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We have the svan and my finicky son has always liked it. For the first twomonths, it was the only place we could pu him down without him crying. But, he couldn't bounce himself in it until he weighed 13 lbs, so one of us would have to tap our foot on the back to keep it in motion if he was especially fussy. Most of the time, he seemed to like it just as a chair with toy loops, though.

Ah yes, I too tried to find an aesthetically pleasing bouncer but wish I would've gone with a less expensive one instead. I bought the maclaren rocker and while it's pleasing to look at, it was not very entertaining for my son.

http://www.babyearth.com/maclaren-2008-maclaren-rocker.html

We now have a baby einstein bouncer that lights up, plays music, vibrates and has toys at arms reach. My 4 month old absolutely *loves* it. Save your money and buy a cheap, tacky-looking bouncer!

My baby loves the Baby Bjorn Babysitter and it looks pretty nice, too and is supposedly useful up to about 2 years.

I'm with AudreyJ. I got the Fisher Price bouncer from their Rainforest line as a baby shower gift and it has been a life saver! Our baby is not into the tacky "special effects" so we just use the bouncer without it on vibrating mode on and it soothes him to sleep; he loves it. We live in a tiny apartment and it has a small foot print; the fabric pattern is on the babyish side but it's not so bad once you remove the hanging toys: http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2002&e=product&pid=38320

I purchased both the Svan bouncers and the Coco Bloom bouncers from Bloom Baby for my twins. The Coco was great for hanging out and they couldn't get out of the five point harness. I took the harness out now that they are 19 months and they still sit and bounce in it with a book or toy. The Svan was great for feeding before they could sit in their highchairs. But they soon learned how to climb out of the straps of the Svan. The Coco looks much cooler and I have to say the twins got good use out of it.

I bought the Baby Bjorn Babysitter for my first child and am still using it for my second. I like the three settings. A newborn can rest in it without slumping. It's very easy for the baby to make it bounce, and the wooden bears and balls are easy for the baby to spin once he or she can reach. It folds completely flat, which is useful for storage in between kids. The fabric seat removes easily and washes well-- I thoroughly tested that out due to my daughter's explosive poops as a tiny baby! We didn't end up using the chair all the way until my son was 2 because he had a tendency to climb to the top of the seat and bounce. My daughter may be different. We'll see.

Every child is different; there is no "best." I would wait until the baby has arrived and then try out different bouncy seats. Also, a great alternative to bouncies is babywearing.

Another vote for the Baby Bjorn Babysitter. The three positions are a huge plus - perfect for both naps and for sitting up and hanging around. My 7-month old is really into sitting as upright as possible, so I think we would have had to retire the prettier Oeuf by now if we'd gone that route. The toy bar doesn't light up or make noise, but he has played with them happily from day one. It's super easy to get him in and out of, and it's light so carrying it from room-to-room (or to Grandma's) is no problem. This is one of my baby must-haves, and I recommend it to anyone that asks. :)

We had a Fisher Price rocker that someone gave us then a Maclaren rocker. My son liked both only when the vibration thing was turned off. My pediatrician also told me to get him an exersaucer when he was almost 3 months old so he wouldn't develop a flat spot in his head (he had head control by 2 months). I assume one day he will be bald so he needs a nice shaped head! All of these things have a fairly short life span. Once your baby starts to crawl or move, he or she won't want anything to do with them, at least this was my experience.

We have the Boppy bouncer- not too attractive but not as brightly colored as some of the other affordable options. My twins are very comfy in it, though I feel as if the toy bar is poorly placed- it is right in their face rather than in front, so I always rotate it back out of the way or remove it altogether. My boys loved the vibration and even the heartbeat, etc, but most of the time we leave the sound off. We bought one of these, and one papasan swing and just switched the boys between the two as needed. Good luck!

We have the Fisher Price Rainforest bouncy. I wanted something a little less visually jarring but I heard babies like the ones with more colors and lights. The vibrating feature was a lifesaver. My son also loved the motion and lights. In fact he still does at 14 months. He plays with it from the outside and has started climbing in the top to sit in it.

We borrowed a bright colorful fisher price rocking/vibrating seat with a bar that hung across it. We just threw a nice plushy blanket on top of it so we didn't have to see the garish colors. It worked perfectly, wasn't hidous, and we didn't have to spend $$$ on a nice looking one. Plus they don't use them for very long!

We received the Oeuf as a gift and although we liked the design, I think there are better bouncers out there. When our son was small he didn't seem very secure. And then his rapid weight gain coupled with its low weight limit meant that it had a limited life span. When he was at the upper end of the weight range it just dragged down. Granted, he was a high percentile baby but he never did learn to bounce in it.

We tried an ugly cheap-o vibrating bouncer with kick toys at a friend's house when he was a few months old. He figured out how to bounce in it and was delighted with the toys. Aggravating.

We had the Oeuf and while our son never could bounce in it himself, I got pretty good at rocking it with my right toe. He was pretty secure inside and it doesn't flatten their heads like other bouncers. We had the vibrating musical papasan thing at his grandparents, but he just wouldn't have it. Once he could hold his head up pretty well we moved him into the bumbo ever once and a while just to mix things up. In the end, no matter how many gadgets they could put on a bouncer my kid just wanted our arms and for us to stand up and bounce him ourselves. I would have paid anything for the magic bouncer that could stop all cries, alas! So, I'd recommend borrowing from friends or just trying out as many as possible. They only use them for a short time even if it can seem like an eternity.

The Baby Bjorn Babysitter is the single most useful item I had for both of my kids. Comfy, super easy to clean, folds up so small. I love getting rid of baby gear, but it pains me to let this one go.

We had a Maclaren seat that I really liked. It had a vibrating type seat that my son liked as a newborn and a canopy that I could use to make it very dark. He spent many nights on my bed, sleeping in the seat, because I could not put him on his back or stomach after eating (acid reflux). The pediatrician said to use the seat or his infant car seat. I preferred the Maclaren seat - seemed so much more comfie.

Yet another vote for the Baby Bjorn -- through 2 children, it has been great. I ditto everything that has been said about it -- and would stress that it folds flat for easy storage or travel.

Another vote for the baby bjorn - we put it away because our ~9 month old was trying to pull himself up on it and he couldn't and then he'd get stuck and/or fall - it was a mess. But now he's 1 and I think he'd like it again.

A list of my favorite bouncers is available here...
http://homepage.mac.com/rosenfeldesther/buymodernbaby/buymodernbabyseats.html

When my son was first born, the only place he would let us set him down was in his Fisher Price Papasan. We never put batteries in it, and he didn't care for the toys above it. I think he liked the feeling of being cuddled.

He got long very fast and when he'd kick, his heals would hit the battery/electronic pack part.

I got a Baby Bjorn because of the 3 positions and increased weight limit. When he was very light, he could get it to bounce. Even his breathing could get a subtle movement going. I could set him in it on the lowest setting and he would rock himself to sleep!

At 7 months he is 19 lbs, 30 inches and still fits in it well. He hangs out in it every morning while I eat my breakfast.

I have a pair of Baby Bjorns for my twins. We never used the toy bar, the bouncy seat was enough entertainment. It was fantastic, by far and away the thing that saved my life trying to care for them when they were tiny babies. They loved the bouncing movement and I could bounce both with one foot. My son was colicky and it was often the only thing that would calm his crying jags. Also a lifesaver through those first few colds when they couldn't sleep laying down for nights on end. They stopped using them around 6 or 7 months, but now they are 13 months and I just pulled them out again last week and they LOVE climbing into them and sitting and bouncing themselves.

I went with the sven bouncer. My son likes it although he is still only 3 weeks old. Initially I wanted the coco lounger, but I think the weight tolerance for that one was only 12 lbs, which could work for a tiny baby, but if the bay starts at nearly 9lbs, it is worth to keep in mind how much mileage you get out of it.

Love the look of the oeuf, but a really stylish, more mainstream option is the Combi pod bouncer. Great looking and has the bells and whistles: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2945432&fromRegistryNumber=41551426&product_skn=829423

I agree, Baby Bjorn by far. I had a Fisher Price with the happy gizmo bar but it scared the baby. Now we've gone lo-tech and he loves it. Not only that, but you can wash the entire seat in the washer. Also, it's the ONLY one that you can collapse and take with anywhere. Well worth the money.

the baby bjorn babysitter is by far THE greatest item we have. i use it all the time...when i'm showering, she's in it in the bathroom with me, at night if she's fussy after feeding it puts her right to sleep, she watches me cook while sitting in it. it's light and easy to move all over the house and not ugly and plastic.