A Baby Swing: A Must-Have Sanity Saver
Find Out Why A Baby Swing Is An Absolute Must-Have Baby Item, What You Should Look For When Buying One And The Best Infant Swing Models Available.
An infant swing is a must-have for soothing fussy babies. They just love the to and fro rocking motion. It keeps them quiet, and if you're lucky even rocks them off to sleep.
Infant swings also make great baby sitters. Put baby in the swing by the bathroom door while you indulge in the rare luxury of a shower that lasts longer than ninety seconds. Or enjoy the occasional meal without a baby on your hip.
One of the big advantages of the baby swing is that it is portable. I set mine up in the kitchen while I'm cooking in the evenings. It goes next to the dining room table while the family enjoys the evening meal and takes pride of place in the lounge during movie-time.
Infant swings are an absolutely indispensable sanity-saver. Babies love them - so will you.
What To Look For In A Baby Swing
- Functionality
Look for an infant swing with a wide range of rocking speeds - six is best. The sound function should provide a variety of music with various volume options and there may be a timer so that you can set the amount of time that you want the swing to rock for (The timer isn't essential - I never used mine.)
- Comfort
Check that the seat cover is soft with a removable head support and look for a swing with variable backrest positions. You will need at least a fully reclining position and an upright position. Preferably find a swing with a position between these two as well.
- Practicality
The seat cover should be removable and washable for easy cleaning. You want a tray that flips open, preferably with a one-handed mechanism so that it's easy to get baby in and out. If you are short of space look for a compact swing or a swing that folds for storage.
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Our Favorite Baby Swings
Graco
Baby swings are available in many brand names. I have a Graco - I've used it for eight years on and off and it's still good as new.
Graco Special Feature: The vibration function available on some models that can be used whether the swing is rocking or not. Somewhat like putting a wide awake baby in a car and coming home with a slumbering bundle, this function soon has baby sound asleep.
Graco Positives:
- Toy and snack trays flip open making it easy to get your, often sleeping, baby in and out of the swing without waking her.
- All of the swings have at least three recline positions.
Graco Negatives:
- Design - some of the Graco swings are not as attractive as their Fisher Price counterparts.
Graco Swings We Like...
Compact Infant Swing in Tango in the Tongo
We like this swing because: it has the functionality of a full size swing on a compact foldable frame with a surprisingly low price tag ($40 less than any other model on this page!). If you are having budget or space issues this may be the swing for you. Because it's small it's also easy to move around from kitchen, to lounge to bedroom...
It has a four position back rest, a variable speed control, removable, washable seat cover and head support, as well as, an easy entry tray. Essential for lifting a sleeping baby out of the swing without waking her and for preventing scraped knees and legs, especially as baby gets older.
We also like that it is part of a
collection that includes a car seat, play yard, high chair and stroller all of which have the pleasant price tag surprise of the swing.
What we don't like: It isn't the most attractive swing in our humble opinion and it lacks the musical entertainment function of many other swings.
2 in 1 Swing and Bounce Swing in Broadstreet
We like this swing because: it has the ingenious vibration function which we love, and if that doesn't have your baby in dreamland soon enough there are also 10 classical tunes and nature sounds and a timer to save on batteries! All sorts of other features are included to keep your baby comfortable and happy.
It also forms part of an attractive collection including a stroller, car seat, high chair and play yard.
What we don't like: Nothing - we like it!
This swing is also available in the orange and brown Zafara print.
Lovin Hug Infant Swing Townsend
We like this swing because: we are really impressed that the advanced design of the seat in this swing means that it can hold your baby until 30lbs. That's 5lbs more than most other swings, which gives you an extra few weeks of use. With all the cool features of the 2 in 1 swing included this is a priceless added extra.
We really like the shape of this one too - all in all a good investment! Don't forget the travel system and play yard included in the collection!
What we don't like: Again, we couldn't find fault with this one!
Also available in:
The pink and chocolate brown Betsey print.
The shades of brown Montreal print.
Sweet Peace Soother Infant Swing
We like this swing because: it has a beautiful neutral color scheme that will fit almost any home and it doubles up as a carrier or floor rocker which is a nice bonus. It has the normal 6 speed swinging motion plus a 2 speed vibration motion to rock baby to sleep. What we really like about the carrier feature is that you can move your baby around your home in it after the swing has put her to sleep.
The other really cool thing about this swing is its MP3 plug-in connection! No shortage of entertainment for the baby in this rocking cradle!
What we don't like: It has a fairly steep price tag at $189.99.
Fisher Price
Fisher Price is another popular brand in baby swings. They have a fairly large range.
Fisher Price Special Feature: The side-to-side motion available on some models, which has been shown to be particularly effective for calming fussy little ones.
Fisher Price Positives:
- Design - all of the Fisher Price Swings are beautiful to look at.
- Entertainment - All of the Fisher Price swings have an abundance of features to entertain your baby.
Fisher Price Negatives:
- Toy and snack trays don't flip open. This can make it difficult to get your baby in and out of the swing.
- The swings only have two recline positions.
Fisher Price Swings We Like...
Zen Cradle Swing
We like this swing because: it has the unique side-to-side motion that will be sure to calm a fussy baby, as well as the standard to-and-fro motion, and the seat is removable and can be carried from room to room while you cook, clean or bath!
It's $45 less than the Sweet Peace Soother above so we think that's a great deal and it would look fab in an organic baby nursery especially with the
matching high chair and gliding bassinet!
What we don't like: The swing only has two reclining positions and no tray. You may find this limits the swing's entertainment value as baby gets older. They love to play with toys and snacks on the tray as they swing.
Open Top Rainforest Cradle Swing
We like this swing because: of its ever popular entertainment value. The swing has twelve lullabies or two soothing nature sounds to choose from, 6 speed swing (to and fro) and cradle (side to side) rocking modes, the magical mobile with leaf canopy that babies love, plus a nifty snack tray.
In addition this swing folds away for storage so if you have space issues this is a great swing for you. This swing is the perfect addition to a nursery with a rainforest theme and is sure to entertain your baby with its vibrant jungle colors and entertainment features! Don't miss the
matching high chair, which also folds for storage!
What we don't like: The swing only has two reclining positions, but we think the entertainment value of this swing makes it a great buy despite this.
Butterfly Garden Papasan Cradle
We like this swing because: It's simply beautiful for one thing. It also has great entertainment value with the 6 speed side-to-side or swinging motion to choose from plus 8 daytime songs.
What we really like are the additional nighttime soothing features including 8 lullabies, bullfrog and cricket sounds and a gorgeous butterfly light show that projects onto the canopy - great for getting your little one to sleep in the evenings. In addition this swing has the space-saving fold away design!
What we don't like: Again this swing only has two reclining positions - we would prefer at least three. Despite that this is our favorite of all the swings on this page.
This swing is also available in the Starlight white and blue design for boys.
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Our Top Baby Swing Pick
Taking into account price tag, features and all round entertainment value our top pick is...
The Fisher Price Papasan Cradle Swing in Butterfly Garden or Starlight
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Your Reviews
What's yours favorite? Let us know and
write a review of the baby swing you chose. You could win a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate.
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Baby Swing Safety
Your little one will spend lots of fun hours in the baby swing. Your first priority is to make sure that it's safe.
- Make sure the swing you choose has a wide base and a low center of gravity. This will prevent tipping no matter how vigorously your baby wiggles.
- The swing must have seat straps - a five point harness is safest.
- Don't suspend your own toys above the swing. This presents a strangulation hazard. Rather look for a swing with a built in mobile or toy bar.
- Make sure your baby is always in view. Babies have wiggled out of their straps in the past resulting in entanglement. This poses a strangulation risk.
For more detailed baby swing safety information, click here...
To make sure that the infant swing you choose is safe see our
baby swing recall report.
I hope this page helps you to find the best baby swing for your baby. May your baby spend many happy hours in it, and may you be afforded many hours of peace!
If you can't find what you're looking for,
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