Help choosing swing?

[June Mommy]

I already have a Fisher Price Take-Along Swing that I'm planning to use mainly for travel, grandma's house, etc., but I can't decide on which regular swing to register for. I have it narrowed down to 3, but can think of pros and cons for each one. I'd love your opinions! Here are the ones I'm considering:
1. Fisher Price Ocean Wonders--I love that this swing had the 2 different swinging positions. It seems to have lots of fans and great reviews. My only drawbacks are price (seems awfully expensive for something I'm not positive will get a lot of use yet), and I think it looks a bit um, overstimulating? What do you and your babies think?
2. Fisher Price Rubber Ducky Swing--This one also has the 2 swinging positions, and the price is much more reasonable. But on the other end of the spectrum, it seems a lot more bare bones. It doesn't even play music. Would I be happier with something like this?
3. Fisher Price Link-A-Doos Magical Mobile Swing--This one is the same price as the Ducky swing, but it only swings in the forward position, it doesn't have the cradle option like the other 2. It has good reviews at babiesrus.com.

I would love your opinions! Thanks!

[JustMare]

At first I wanted two swings too, but only received the FP Take Along Swing at my shower. We figured we'd go back later on and purchase the FP Ocean Wonders Swing with our gift cards. That never happened. After really thinking about it, we felt the large swing was a waste of money. The weight limit is the same on both swings. If I could have used the larger swing longer, then I would have bought it.

The Take Along Swing is PERFECT. I LOVE that I can move him around the house so easily. I've read many complaints about it, but so far we haven't discovered one. We use this swing everyday.

If I were you, I'd put both swings on your registry. Should you receive them both, open the FP Take Along Swing and see if you like it. If you do, then you can return the large swing for a gift card. We've been returning so many things that we we're told we MUST have and gladly exchanged for diapers and formula!

[jasabo]

We LOVED our Ocean Wonders swing. I did a lot of research, and really liked the 2 swing directions, the mobile, and all the different sounds it makes. I also really liked the way it looked. We have twins and just registered for one swing because we didn't know if both boys would like them. We got the swing for our shower, and it turned out that both boys really loved the swing and anything the boys love, I love!!

Anyway, we decided we needed a second swing so we wouldn't have to take turns. However, we didn't want to spend all that money on another Ocean Wonders swing, especially since the boys were already about 2 months old at that point. So we bought a cheaper one. Can't remember exactly which, but it was a Graco open top one. I didn't like it as much, and it didn't seem to keep my boys as occupied. They really enjoyed looking at the mobile in the Ocean Wonders swing.

If I were you, I'd go ahead and register for the Ocean Wonders swing, if that's the one you want. It can't hurt to register for it. If you get it, great. If not, and you still want one, you can always find them cheaper on Ebay (we're actually going to sell ours there). If you'd rather not spend a lot of money, you might just go with one of the cheaper ones. However, I'd probably wait until after I had the baby to buy a swing. You may decide that between bouncy seats, gymini's, etc., you may not even need a swing. I have many friends who never had a swing with their first baby because they didn't need it. Also, if you buy one, make sure you save all the packaging so you can return it if you don't like it. BRU is usually pretty good about accepting returns.

Good luck!
Lisa, mom to 8 month old twin boys

[The Review Mommy]

Hello June Mommy,
I'm impressed with your question. It seems you have thought this out well and would like to help you out. I personaly own the Fisher Price Link-A-Doos swing because I have the whole line. If you aren't planing on buying the line then you could go with another swing. FYI babies either HATE or LOVE swings. If you can wait I'd recommend trying a friends when your baby is a few months old to see If it's worth the money. I think the 2 way feature on the duck and ocean swing is brilliant but they all have mixed reviews, at least BabiesRUs.com does. It may not be a bad idea if you haven't read them to read some of these. It's interesting to see why some folks give low remarks.
-Rebekah (thereviewmommy)

[firstbaby]

This swing has been a godsend for us - the FP Ocean Wonders swing. I can't tell you how many times DS has been crying and once I put him in the swing and turn it on, he is instantly calmed. In fact, one night the longest stretch of sleep we got when DS was 3 weeks old and the two hours he slept in the swing. I love that we could use it almost immediately because of the cradle motion vs front to back swings that you need to wait a little while to use. DS loves looking at the colorful mobile and it's fun week to week to see which animal captivates his attention the most. And he loves looking at lights so the "fishbowl" has been great too. I would completely recommend this swing.

Also, I find myself "running stations" with him and the swing comes in handy there too - 15 minutes on the activity gym, 15 minutes in the bouncy seat, 15 minutes in the swing, tummy time and then a nap! Good luck with your decision - if you chose the FP OW swing, you won't be sorry! :)

[goosey77]

Can't say enough good things about the Ocean Wondres swing. Worth every penny and then some. Definiely not overstimulating -- for a long time, this was all he would fall asleep to. I personally find it soothing as well, plus I love that lit-up globe.
I got ours for a little cheaper from babycenter.com. Had 10% off plus free shipping, although I think the baby club might make it even cheaper (I wasn't a member).

[funlayo]

I have heaard a lot from friends about the ocean Wonders. Ive decided to add it in my registry

[ryleesgrams]

I also wanted the Ocean Wonders for my granddaughter, Rylee. I am a sucker for all things Ocean. My DD chose the FP Magical Mobile swing. Rylee is three weeks old now and captivated by the stars chasing each other around the moon. She doesn't pay much attention to the butterflies yet and she likes the songs. I still like the Ocean Wonders better but the Magical Mobile swing is nice and quite a bit cheaper. We got ours on sale at Target for $54.00.

Catt
Grams to
Kaden Christopher 10/14/03
Rylee Kegan 04/12/04

[ShayleighCarsensMom]

We had a larger swing for my DD and I did not like the way that I could not move it around to different rooms that I may be in (like the bathroom to shower!)
We ditched it and bought the take along for DS and I absolutly loved it!

It would go anywhere and I never once thought that I needed two swings...afterall, by the time they are 6 months old you dont use it anymore, so I would save the extra money and invest in something else!

[caleymama]

Just wanted to echo what the PP said. We used the Take Along Swing exclusively and never wished for anything else. I really liked being able to move it around the house (into the bathroom while I showered, into the bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc... depending on what I was doing where). We had no complaints about it.