It's quite overwhelming at the amount of products out there for babies, especially the different varieties of chairs, swingers, rockers and bouncers. It makes you wonder how mums used to get on "back in the day" before all this stuff came along. The simple answer is they just got on with it, but nowdays we are lead to believe that we need endless amounts of stuff for our kids. Fortunately I haven't been sucked into it too much and have only been duped into buying a few items like this chair, the playmat/gym and a couple of other big playtime items, a bouncing chair was one of only a few items on my list of things to get Freya.

I was after a bouncer that was sturdy, looked cute (but not pink and uber girly), didn't break the bank and vibrated. I had a look in Mothercare and wasn't really blown away by the selection, taking into account that my Mothercare store in my town is pretty small so I didn't have much choice, however, I thought I would have a look in Argos to see what they had to offer and out from the laminated book of dreams (the argos catalogue) popped this bright and colourful looking bouncer. I saw the brand name Mama's and Papa's and immediately thought it would be around £40-£50 so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the price tag of just under £25. It had the vibration feature that I was after, and I'd heard a lot of my friends talking about Mamas and Papas being a trusted good quality brand so I snapped it up.

Assembling the Mamas and Papas rocker couldn't be simpler, it comes flat packed and all you have to do is clip the legs together to the circular disc which acts as the support bracket for the bars enabling it to bounce securely and safely. There is a secure harness which is attached to the main part of the bouncer. The head rest isn't connected to anything, which means that you can move it to where you choose and to support your little ones head in whatever position they are sitting in. The cover is re-moveable and fully machine washable so if your little one ends up having an accident (Freya has thrown up a few times on it) then you can whip off the cover and throw it in the wash. The head rest can also be washed and after 3 or 4 washes it still hasn't lost it's shape.

The Mamas and Papas bouncer is suitable for babies newborn - 6months of age. Freya is now just over 3 months old and still loves the chair, she is outgrowing it a bit now as she is a tall baby but she still sits in it quite comfortably. She no longer needs the head support pillow as she holds her own head up a lot better than she used to, but I'd recommend that you use this for newborns as it keeps them upright. The straps attached to the support harness are adjustable so you can make it bigger when your baby starts to grow there is a lot of give in it, so it will fasten over most babies laps. It is recommended that the bouncer only be used with babies weighing no more than 9kg, but by that weight babies are normally more independent and can sit up on their own.

The bouncer could be used for girls or boys as the pattern is very gender friendly, it is covered in brightly coloured letters, numbers mushrooms and what look like hippo/dinosaur looking things. The harness and head rest are in a lovely bright red which stand out from the rest of the chair.

The vibration feature requires 2 x AA batteries, I'd recommend you use a decent brand of batteries otherwise you will end up going through a fair few if you have it on quite a lot. The vibration settings are easy to use, it's a simple turn switch at the foot of the rocker there are no set levels i.e level 1, 2 etc, it's just a progression from nice gentle vibrations up to the top vibration setting which is pretty loud. The placement of the vibration switch is a little odd as its right by your babies feet. This is nothing to worry about when your baby is a newborn, but Freya - being quite tall and just over 3 months - can now switch the vibrations on and off with her feet.

To keep your little one entertained whilst their happily sat in the chair is an arched bar which attaches to each side of the chair. There are 2 toys which you can wrap around the arch to keep your baby occupied. The toys are only 2 soft shapes - a square and triangle - the square has a bell inside with different textures and patterns around it, the triangle looks the same but makes a crunching sound instead of a ringing like the square. Unfortunately the toys aren't enough to keep my little girl entertained so I attach other things to the bar to keep her interested.

The last feature I will mention of the bouncer are rubber grips on the back and front of the bars, which stop the rocker from sliding around on floors like laminate or tiles. The Mama's and Papa's bouncer can be bought from Argos for just shy of £25. Now this might seem like a lot as it just looks like a generic rocker chair, but I'm glad I paid that little bit extra for something of great quality.

I'd recommend any new mum or dad to buy a bouncing chair, they're great fun and good for keeping your little one sat almost upright. It is easy to rock, you can use your foot at the side or front to rock pressing on the bars. It's practical, simple in design and keeps your little one entertained leaving you free to do other things. This doesn't mean that it is safe to leave them unattended for long periods, you must keep your eye on your baby whilst they are sat in the chair as it is quite easy for them to slide sideways - they wont fall out - but it's not going to be comfortable. The vibration setting is great for helping get wind up, although if it's set too high it can make them sick a little, although this may just be the case with Freya - haha!