The Swingin’ Kids

            Imagine yourself as a new parent standing in the baby section at your local store. You are amazed at the wide variety of swings – ones that are electric, ones that play a large variety of music, and some that even have the option of swinging front-to-back or side-to-side. As you stare at the huge selection, you feel a headache coming on. Before you know it, you are walking out the store and going home to do more research before returning to that wretched aisle. That was me almost three years ago. But instead of doing more research I simply went online, found a swing that had a couple details I desired (being electric and having a mobile), and purchased the first one I found. That particular swing was the Fisher Price Power-Plus Swing. The options for baby swings are endless and the price range for these swings can be anywhere between $70 and $200 on www.babiesrus.com.   

            While this particular swing model is no longer available, there are still several Fisher Price Power-Plus swings available for purchase on Amazon.com, though the price tag is slightly higher at $180. The model I have is a budget-friendly, easy-to-assemble, and easy-to-operate swing. With a price tag of under $80 and having the option of either running off batteries or being plugged in to any electric outlet, I was sold. When I received the swing in the mail, it came pre-assembled and all I had to do was click the metal arms together, click the seat arms onto the base, and attach the side cloth panels. Within minutes I was done assembling and I never had to use a tool. Without reading the handbook, I was quickly able to figure out how the swing operated – there was a lever for speed control that went from one to six, there was a volume lever for “soft” music or “loud” music, and there was a switch for electric power or battery-power.

            New parents may not think about this but imagine with me for one moment if you would. Your baby is sleeping soundly, being rocked to the sound of a lullaby when suddenly the baby opens his eyes, pukes all over the swing, and resumes sleeping. If you didn’t do research before purchasing the swing, now you face the big question, “How do I get that stain out?” The Fisher Price swing has an adorable blue and brown fabric but the biggest area where baby sits is beige. After a few uses, the seat looks disgusting; I would much rather purchase a swing with a darker color fabric. But perhaps you are one of the lucky parents whose child does not throw up often or at all, you still want to consider color of fabric because you never know when your baby’s diaper will leak and create stains on the fabric. If you can see yourself in either scenario but don’t want to bother finding a swing with a darker fabric, rest assured that the seat cover does come off easily for continuous washing if necessary.

            One of the biggest selling points for any swing is the time it allows parents to get a break from holding baby. While some babies don’t require noise or music to fall asleep, it seems to help lull most babies to sleep. This particular swing offers a volume control as mentioned previously, and plays 4 lullabies in a loop. With the volume control, not only is baby still lulled to sleep with the quiet music, but the parents are able to sleep without having lullabies go through their dreams. I do appreciate the music option that comes with this swing, but sometimes the motor and the clicking of the swing back and forth can be slightly irritating.

            Along with the music, there are a couple accessories on this swing that make it more appealing. There is a mobile that can swing behind the seat making it easier to lift baby out without hitting his head on anything. The problem I have with the mobile is that it doesn’t move in a circular motion like most. The other option is the two pieces of fabric that are attached to the sides of the swing. These are used to cover the bolts to make the metal bars smoother in case baby bumps against it when learning to walk. There are pockets on the sides of the fabric so you can place items there for easy access such as spit-cloths, or pacifiers. These pieces of fabric velcro into place; if you have a single-child home this isn’t an issue but if you have a toddler running around, he will constantly tear these pieces off. This option would be more appealing for me as a mom of a baby and a toddler if it had snaps instead.

            Now that I have told you all the little details about the swing, I am sure every parent would like to know how safe this swing will be for your little one. I found a review on Amazon.com from someone who purchased this swing whose username is Emm “Emm” and she writes, “...it has safety features which stop the swing if anything (like baby’s arm) gets outside it…It is nice to know that baby is safe…It will also stop if she leans forward as if to fall out and I like that – the stopping usually pushes her back gently.” Out of all the features mentioned above, the most important is safety and if I know there are a few minor flaws in a swing but it’s overall safety is high, I will purchase that particular swing.

            I believe in this swing as I have used it for both my children and they have loved it. If I ever needed a break, I knew I could place baby in this swing and rest assured I would have a couple hours of peace and quiet. I love the safety features as stated above, and I definitely like the price tag on this item. There is an old saying, “you get what you pay for,” and it’s so true. This is not a poorly constructed item for the money you are paying - if you want a swing that would resemble a BMW for baby, this is not the one. But, if you want a swing that will not let you down, that baby enjoys, and that fits your budget, then say hello to the Fisher Price Power-Plus Swing!