Baby Swing Review

Types of baby swings

To parents, the most important consideration in a baby swing is whether their child likes it; we read lots of anecdotal reports that suggest while some babies love their swings, others do nothing but cry in them. Unfortunately, you're probably not going to know beforehand whether your baby enjoys a swing. Child contentment aside, experts say there are a number of factors to consider when looking for a baby swing. Shoppers should evaluate a product's features (toys, musical offerings), footprint, speed, seat, portability, motor noise and age-based adjustability prior to purchase. As with most baby gear, there's an order of magnitude when it comes to features. More expensive swings often feature more elaborate motion, innovative toys, moving mobiles, multiple song choices and snazzier fabrics, but whether you need these extras is up to you.

A baby swing's power source can also be a key issue. Most swings are battery operated, but there are a handful of swings that plug into a wall outlet instead of relying on batteries. In our investigation, we found battery usage to be a universal complaint in parent-written reviews. To remedy this situation, some baby swings -- like the Fisher-Price Starlight Papasan Cradle Swing (*Est. $125), a ConsumerSearch Best Reviewed pick -- offer parents the option of plugging them in using a power adapter.

The simplest baby swings rock infants in one direction, back and forth. That might be fine for your youngster, but older babies might be happier with more variety. Cradle swings, another variation, rock infants in two directions: back and forth and side to side. Unlike cheaper models, luxury baby swings may have a more elaborate design (some look more like a cocoon than a swing) and feature more movement options (including up and down) and vibration settings. Some parents say these additional motions are soothing. Travel swings are smaller and typically cheaper, lighter versions of standard swings; they might fold up to make toting them easier.

Overall, we found the best professional coverage of baby swings in "Baby Bargains," a baby gear book written by parents 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. However, this publication does offer a helpful buying guide. About.com editors also test and offer their opinions on some popular baby swings, as do the editors at PCMag.com and Pregnancy & Newborn magazine. A handful of other sources, including American Baby Magazine and Tibesti.com, offer editors' picks without much evidence of testing.

Parent-written reviews offer solid insights, helping us locate common patterns of complaints. Amazon.com, Target.com and ToysRUs.com feature the largest crop of parent-written reviews. For example, we recently spotted almost 1,000 reviews for two popular Fisher-Price swings on Amazon.com.

Lastly, many experts are urging parents to do a bit of detective work about a swing prior to any purchase. The reason: In recent years, several baby swings have been recalled because of various hazards, including those that involve a swing's toys, frame or moving parts. For instance, in 2007 the Fisher-Price Rainforest Take Along Swing was voluntarily recalled. The compact frame of this travel swing posed an entrapment risk to infants. The best place to find the most up to date and accurate information on baby swing recalls is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website: www.cpsc.gov.