Customer Reviews

Fisher-Price Precious Planet Open Top Take-Along Swing

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

We're on our second child and our 4th swing. Our fist son wore out 2 swings, and the 3rd worked just ok until our second son came along, then it decided to die also. Having invested a ton of money on 3 swings already that all broke, I was hesitant to buy another one. But this one was so cute and was such a great price I couldn't resist. Our son absolutely loves it! We also have the matching bouncer and tummy time mat. The swing keeps him calm and puts him to sleep, giving us time to take care of other things. The music is cute and the speeds are great, especially for a heavier baby. I highly recommend this swing, and will now buy Fisher Price products instead of Graco (FYI the 3 swings we had that died were all graco!)
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We got this for our young baby and he was immediately taken with the bright colors and the cute hanging toys! A real delight to watch him enjoy it. However a swing/bouncer is only going to be used for a few months and I feel this is a lot to spend on a short-lived product. Once baby starts to sit up straight he will not enjoy the recline position at all. Other than that, the speeds are way too fast for a young baby and the music is so-so. But nowadays almost every contraption comes with its own music. Bottomline, we went for the bright look and weren't disappointed. But if there was a less expensive one, no harm going with that. The swing is lightweight though and we used the portable feature to carry it between the floors of our home. It also fit nicely in his crib, and we placed it there when he was a young infant.

A lot of people mention that the speed control on this swing doesn't work right, or that the swing is too fast. The reason for these problems is that people don't finish reading the instructions. And for good reason... after finishing assembly according to the instructions, it appears that you have reached the end of the instructions. But if you turn the page, you will find just a little bit more -- and that little bit more is most useful!

First, according to the instructions, the speed control won't work properly if there is no baby in the swing. That's easy enough to fix. Second, the swing speed will be too fast for small babies (less than 9 lbs). The instructions say to drape a blanket over the back of the chair to slow the swing down. But I've found the best way is to let the back of the chair hit or rub against something soft, like the sofa. You can slow it down to any speed you want that way. After doing this for a couple of weeks, our baby has grown almost to the point where we don't need to do this anymore.

Having clarified those issues, I must say that I love this swing. It's the right size for our small livingroom, and the right price for our budget. The batteries are still going strong after more than two weeks of daily use. And, while our little girl doesn't particularly like the swing, it usuallly puts her to sleep before she has time to complain much! Maybe she'll like it when she's older. But for now her parents really like it!

The speed control is a bit goofy, and there are only two volume levels for the music, which automatically turns off after a fixed period of time. But given how much we love the swing, I'm still gonna give it five stars.

Swing is a must have for every parent, especially if your baby is fussy and you don't have a healthy back to rock him yourself. When our baby starts crying I put him inside and it helps to soothe him. But gave it 4 stars because it's too fast even on the slowest speed, and the music plays for just several minutes.

I BOUGHT THIS BECAUSE IT'S SO EASY TO DRAG AROUND THE HOUSE AND SHE FALLS RIGHT TO SLEEP IN IT. I THINK THE TOY BAR COULD BE MORE ENTERTAINING AND THE MUSIC COULD PLAY LONGER!

We got this swing on sale for just over $50 - so my review is based on paying that price.

CONS:
- The photo of the lady carrying the swing one-handed is not accurate. This swing folds in half the long way and there are two handles, so it's not possibly to carry it one handed. Perhaps if there were a bar connecting the handles this would be possible. Nevertheless, having the two carrying handles on top make for easy moving around the house.

- The swing doesn't swing very fast even on its highest setting, but our baby still enjoys it and for travel it's better than nothing at all.

- The music volume cannot be adjusted. We can adjust the music on our large swing so we've been spoiled by that feature.

- The toy bar doesn't "click" into place. It comes out very easily - which could be dangerous if the child were able to pull it down, seeing as the toys are hard plastic. Also the toy bar swings with the swing, so the toys are constantly swinging.

PROS:
- It's an adorable swing, love the lion head on the seat.

- Our baby appears to be very comfortable in it and fits it well even at three weeks old.

- Lightweight and compact, we had no trouble bringing it on our road trip.

- Good price.

I purchased this swing for my baby granddaughter. I purchased it because it has and open top and a much better price than other portable swings. It is absolutely adorable. I love the lion seat and the removable toy bar. The removable toy bar makes it very easy to get the baby in and out of the swing. The swing has been very durable and works perfectly. It has multiple speeds and works well at every speed. It is very durable. My baby granddaughter is not a small baby. In addition, my older granddaughter, who is nearly two, frequently takes her turn in the swing. When the music stops, a quick flip of the switch restarts it. Both granddaughters love the swing! I am very happy with it and highly recommend it.

I thought a swing was a newborn MUST, so I bought this one before our little guy was born. I chose it because 1) we have a small apartment and it has a pretty small footprint, and 2) the price is right, and 3) it gets reasonably good reviews.
Here are the cons, in my opinion:
1) First and foremost, some babies simply don't need a swing to keep them happy. Our baby, as it turns out, doesn't need motion. In fact, he doesn't really like motion all that much.
2) The way the seat is with this swing, the baby can't move around much once they're in it. I guess it's probably designed that way in order to be safe, but if your baby likes to kick (like they can in the bouncy seat), they may not like this swing.
3) The motion is pretty fast. Even though there are multiple settings, they all seemed basically the same speed, and they all seemed FAST.
4) It's portable in the sense that it's not enormous, but it folds only into a slightly smaller shape that when it's not folded. And the shape itself is awkward for putting in a car, etc.
If your baby turns out to be one of those babies who NEEDS TO SWING, you'll probably want to invest in a nicer swing. If your baby doesn't need a swing, then don't bother with one at all.

I'm on kid #2 and have tried almost every baby gadget/gear by now. This travel swing works. It is not truly "compact" when it folds, but at least it folds and the legs lock in place so you can take it in a car with you (not recommended for train or airplane travel).

I found the speeds to be just fine - not too fast or too slow. The music was actually not bad - I could recognize the songs and kept baby entertained. I added toys to the toy bar to make that more visually interesting.

I'd like to address some of the potential cons previously listed:
* The toy bar comes out very easily - that is to prevent people from carrying it by the toybar
* The open top design makes it easy to place and remove the baby. Therefore it is NOT like the old Aquarium travel swing that had the built-in handle across the top. You are not supposed to carry the swing with the baby in it anyway. Clearly that was happening so they had to change the design.

I do think the sound and speed mechanics are bare bones but are also just fine for a travel swing. We could not have had a successful trip without this. I consider it a lifesaver when going to a child-free home for extended stays/visits. Baby can sit or sleep/nap in the swing and give me some needed hands-free time.

We have the full sized Fisher Price My Little Lamb Cradle Swing and Baby B loves it. It is the only way to guarantee uninterupted sleep! Fisher Price Cradle n Swing, My Little Lamb If you have the space and aren't looking for a travel swing, the Cradle Swing is definitely the way to go. It also has a mirrored dome that Baby B finds quite entertaining, it swings both side to side and head to toe, and adjusts from a reclining position to a seated position. Per the instructions, it will last through 25 lbs.

But on to the FP Travel Swing. We also needed a travel swing to take to Grandma's house and on trips, so thought another Fisher Price product would be the way to go given our experience with the first one. Like other reviewers, we're not so pleased. The Travel Swing worked okay when Baby B weighed about 15 lbs, but it has to be level with it's legs exactly squared off. Baby B is a healthy hearty boy. He weighed 17 lbs 1 oz at his 4 month check up and already the Travel Swing would not swing. And I have to agree with another reviewer on the Fisher Price musical selection... It's not at all pleasant or calming and is entirely to techo-modern. Again, the Cradle Swing wins out with a much more appealing selection of nature-related melodies. If you really need a travel swing, a friend highly recommends her Boppy travel swing that has seen her through 2 babies. Alas, when Baby B needed the travel swing, I could only find Bobby brand swings in pink - not Baby B's color. One pro of the FP Travel Swing is that it swings until you turn it off, unlike some of the other brands that only swing for 45 minutes.