Customer Reviews

Fisher-Price Papasan Cradle Swing - New Nature's Touch

5 star:		(930)
4 star:		(288)
3 star:		(115)
2 star:		(66)
1 star:		(90)

 

 

I had originally bought the Graco 6-speed swing, but unfortunately, the motor burned out on it after only two months of use. But that's fine, because it gave me an excuse to go buy the Baby Papasan Cradle Swing!

Things I love about this swing are:
1) The motor is EXTREMELY quiet. As mentioned previously, I had the Graco 6-speed swing, and the "clunk click clunk click" noise it made was unnerving. The Papasan Swing motor is so quiet that I can barely hear that it's even on!
2) The mobile is soooo cute! Not only does the whole thing rotate, but each individual leaf and bird/bug actually moves, too! The leaves flap up and down, and the bird/bugs rotate and spin, as if they are actually flying! My baby coos at the mobile, and I think she likes the shiny mirror on the underside of the mobile.
3) The seat seems like it is very comfortable for my baby. I call it the "Celeste Nest" because it looks so comfy and soft! It is nice and big and has plenty of room for her to spread out in it when she falls asleep. It even has a nice pillow so her head doesn't roll around.
4) It has a completely removable toy tray. This is nice, because my baby sometimes gets "mad" at the toy tray because she's overstimulated and just wants to sleep. I can take it out of her way so she can get comfy to take a nice long snooze.
5) Volume control dial for the music--need I say anything more?!?
6) And, of course, the option to either have your baby swing straight ahead or from side to side (cradle) is very nice! The cradle swinging option really soothes my baby nicely.

My minor gripes about the swing are:
1) The mobile and music shut off automatically after seven minutes. So every seven minutes, I have to get up and press the reset button to start it going again. Whatever happened to the PARENTS getting to decide when to turn the music and mobile off?
2) The big puffy headrest is nice, but it's not removeable. It is a little too puffy and restraining, and it bends my baby's ears forward. She also has a hard time turning her head, because it is so snug to her face. This frustrates her and she starts crying, because my baby loves to be able to look around and see what's going on.
3) The seat only has two positions--reclined or upright. When I put the seat in the one and only upright position, it still doesn't sit my baby up very much.
4) The toys on the toy tray are kind of lame--there are two plastic arched bars that each have two plastic toys on them (brightly colored flowers and bees). My baby likes this just ok, since they don't rattle or make noise, she loses interest in them fast. Then there is the turtle rattle toy in the center. It is attached by a strap that is attached to the underside of the toy tray. My baby inevitably drops this toy in her lap over and over, each time requiring me to dig it out of her lap and position it back in its spot on the tray. I wish the rattle toy was mounted onto the top of the toy tray so she could bat at it without dropping it. Hey, at least this swing comes with toys on the toy tray, unlike the Graco 6-speed model!

All in all, this is a really great swing. The color scheme is neutral and should match any decor. Yes, the swing is pretty expensive, but I think for the quality of the swing, it is worth it.

Well just like the Baby Papasan bouncer, this was our daughters second swing. She also has the Ocen Wonders swing and adores it.

We get this one because she has some minor breathing problems and sleep better in an upright type poistion. She would sleep in the fish swing but not for long. It was like it restricted her movement and she just couldn't get confortable. So when we say this one, we decided to bitethe bullet and get another swing.

But, it has been a great buy. She will sleep in this thing for hours because the seat is wider and less confining. Plus it is so comfy! Just like our Papasan. It has all the same great features as the fish swing. Multiple speeds, multiple sound settings, mobile, light display, removable tray with toys, recline, and push button changing from cradle to regular swing.

I would be hard pressed to pick between the two swings because she rests so much better in the Papasan but she plays longer in the Ocean Wonders. Luckily we had the room and the gift cards to have both. Maybe Fisher Price will come up with some sort of combo model by the time our next kid gets here! :o)

I am the type of mother who read every review about products which is why I am making sure to type a review for my favorite swing! This swing is by far the best thing we could have purchased for our son. He is now 2 1/2 months old and still loves it. My neighbor has the Fisher-Price aquarium wonders and she wishes she had the Papasan! She and I agree it is much more comfortable and accomodating for little ones. My husband and I origianlly had the papisan chair which was terrible because it sat up too much so when I went to return it I saw this swing and had to have it.

My son cried a lot when he was first born. He wanted to be held all the time, which was not possible! Some days he wouldnt nap or anything but since we got the swing all that has changed! He naps like normal, just in the swing. It soothes him and it is so comfortable for him, I wish they made them for big people! He loves the music and nature sounds. He doesnt really look at the mobile which is fine because it just eats up the batteries. But I have to tell you, the swing went 4 weeks on the same batteries! We didnt have the mobile on but we did have the music. This swing is a must have for every new baby. The toys on the removable toy bar are fun and provide easy access to add more toys and rattles on. I am getting one for my pregnant sister and we will use it for the next baby. In fact, as I type this he is in the swing, smiling away and looking at me! My husband and I agree it was the best $120 we invested and we would pay 5 times that for how much he loves it. Since it gets used all the time, its worth the money. TRUST ME, dont buy a cheaper version, this swing is by far the best and worth the extra couple of bucks!!!

After reading all the reviews on this site, I was a bit confused since Amazon has lumped together the reviews for several different types of swing in one area. This review is specifically for the Starlight swing.

First, Amazon gets bonus points from me for getting me the swing in three days even though I chose the free shipping option (and I live in Hawaii!). I was so glad I didn't have to wait nine days for it.

I have to say, I love this swing! It was easy to put together. It didn't take more than twenty minutes to assemble, which was fabulous since my baby was eagerly awaiting its completion so he could hop in it. He's almost four weeks old and has always been a difficult sleeper, so I was hoping this swing would be a lifesaver for me.

So far he hasn't fallen asleep in it (although he's only tried twice), but if I get him to sleep and then put him in it, he sleeps so much more peacefully and a lot longer. Normally he falls asleep and I have to hold him through his entire nap because if I put him down, he wakes up and cries. That hasn't happened in the swing yet. A couple times he's woken up, started to fuss a little, then settled right back down. He seems to prefer the side-to-side motion of the swing to the regular forward rocking motion, so thanks to Fisher-Price for realizing what babies really like.

A few things you might want to know about the swing but that are hard to find online:
1. This swing is not blue (as it looks in some of the pictures). The fabric is a nice lavender accented with a cream color. I think it's pretty gender neutral and I don't feel at all weird about having my son in it, but some people might.
2. The canopy around the swing is removable. I had wondered about this because it seems it might be cooler without it but I had trouble finding out whether or not it could come off. It can!
3. This swing has a plug, as well as runs on batteries. When using it with batteries, it will shut off after seven minutes in order to save the batteries and you need to restart it. It does not do this when plugged in. This was important to me because I intend to have the swing running the entire time he naps in it and did not want to have to be going over to restart it every seven minutes.
4. The built-in headrest is just perfect for my son. It cradles his head without confining him. I'm not sure if it will be more of a problem as he gets older, nor do I know if it comes off. I would check but he's sleeping on it right now and I am not about to wake a sleeping baby. Sorry! :-)
5. Some of the reviews have mentioned issues with the motor and the 6 speeds. When using the side-to-side motion, the speeds are more distinct and high speed really gets a-going, although that's what I use because it seems to work best. My son does not get bounced around in it at all, even on high speed. When turned to rock forward, the swing hardly moves at all, even on high speed. If I give it a nudge to get it going, then it seems to start up but it never gets as fast as the side-to-side motion does. I'm going to call customer service to see if there's anything that can be done about this. Perhaps it is a motor issue, or maybe I assembled something wrong. Either way, for now it's totally worth having the swing just for the side-to-side motion.
6. The swing does fold in somewhat for storing, but it doesn't really get much smaller. Don't expect to set it up and put it away after each use. And you have to fold up at least one leg if you're going to move it through a doorway, but it's really easy to do.

All in all, I'm totally glad I purchased this swing. It was a great price and it does exactly what I'd hoped it would.

**PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THIS REVIEW IS FROM 2005 (SEE DATE WRITTEN)...I am a HUGE fan of Fisher Price products and think this was just a bad batch of motors. I am adding this info to my review in Jan of 2011 so parents don't read it and freak out thinking the problem still exists (although I do not know). I would delete the review since it is an old problem, but I want to leave it for parents to read and keep in mind crazy unthinkable things can happen and to always be looking for them...when something doesn't seem right, investigate immediately! Children are precious, it only takes one mistake/accident to change our lives forever. Original review follows...


When we first got this swing for our big baby boy (3 months and 16 pounds already!!), I loved it. He had room to squirm around and he could swing in 2 different ways. It wasn't until I started putting him into it in the middle of the night that I noticed there is a MAJOR problem with this swing. When the room is slightly dark and I turn the motor on after sitting for awhile, the plastic behind the dial would glow. I was confused because there are no lights on this swing. It would only glow for a mili-second. As time went on, the glow would last longer and longer. Then I smelled something funny. The glow is the motor sparking!! It smells awful like the plastic is melting inside. I have spoken with other owners and they have had the same problem. Fisher Price doesn't want to admit there is a problem with the swing and only offers a small gift certificate for your problems ($25), which isn't even CLOSE to the purchase price (at that time was $125). Something needs to be done about this before some innocent sweet child gets hurt. I often hang blankets over the swing, thank goodness nothing has happened so far. If anybody else out there has had the same problem, PLEASE contact Fisher Price about it and complain. I plan on getting with the Better Business Bureau to find out what more I can do since this is not a rare incident.

Like others, I hate to leave a bad review for what, until today, was an excellent product much beloved by our little one. We have a tendency to use this swing on average about once per day for up to 90 minutes and, aside from the occasional battery changes, it has worked very well and hassle free.

Today, I added four fresh D batteries, straight out of the package and listed as being good until 2014. After adding the batteries, I gave the swing a quick test (without baby) to see that it worked. I intended to place my daughter in it within the hour for her afternoon nap. With the product completely off, I detected that tell-tale burning electrical/plastic smell and I could see a cloud of drifting brown smoke coming from the swing. I quickly pulled of the cover and pulled out the new batteries--no issues in the battery compartment. After some further investigation, I concluded the smoke was coming from the motor compartment. Needless to say, our favorite swing has just become waste. A quick web search turned up reviews here with the exact same issue, so I thought I would add my voice. Given that this product could have caught fire with a baby strapped in and that my experience was clearly not a one-off situation, I now need to discourage others from considering this product. I will follow in the footsteps of others here and contact Fisher Price to report the incident.

UPDATE: We did contact Fisher Price regarding this product and they promptly connected us to their defective product team. We were sent a packing slip for sending portions of the device back to the manufacturer at no charge and were further mailed a check for the retail value of the device. Unfortunately, no way of knowing whether this helped in finding a manufacturing flaw.

When my husband and I went to register for our son, we knew we would need to get a swing. When we saw this one, we knew this was it! I've worked in daycare with infants for years and have dealt with some very crappy swings. This one is fantastic for so many reasons. Whomever designed this swing put a lot of thought into it.

1) To start off, the swing is so compatible with the decor of any home. A lot of really great swings come in weird colors, like turqoise; a lot of crappy ones come in decent colors. This is the best of both worlds.

2) The seat is positioned so that the baby's legs aren't swinging in the wind. My sons legs stay warm the whole time, probably because his circulation isn't being cut off!

3) The seat-belt/harness part has elasticized leg openings, so they comfortably fit any baby. I always felt bad for the little ones with super chubby thighs because they looked sort of pinched in other swings.

4) The seat cushion is so soft and wide. Most other swing seats are much narrower, and the babies are stuck sitting in them with their shoulders touching the sides. They just looked so cramped. The babies in this swing look like royalty, just hangin' out!

5) The mobile is so cute and it moves around, instead of just hanging there. You can turn the mobile on by itself, no music and no swinging. And it's positioned so that the baby can actually see it. Our little guy LOVES being in it. He gets excited when the bugs circle around; he coos and laughs the whole time! Plus, the mirror on the underside gives the baby something else to look at. (If you've ever looked at the underside of most crib mobiles, there's not much there most of the time. They are more for the parents to look at than the baby.)

6) The toy bar is nice because it has something for the little guy to play with, that can't fall off and have to be picked up. It's also nice because it's totally removeable. You can attach it when the child is awake and wants to play, and take it off when you want to lay them down and tuck them in with a comfy blanket.

7) We love the ability to change the swing from side-to-side (like a cradle), to front-and-back (like a regular swing). And there are six different speed settings. It's nice to know that we can adjust it to our son's needs at each time he's in it (sleepy, wide-awake, resting, playful, etc.). And he can just swing, without the mobile spinning or the music playing.

8) Last but not least, it has music, but you don't always have to have it on because there's an on-off switch and volume control. Sometimes, Mommy just needs it to be quiet for a little while! It also has the ability to play the music without moving the mobile or swinging.

This truly is the Cadillac of swings. All the controls and accessories work independently of each other, so each time the baby is in it, it's a different experience. I'd recommend this swing to anyone who is looking into buying a swing, whether for the first time, or as a replacement. It's by far worth the extra money. (If someone hadn't bought it for us as a gift, we knew we'd be buying it ourselves.)

I have read the other reviews prior to purchasing the Papasan Swing and I thought it was a good product in that the indivduals wrote excellent reviews. Last night, while our four month old was in his swing I noticed smoke coming from the "dial". This is the mechanism that controls the level of movement of the swing. I immediately took my baby out of the swing and had my husband turn the dial to the off position. My husband noticed a bright flash under the dial and it continued to smoke and the house smelled of burnt rubber. We have since disassembled and placed it in the trash. We only possesed this swing for nearly two months. Buyer beware and always supervise your child in this swing!

Our son abosuletly loved this swing and was one of the few ways we could calm him down. Plus it was his favorite place to take his naps. He is now 3 months old and we have returned this swing 3 times. The music either does not work or sounds like a skipping record. Plus the mobile no longer revolves and the swing stopped moving despite that it was set on the highest setting. I've called a few friends who have children around my son's age and have found that they also had problems with this product and were not completly satisfied. This product is completely faulty and not worth the aggravation or the cost.

I read that this happened to someone else in another review. It has worked fine since December but today I smelled something funny and went in to find the top part smoking (my 3 month old was sound asleep in it). Thank goodness it did not catch fire or cause more harm. I called Fisher Price to report it. They should recall this item!