With our third baby on the way, we were in need of replacing some baby gear that had seen better days. We didn’t want to spend too much money, but wanted something that would withstand daily use for several months, if not years. After shopping around and looking at several different swings, we were offered the opportunity to review the Bright Starts Big Top Buddies 2 Direction Swing. It had the basic features we were looking for in a baby swing and (although we received the swing at no cost) was reasonably priced.
The most important feature to us was the two-directional swinging. My baby can swing front to back or turn 180 degrees to swing side to side. This offers her different motions. The next thing we were looking for was music. This swing offers 20 minutes of music or nature sounds at varying volume settings that is pleasant for my baby and tolerable for me and my husband. (So many baby items play terrible music!) The 20-minute play time is plenty long to lull my little one to sleep. The Bright Starts swing also comes with a timer that has a 30-, 45- or 60-minute interval settings. This allows us to choose how long we want the swinging motion to continue, which is a nice feature to assist in conserving the battery life. This swing comes with a power cord that easily plugs into any outlet; however, we use the battery option so we can put the swing anywhere in the house.
The neatest feature offered by this swing that we didn’t even know to look for is the “TrueSpeed Technology.” There are six speeds at which the swing can travel, and the right speed is automatically chosen for you based on the baby’s weight when placed into the swing. This takes the guesswork out of what speed is right for your baby. You no longer have to worry if the swing is moving too fast as your baby is automatically kept at just the right pace.
The swing is extremely easy to assemble. The instructions are very clearly illustrated and the step-by-step written instructions are very easy to follow. However, we noticed one draw back right away: the width of the base. I’m sure the base of a full sized swing has to be a certain width to make it as stable as possible, but we quickly realized after assembling this swing in our family room that it doesn’t fit easily through doorways. We had to take the legs off to get it into our daughter’s room where the swing would be used the majority of the time! The other feature we miss that our old swing had is the revolving mobile. This swing offers a mobile, but it isn’t motorized. Obviously, more expensive swings offer motorized mobiles and legs that fold in; for a modest price, however, I’m more than willing to forego these characteristics.
All in all, this is a great swing. Our daughter loves it, which means we love it as well!
Price: $100
To buy: amazon.com
