
We wish you could tell ahead of time whether your baby would prefer to sway side to side or front to back or to glide, but you'll have to guess, unless you've been able to try out a swing with your infant at a friend's house first. Also look at return policies in case your baby ends up being one of the few infants who don't like all that motion. A half hour of swing time per day is the cap set by developmental experts.Ĭonsider your budget and living space when thinking about purchasing an infant swing, since a swing can be among the largest and most expensive pieces of indoor baby gear. Two other features worth mentioning: The fabric zips off for cleaning, and a timer on the app lets you set the swing to move for five minutes all the way up to four hours, which we don't recommend. This Bluetooth-enabled swing can also be paired with your devices, so you can stream music through it, though reviewers report mixed results with that too. In our Lab tests, we found pairing the app to be easy, but many online reviewers report more difficulty. You can choose to toggle among motions and speeds using the app or the buttons on the machine. It can, for instance, move up and down while going side to side. The motions on this swing are unique and a big reason that some of our parenting experts have loved the MamaRoo. Or skip that and just experiment with the five motion settings to see which one your baby likes best. Use the 4moms app to demonstrate how you hold and sway your baby and the app can tell you which setting most approximates your natural movements. This latest version, for sale since July 2022, has a five-point harness and updated electronic features. Previous iterations of MamaRoo swings that had three-point harnesses were recalled.

Ultimately, the best option for you will depend on what your child responds to, but our pros and real moms swear by these picks. All in all, our mini testers logged thousands of hours playing in these swings. To find the best infant swings, we looked at safety, durability, innovative features, noise and size, as well as ease of assembly, portability and cleaning. The Good Housekeeping Institute vets hundreds of gadgets and baby items each year, from the best diapers to the best baby monitors. Since caregivers sometimes need to do non–baby care activities, such as eat or shower, cue the need for an infant swing, used from birth until your baby is ready to pull up, at about 9 months old.

That's one reason experts believe that in the so-called "fourth trimester" - the first three months of a baby's life - many infants seem to need motion to feel soothed.Ī few unlucky babies seem to stop fussing or crying only when they are being rocked by a person or a device. As you walked around or exercised, your baby felt some swing and sway.

We also moved our top picks for best bouncer seats to a separate story.Įven while in the belly, your baby was often in motion. We updated this article in April 2023 to add two new picks from Ingenuity and Munchkin.
