Graco Sweetpeace Newborn Soothing Center

The people who complain about the noise are absolutely right. Which is sad, because in every other respect, this is a great swing. It actually saddens me to have to send this back, but the constant… grinding "can opener" croaking sound is so loud it actually drowns out the recorded "soothing" sounds that come with it. I called Graco to ask for a new tower unit, I even played the sound for them over the phone, and they said that this was typical and not an issue with the unit. They very nicely offered to send me a new tower unit, but said that the new one would make the exact same noise. So it seems that they've decided this is what it's supposed to sound like. UPDATE: I actually called Graco to complain and the second time I was told that the noise was NOT typical. They are sending me a replacement tower unit.

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Seriously, this swing is fantastic. Not every baby loves a swing at all times, so don't be discouraged if your child cries the first time he/she is put into a new swing (or a new anything for that matter).… But, if you're going to buy a swing, this is the one. I keep this swing in our back room near where the back door enters into the house. When I come in from the car with a sleeping baby in her car seat, I just pop the car seat onto the swing base and she continues to snooze away while I unload/put away groceries, etc. It's awesome! I've also taken the swing seat off the swing base and just used it as a vibrating seat for her to sit in while watching me cook, etc. She sleeps so well in it. And as for the complaints about the noise of the motor - are you serious? I actually find it comforting to hear the motor going and I know that the swing is working without having to see it. It's not a noise loud enough to keep a baby awake...in fact I think she finds that noise as comforting as any of the songs/nature sounds on the swing anyway! This swing was easier to put together than we could have imagined, it is SO convenient with the vibrating seat/car seat options, and my daughter loves every bit of it now...we just started using the toy bar w/ mirror and she is ALL smiles!

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Like many others here have stated its hit and miss as to whether or not you get a good tower on the first try. I called Graco and they sent a new tower to replace the faulty original but this one is still… too noisy to have in the same room as your television. The quality of the speaker is not that great so playing music from your ipod really doesnt sound that great, and how many will actually use that feature anyway. In hindsight I would save the money and opt for something a little cheaper.

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After reading a lot of reviews on this product, we decided to buy this item when I was 8 months pregnant. Now that our son is almost seven months, it's a good time to write a review. I do think it's an… awesome product. On the specifics of this swing (pros/cons) I thought the one review by Carolyn Bracey titled "A great swing with lots of bells and whistles makes for a long review!" was 100% right on. I want to note, we never heard any loud, croaking noises from this swing. Only a very mild motor-like sound which seems very, very normal to me. Presently, we use this swing for our son's naps. During the day when he looks tired, before he falls asleep, I put him in the swing. Most of the time, he will fight it by kicking and screaming while in the swing. This can last from 5-15 minutes before falling asleep (so the swing has held up!). This is where the toy bar has become so, so useful. I use the toy bar to keep him locked down vs. the straps which take too long with a fighting baby boy. I use the number four speed and the Ipod option (he has a set of lullabies I always use which means "time to sleep"). The sound quality is excellent. He generally naps for about 45-60 minutes (which is how long he consistently naps for now). When we brought him home from the hospital, he was a good sleeper so he slept anywhere, but especially good in the swing. Back then, we used the number 2-3 speed. However, I thought the three positions of the seat were still not horizontal enough for a newborn so, we place the swing in a horizontal position (non-snapped in position) which worked great. There was a period of 1-2 months whereby we didn't use the swing at all because our son would only fall asleep nursing so he slept on our bed or couch. After he snapped out of that stage, we went back to the swing and it's been amazing. So, do not be discouraged if your child goes through a non-swing stage! When we rediscovered the swing again, we were so, so happy and have concluded it's so worth the money we spent.

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