Is the FP Ocean Wonders Swing worth $99?

[mommy_someday]

I'm pregnant for the 1st time and trying to compile a registry list. $99 just seems like an awful lot of money for a swing. Plus, the Babies R Us website has a lot of people posting that they had to exchange it several times because of problems with the motor grinding or not working at all. Is this swing worth that kind of money and hassle? If not, what swing would you recommend? Thanks for your feedback!

Erica, due 1/18/05

[stillplayswithbarbies]

YES! It is worth every penny.

The motor doesn't grind. It does make a noise that some people think means there is something wrong, but that's just what a swing sounds like. The noise actually helps soothe the baby, it's kind of like white noise.

This swing was the only place she would nap for any length of time. We used it until about 8 months I think. I wish they made one big enough for toddlers!

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[icunurse]

We decided not to go with the Ocean Wonders swing because A) too costly and B) just seems like too much. We received a Fisher Price Smart Response swing and it has been great. It's a little smaller, so you can even take it outside with you. And the "Smart Response" actually works (you can put it on a setting where it will rock for 15 minutes and then stop, but start up again if the baby starts to fuss).
Traci

[JMS]

I think it's well worth it... before my DD was born, DH and I put it together and assumed is was a lemon because it seemed so loud and fast.. luckily out of laziness (and pregnancy tiredness) I didn't return it. After DD was born, I wondered how I could live without it. She napped in it during the day for the first 2 1/2 months of her life. Then she noticed the 'fishies' and lights and was mesmorized. It was the first non-human reconition I noticed. I've turned it in both directions for variety but mainly used the cradle motion (side to side versus front to back) while she was an infant. She rarely naps in it now, but I've adjusted the seat so she is more upright and I now use the tray and attach toys to it... at 4 months, she still loves it.

I read all of those negative reviews as well, and I really think that the majority of those people didn't realize what the normal operation of the swing was..

HTH.

[laurajaney]

IMO, no swing is worth $99.

Granted, some babies love their swings, but some babies hate their swings. My two were/are pretty indifferent to our swing. The reality of swings is that you don't use them very long, especially if you have a big baby, and they are very bulky to store. I found -- after I had used mine, of course -- plenty of friends who were happy to (permanently) lend me theirs to get them out of their garages/basements.

JMO,
Laura

DS 3/02
DS 4/04

[LisaMom2Allie]

YES, we loved it-I wish we would have bought it sooner but we didn't think we needed it. For us it was so much better than the bouncy/vibrator chair. I think it was worth every penny.
I use this "cost per wear" system to rationalize some of my spending or in this case "cost per use" for our sanity it was really worth it and Allie loved it.
Yeah it is loud but you get used to it and it is not nearly as loud as a cranky screaming baby that will not go to sleep--don't get the wrong idea she did not stay in it all day or anything but if I needed to get something done and she was fussy-it worked like a charm.

Lisa
Mom to Allie Nicole
3-10-03

[rrosen]

We bought the FP duckie swing that also swings both ways like the Ocean Wonders. It was $30 less. I do think that the feature of being able to change the direction from front to back to side to side is a great feature. This swing was the only way DD slept sometimes.

[sadie427]

Definitely NOT worth it, IMO. Tried to get by w/out a swing, then DS was a little colicky so I thought it would be helpful. My inlaws got it for us. The first one didn't work at all, had to exchange it. The second one worked at first, it was helpful for about a month, but then by four months or so I was starting to try to build good sleep habits and didn't want him to get in the habit of napping in a swing (I suppose I would have let him sleep there if he absolutely would not sleep in the crib, you gotta do what you gotta do :-), but luckily it did not come to that.) That would be true for any swing, guess I'm not a fan of swings in general, but this one is expensive and takes up a ton of space as well. Also by then it was partially broken, the mobile would not spin, although the swing still worked. I was too fed up to return it, at that point I think I would have had to send it directly to FP anyway, not worth it. We sold it for $25. Personally we got a lot more use out of the bouncy seat, and that served a similar purpose as a place for him to sit and be happy (with some calming motion as ours vibrated) while I showered, etc. So personally I would not get this swing again, but as you can tell from my post I would not get a swing at all, just use the bouncy seat or carry the baby in a sling when they're fussy and you need your hands free.

[pritchettzoo]

YES! It's worth that and much, much more. We didn't have a problem with the motor. It's loud, but that's part of the white-noise soothing effect. DD slept in it when she wouldn't sleep anywhere other than my arms. It kept me from going completely bonkers. But swings aren't for everybaby, so keep the box--if your baby hates it (or is indifferent), then return it to TRU/BRU!

Anna

[houseof3boys]

We have the duck cradle swing and I thought it was a good purchase for us. Ryan liked the swing a lot when he was fussy and he would sleep in it. Now, it is in our living room and Ryan still sits in it to watch his Signing Times videos. We don't use the swing part of it, but have adjusted it at the perfect incline for him to watch tv with snacks on the tray. So for a year it has been in use (not daily but certainly enough) and it will still be great for Baby #2 in a few years.

We thought the noise thing was a little irritating, but you get used to it and Ryan never seemed to mind it (as Karen mentioned, it is like white noise).

[jvorhis]

Yes! My daughter was a colicy nightmare and this was a life saver! It is expensive but worth it. You can always put it on your registry you never know what people want to buy you.

Jenn

Mommy to Emma
9-10-03

[slknight]

It is worth every penny. I would have paid $199 for it. Alex absolutely loved it. For a long time, it was the only place he would sleep. I took it out recently because a friend of mine was visiting with her new baby. I haven't put it away, because even though Alex is too big for it, he still likes to stand there and watch the fishies go round.

[pl71]

I loved this swing. DS napped in it all the time, it was the one thing guaranteed to calm him down. He wasn't interested in bouncy seats. As he got older, he'd just relax in it and watch the fish. We used it until he was 7 or 8 months old and close to 20lbs. He really liked the cradle position reclined.

I think the rubber ducky one would work just as well, esp. for $30 less. Too bad that wasn't available when I needed one!

One thing about this swing that allows it to be used longer than other types is that the support bars are behind the seat (when in the cradle position). Other swings have support bars on the sides and in front of the seat, which means that older babies reach for and grab the bars. SIL had to stop using her Graco swing because of this issue, but was able to still use our FP for DD when she came to visit.

[Vajrastorm]

It all depends on your baby!

Isn't that helpful?

:)

Aine didn't care much for the swing (or anything for that matter) so it was a bit of a bust for us, but I have many friends who call it the "magic swing."

[JLiebCamm]

It is definitely worth it. We started out with a cheaper model and returned it. I love the Ocean Wonders swing for its music, light show (captivated DS), and 2 position seat. Register for it; maybe a few people will go together on it and you won't even have to think about the cost!

[entttc]

Well worth it for us! DD didn't tolerate the bouncy seat at all until about 7 weeks.

[classyt]

We registered for this and received it as a shower gift but then ended up returning it for a slightly less flashy one. here's why: the ocean wonders one doesn't have a timer. it shuts off after 7 minutes i think, automatically. so you have to go back to turn it on every time. on amazon, a lot of parents complained that just when their child fell asleep, the thing shut off. so we opted for one that has a 40 minute maximum with several different timer options.

you may want to check the reviews on amazon, just to see.

good luck.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

our ocean wonders swing didn't shut off on its own. We could start it up and she would fall asleep and sleep for 2 hours or more with it still swinging.

Maybe the newer ones have a timer, mine is over a year old.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[McQ]

It was for us, but it'll depend on your baby. Declan was a horrible napper and the swing was a lifesaver for us. We could not have lived without it.

The expensive bouncy seat I bought on the other hand, could have done without that, but every baby is different. And you won't know before hand what you use or won't.

Allison
~ mommy to Declan 3.24.03
and number 2 EDD 9.14.04

[Emmas Mom]

It worked well for us as well, but the mobile did stop working after a few months. IMO, I would've gotten a cheaper one but my Dad got it for us & (not knowing it would break) we kept it. Oh well, we'll know better next time. :)

[fauve01]

YES!! TOTALLY WORTH it for us!! we didn't get it til she was 6 weeks (people told us to wait til the baby came to get a swing since not all babies like swings). DD was so fussy i was sorry i didn't have it sooner! the ocean wonders was better than my friend's ducky cradle swing because it has the ocean noises! when DD would start to wake up she would go right back to sleep when we turned the ocean noise back on. BTW, my swing never turned off. the noises and mobile turns off after 7 minutes, but not the swing. GET THIS SWING!!

A

[justlearning]

We didn't buy or register for any swing prior to DS being born. After having a few frustrating days with him crying all the time and having a hard time calming down, we went out and bought the Ocean Wonders Swing. (BTW, you can get $10 off it if you're buying it yourself--use a TRU coupon that you can print out. See the bargains forum for that.)

Many times we said that it was worth every penny! It was so nice to be able to enjoy meals with him in it or get things done around the house. It was also nice that he was able to use it for a long time, long after he had outgrown a friend's Graco swing (similarly priced).

The loud motor really helps babies fall asleep, I think, by serving as white noise. We actually found that we liked the music it played and the other sounds. We're happy that we'll have it for baby #2 down the road--it held up great and still looks brand new--and then plan on donating it to a church nursery afterwards. IMO, all of that use is well worth the $100.

[jenniferblake]

OMG YES! This is the one item we have used daily since our little one was born in December. We used it from the time he was 3 weeks old- thanks to the handy dandy reclining position. It is nicely cusioned and he loved the side to side motion and the mobile with the fishies especially. When we had a bout of congestion with him he would sleep (safely) in his swing with me next to him on the couch- the sorta upright but really reclined position is great for breathing. We have just turned him to using the "upright" setting, but alas he is outgrowing it because he can sit up very well on his own and wants to be more upright. This is the only thing I have regretted having to put in the garage after he has outgrown it (well, this and the hungry caterpillar outfits from the winter :) )

Jennifer Blake

[sdbc]

YES!! My husband went out the second night we got home from the hospital. It was a life-saver! I love hat it goes both ways, and honestly, she likes the side-to-side best, and most swings don't do that. She also loves the mobile.

The bouncy seat didn't do a thing for Rory until she was almost two months old, but the swing soothed her from the start. She does like the bouncy seat now at 2.5 months.

BTW, the weight-limit on the oceans swing is higher than most swings, so you can use it longer.

[new_mommy25]

We didnb't buy the Fisher Price swing just because it was such an eye sore and I didn't see why it was $99. We bought a Evenflo swing instead and DS was very happy with it. It ran on battery and we used it for 7 months without having to replace them. FWIW, my friends have a simple Graco wind up swing and their baby loves it. It's the only place she will sleep. Ultimately it's up to you on what features you think are important.

here's Noah at 4 months playing with the toys. I miss that tiny guy.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10027.jpg


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10028.jpg

[Judegirl]

We have the FP OA swing and like it a lot, although I also thought it was defective at first; the noise just didn't seem right. But it is, and without it I don't know where dd would sleep.

However, I suspect that pretty much any swing with bells and whistles would accomplish the same thing. And I hate having to run over and reset the sound/music every 7 minutes. (Karen, the swing still swings, but the sound turns off automatically.)

Also, although the swing has 6 speeds or something like that, once dd hit 10 pounds or so, we had to keep it at the 6th to even get it to move...the difference is negligible with a baby in it.

If you don't love anything about it, and aren't goingt o register for it, I'd say buy a cheaper one. I sometimes wish we had something more portable.

HTH,
Jude

[pixelprincess]

Not to me! It all depends on your baby and wallet. We used the bouncy seat for the first 4-5 months and it almost seemed too late to introduce the swing. I was fortunate to be able to borrow a Graco swing from a friend for DS. Turned out he didn't care for it a whole lot, so I am so glad I didn't spend the $$. Although, it was quite useful when DS had his first cold and needed to sleep with his head elavated...we let him sleep in the swing.

On the other hand...one of my friend's DS lived in the swing. She got her money back on it, as the only place he slept- naps and all was the swing...upto the point where he got close to the weight limit and she had to get him out!!