Infantino Fold & Go Bouncer {Review}

When Big Sister E was a baby, any time that we left the house I would joke to my husband that we needed to bring her bouncy seat with us. It was a fairly simple seat, with vibrations and a bar that included a fake fish or two that moved, but she was always content hanging out in there just watching the world go by.

Unfortunately, even though it was just a bouncer, it took up quite a good amount of room from end to end and to the top of the seat... plus it was a little bit heavy. Needless to say, I was able to awkwardly move it around our house so that Big Sister E could take advantage of it in multiple rooms, but it definitely never came with us over to Grandma's.

Now, had it been the Fold & Go Bouncer from Infantino, we would have truly been able to bring the enjoyment with us wherever we went.

Assembling the Fold & Go Bouncer took only a few minutes, as after snapping in the back support, sliding on the sound/vibration unit and slipping on the cute, gender-neutral cover, it was ready for use. I love that there is a detachable super-padded head support that would be perfect for even the youngest of infants, equally ultra-plush seat (check out the pillowy bottom in the picture below at left) and that the entertainment bar can be adjusted to almost any angle for comfort or visibility.

By popping in 3 AA batteries (a size that we seem to always have more available than the others), the Fold & Go has a variety of options to help soothe your baby - with a volume control (thank goodness!) to set them just right.

Big Sister E was always more into songs and melodies and this seat offers multiple of those, while Little Sister B has always been a fan of more "natural" sounds. The heartbeat and nature choices would have been just what she needed to help calm or quiet her down.

What makes the Fold & Go extremely unique is the ability it provides when you want to bring the comforting bouncing action or the reassuring vibrations with you (or, alternately, hide them from view). Instead of our old chair, which was yet another baby gear item that was forced to remain sitting out all the time, the Fold & Go Bouncer is the first that I've seen that folds down extremely flat for either storage or travel.

Better yet, collapsing the Fold & Go is as simple as reaching underneath, sliding one switch over and squeezing the top button down. That releases the middle support bar to slide forward and, without having to remove or adjust anything, the entire seat folds down thin enough to slide into a closet, under a bed or couch or tuck away into whatever small spot is convenient for you.

However, even though this can be done easily and one-handed, it requires too much coordination for a toddler or other sibling to accomplish. And when you slide it back open, there is a satisfying audible click as the bar locks into place to let you know it is safe to use once again.

With a weight limit of 25 pounds, Big Sister E wasn't able to try out the Fold & Go Bouncer, even though she really wanted to. But ever my little helper, Little Sister B was able to give it a go even though she is nearly too heavy and doesn't usually sit still that long anyway.

I think she was the most surprised at just how much she liked it.

The Infantino Fold & Go Bouncer definitely combines all of the best features that a bouncy seat could have. From the removable and adjustable entertainment bar to the soothing vibrations and music to the plush, padded, machine washable seat to the unique and easy ability to fold flat... there really isn't more that this seat could do. Next up for Infantino? I'd like a Fold & Go in my size, please!

I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for Infantino and have received various Infantino products as part of my participation. However, other than the products, I was not provided with anything or enticed to do this review in any way. This review is solely my honest opinion of this item.