Most of us will have fond memories of Fisher-Price from our childhood. In fact, it feels like I’m forever seeing battered toys in charity shops and at toddler groups that I once played with myself. They certainly seem to have withstood the test of time both literally and figuratively (seriously, these toys would survive the Apocalypse).

Perhaps it’s our own fondness of Fisher-Price’s signature bright plastic that has resulted in so many of us buying their toys for our own children. Whatever the reason, they’re still one of the most trusted toy brands in the UK and are always coming up with genius new products to help our little ones understand the world around them. The award-winning Jumperoo is certainly testament to that. Just ask Dexter!

So when I was given the opportunity to review the Fisher-Price Rainforest Friends Infant to Toddler Portable Rocker (just try to say that after a glass of wine) for Heidi-Bum, I didn’t hesitate. Surely with all their years of designing toys for babies, this rocker would offer my little lady the ultimate in comfort, and an ideal mini environment to doze, relax and play in.

This portable rocker is a rocking chair for babies that will grow with them through to toddlerdom. For babies, it features an easy-to-remove activity arch complete with bat-at teething toys to entertain and help strengthen their senses. There’s also calming vibrations to help baby drift off to the land of nod. The seat is also nice and deep to ensure your mini me is safe and secure, and so that baby feels well cushioned from all the scary noises and colours in the room around them.

What’s more, the seat can be used as both a rocking and stationary chair for toddlers thanks to it’s robust frame (suitable up to 18kg/40lbs). It’s certainly been a hit with Dexie who is forever physically turfing out Heidi to make way for himself.

Sounds ideal right? Well yes and no.

Here’s how we got on

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the rocking action. This seems to work a treat on my little madam (9 weeks). Until now, we’ve worn out our arms recreating this action to get her to sleep. This might be great for doing away with your bingo wings, but it’s not much fun in the middle of the night. Now we simply pop her in her rocker with the seat reclined. Lazy parenting at its finest, we’ll then keep Heidi on the move by gently rocking her with our feet as we watch the telly.

I also love the little kickstand to keep her static. This is ideal if she’s napping and is secure enough that Heidi’s big brother can’t snap it back when he’s feeling particularly mischievous. Given we often fed Dexter from his bouncer when he began weaning, this will allow us to do the same with Heidi.

The bucket seat is also lovely and wide and acts a little like a hammock. The 3 point harness is robust and comfortable with integrated pant-pad to keep baby from sliding out. I am a little shocked there’s not a removable head hugger though. Given the seat is recommended from birth, a newborn will definitely need this to keep them upright (> I‘ve removed Heidi’s for the photographs above).

The seat also features a 3-position seat recline and adjustable seat back to offer the ultimate in flexibility. This took us forever to figure out but is actually a really neat feature. You recline baby using two buttons on the base of the frame (one at either side), and the seat adjustment works in much the same way as most budget stroller in that the back of the seat is movable and can be secured with a clip. This means baby can lay at several different angles depending on how confident they are with holding their head, or how much the suffer from colic.

My main issue with the rocker are the plastic toys on the activity arch. When Heidi is in mid-recline, the toys are a matter of centimetres away from her head. This seems to be a major error of judgement on Fisher-Price’s part as hanging toys are great for wearing out babies. If they plonk baby in the face when you recline them down for nap, it sort of defeats the object. Okay, you can just remove the arch before reclining, but Heidi is easily spooked and all too aware of us fiddling away beside her. Simply shortening the length of the hanging toys or making them soft rather than plastic would have solved this problem.

The vibration has also been a real hit with Heidi. It’s actually very funny to watch her little face when it’s purring away. I should point out this isn’t silent though and can get annoying if left on for long periods. The rocker also didn’t come with batteries which is a bit disappointing; when I set up any toy, I like to be able to use it straight away. I would have also liked some melodies as Heidi seems to enjoy rocking out to some lullabies.

Finally the rocker folds down flat for easy storage and transportation. This means extra brownie points from me as we seem to be drowning in toys at the moment.

In conclusion, I’d give the Fisher-Price Rainforest Friends Infant to Toddler Portable Rocker 4/5. The lack of a head hugger and hanging toys issue shouldn’t detract from the fact that Fisher-Price have delivered yet another versatile and robust toy. It’s certainly got Heidi and Dexter excited.

Available to buy from ASDA direct (£69.97), ToysRUs (£69.99) Argos (£69.99) and Smyths Toys (currently on sale at £52.49)* it’s a fair price for a rocker that’ll last for many years and can be passed down from child to child. To find out more visit fisher-price.com or befriend Fisher-Price on Facebook where there are also regular competitions to enter.

* Prices correct at time of posting