The Best Baby Swings to Soothe Your Fussy Little One, Tested by Parents

Best Overall: Ingenuity InLighten Soothing Swing

Why We Like It: This swing has all the features you need in a baby swing—automatic mobile and lights, music, just-right speeds, swivel, and recline—all for an affordable price. 

But Take Note: There’s no Bluetooth or app connectivity and the swing is on the larger side. 

The Ingenuity InLighten emerged as our top pick because it has all the baby-friendly features that a parent could want. For instance, the 360-degree swivel seat is convenient for getting your baby in and out; plus, it lets your baby face different directions while swinging. The reclining seat offers plenty of comfort, and we feel that the noise of both the built-in audio and the motor are just right. Assembly was a breeze, too: Everything snapped right into place.

And while it does have a somewhat larger footprint and takes up quite a bit of space, even when folded, it’s an even trade for how stable the swing is. It also doesn’t hurt that the soft seat fabric is shaped like a sweet animal—options including an elephant, lion, or bunny—and the $155 cost makes it competitive with other top models. 

The Details: 

• Dimensions: 40.94 x 42.13 x 31.89 inches
• Footprint: 32 x 33.5 x 30.5 inches
• Weight: 10.43 pounds
• Power source: C Battery and wall adapter (not included)
• Weight limit: 20 pounds

Best Portable: Bright Starts Playful Paradise Portable Swing

Why We Like It: At just 4 pounds, this compact swing sits just off of the floor and can travel nearly anywhere. 

But Take Note: You’ll need four C batteries for power and they aren’t included. 

Overall, we appreciate how portable and lightweight this swing is, as well as how understated the colors and design are to blend in with nearly any environment. We also like the five-point harness, which feels extremely sturdy and kept our sandbag “baby” in securely during our lab test. Our pediatric nurse practitioner, who was on-site during the test, also pointed out that this swing is similar to what’s often used in NICUs. 

However, we also found that the chair did not seem as stable and sturdy as other options, so it is not suited for older babies. There are also somewhat limited features and functions: For instance, the toys are located high up on the mobile bar compared to where the seat sits within the swing, so they’re not quite in the baby’s line of view. Plus, the seat only has two recline positions and only swings front and back, rather than in multiple directions like the Graco Soothe My Way Swing with Removable Rocker.

But perhaps the coolest feature of the swing? It has “TrueSpeed” weight-sensing technology, which automatically adjusts the swing speed for your baby’s size. This, coupled with its portability and reasonable $50 price tag, makes the Ingenuity Bright Starts Playful Paradise a smart pick for families with younger babies who are often on the go.

The Details: 

• Dimensions: 28.74 x 22.64 x 26.77 inches
• Footprint: 27 x 20.5 x 27 inches
• Weight: 4.07 pounds
• Power source: C batteries (4, not included)
• Weight limit: 20 pounds

Best Design: Maxi Cosi Cassia Swing

Why We Like It: The Cassia mixes a minimalist design with modern technology, thanks to features like automatic rocking and multi-directional movement. 

But Take Note: This swing is low to the ground, so parents who have difficulty bending over may have challenges adjusting buttons, and the volume is pretty low.

We love the sleek design of this swing, with luxe details like wood trim and neutral toy colors, but the features it offers are high-quality as well. For instance, the swing has a built-in timer, five speeds, a removable newborn insert, two recline positions, a washable seat cover, and a 360-degree rotating seat. Plus, you just can’t beat the motion detection feature, which senses when your baby is fussing and starts rocking the swing automatically. 

This swing also offers impressive stability and a five-point harness to keep your baby secure. With its small footprint and light weight of just 10 pounds, it’s not difficult to move around, and we like that it swings in a side-to-side motion—similar to the 4moms MamaRoo—and comes with built-in audio. The volume of the music and nature sounds is a little low, though: We had to strain to hear it ourselves, but we do appreciate that the sound quality isn’t as tinny as some other options. Assembly is quick and easy (we put it together in under five minutes), but since the swing is low to the ground, it may be tricky for some caregivers to bend down to adjust the settings on the touchscreen panel. While this is one of the pricier picks on our list, the price tag is justified if you’re looking for a visually appealing baby swing with plenty of handy features, including automatic motion detection. 

The Details: 

• Dimensions: 6.5 x 19.7 x 29.1 inches
• Footprint: 30 x 20 inches
• Weight: 10 pounds
• Power source: 4 1.5V AA batteries or included power cord
• Weight limit: 20 pounds

Best 2-in-1: Graco Soothe My Way Baby Swing with Removable Rocker

Why We Like It: It’s a 2-in-1 product with both a rocker and swing, plus it offers, swing, arch, bounce, figure 8, circle, wave, zigzag, and sway movements. 

But Take Note: It’s bulky and some of the built-in sounds are pretty loud. 

This piece of Graco gear pulls double duty as a baby swing and a rocker. Since the swing’s seat detaches from the base and can be used as a rocker, the $210 price tag is more reasonable, since you’re effectively getting two products in one. And uniquely, there are eight different types of motion to choose from, including back-and-forth, side-to-side, a figure eight, and an S-shaped curve. This is particularly useful if you plan to have more kiddos down the line, as all babies will have varying preferences for speed, incline, and motion. Plus, parents will appreciate that the seat fabric, which is soft to the touch, is removable in case of spit-up or blowouts. 

Overall, this swing is intuitive to use and adjust: The buttons are marked clearly and work well—we didn’t need to refer to the manual to figure out how to change the volume and motion settings—and the straps are easily adjustable. Our only complaint is that changing the swing’s incline requires two hands, which could pose a challenge if you’re also holding a baby in your arms. Attached to the swing is a cute mobile with a plush star and monkey dangling from it, and the seat has a vibration setting to soothe your little one. Just note that while putting this swing together was neither the easiest nor the trickiest one we tried, it did take us around 30 minutes to get it fully set up. 

The Details: 

• Dimensions: 28 x 25.5 x 35 inches
• Footprint: 20 x 24 x 28 inches
• Weight: 22.5 pounds
• Power source: AC adapter (included) or 1 D battery
• Weight limit: 25 pounds (swing only)

Best Soothing: 4moms MamaRoo Multi-Motion Baby Swing

Why We Like It: Its hallmark side-to-side motion is meant to mimic the sway of a parent’s arms, and its settings can be adjusted hands-free via an app. 

But Take Note: It’s on the pricier side and requires involved assembly. 

We love the smooth motion of the MamaRoo, which swings side to side to mimic the motion of a parent’s arms. Our editors feel this seat would be ideal for fussy or colicky newborns, and the option to switch from a five-point harness to a three-point harness as they grow is a helpful feature, too. And speaking of newborns and their infamous blowouts, the seat fabric is all removable and safe to toss in the washer and dryer. 

While the MamaRoo can be a miracle worker for some fussy babies, it’s also pretty specific to the individual: Some will love the side-to-side motion, while others will be less than impressed. If you’re going to invest in a MamaRoo, it’s also worth considering that although it’s lightweight, it can be bulky to move and is only powered by a cord, so you’ll be limited by your home’s outlet placement. On the other hand, we like that it has an adjustable recline and a mobile with rattling, crinkling, and mirror details.

The compatible app is simple to set up and provides clear instructions on connecting your swing. Since the settings are adjusted via the app, rather than buttons, you avoid having an inquisitive big sibling accidentally change the speed or volume. Cleverly, the app prompts you to move your phone, mimicking the way you’d like to rock your baby, and it’ll suggest which motion settings to use. There are also several presets to choose from, though we struggled to pair our phones with the swing via Bluetooth, so we weren’t able to stream our own music.  

We don’t love the directions: The illustrations are not accompanied by any written instructions, and it’s not intuitive to figure out what the numbers on each part signify. Ultimately, we had to refer to an online tutorial video to put it together properly, which isn’t ideal, although assembly is a one-time nuisance. For the higher price tag—the MamaRoo is the priciest baby swing on our list—we’d expect easier assembly, but it’s one of the biggest names in baby gear for a reason: It grows with your baby so you’ll get more use out of it, can be controlled hands-free with the compatible app, and provides smooth side-to-side motion.

The Details: 

• Dimensions: 26.25 x 23.5 x 35.5 inches
• Footprint: 20 x 25 x 33 inches
• Weight: 15 pounds
• Power source: AC adapter
• Weight limit: 25 pounds

Best With Bouncer: Graco Soothe 'n Sway LX Swing with Portable Bouncer

Why We Like It: This soft, stylish swing doubles as a portable baby bouncer and has multiple speeds and reclining options. 

But Take Note: Assembly can be tricky and the seat may be too large for preemies and small babies.

With the Graco Soothe ‘n Sway LX, you get a baby swing and portable bouncer in one: Simply detach the seat from the base, and you can take your baby on the go or around the house. Because the seat is on the deeper side (and sunk even lower when we put in a sandbag “baby”), our editors and pediatric nurse practitioner expert agree that it’s best used for older or bigger babies, rather than a small newborn or a preemie baby. There’s a toy bar, which can be adjusted for different sight lines, and we didn’t feel like the toys posed a risk of falling off.

We love the vibrating function of this swing, which is subtle enough that there’s no annoying buzzing to distract working caregivers but is still strong enough to soothe a baby. You turn on the music and vibration features via buttons on the swing’s base, which is powered by a cord that plugs into a wall outlet. However, when you attach the seat to use as a bouncer, it uses battery power to play the music and vibrations so you can move it from room to room. While the swing is easy to operate, assembling it is a headache: The instructions are confusing, and the parts don’t fit together intuitively and require some awkward angles to attach.

The swing starts moving with a simple twist of a dial and can move in a back-and-forth or side-to-side motion, but be advised that you can’t change the direction of motion with just the touch of a button—you have to physically remove the seat, turn it 90 degrees, and reattach the seat. This is a bit of a pain for busy parents, but it’s not difficult. The seat also has a slightly larger footprint in real life than it advertises, though its neutral palette does help it blend into its surroundings somewhat. 

For the price of $160, you’re getting a dual-function piece of gear with a three-position recline. While it doesn’t have a ton of frills, this baby swing works well once you’ve put it together.

The Details: 

• Dimensions: 36.5 x 29.3 x 36.5 inches
• Footprint: 35 x 30 x 38 inches
• Weight: 17.95 pounds
• Power source: AC adapter (swing), 3 AA (bouncer’s sound and vibration)
• Weight limit: 25 pounds (swing)

Best Budget: Bright Starts Portable Automatic 6-Speed Baby Swing with Adaptable Speed

Why We Like It: It’s simple, affordable, and gets the job done. 

But Take Note: The seat material is thin and not the most comfortable. 

With a reasonable $70 price tag, this Bright Starts swing is a little basic but offers surprisingly smart features, including adaptable speed technology, music, a toy bar, and reclining abilities. The swing is simple to set up, lightweight enough to move if needed, and has lots of convenient adds-ons, such as the headrest pillow and cute monkey-themed toys. While not luxurious, the seat fabric is removable and completely machine washable, which is likely your priority as a parent. 

While there are technically two recline positions, there’s not a lot of variation between the two, so it’s difficult to get a more upright position if your baby prefers that. In addition, the recline position doesn’t lock into place, so if you have a younger sibling or a large pet, it’s possible they could get underneath the swing and tip the baby seat forward. We appreciate the straightforward assembly—our editors didn’t need to refer to the manual—and that it stands upright when folded. Note that since the seat is low to the ground, caregivers will have to bend over quite a bit to get the baby in and out.

Though the toy bar is a nice touch, it does look like a handle but isn’t strong enough to use as one. There are neat tags on the side of the seat for the baby’s tactile exploration, and a convenient flap over the harness buckle keeps it out of their reach. There are buttons to turn on the music and motion, but it’s annoying that the music button cycles through each of the 10 songs (there’s no way to select the one you want). And while we like that there’s a timer function, it’s a little finicky: You’ll need to press a button repeatedly to set it to 30, 45, or 60 minutes, which isn’t clear without the instructions. On the other hand, we like that the swing’s motion turns off automatically after 90 minutes.

The Details: 

• Dimensions: 29.74 x 22.64 x 26.77 inches
• Footprint: 21 x 27.5 x 26 inches
• Weight: 4.08 pounds
• Power source: 4 C batteries
• Weight limit: 20 pounds

Best Basic: Graco Slim Spaces Compact Baby Swing

Why We Like It: The top bar doubles as a carry handle, making it an ideal portable swing, and assembly is easy. 

But Take Note: It’s battery-operated only. 

A simple, straight-to-the-point swing, the Graco Slim Spaces offers a little more height but fewer features than other compact models, like the Bright Starts Whimsical Wild Portable Swing. It’s a breeze to assemble—the parts snap right into place—and our on-site nurse rated this swing as the sturdiest of all she evaluated in the lab. We appreciate the extra security of the five-point harness as well. 

However, this relatively basic swing doesn’t have sound, vibrations, or reclining abilities, and there are only three speed settings that you set manually with a dial. (The seat only moves back and forth, not side to side.) You still get a removable, machine-washable cover, though, and the seat fabric is a super-soft fleece material in a neutral design. After you’ve folded the seat in half, the frame’s bars act as carrying handles. 

Overall, this is a no-frills swing that gets high marks for effectiveness and safety features and won’t cost you a fortune. There’s a little bit of a hum from the motor, particularly when it’s set to the highest speed setting, but it’s quiet enough that it’s likely to be drowned out by background noise around the house.

The Details: 

• Dimensions: 39 x 23.25 x 28.75 inches
• Footprint: 31 x 23.5 x 29 inches 
• Weight: 12.68 pounds
• Power source: Battery
• Weight limit: 25 pounds