Is it too dramatic to say that the Baby Bjorn 1-2-3 Baby Sitter ($114 at Amazon) saved my life? Even on an indulgent day my typical shower routine takes 15 minutes tops. But for some reason, as a new mom I found it incredibly difficult to find the time to take a shower; impossible seeming actually, if my husband had already left for work and I was on my own during the day.

One day I realized that, by virtue of the spit up chunks in my hair, I was redefining the term “bad hair day.” So I set the babe up in the Bjorn bouncy chair right outside the shower, peeked out frequently while I lathered up, and emerged from the shower spit up free (even if only for a few minutes) and rejuvenated. A mere seven minutes in the shower left me with a massively improved frame of mind from which to embark on my day of baby adventures. After all, a happy mom makes for a happy baby. The Bjorn chair also served well when I tried bottles with the babe (if I held her, she was obviously confused by the lack of booby access), as well as when she started solid foods but was too little to sit up in a high chair.

The Baby Bjorn 1-2-3 Baby Sitter can be used up to 29 lbs and has a three-point fabric safety harness, three-position recline, and removable toy bar with solid (nontoxic paint) wood toys. It folds for storage and the seat padding is washable.