Graco Swyngomatic 6-Speed Swing -- An amazingly less-than-mediocre swing for an above-average price
Written: Aug 25 '06 (Updated Aug 25 '06)
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Pros: 6 speeds, 15 music selections, one-handed, 4 position seat recline, easy to assemble
Cons: It's simply not worth the price tag, sound quality is awful, three-point harness...
The Bottom Line: The Bottom Line advises shoppers to avoid the Graco Swyngomatic 6-Speed Swing. It also advises trying to find a company that doesn't think spelling "swing" like "swyng" is cute.
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| gatorgirlie's Full Review: Graco Swyngomatic 6-Speed Swing |
First off, while I will occasionally have a blatant spelling error… what is wrong with Graco? Swyngomatic? Who are we marketing to, womyn?
Everyone told me that I needed a swing; I had to have a swing... that by god, my son wouldn't ever give you a moment’s break without a swing. So, look at swings I did. I checked out my nearby Babies R Us and Target stores to get an idea of what they carried in house. I was tired of buying things online, so into the store I went. I’m actually very mad that I did this and I’ll explain why later. Anyway, I’m browsing through the small selection in the stores when I come across the Graco Swyngomatic 6 Speed Swing in Mocha. It’s a pretty color, has 6 speeds, a timer and music for $89.99. I had checked online but couldn’t find any reviews that were specific to this model, but Graco seemed like a good name and it seemed comparable to the other swings in the vicinity so I registered for it.
Since I am writing this review, you can safely assume I received this swing… though now I actually regret getting what I asked for.
Product Specs
The Graco Swyngomatic 6 Speed Swing is exactly what it sounds like – a 6 speed swing for children up to 25 lbs. The swing is a very basic model. It comes with a small tray that can have two toys attached, a non-moving mobile (?), and an infant head support. It also plays around 15 different tunes (Mary Had a Little Lamb, Bingo, etc). You can set the swing for automatic shutoff with a timer that can be set in 10 minute increments up to a maximum of 40 minutes.
The actual seat features a four-point recline and a three-point safety harness. When in storage, the legs can swing together… this makes it a little more compact, but only slightly. It will take up a lot of room for storage, so this is probably going to end up being a garage-sale item seeing as how I want a better swing next time. The seat is cloth and thus machine washable. I really wish it was a vinyl, so all I’d have to do is wipe it down. It weighs in at around 16 lbs, so this definitely isn’t a travel swing. This swing features an open top design for convenience.
The bane of every parent’s existence: Batteries and Assembly Required
My husband is usually not allowed to put anything requiring assembly together. This is because my normally mild-mannered, sweet-natured husband is transformed into a man who will make tab A fit into slot B if he has to bang on it with a hammer. However, Aidan happened to surprise us a little earlier than expected so I asked my hubby to put together the swing the day we brought Aidan home.
Amazingly enough he did just fine. No hammers, no swearing, no hitting it or throwing pieces – he managed to put the swing together with few problems. It did take him over 30 minutes to accomplish this, but I’m still impressed. I’d have to say the Graco Swyngomatic Swing is fairly simple to put together. I’ve skimmed through the instruction manual and was fairly impressed. The graphics and wording are clear and concise – it shouldn’t be too horribly difficult for even assembly-challenged people like my hubby. The only tool you should need is a screwdriver.
The batteries required are 4 “D” batteries, which (of course) are not included. The swing is actually pretty good with batteries on the lower speeds, but once you ratchet the speed up… be prepared to buy a lot of batteries. I should invest in Energizer stock.
Music and motion and toys… oh my!!!
So how does this thing work?? First, you unlatch the tray and plunk your little one into the seat. They booklet recommends the flattest recline until your child can sit up on their own. Reclining the chair is very easy, there’s a lever on the back of the seat, just pull it and adjust accordingly. Strap your child in and close the tray.
Here’s where I encountered the first two problems I have with this swing. First, I have major problems with the tray. For some odd reason I can’t get the tray to click back onto the swing’s seat without banging on it with my first. This seemed to disturb my son a little bit, though I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why. Another problem I have is with the outdated three-point harness. I know that many swings still feature this harness system, but I wish they would all upgrade it to a 5 point harness. Heck, this really isn’t a cheap swing (the newer model sells for $130… that’s freakin expensive), they shouldn’t have cheap technology. This goes for other manufacturers as well (hello, Fisher Price!).
Anyway, you sit him in the chair and close the tray… now you need to select the speed. There are two buttons, one for the slower settings and one for the faster settings. The buttons are green and red, respectively, and have “slow” and “fast” written on them. Though the colors are bright red and bright green, some people with bad red/green color deficiency (read: color blindness) may not be able to tell which is which, thus the writing is fairly convenient for them. My husband relied on the writing at first, since he initially couldn’t tell the green “slow” button from the blue “music” button. I’ve noticed that this motor really does have a problem with a few of the settings, so you really only get three or four speeds. There are three lights above those buttons which give you an indication of the speed setting (green for the slower speeds and red for the faster). Each time you click the speed button a light illuminates – one click for slow, two for medium, three for fast and four for off. Maybe the speed differences are too subtle to notice in some cases, but I could only get mine to go really slow, slow, medium and fast – each push of the red “fast” button equaled the same “fast” speed. Once you press the button indicating the speed, give the swing a small push and it will adjust itself to the proper velocity. The swing can only move in the front-to-back direction, so no side-to-side action here.
Next you’ll want to set some music, right? The music button has four volumes: loud, medium, soft and off. The soft setting was so quiet that sometimes I had a hard time telling if it was off… so occasionally the machine’s music would be left on for hours on end until I finally figured out what that stupid noise was. The music quality is extremely poor – both my Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium and Tiny Love Symphony in Motion mobile have better sound quality. The best comparison I can make is to the old midi music files you played on your computer, or those cheap mononote (I think that’s the correct description… or is it monophonic?) ringtones you get on your cell phone. I was very disappointed with the quality of the sound. It does play 15 different tunes, but I’d be happier with fewer songs if the sound quality was improved. Repetition, while annoying to us, actually does help your growing baby.
If you’d like to set your timer, there is a gray “timer” button in between the two speed buttons. Click it for each 10 minute increment you want, up to 40 minutes. I never used this, so I can’t attest to how well it works… or even if it shuts off both the swing and the music.
This swing also throws in a few crappy toys to placate the masses (and perhaps justify their $90 price tag). There are two “mix and match” toys that attach to the tray and one non-moving mobile. I like that. A non-moving mobile. Oh, your baby can move it if they whack it… but they’d have to have disproportionately long arms to reach it when in the flat recline position. Once they’re older and *perhaps* capable of reaching it in the sitting up position, it is located right above their heads… so they don’t even see it. What a waste of time, money and effort. In addition, the tray toys were no use to me in the slightest. They don’t want you to put the swing into any sitting up position until they can sit up unassisted. This means at least 5 months old, but the average age is 6 months – 6 months until those toys become even remotely useful. How much longer than 6 months do children really use a swing? My son started to dislike the confinement of the swing at around 3 months, so those tray toys were never even unwrapped… never mind played with. The toys aren’t anything special either, even if your child can play with the toys on the tray they aren’t interactive… so they’ll probably lose interest quickly anyway.
Also, I have a major problem with what they call a “headrest.” The headrest is more of an inconvenience than anything else. It doesn’t stay in the upright position, so you’re forever having to readjust it when you put your baby in the swing. In addition, all it is is a thin piece of foam that sort-of encircles the infant’s head. It provides absolutely no support at all (especially since the only thing keeping it in the swing itself is the fact it’s strapped to the harness down by the infant’s stomach). Actually, let’s talk about the mediocre padding. It isn’t soft or comfortable at all and, in my opinion, my son fell asleep despite the comfort level.. not because of it.
Well.. ok, did your son like it?
Yes… and no. For the first few months I think he liked the soothing motion of a swing to help him fall asleep… especially during his bad reflux/colic episodes. However, was there anything special about THIS swing that helped him drift off to the land of nod? No way. He could have fallen asleep as easily with a $50 travel swing.
In all actuality, once Aidan was over his reflux and could roll over (3 months or so), he wanted no part of this swing. He would scream as soon as I put him in it… I tried music/no music, I tried the different speeds… it just wasn’t comfortable for him. Is this is personality quirk? Maybe. But I’m leaning towards the vastly uncomfortable nature of the seat and the lack of anything remotely interesting to look at. If he had a mirror, moving mobile, or something interesting to hold his attention… he probably would have sat in it longer. So, after a few screaming matches… this unwieldy contraption got moved into a spare bedroom and forgotten about (until now). However, this does yield a positive… at least it wasn’t cluttering up my kitchen anymore.
So, Jen… tell us how you really feel…
Eh, writing this review I can’t, for the life of me figure out why I registered for this swing. The only thing I can think of is that my local Babies R Us had a really bad selection when I was registering for my baby stuff. I wish, now, I would have checked out the offerings to the online community because I would have seen how many nicer models (especially the Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Cradle Swing) are available. While I have noticed they have a revised edition on the market, that swing costs around $100; the only differences I can see online, however, are *better* head support, better padding (supposedly) and a mobile that actually moves. However, it also costs $10 more… are the “improvements” worth it? I’d have to venture a no to that question. Let's put it this way: pull up a side-to-side comparison of the new Graco Swyngomatic and the Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Swing... look at the features, notice how Fisher-Price offers you so much for the the exact same price.
Honestly, there are many nicer swings on the market (not just the Fisher-Price model)... especially in the $90 price range. The Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Cradle Swing costs only $10 more, yet seems to offer so many more extras than the Graco Swyngomatic does. The Graco Swyngomatic 6-Speed Swing is a $60 or $70 swing with a $90 price tag, that’s all there is to it. You are paying for the Graco name, and its perceived quality, rather than any tangible benefit. After perusing the Graco line of swings, I’ve noticed that this seems fairly standard for the entire product collection. The swing just isn't worth the money. For $90 I would expect better sound quality, better safety standards (such as a better head support pad and a 5 pt harness), more comfort and more/better extras.
If you’re looking for a good infant swing, you should pass the Graco Swyngomatic 6-Speed swing by. Honestly, if you’re in the $80 – 100 price range, you should check out Fisher-Price’s Ocean Wonders Aquarium Swing… it’s a 10 times better swing for only $10 more. Heck, even if you aren’t willing to spend $100 on a swing, Fisher-Price makes a swing that’s almost identical to this one for $70 -- $20 cheaper than this Graco model.
Pros:
*6 speeds and 15 music selections
*Comes in nice fabric options
*The seat is machine washable
*Comes with a mobile and two toys
*Seat reclines to 4 positions using only one hand
*Instruction Manual is clear and concise
*Easy to put together
*It has an automatic timer up to 40 minutes
Cons:
*Only swings in the front-to-back direction
*Doesn’t really have 6 speeds… more like 3 or 4
*The sound quality is horrible – one of the worst music boxes I’ve encountered in a modern-day electronic toy
*Only has a three point harness
*Snack tray is difficult to latch
*Mobile doesn’t move and is positioned poorly… when the baby is in the full upright position, he/she can’t see the mobile
*The toys on the tray are useless until baby can sit up, which is around 6 months… and even then, the toys aren’t interactive enough to keep a baby’s interest.
*The head support does nothing but pose an inconvenience
*Only has a three-point harness
*It’s a $60 or $70 swing for the price of $90
*There are many other, better swings on the market for the same price!!
Recommended:
No
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gatorgirlie
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Location: Orlando, FL
Reviews written: 247
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