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Babies come with a lot of stuff. Some of it proves indispensable; some of it ends up feeling bulky, impractical or surprisingly short-lived, taking up valuable space in your home while doing just one very specific job.
Then there’s the risk of being too prepared: buying everything you’re told you’ll need, only to discover that your baby has other ideas and would, in fact, much rather sleep in the pram than the expensive bedside crib you carefully researched.
One thing you’re pretty much guaranteed to need, though, is somewhere safe to put your baby down. As much as they may prefer to stay permanently attached to you, at some point you need your hands free – whether that’s to eat, shower, work or simply make a cup of tea.
That’s where Elvie’s latest launch comes in. The £599.99 Elvie Rise is a two-in-one smart bouncer and bassinet designed to solve several of those problems at once: it takes the place of two separate pieces of baby kit, can recreate and continuously repeat the bouncing motion you use to soothe your baby, and converts from bouncer to a flat sleep space without you having to lift them out once they nod off.
I’ve already seen the Elvie Rise in action and, while our full parent-tested review is still to come, first impressions are promising. The appeal is obvious: less kit taking up space, fewer trips to restart a bouncer, and – potentially – a little more hands-free time during those intense early months.
Elvie Rise: All-in-One Smart Bouncer & Bassinet
Elvie Rise: All-in-One Smart Bouncer & Bassinet
Pros
- Two-in-one bouncer and bassinet saves space
- SootheLoop records and continuously repeats your bounce
- Converts to a lie-flat bassinet without moving baby
- App-controlled bouncing and sleep tracking
- Portable, collapsible design
- Cordless use
- Magnetic wire is toddler-proof
Cons
- Expensive
- Relatively short usage window
- Only available in one colour – but at least it’s neutral
- Weight of 9kg makes it portable but not especially light
Key specs
| Age range | Bouncer: newborn-6 months; bassinet: newborn-5 months |
|---|---|
| Weight limit | Bouncer: 2.5-9kg; bassinet: up to 10kg |
| Product weight | 9kg |
| Dimensions (bouncer) | 75 x 49 x 78cm (L x W x H) |
| Dimensions (bassinet) | 85 x 49 x 59.5cm (L x W x H) |
| Battery life | Up to 4 hours of bouncing |
| App compatible | Yes – Elvie Soothe & Sleep app |
| Washable | Yes – padded sheet and inner side wall are machine washable and tumble-dryer safe |
| Warranty | 1 year |
So, what does the Elvie Rise actually do?
Essentially, it’s two products in one: a bouncer and a bassinet, but with a smart twist: the bouncer keeps on bouncing, with no need to keep returning to restart it. You set the pace manually, and the Rise learns and repeats that movement continuously. Not only does this leave your hands miraculously free, but it means you can alter the cadence over time as your baby’s needs change. You can control the bounce from the Rise itself or via the app, which also automatically logs bassinet time and tracks sleep patterns.
I doubt you need me to tell you just how valuable this is. You can put baby down and get on with eating, showering or generally feeling human again, without having to keep returning to restart the bounce. It's also angled so baby can see you if you’re in the shower, for example.
Then, when your little bundle of joy falls asleep, you can convert the bouncer to a bassinet without lifting them out and waking them. Genius. It’s also portable and collapsible, with carry handles and removable legs, so you can move it around the house, store it away or pack it into the car. The magnetic charging cable also detaches cleanly if it gets caught or tripped over – useful if there’s an older sibling tearing around.
Why combining a bouncer and bassinet makes sense
Our full Elvie Rise review is coming once our newborn tester has spent more time with it, but having already seen it in action, I’m impressed by how neatly the two functions work together. Newborn kit accumulates unbelievably quickly, so replacing a separate bouncer and daytime sleep space with one footprint is a home run. More importantly, the automated bounce buys you short periods in which you don't have to be physically rocking, holding or repeatedly nudging baby (hello, freedom!).
The transition from bouncer to bassinet is impressively simple and designed to minimise disturbance (thank the Lord), plus the continuous bounce, set at your own pace, makes so much more sense from a soothing standpoint. Rather than relying on a preset rocking mode, you choose the rhythm that works for your baby and the Rise simply keeps it going.
Danielle Facey, The Breastfeeding Mentor, agrees: ‘The thing I find most thoughtful about it is the SootheLoop technology. It doesn’t impose a rhythm on your baby. It learns yours. Soothing has never been one-size-fits-all.’
The real appeal: more hands-free time
Of course, the Rise isn’t going to replace an extra pair of hands – or the elusive ‘village’ we’re so often told it takes to raise a child. But it could buy you something almost as precious in those early months: a few minutes in which nobody needs to be physically attached to you.
Facey points out that many parents are now raising babies without family living close by. ‘So many of us are parenting without a village,’ she says. ‘The grandmothers, aunts, sisters and neighbours who would once have held the baby whilst we showered, ate, or simply sat down for five minutes are not in the next room anymore.’
This is where a feature like continuous bouncing starts to feel like more than just a nice-to-have. If your baby wants movement to stay settled, the Rise can keep that rhythm going while you eat lunch, jump in the shower or simply use both hands for five minutes – without you having to hover nearby and keep restarting it.
As Facey puts it: ‘Being able to control it from your phone and being able to safely put your baby down for the length of a shower or a hot cup of tea is the kind of small autonomy that makes the early months feel survivable rather than relentless.’
That might sound like a small win, but during the newborn stage, five hands-free minutes can feel anything but.
Is the Elvie Rise safe for sleep?
Yes, but only in bassinet mode. The beauty being, of course, that you don’t have to wake your baby when transitioning from bouncer mode, as you don’t need to lift them out.
As your baby gets sleepy, you can slow the bounce before converting the Rise into bassinet mode by reclining the seat and raising the sides. The straps retract, leaving baby lying flat on their back on the mattress – clever stuff.
It also neatly tackles that familiar dilemma of a baby nodding off somewhere they shouldn’t stay asleep. As Facey puts it: ‘You’re trapped between the dread of disturbing them during a transfer and the guilt of leaving them where they shouldn’t sleep.’ With the Rise, she points out, you can switch from bouncer to bassinet without physically moving them.
The bassinet has a firm, flat mattress and breathable inner side wall, in line with relevant safety requirements. The mattress also zips out and can be bought separately, in case you need a new one post-illness or for a new baby down the line.
Just to be clear: the bouncer mode is not for sleep or unsupervised use.
It’s also worth noting that there are different age cut-offs:
- Bouncer mode can be used from newborn to six months/9kg, or until baby can sit unaided.
- Bassinet modis suitable from newborn to five months/10kg, or until baby starts rolling or pushing up.
Our early verdict
There’s no denying that £599.99 is a substantial investment. But you are effectively getting two products in one which, bought separately, can quickly add up. More importantly, the automated bouncing offers something a conventional bouncer simply doesn’t, while being able to transition baby into a flat sleep space without lifting them out is a genuinely useful touch.
Elvie Rise: All-in-One Smart Bouncer & Bassinet
Elvie Rise: All-in-One Smart Bouncer & Bassinet
As mentioned, our full review is still to come, but what we’ve seen so far has been very positive. The Elvie Rise feels as though it’s been designed with real family life in mind, with thoughtful details that could make a chaotic period just that little bit calmer.
Perhaps its biggest appeal, though, is the peace of mind it can give you. If your baby is happily settled, you have a little more freedom to eat, shower or simply get something done with both hands – which, in those early weeks, can feel pretty significant.
Facey sums it up well: ‘Whilst no product can give us back the village we have lost, the right ones can at least give us back a few minutes to ourselves.’
We’ll be updating this page soon with our full parent-tested review. A tester with a newborn currently has the Elvie Rise, and we’ll be reporting back on setup, everyday use, soothing, the app, bassinet functionality, portability and, crucially, whether it’s really worth £600.
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Hattie Parish is the Senior Health and Wellness Ecommerce Editor for Women’s Health, Men’s Health and Runner’s World, covering the best gym wear, latest fitness tech and wellness launches worth investing in, plus the best deals during Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.
As well as clocking up the miles in myriad running socks, pummelling her muscles with massage guns, testing out fitness mirrors and donning dry robes every other weekend, Hattie consults leading experts in the health and fitness industry to help readers make informed decisions when shopping online.
Brought up by two medics, Hattie worked in health clinics before completing a BA in English at King’s College London. She qualified as a journalist in 2015 and has since written for titles such as Healthy magazine, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar and Red, as well as worked commercially with health and wellness clients such as Holland & Barrett, Lloyds Pharmacy and Superdrug.
Hattie is passionate about arming readers with honest, unbiased product reviews and has a particular interest in the role of technology in our wellbeing, as well as gender-based inequalities in healthcare. When she’s not putting gym wear through its paces on the Pilates reformer or kitting out her home gym (garage) with the latest equipment, she’s attempting to make progress on her teetering pile of bedside books, cycling round South East London or sampling wellness retreats for the Women’s Health travel pages.
