that one mamaRoo for those who have twins and need two rockers.
Another useful feature of this app is that it has a menu page that allows you to easily be directed to support staff, contact us page, review section, learning videos (not that you will need to watch more than once as it’s so easy to use) and a shopping option. The only criticism I would make is it would be great if you could play songs from your smart phone using Bluetooth connectivity as opposed to having to plug it in.
Set Up
The mamaRoo comes in a box like this
These are all the pieces you get when you open the box
First you set up the bracket
Then you attach the seat to the bracket using the zipper
The last step in the set up phase is attaching the mobile toys (with reversible balls!). This picture also shows the newborn insert attached which is an extra you can purchase. It is not mandatory for newborns but is recommended as it provides a comfier seat for your baby.
The setup phase was very simple and took us no longer than 10 minutes to complete.
Specifications
This seat will fit babies from birth until about 25 lbs. or until they start to try to climb out. It has an adjustable recline to accommodate baby’s preferences. A really cool feature is that cover zips right off to be washed and it’s machine washable to make keeping the seat clean really simple. At 33” long, 19.5” wide and 25.5” tall, this seat is about half the size of traditional baby swings. It is a little on the heavy side at 19 lbs., but it’s meant to be kept in one spot. There are five different seat cover patterns available, 3 of them with soft, plush fabric. The seat also comes with a mobile of four removable, reversible toy balls that are bright and colorful on one side and contrasting black and white patterns on the other. There are no batteries required for this seat, it’s powered by AC adapter.
If you’re looking for a great way to soothe your baby and give your back a break, the 4moms mamaRoo is a perfect choice. To say that I am impressed with the mamaRoo and its display of technical innovation is an understatement. However, that is exactly what the 4moms brand is known for. With its modern look and technology and its natural movements, it’s the best baby seat out there. The mamaRoo is available from the 4moms website as well as over 500 retailers nationwide with a starting price of $239.99. More details are available at 4moms.com. Check out their other items here and if you own a mamaRoo we would love to know what you think.
