( 74 reviews )
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Posted: Jul 31 2009
You'd think, for the cost of this swing, that Fisher-Price could spring for a decent-quality speaker. The musical arrangements are nicely done, but the sound is so tinny that we never use the music setting. It's odd because we have a Fisher-Price papasan vibrating chair with excellent sound quality. Even so, the poor sound quality of this swing is fine for the noise settings (ocean waves, rainfall, running water), it's just bad for the music. That, and the creaking noise it makes while swinging, are the reasons I'm taking one star off an otherwise excellent product. This swing has a lot of useful features. It swings side to side or back and forth by rotating the seat. The seat rotation locks at 0?? and 90?? but there's no reason you can't set it at some other angle like 45?? as it stays firmly in place (we tried that but our baby didn't enjoy that position). The seat has two incline positions, one for newborns and one for when the baby can sit up or at least hold up his head. It has a merry-go round with fishes for the baby to watch, in the center of which is a tank of liquid containing plastic shapes that float and dance with the swinging, as well as an LED light in the middle that changes color. Plus the aforementioned sound. The sounds, lights, and merry-go-round are independently selectable, and they automatically shut off after 10 minutes or so while the swing keeps going. You can press a reset button to start the whole thing up again. The swing seems well-designed for safety, in which everything is out of the baby's reach so he can't injure himself by contacting moving parts. Battery life is amazingly long if you use ONLY the swing and no other electronic features. You can tell the battery is running down when the merry-go-round won't run, or the music sounds unsteady and out of tune. But if you don't use these, it seems that hardly any energy is needed to maintain the swinging. We play classical music on the stereo while the baby swings, and he was too young to notice the other gadgets so we didn't use them. Our first set of batteries lasted 3 weeks! There is a creaking noise that develops in the frame, which you can mitigate somewhat by oiling the pieces where they join together. I bought mine used for about 1/3 the price of a new one, but after using it I think I would be willing to pay the full price. It's a worthwhile investment.
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Posted: Jul 23 2009
I had a Graco swing for the first couple weeks of my son's life and he hated it, so I thought he just wasn't into swings. When my cousin gave me her FP Aquarium Cradle Swing I was grateful but dubious... until I put the baby in it. This is a kid who needed to be held ALL the time, but we put him in this swing and my whole world changed. He spent a few minutes admiring the mobile and light, then took in the side-to-side swinging view, and then fell asleep for HOURS. It was a miracle! There are 2 things that caused me to dock a star off my rating: the mobile sucks up batteries at an amazing rate, and the seat tilts. With the mobile on, even with its self-limiting function, the 4 D batteries only last about 4 hours; turn it off and you can get 8-10 hours! The tilty seat is of more concern and I'm sure it will only get worse as the baby gets heavier. All in all, this swing is a life (or at least arm) saver. Ours is a hand-me-down and is still swingin' after 5 years!
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Posted: Jul 2 2009
This swing was recommended to me from a friend who had a baby with colic. I bought it while I was pregnant thinking, "If this swing sooths a baby with colic, surely it will work for my baby." I was having a girl and did not care at all that it was blue if it would calm her down! Although neither of our two girls had colic, this swing has been a life saver. Fussy evenings, wakeful nights, fighting illness... this swing put them to sleep every time. I also like the option of swinging like a regular swing or swinging side to side. It's a must-have.
