Both Better and Worse than Fisher Price's Former Cradle Swings
Written: Sep 17 '08 (Updated Sep 17 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Swings side-to-side as well as front-to-back. Mobile can be moved out of the way!
Cons: A bit flimsier than our older model.
The Bottom Line: Definitely one of our top baby items. Highly recommended.
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| mizgnomer's Full Review: Fisher-Price Rainforest Open-Top Cradle Swing |
When my second child was born a friend gave us their Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Cradle Swing because we were dying to try out the whole "cradle swing" thing (they hadn't been around yet when we had our first child). My second son adored his cradle swing - so much that we let him continue to use it after he had outgrown it by weight and he eventually blew the motor out. When my 3rd son came along we knew that we simply had to get a new cradle swing, but Fisher Price no longer maked our beloved Aquarium model, so we purchased the next closest thing - the Rainforest Open Top Cradle Swing. I'm happy to say that there are some definite improvements over our old Aquarium model, however there are some things that I don't like as much as well...
Product Description:
Our babies adore "cradle" swings - swing that allow swinging motion from side-to-side as well as front-to-back, plus the extra features such as the mobile and music. When swinging the motion is stable, supported by legs that form an "A" behind the swing's seat and rise up to the motorized control panel at the very top. At the bottom the wide support legs take up a footprint that measures 36 inches wide by 28 inches deep. The color scheme is bright and colorful and in keeping with the "rainforest" theme found on many Fisher Price toys for baby on the market today.
The motor will always swing the same way, however you can rotate the seat. In other words, if you stand in front of the swing and your child is facing you while swinging the "cradle" way (side to side), then you can turn the seat so that your child faces to your right to swing front-to-back. From your viewpoint the swing is still going side-to-side, it's just that the seat is now facing a different direction entirely. You can turn the seat while your child is strapped in - my husband even turns it while it is swinging.
The seat appears to be cushy and comfortable, with a thick curved pillow built in to support baby's head and heck. The seat's cover is easily removed and is machine washable. An adjustable 3-point harness (comes up between the baby's legs as well as buckling around the hips) is in the seat to secure your baby, and a plastic safety horn (that is part of the seat itself) comes up between your child's legs. There are 2 seat-positions -- one is very reclined (good for younger babies) and the other is much more upright.
A unique mobile is attached over top of the swing. There are 3 "leaves" that will slowly raise and lower (in a flapping motion) as 3 animal figures (a monkey, a toucan, and a frog) rotate around. The arm that the mobile is attached upon can be moved up and out-of-the-way when getting baby in and out of the seat below -- a very handy improvement over previous Fisher Price cradle swings.
The control panel has 5 different controls that you can use to make a number of things happen as your child swings.
1) The Swing Dial - This controls the motion of the swing. The first setting is off, then there are 6 different speed settings (to adjust to your growing baby).
2) Music/Sounds - There are 5 settings for music/sound. The first is "off" (so that no sounds play as your child swings). The second is what we call "nap" music, which rotates through sleepy-time songs such as Brahms Lullaby. The third plays a selection of more upbeat songs for when you aren't trying to put baby to sleep. The fourth and fifth settings are "white noise" sounds (wind blowing through leaves and rainfall).
3) Mobile switch - an on/off switch for the mobile to rotate & flap.
4) Volume switch - Consists of 3 settings, off, quiet, and louder
5) Reset button - If using batteries, the music will switch off after 7 minutes, and hitting "reset" will play the music for another 7 minutes (note that if using the wall outlet/power cord, the music will play continuously)
The wide legs to collapse down a bit for storage (going from a wide "A" to a thick "I"). It isn't a huge amount, however every little bit helps when you don't have a lot of storage room.
The manufacturer lists the swing's weight limit as 25 pounds. The swing requires either 4 "D" batteries or a power outlet.
Our Thoughts & Experiences:
I fell in love with cradle swings when we first tried our Aquarium swing all those years ago. My 3rd son tried out his Rainforest swing at a mere 2 weeks of age, and he was happy to swing slowly side-to-side on the lowest setting (while Mommy took a bathroom break). The seat did a good job of reclining enough to support him. Now he's 2 months old and enjoys looking at (and smiling at) the animals on the mobile as they go around. I stick him in the swing if I've got to take a bathroom break or need to run and do something that I could not do while carrying him. We've also used it a time or two when he's been grumpy but couldn't drift off to sleep on his own.
There are some definite improvements over our old Aquarium version - namely the ability to move the mobile out of the way so you don't bonk baby on the head as you remove him/her from the seat, and the ability to run the swing via an electrical outlet rather than eat up batteries. I am extremely pleased with both of these enhansements, as those were my 2 biggest dislikes about our old swing. Additionally, I like the fact that the music will play continuously until you turn it off when running via the wall outlet (on battery power it turns itself off after 7 minutes).
Unfortunately there are also some changes that I'm not so happy about. Overall the whole thing just seems flimsier. Our "Aquarium" swing was extremely sturdy, with a rocking mechanism that swiveled up at the control panel and the whole thing (including the mobile) swiveled and locked into place when converting between side-to-side and front-to-back swinging. On the new, "Rainforest" model the plastic seems softer. The seat back is made entirely of fabric (there is no plastic back to the seat, just a bar for the fabric to go over). It's no big deal now with a 2 month old, but as baby grows and gets heavier there's no way I'll let him use this Rainforest swing as long as big brother used his Aquarium one -- I'd be afraid he would fall through the fabric back of the seat! Instead of releasing the seat from one locked position and turning it until it locks into the other position, on this new swing you just turn the seat by using elbow grease. There's no release mechanism, which makes me feel that the positioning is less secure, and only the seat turns (not the rocking arm and mobile too). Overall the whole design is lighter and flimsier, and since my kids are big burly boys who outgrow things fast I'm not terribly thrilled about this change.
In the "minor complaint" category, my old swing had better volume control for the music (the Rainforest swing only has 2 volume control settings - loud and soft).
So now my son just turned 2 months old and weighs just under 14 pounds, and we're already on setting #3 (out of 6) to keep the swing swinging. Also, we've had the swing stop swinging twice with him in it -- that's something that never happened with our Aquarium swing. I think it just gets off-track somehow. I'm loving the swing right now but find myself wondering how much longer it will keep working.
Quickie Summary:
Pros:
+) Can swing side-to-side as well as front-to-back
+) Switching between the 2 swinging modes is very easy
+) Can run on batteries or hooked up to an electrical outlet
+) 2 seat recline positions
+) Attached mobile
+) Mobile can be moved out-of-the-way (helpful when removing baby from the seat)
+) 4 music/sound settings
+) Multiple swing speeds
+) Pillow-support for baby's head
+) Folds slightly for storage
+) Seat cover easily removed and can be machine washed & dried
+) built-in toy tray
Cons:
-) The swing is just a bit flimsier than I'm used to (the seat back is just cloth, the plastic seems less sturdy than our old swing, etc).
-) Toy tray is not removable
-) Only 2 volume settings
Final Thoughts:
I do love our Fisher Price Rainforest Open Top Cradle Swing, and am very appreciative of the various improvements that have been made since we had our old Aquarium swing. That being said, I do feel that it is less sturdy than our old swing. I love the 2 ways to swing and love the sounds/mobile options (as does baby).
Related Reviews:
Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Cradle Swing: http://www.epinions.com/review/Fisher_Price_Ocean_Wonders_Aquarium_Cradle_Swing_H0795/content_175216103044
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mizgnomer
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Location: Tennessee
Reviews written: 306
Trusted by: 202 members
About Me:
Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you're crunchy and taste good with ketchup
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