Baby Swing Review

Types of baby swings

We find the best professional coverage of baby swings in "Baby Bargains," an excellent baby gear book by Denise and Alan Fields. Although the authors don't test swings directly, they do base their recommendations on extensive research and parent input. ConsumerReports.org covers baby swings, but their editors don't include any testing or ratings. A few other sources offer editors' picks but without much evidence of testing.

To parents, the most important consideration in a baby swing is whether their child likes it, and that point of view influences this report. Although a baby swing's features are the primary point of discussion in most professional reviews, they remain secondary for parents, with a few exceptions: speed/strength variations, power source options and motor noise. Other considerations include portability and age-based adjustability.

We look at hundreds of owner-written reviews of baby swings, which help us see common patterns when complaints are involved. Amazon.com and ToysRUs.com are the best places for parent-written reviews, and we find no lack of opinions on baby swings. For example, we find almost 1,000 parent-written reviews for two popular Fisher-Price swings. We also find a good number of consumer reviews for baby swings on Target.com.

Many baby swings are battery operated, but there are a handful of swings that plug into a wall outlet instead of relying on batteries. Because battery usage is a universal complaint in parent-written reviews, swings like the Fisher-Price Starlight Papasan Cradle Swing (*Est. $125) can really cut down on battery expense by offering parents the option of plugging the swing in using the included power adaptor. Additionally, many parents and reviewers wonder whether the battery issue (low power) is behind the seemingly poor ability of the equipment to swing larger babies.

As with most baby gear, there's an order of magnitude when it comes to extra features. More expensive swings often include toys, moving mobiles, multiple song choices and snazzier fabrics, but whether you need these extras is up to you.