GracoDuetSoothe Swing and Rocker

**Update** (5 years later)Going to be using this for my second kid, had in storage and still looks like new. I had the liner separate with baby clothes and just washed it, looks perfect. All the parts still work and swings just like it did for my first born! So excited it's held up and can get more usage from it!_______________________________I am a new mom, however, first of my friends to start having children. My friends that are now pregnant have been asking me, "What were the top lifesaver items you bought to get you through the first year?".This my friends, is one of the TOP purchases. I love my Graco DuetSoothe Swing + Rocker, Winslet. We have used this swing when baby was irritable and just wanted to be rocked to sleep, when baby had a cold, and just for a nap during the day so that my hands could be free to do some chores!The main reasons why I love this swing, and why I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it:1) It plugs into the wall. Seriously, no more batteries to operate swings!! This has been so helpful during the nights when he needed CONSTANT movement to sleep. (Batteries still needed to power vibrating option on chair)2) I love the swing seat. It has a nice, comfortable bucket style that cocoons the little one in safely. I have friends that bought the Fisher-Price Snugabunny Cradle 'N Swing (With Smart Swing Technology). Nice swing, but comparing the two seats... The seat is just not as nice, it's at a downward angle and the child doesn't look comfortable or as safe as in the Graco - even with the harness strapped on.3) Easy to wash. We have had many, many explosions (need I say more?) in the swing. Little man was happy as a clam, meanwhile the seat looked pretty bad. We just took off the infant liner and threw it in the wash (added a little baking soda)- looks great. The main lining on the swing is a little more complicated to remove, especially when soiled, because you have to turn it upside-down. Suggestion- use a towel underneath!4) Has easy turn axle to alternate swinging side-to-side and front and back. Our baby doesn't really have a preference, but I have heard stories from my patients in the hospital that they bought a nice swing and the baby didn't like the direction. They had to then go out and buy a whole new swing. That dilemma can be completely avoided with this swing!5) The seat can detach and become a rocking vibrating chair. This was helpful when we had our little guy right out of the hospital, we were honestly in the middle of MOVING and only had a few baby items. This was great because it doubled as a bouncing chair and swing all in one. Less to movewith and easy take on and off- you can do it with one hand.Things that don't really matter:1) It can play music/soft noises (ocean, birds, etc.)2. It has little bears for little man to look at. They don't move and when he was little, he didn't seem to care. I now tie little toys to them to extend the toys so he can play with them.In summary, I highly recommend this swing. It is incredibly soft, comfortable, safe and durable. He loves his swing for naps during the day or if I need a safe place to put him while I take a shower. If I were Oprah, I'd have a giveaway of my favorite things with this at the top of the list. I hope this review was helpful to you in your decision!

So easy to put together! Very stable ! Putting our newborn baby in this swing was super easy. She fell asleep in it many times. The bears were great, we often found her staring at them for a long while. As she got older she would reach for the bears, so we took them off for her to play with. She still plays with the bears at 9 months old. The swing wasn’t too rough. The music was perfect. She used this swing intel she was 6months old and weighed 22pounds. The support it gave her head wasn’t much as a newborn with no mobility. So we stuffed blankets underneath the head support to keep her head from moving around too much. But that’s with most things when you have a baby a month earlier than the due date.

We got this swing for the baby we had in April, and have loved it so far. It was on sale just before we had her, so we went for it! It's a great swing for the price. I love that the seat part detaches and acts as a little rocker. We have a little deck off our living room, and I can't count the number of times I've detached the seat from the frame and brought it, along with sleeping baby, out onto the deck while my toddler played outside. Such a relief to not have to wake the baby just to go play outside. Also, it's great for when she falls asleep in it before I head to bed - I just detach the seat and carry it up to the bedroom with me. It's a little heavy and unwieldy because of its size, but you'll get used to it. And I'll take that in exchange for not having to wake her to go to bed!Pros:- Plugs into the wall.- Has the trifecta of baby soothing: sound, movement, vibration.- Smooth movement- Plush, comfy infant insert. (I mean, I assume it's comfy, my 3 month old hasn't specifically said, though.)- Five point harness- Detachable seat/bouncer/rocker for lugging around the house. I'd like to add that the part of the bouncer/rocker that comes into contact with the floor is very smooth metal, so if you're on carpet, you can just drag it instead of picking it up. This is often much more fluid than trying to carry it since it is so big, and results in fewer baby disturbances.- Can face three different directions for side-to-side or back-and-forth swinging.Cons:- Mobile doesn't move- Bouncer/rocker part is heavy- Frame has a huge footprint- The vibration on the bouncer/rocker part is very loud - I mean like a small lawnmower loud. It sounds like the battery housing door is rattling or something. I've had some success mitigating the noise by stuffing a burp cloth between the battery housing and the cloth cover. It also eats batteries like a beast; I can't get more than a few hours of use out of the vibrate function before it goes kaput.- Buttons for sound settings click loudly - doesn't seem like a big deal until you're trying to cycle through nature sounds to find the white noise, just a foot from a baby you spent the last hour putting to sleep! You feel me?I also wanted to address a complaint some people have had about the swing motor making a lot of noise. I have worked in childcare for many years in several settings and I can tell you with certainty that there is no such thing as a silent swing. They work via a motorized pendulum inside the fulcrum of the swing, so of course you will ear some knocking noises. It's unavoidable. The baby won't mind, because it's rhythmic, and you'll learn to tune it out.Conclusion: really an amazing swing. Multifunctional and very stylish looking!