This Is Why Your Baby Hates Their Bouncy Seat

Most parents stock up on as much baby gear as they can before their baby comes. They imagine all the scenarios in which these convenient gadgets will help make their lives easier and happier. But many parents learn the hard way that babies come with their own agenda, dictating what they prefer over what's convenient for you. If you have tried putting your baby in a bouncer, and your baby won't stop crying in frustration, you may want to know, "why does my baby hate their bouncy seat?"

When my daughter was born, I tried to get her to stay in her bouncer so I could cook or clean, maybe even shower, but she wasn't having it. I wasn't sure if it was the angle she didn't like, or the bouncing, but it just seemed like she hated it.

Romper reached out to Jessica Zablan, baby gear expert and owner of The Birth & Baby Company, who says that babies may not necessarily hate their bouncers, but are probably just unsure about them. "They have been nice and cozy in the womb that the outside world is a little overwhelming to them," she says.

Zablan notes that some babies might feel like their bouncers are giving them too much free space, and that belting them in and then swaddling them over the belt might help. Another reason, Zablan adds, is that babies may fuss in a bouncer because they want to be close to their parents. "Babies learn their parents' scent and want to know that they are always close by."

If this is the case, she suggests keeping that comforting, familiar scent close by placing a shirt that mom or dad has worn near the baby so they can smell their parents.

While babies may not really have the capacity to hate, they definitely can be uncomfortable, and they will let you know it, despite what you might have had planned for them. No matter how much that bouncy seat cost, if your baby doesn't like it, they just don't like it. Don't take it personally. After all, they may just want to be close to you.