Best Infant and Baby Swing for Napping Ever: My Little Lamb Cradle Swing by Fisher Price
When I Say "Best Swing Ever" I Mean It
I don't like to throw terms around like "best ever" without having some evidence to back it up. I also hesitate to say that other people will like products as much as I have. All babies are different, and what works for one baby will not always work for another. But when it comes to the My Little Lamb swing by Fisher Price, I throw that all out the window.
Let me share a little about my experience with this swing:
Personal Experience with Two Very Different Babies
I have two sons, and one is still a baby. As babies, my sons have been very different. The first only loved to sleep connected in some way to people (usually me). My second son is much more willing to sleep in a variety of environments. But even my first son enjoyed sleeping in the Little Lamb Swing from time to time, which was nothing short of a miracle.
My second son sleeps in it (for naps) much more than I would like to admit. In fact, the only way I'm writing this article is because he's sleeping in it right now. And has been for the past almost two hours. He will sometimes go up to three hours in it. I generally leave it swinging (on the lowest swing setting), but sometimes I shut it off. The swinging seems to help him get right back to sleep when he comes up into his light sleep cycles and definitely extends his napping time. He also just likes to sit in it when he's awake and look at the mobile and the mirror. He actually loves smiling at his own reflection, which I say completely unbiasedly is pretty darn cute.
Friends' Experiences with the Swing
We have loaned this swing out to more friends than I can count. In fact, we first bought it when my first son was about three months old and he slept in the swing at our friends' house. We had to have it. Every friend we have loaned it to - with a wide range of babies with different personalities and sleeping styles - has loved it. Some babies like it more for being awake, some like it more for sleeping, some like it swinging, some not, but they all seem to love it.
Is it Even Ok to Let Your Baby Nap in a Swing?
This question is one that people with babies may laugh at. If your baby is sleeping, wherever that happens is totally ok by most parents. Most parents of infants would be fine if their baby slept well (and safely) pretty much anywhere.
But just to calm ourselves and be sure that we aren't doing any harm by letting our babies nap in swings occasionally (ok, who are we kidding - as often as they will do it!), I checked out what the experts have to say.
The only concern I saw identified was safety - that a baby could tumble out because swings "are not designed for sleeping." I don't think this is a problem with the Little Lamb swing because of the harness, and if you stay in eyesight (as I do) you will know they are fine. The same expert says that "if you are keeping an eye on your baby, and she falls asleep in the swing for a nap, there's no need to wake her." Sounds good to me!
Do you let your baby sleep in a swing?
Considerations When Buying a Swing for Napping - and Why This Swing is the Best
There are so many factors to consider when buying an infant swing. I'm focusing here on what qualities to look for when you are hoping that your baby will actually nap in the swing.
- Rocking motion - the Little Lamb swing goes front to back or side to side. I have always used the side to side, and my friends have too, but it seems nice to have the option. With my first son, the swinging front to back actually triggered his Moro reflex and made it impossible for him to fall asleep. This would probably be less of a concern as babies get older and those reflexes subside.
- Sounds and music - the Little Lamb swing has birds chirping, and various nice soft musical melodies. They shut off after a period of time. It seems like a nice feature for my son to fall asleep to, but I honestly think he would fall asleep fine without the sounds too.
- General comfort - this is where I think the Little Lamb swing really shines. I would personally love to fall asleep in a swing like this if they made one for grown-ups. Of course, most parents of infants would love to fall asleep pretty much anywhere. But still. The fabric is so incredibly soft, and it stays soft somehow even after many washes. The cradle shape of the swing also seems really comfortable.
- Harness - the cradle is so deep that I don't think the harness is even always necessary, but this harness is a three point harness that looks very comfortable. I saw someone note as a downside in an Amazon review that it wasn't a five point harness, but honestly that seems like total overkill.
- Size - the base does spread out sort of wide for stability (that thing can rock!) but it still fits well in even small spaces. We have a fairly small bedroom, but it still squeezed in there for the first few nights when we were just trying to have our son sleep by any means necessary.
- Rocking time - this thing has stamina. However long your baby wants to sleep, the swing will stick with him or her. I also don't feel like I've had to replace the batteries very often - though this may have been because every time we loan it out our kind friends replace the batteries for us!
Swing On and Be Sleepy...
This swing has really made our lives easier during the infant and baby stage. It's just a very easy way (knock wood) to have my son sleep for a good chunk of time on his own.
A few additional random thoughts I didn't mention above:
- Depending on your baby's size, you may have anywhere from 4-8 months of your kid being able to be in this swing. It says it has a weight limit of 25 lbs, but we definitely stopped using it for naps a long time before our son reached that weight, and he was pretty big for his age.
- This makes a great present for first time parents. Second time parents have probably already figured this out!
- Even the lowest rocking motion is pretty significant. But babies really seem to like it.
- The cuteness factor is very high, even though this shouldn't matter. The little lamb ears around the little pillow are just super cute.
- It collapses down pretty easily to transport, and the parts of it are pretty easy to take apart for washing.
- They also make a vibrating seat that has the same seat as the swing. We were often able to transfer our first son into that seat after walking him to sleep in a Moby or Ergo carrier. I highly recommend the seat as well.
If anyone has thoughts to share about their experiences with this or other swings, please feel free to share them in the comments! I'm curious to hear if others love this swing as much as I do!