This Graco Easy Entry Wind Up Swing is Gonna End Up In the Garbage!
Written: Aug 13 '01
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Pros: Removable/washable seat cover, doesn't require batteries
Cons: Loses momentum easily, speed control a joke, not easy to enter.
The Bottom Line: Spend the extra $20 bucks and get a battery operated swing. I'm glad I got this as a gift and didn't waste my own money on it.
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| nursingmom's Full Review: Graco Easy Entry Wind Up Swing |
Okay, first of all, I refuse to take all of the blame for making such a bad purchase! I had originally wanted one of those spiffy battery operated swings with the variable speeds and optional lullaby music. So why did I opt for a bare-bones old-fashioned wind-up model? Well, it wasn't a money issue. Nope! I read some bad advice in a CONSUMER REPORTS GUIDE!!!! THEY said a wind up model like the Graco Easy Entry Wind Up Swing was a better purchase as opposed to a battery operated one because a)battery operated swings always run out of batteries just when you need them the most, b)battery operated swing’s motors are unreliable, and if it broke down, it could take up to six weeks to get it repaired or to replace it, and c) battery operated swings lose their momentum easily.
Armed with these reasons for not choosing one of those new-fangled battery operated swings, I confidently registered for the Graco Easy Entry Wind Up Swing . I felt so smug as I watched other naïve couples register for those other, less reliable swings. Well, let me tell you…pride comes before a fall!
Ease of Use
The Graco Easy Entry Wind Up Swing is easy to assemble, but that’s about as easy as it gets. The Easy Entry feature, which is a hinged tray that lifts up from right to left has two flexible plastic tabs which, when squeezed, allow the tray to swing up on its hinges. This is the way the baby enters the swing, but it isn’t easy. The tabs are small and located under the tray and are usually only found after a few seconds of fumbling. Graco really ought to market this as a child-proof feature, not as “Easy Entry” because if you had a toddler running around, he or she would not be able to open this swing and hurt your baby. Also, be sure that baby’s legs are clear of the large plastic guard attached to the tray when closing the tray. The guard, which is supposed to prevent the child from slipping out of the bottom of the swing could really hurt a child if their leg was in the way.
Does the Graco Easy Entry Wind Up Swing Deliver as Promised?
As far as I’m concerned, NO! The crank is quiet, I’ll admit that, but what about all of the other claims made about this swing? The swing is supposed to provide over 30 minutes of swing time (it says so right on the swing), but NOT ONCE has that swing ever swung for 30 minutes. The longest it has ever lasted is 15 minutes, and very rarely at that. It’s not that my son is squirming around in the swing and causing it to lose momentum either- the swing does it even when he’s totally zonked out! The speed lever, when adjusted, will cause the swing to stop if it is in motion, and if it is adjusted while stationary, does not change the rate of motion. I suspect that lever is just there for looks. The only thing this swing has going for it is its removable washable cover, but I’d expect that out of any equipment that involved putting a baby’s bottom in it.
So, Now What Do I Do?
Now that my son Max is six months old and has moved on to more exciting equipment (please see my other reviews on toys and baby gear), I will be giving this swing away to my church, advising them of its many shortcomings. I wouldn’t be so cruel as to sell it to anyone because no parent deserves to get taken for a ride on the Graco Easy Entry Wind Up Swing.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
nursingmom
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Member: Lisa Schoeneberger
Location: Lake Forest, California, USA
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Trying to write when Max isn't suffering from baby Acid Reflux Disease!
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