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Swings With Zing

Choosing the Right Swing for Baby

By Neilia Sherman

When choosing a swing, parents should decide what features they would most like to soothe and entertain their baby. It is important to assess your own child's personality when making this decision: Some babies enjoy stimulation, while others might find noisy or bright features over-stimulating.

If possible, it is a good idea to give your infant a trial run before making your purchase. Carefully strap them into a friend's swing or test-drive one at a department store. Ryan points out that "many babies are sensitive to fast- or high-swinging arches." He also recommends making sure the swing you purchase can be reclined and has a neck roll. "It is important that babies younger than 3 months old remain in a reclined position, so that their neck muscles develop properly," he says.

The major brands of baby swings currently on the market are made by Fisher-Price, Graco, Kolcraft and Evenflo. Baby swings are operated either through a wind-up mechanism, which gives 15 to 30 minutes of movement, or by a motor that uses four to six D-batteries.

The wind-up models are cheaper, require no batteries an, depending on how long parents plan to keep a baby in the swing, might be perfectly adequate. In fact, some parents prefer the manually-operated swings that gradually wind down.

Carolyn Hyatt of Holiday, Fla., loved the wind-up swing that she received as a shower gift. Her one complaint was the fact that winding up the swing, which created a rather noisy rattle, usually woke up her son. "All in all, this swing is a good value and does the trick if you have less than $50 budgeted towards the purchase of a new baby swing," she says.

The automatic swings usually have sleeker designs and more features, such as speed controls and toys attached to a front tray. If you don't want to be continually cranking a wind-up swing, then the automatic version is for you.

Want to see more?

• Baby Gadgets: Are They for You? Two Moms Share Their Views
• 25 Things Every New Mother Should Know
• From Mobiles to Monitors: Creating a Well-stocked Nursery
• Talk about it!

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