Who doesn’t love to swing? Think about when you were little and you scooped your legs up high, leaned your head back and reveled in the pure delight of that free and fancy feeling.
While we normally associated swings with toddlers and slightly older children, there is no reason your newborn or under 1 year old can’t also enjoy the joys of swinging. Ok, so they won’t be swinging their little legs quite yet, but there is nothing like the soothing rock of a swing. Which one you, you ask? There are so many! No worries. We have researched and found a few niche swings. Now you can choose the Best Baby Swing for your little cherub.
BABY SWING | COMPETENCY | PRICE | OUR RATING |
---|---|---|---|
Graco Glider Petite Gliding Swing | B | $ | |
Graco Soothing System | B+ | $$$ | |
Fisher-Price Deluxe Take Along Swing | A | $$ | |
Graco SweetPeace Swing | A+ | $$$$ | |
Mamas & Papas MAGIC Astro Bouncer | A+ | $$$ |
Top 5 Reasons To Invest In A Baby Swing
The rocking motion of a swing is reason alone to think about buying one. Whether it be to sooth a fussy baby or just for the relaxation, time-out factor, a baby swing is a way to go. Nap time can be, sometimes, a trying process, so for a change from the norm, try placing your little one in the baby swing and let the swing do the job. A busy mom needs a little time to do other chores, other than tending to the baby, so no one will frown if you pop baby in for a few minutes while you do the dishes or hand the washing up.
When you’ve run out of ways to entertain your baby, attach a few dangling toys or even a musical something to the baby swing and add to the pleasurable experience. Stimulating a little one’s mind is just as important as sleeping and eating, so think about the types of toys you hang. From lights to movement and even those that they can touch and feel.
BABY SWING | COMPETENCY | PRICE | OUR RATING |
---|---|---|---|
Graco Glider Petite Gliding Swing | B | $ | |
Graco Soothing System | B+ | $$$ | |
Fisher-Price Deluxe Take Along Swing | A | $$ | |
Graco SweetPeace Swing | A+ | $$$$ | |
Mamas & Papas MAGIC Astro Bouncer | A+ | $$$ |
Our Product Comparison: Best Baby Swing
Graco Glider Petite Gliding Swing
First on my list is Graco. Graco consistently provides the market with innovative products and they haven’t disappointed with this honey. I found the soft, spacious seat very comfy and cozy for my baby. She fell asleep in no time with the gentle gliding back and forth.
With 6 gliding speeds, 10 melodies and 5 nature sounds, I was spoilt for choice to find the right pace and music for my little one. I liked that there were safety straps included, so no chance of baby slipping out. Good thing! One not so nicely is that this swing chews batteries and doesn’t come with an AC Adaptor to connect to a power supply. So, be prepared to invest in plenty batteries.
Graco Soothing System
Another Graco gem, this innovative swing may be on the pricey side, but I got a lot of bang for my buck. It really comes with 4 in 1 uses, with its gilding swing, portable bouncer, gliding bassinet and standalone bassinet. Believe me, I made use of all of these.
No batteries are needed, as you can plug this swing in, however, if you want to be really portable, you can use the battery option. (again they chew batteries!) The seat is really roomy and softly padded for baby’s comfort and comes equipped with 2 hanging but removable toys. Useful when you can remove the toys if you want the baby to go to sleep.
With 6 gliding speeds, 10 songs, and 5 nature sounds, we were all set. Baby and I had such fun playing with this. The lowest volume is a bit too loud, but I just turned it off if I wanted my kid to sleep. It was simple to assemble and to add to its plus’s it doesn’t take up too much space.
Fisher-Price Deluxe Take Along Swing and Seat
Another Fisher-Price goodie, I love this little, portable swing. I’m officially in love! Space Saver, portable, soothing and an all round darling swing. I could move baby around the house with ease as I did many other things. I easily assembled this swing in a few minutes and had baby relaxing in the morning sun while I sat and had a cuppa tea.
With Fisher-Price’s Smart Swing Technology, I got 6 different speeds to suit baby and 10 tunes with nature sounds for her any mood. I did find, though, the music a bit too much, so I easily converted to the vibration mode and let the swinging and vibrating movements send baby off into lala land. As a safety nut, I was happy that the swing had a 3-point safety harness.
Graco SweetPeace Swing
Okay, you caught me! I’m a Graco fan, but you have to admit they just do it right. So, for those who love their music and feel it needs to be an integral part of their baby’s upbringing, this swing is for you.
The music features get first prize. First, you get the built-in standard tunes, up to 15 soothing songs and you can plug in your MP3 player or adapter and let your baby listen to anything from Bach to the Beatles. Mine in particularly likes The Black Eyed Peas!
In addition, there are nature sounds including a heartbeat mimic, which I quite liked. The swinging motion is from head to toe, which mimics the rocking motion that you would normally do when holding a baby, as well as from side to side. I was, at first, a little skeptical of this but when I tried it out on my little girl, she really seemed to like it. There is a nifty lock button, which allows you to lock the other buttons, useful if you have a toddler around who may decide to experiment with the new “toy”. My big guy tried it once and I learned my lesson when his sister was swinging to and fro at different speeds.
This swing is suitable from newborn to up to around 6 months or 20 lbs., as this seat doesn’t come with a safety harness. So, when your little one starts to move around a bit more, you may want to not use this further. That, for me, was the only downside. However, if you own a Graco car seat then that can be clicked onto the swing arm, which then does have the safety harnesses. Plug-in and battery powered, I could move this swing around with me as I saw fit. A little on the pricey side, but for all this, I felt it was worth the spend.
Mamas & Papas MAGIC Astro Bouncer
Not strictly a swing, the Mamas & Papas Magic Astro Cradle was just too cute and innovative to not try out. With its Magic card technology, the Magic Astro has 4 entertainment settings to suit any moment.
When my baby bounced it stimulated the sound and a soft unique light from the preferred cards I inserted. The kick pad responds as well when the baby kicks it to bring on more sound and light. We had such fun with these.
Another cool feature, which I liked in the other swing from before, was that I could hook up my MP3 player and let her jiggle to any of her fave tunes or perhaps a story, through the impressive sounding speakers. It must be noted that the Magic Card Pack for additional songs is only available on Amazon in Spanish. A bit frustrating as I would have liked some English options. Not only does this cradle bounce with a vibration but also there is a heartbeat sound, which newborns will just love, although my 6-month-old loved this too.