Fisher-Price Cradle 'n Swing

by Fisher-Price

• 6 soothing swing speeds and a 2-position reclining seat with 3-point restraint
• 16 songs total: 8 daytime songs, 8 night time soothing sounds
• After placing child in the seat, select a speed seeing and give the seat a light push to help the motor to find the desired speed and reduce the noise
• As with most battery-powered swings, a heavier child will reduce the amount of swinging motion on all settings. Max weight is 25 lbs.
• Mobile, lights, music or sounds will turn off after approximately 7 minutes when using battery power
• Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging

Product Description

Color: Starlight

Amazon.com

Whether you're trying to soothe a cranky baby or help your little one drift off into dreamland, the Fisher-Price Starlight Papasan Cradle Swing is a child- and parent-friendly way to keep little ones safe, comfy, and occupied. Designed for use from birth until baby becomes active and can climb out of the seat, and able to support up to 25 pounds, this papasan cradle requires four "D" batteries (not included), or can be plugged into any standard wall outlet with the included AC adaptor.

Fisher-Price Starlight Papasan Cradle Swing offers: 16 songs, swaying canopy for projection capabilities, and two swinging motions soothe baby Three-point harness system for safety; sturdy steel frame for durability and storage Two-position seat provides a secure, cozy, nest-like feel

The Starlight Papasan cradles and swings your baby to songs, sounds of nature, and a starlight mobile. View larger.

Cozy, Comfy, and Supportive Design
Featuring an incredibly cozy, two position fabric seat, the Starlight has a nest-like feel and supportive design that holds baby's head in a comfortable position. A three-point harness combines with a sturdy frame to keep baby secure as he swings either side-to-side or front-to-back. Additionally, a total of 16 songs (eight daytime songs for restful, awake times; eight night-time songs to soothe; and two long play sounds) stimulate baby's auditory sense as they entertain, engage, and calm baby. When it's nap time, choose one of six soothing speeds that work in either swing or cradle mode.

Adorable Canopy Stimulates Baby's Visual Sense
The Starlight also has an adorable canopy that surrounds baby to give her a safe, enclosed feeling. This canopy also sways along with the cradle's swing motion, allowing baby to watch stars float all around as they dance and spin overhead. With a simple flick of a switch, a magical starry night show appears, projected right onto the canopy for easy viewing.

For added convenience, volume control keeps the songs at a comfortable level for you and baby, and a durable steel frame folds for easy storage and portability. The removable papasan seat is also machine-washable for quick and thorough clean-up, and the included AC adaptor helps save you money on batteries.

The Starlight swing measures 25.5 x 15 x 13.8 inches (WxHxD) and weighs 22.4 pounds.

What's in the Box
Papasan swing, canopy, and AC adaptor.

Switch on the magical, starry light show that projects onto the canopy. View larger.

The sounds of crickets, bullfrogs, and eight calming songs soothe your baby to sleep. View larger.

Product Description

Star light, star bright every parent wishes for a swing like this for baby. The comfy-cozy Papasan seat and head support cradle baby in cushy comfort as he swings in a side-to-side or front-to-back swinging motion. A sweet little canopy surrounds baby and sways along with the cradle swing's motion while 8 delightful songs entertain. Baby can also watch stars float all around as they spin overhead. When it's nap time, mom can play different music-8 additional lullabies and sounds to calm and soothe baby. And with the flick of a switch, there's a magical starry night light show that projects onto the canopy. Perfect for helping baby float off to dreamland. The cradle features 6 soothing swing speeds and a 2-position reclining seat. Volume control. In battery mode, the Fisher-Price Starlight Papasan Cradle Swing requires 4 "D" (LR20) alkaline batteries which are not included. Cradle swing can be plugged in to any standard wall outlet with included AC adaptor.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

147 of 152 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fisher-Price Cradle Swing: STARLIGHT July 12, 2008

By Book Lover

Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

68 of 73 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Just a little info on the "fire hazard". February 11, 2010

By Michael E. Edington

This swing uses a dc motor which all dc motors spark due to the commutator brushes that are installed and are required for the unit to run. The swing uses either 4D batteries or the ac adapter(transformer) which changes the AC power into DC power for the swing to operate. The sparks are totally normal and should cause no alarm. The brushes are made of carbon material which do have a smell to them kind of like a burning smell. If you have a power tool plug it in and smell where you see the sparks. I have no doubt that you will smell the same smell that you do from the swing. Believe me I am a father of 3 and I would never do anything to place my children in harms way. However, Fisher-Price could do a better job explaining this to customers and this would solve alot of concerns. I have been an aviation mechanic for 15 years and typically see this in all DC motors.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars So far so good - Starlight Papasan (A Dad's review) January 14, 2010

By Micheal Mathews VINE™ VOICE

We'll this may be a bit premature since we just got the cradle swing yesterday but so far here's what we think of it.
First off it was a cinch to put together. With the instructions next to me I had it assembled and ready in about 30 minutes. It was well packaged and everything went together without a hitch.
We bought the Starlight model since it has a plug. (I just can't understand for the life of me why all of these things aren't equipped with corded power options, also makes me wonder why these models are all bunched into one review if they have different features).
Once it was plugged in we put our daughter in (she is 3 weeks old), set the mobile on with no sounds and set the swing in a front-to-back rocking motion (her favorite when I'm carrying her bassinet) and she almost immediately started to doze off.
Our daughter has a weak stomach muscle and spits up quite a bit of juice if we don't keep her inclined for a while after feeding. In the still position it's inclined enough to be safe for her tummy and in the side-to-side swing it also seems to be ok. However in the front-to-back motion it leans her almost flat on her back and with-in a few moments she had spit up most of her meal... lesson learned. So the trick for us seems to be; no front-to-back unless she's already been resting in the inclined position for at least 30 minutes. Once she' rested this is her favorite motion and puts her to sleep fastest but she doesn't mind side-to-side either. As a matter of fact she's sleeping in it next to me on side-to-side right now while I type this and Mom is getting some much needed sleep.

THE MOTOR
I've read a few complaints about the noise. There is a clicking sound but I believe that is because the mechanism used to rock the cradle is not a continuous rotating axle that is locked to the swing, instead it seems to be an axle that is independent of the swing arm and pushes the swing arm when it rotates. So the click is the sound of the axle pushing against the swing arm. I consider this a good thing, if the axle was locked to the swing arm then any attempt to stop the cradle by hand while it was on could damage the motor, also starting it from a dead stop would cause some strain. So it seems like a decent alternative (Of course I could be way off base here).
The down side is that it doesn't seem to have much push, granted she's only 9lbs but I worry about the swing lasting till she's at the max weight (25lbs according to the manufacturer).
I could be wrong and I tell you why, it rocks with the slightest push and is so lubricated and balanced that it continues to rock well for a few seconds even with the motor off. So maybe it doesn't need much to keep it going once it's going... we'll see.
From what I've read I'm skeptical but I've read some reviews here that were so off base I question the source.
As far as the noise, it doesn't bother her, it's about as loud as a soft finger tap on a table and it's so rhythmic that we all 3 fell asleep to it but some people are light sleepers, you may want to demo it in a store or something first to see. It also seems to help if you give it a push to get it going once you figure out the timing on the swing, once the cradle is really swinging the noise is minimal.

So my only real gripe about the motor is that from the lowest setting to the highest, there's really no difference.
The speed is fine, I've read some reviews about people concerned that the swing would catapult their baby across the room, either mine is busted or they got the limited, twin turbo edition by Ferrari because the pace is nice and mellow on ours.
But she does like a little jiggle once in a while and while this swing will rock her slowly it's not speeding up at all. What I'd like to see is a setting for a faster jiggle without as much sway... if that makes sense, less distance more motion, kinda like a car ride which knocks her out almost immediately. The slow swing works great once she's asleep though.

THE SEAT
The padding is nice and soft (kind of a hammock effect under her bottom) and I really like that the head rest keeps her floppy noggin from whipping around when she squirms. In her bassinet I find her head cranked to one side a lot and it concerns me... I know, I know, they're not as fragile as we think they are but it wouldn't be comfortable for me so I can't see how she would enjoy it.
Anyway, I like the head rest, my only gripe is I wish it was removable. The way it is now the whole seat cover is sewn together and would need to be washed as a whole., though it did clean up nice with some soapy water and a little rinse.

THE MOBILE
The sounds are all nice and she doesn't really seem to have a preference but we like the crickets and night sounds. The music gets on my nerves after awhile.
She definitely likes the mobile and at 3 weeks that's impressive. If you find the pictures I added you'll see what I mean, she just stares at it and makes faces.
I gotta say I also like that the light keeps us able to see her in the dark so we can tell if she's awake and her eye's are open or she's just grunting/giggling in her sleep again.
There are enough options to get it working just about anyway you'd like, lights and mobile, mobile only, different sounds or songs, volume control and the seemingly useless speed control.

A SMALL GRIPE
So then my last gripe is that, I feel like it needs a cross bar between the legs, once it's positioned it seems fine but the legs wobble when I pick the whole thing up to move it around the house and it's takes some fussing to get it flat and stable again. A cross bar would be a nice stabilizer for those of us who want this thing to be a bit more mobile, definitely not a deal breaker but it would be nice.
[Update] So it turns out the one part I skipped in the manual was how to collapse the legs to help move the unit around, it's actually really helpful. Though I still feel like a cross bar that maybe dropped down once the legs were open would help me feel better about the stability. Still it's a small gripe.

Again we just got it so I'll try to update this in a month or 2 if anything changes.
Here's my summary

PROS:
Easy to assemble.
Easy to use.
She sleeps right away in it.
Feels safe so far.
Lots of options for fine tuning (with the exception of speed).
Plug's in! (Starlight Model)
Mobile and lights hold her interest.
Cute.

CONS:
Speed dial seems worthless.
Swing has one speed.
Motor may not have enough "oomph" for larger babies (unsure about this one).
Cushion is one piece, not as easy to wash as it could be.
Click may be annoying for some light sleepers.
Could use a cross bar between the legs for added stability when moving the unit around.