Why use a baby lounger? The short answer: It makes parenting easier. Parenting arrives with a whole host of accessories and products that we’re told we can’t live without! Essentially, all a baby needs is a loving carer to provide nourishment, comfort and safety. But sometimes we parents need a free hand to do other things.
What is a baby lounger?
The DockATot Deluxe+ dock is an award-winning multi-functional docking station for babies 0-8 months old. It’s the perfect spot for babies to enjoy supervised lounging, play, cuddles, diaper changes and tummy time.
Why use a baby lounger?
Of course, there are many places to rest your baby – a stroller, a playmat, a bouncer… The benefit of using a baby lounger like a DockATot Deluxe+ dock is that it provides a convenient, simple solution to soothing your baby whilst enabling you to have your hands free. Easily washable, easily transportable and with the added benefit of supporting baby development through play and tummy time. Let’s explore some of these benefits of using a baby lounger further.
Using baby loungers as soothers
DockATot loungers are designed to mimic the soothing environment of the womb. As newborns experience the sensory overload of entering the world, the safety of a baby lounger helps them to relax in those first few weeks. And as they continue to grow, their dock remains a comforting and familiar place for them to rest and play. Many of our DockATot parents tell us that their little ones absolutely love being in their loungers. Take a look at what parents are saying about their DockATot Deluxe+ docks.
Baby loungers for bonding
Quite often babies don’t want to be held, but then, they don’t always want to be put down either (they don’t know what they want!). A space that baby knows well and feels familiar with can help solve this problem. As you place them in their dock with its comforting womb-like environment, they're much more likely to settle there when they don’t want to be held.
When babies are safe in their DockATot baby lounger they’ll enjoy watching you and engaging with you from their dock, helping them build a sense of security and strengthening the parent/child bond. You can enjoy play time together, and for added bonding, a baby lounger is a wonderful place to indulge in baby massage.
A baby lounger also means that friends and family members can enjoy quality time with your child when they’re relaxed in their dock. Whether you travel with baby, or whether people come to you, you always have a convenient place for them to enjoy playtime, making them feel safe and secure as they interact.
Baby loungers for development
You may have heard of the importance of tummy time for your baby? Paediatricians recommend placing your baby on their tummy to develop strong neck and arm muscles, developing those early gross motor skills that will develop into crawling.
You may find that your baby isn’t a fan of tummy time – it’s not unusual! Using a baby lounger for supervised tummy time, helps your child to find the support she needs to push-up and look around.
You’ll notice that many of our DockATot Deluxe+ and Grand docks are designed with bright, bold prints. Whilst they look great, the purpose isn’t purely for aesthetics. In those first few weeks, a newborn’s eyesight is still developing. Strong contrasting colours and bold shapes, help them to learn how to focus their eyes. That’s why we’ve used bold, simple designs in our attachable DockATot play arches and toys (sold separately to docks). These toy arches are also great for developing those very first fine motor skills, as baby reaches for and grasps the toys.
The convenience of baby loungers
When you bring a baby into the world, so much in your life changes. One of the big changes that we don’t always anticipate is how simply moving around the house becomes a lot more difficult. Unless they’re fast asleep and safe in their cot or bassinet, baby needs to go wherever you go. Even just going to the bathroom becomes a lot trickier, and often needs some forward planning!
Baby loungers make your life in this respect so much easier, providing an easily transportable safe, soothing place for your baby to rest wherever you are. DockATot loungers are designed to be convenient for travel too, so you can easily bring it with you whenever you spend time away from home.
Please note, we don’t recommend that you carry a baby lounger with your baby inside. Always take your baby out of the lounger before picking it up.
In terms of everyday practicalities, baby loungers are far easier to clean than a lot of other nursery equipment (ever tried to wash spit-up off a stroller?!). DockATot docks have removable covers for easy washing. Spare covers are also available for life’s messy moments.