The best baby swings to keep babies happy – tried and tested

This baby swing features plenty of smart tech to make it more than just a standard swing seat. 

The Munchkin Lightweight Baby Swing is equipped with Bluetooth, allowing you to play your family's favourite music from your phone.

It has five speeds that mimic the sensation of being rocked, and if your baby becomes unhappy, you can use a remote control to operate the swing speed and sounds; one of our parent testers said: "The swing is lovely and soft and comfortable. The materials used will support your child, and the seat buckle fastener is easy to secure and keeps your child safe. Operation is very simple; it comes with a remote control, so you don't even have to get up to change the modes. The swaying and swinging are gentle and give a calming effect. My nephew loved it.”

There’s a helpful timer, which is perfect for keeping an eye on how long your little one is in their chair; our tester added: “There is also a touch panel on the base of the unit if you prefer to use that which lights up. This allows you to change the cycle, time and some media features like skipping the next track and changing the volume. The sound is good quality."

Weighing just 4.1kg, it conveniently disassembles into two parts, so you can store it away or take it on your travels - it folds down totally flat.

This swing moves in a side-to-side motion. 

One grievance that our testers found was that the swing needed to be plugged in for operation; our tester said: “I wish that there was a rechargeable battery option because this would make it much easier to move the swing to different areas of the house.”

Read our Munchkin Bluetooth Enabled Lightweight Baby Swing review.

 
The Joie Serina 2-in-1 swing rocker is a swaying baby swing that also doubles up as a bouncer when your little one gets a bit bigger.

The swing can lift off its base to become a portable rocker so you can conveniently take the baby room to room. 

There are six swing speeds, ten nature sounds and lullabies, and a soothing soft night light with adjustable brightness; mum tester Claire said: "The Joie Serina 2-in-1 is such an amazing product! I was amazed at all the uses it has! My daughter loved the swing, and it's so clever that it can swing side to side and forwards and backwards. It was so calming and relaxing for my daughter. It's very clever that it can be plugged into the mains and battery operated if taken outside the home. It was a godsend as it kept my daughter calm and relaxed, and I was able to get on with the much-needed housework! We love, love, loved it! It's a great unisex design, so it can be used for boys or girls and very handy for baby number 2!"

Unlike many other baby swings we’ve tested, this Joie swing moves in two ways: front to back or side to side, changed with a simple twist; there are six swing speeds to choose from. 

There are five lullaby sounds and five nature sounds, plus three recline positions. The seat pad is removable and washable. 

Read our full Joie Baby Serina 2-in-1 review

This is the most stylish baby swing we’ve tested, and one to consider if you want the swing to fit in with your home’s decor; one dad tester said: “Apart from serving its purpose as a swing, I use it all the time to put my baby in it during mealtimes etc. and he looks very comfortable in it. It’s also a great background for pictures due to its wooden frame - they look so good!”

It has a motion detection setting that activates the swing when your baby starts to move and wriggle, soothing them quickly. Unlike most of the other swings on our list, this baby swing offers a lay-back option, which is great for newborns.

It has 360-degree rotation and 12 soothing sounds that can be controlled with the easy-to-use touchscreen.

One feature that we really appreciate is that both mains and batteries can power this baby swing, so you’re not tied to mains plugs if you want to move it around; one tester said quite simply: “This is the best baby swing ever. Absolutely love it. This is everything you need to keep your baby busy.”  

This swing has a three-point harness, while many others have a five-point harness. 

There’s a newborn insert, and the covers are removable and machine washable. 

There is a toy bar, although it’s offset to the side, and again, like the Bright Starts swing, the toys can’t be removed.

If you’re looking for a baby swing that won’t break the bank, this Cuggl swing is one of the cheapest baby swings we’ve tested. 

It features 12 melodies and five nature sounds, although you can’t connect your phone and play your own music unlike the Munchkin swing (above). 

There are five speeds to choose from, and several recline positions to make sure baby is comfy. 
This swing moves in a front-to-back motion.

The great design is neutral and would fit in with most home decor, being sleek and stylish; the cover is helpfully removable and washable. 

This swing also features a detachable toy bar, which comes with two toys; it’s also easy to hang your baby’s own favourite toys from the bar, which helps to keep them occupied for longer; our mum tester said: “My favourite bit of this swing is the toy bar, my baby loves to watch his toys dangling and swinging. It just makes it more interesting for him.”

The only downside is that the four AA batteries aren’t included - but it’s a small bugbear.

The Ingenuity ConvertMe 2-in-1 swing can change from a baby swing to a vibrating seat at the push of a button. It can be used as a stationary seat, too; handy if you want the baby to sit next to you at mealtimes without movement or if the baby wants to sleep soundly without rocking during their nap.

The seat pad is machine washable; the headrest is also removable, so it can be used as your baby grows.   

There are five motion settings, 12 melodies, and four nature sounds to choose from. 

Like the Cuggl swing, this also features a toy bar with one toy included. 

It’s battery-operated, so you’re not tied to keeping it near a mains plug socket. It folds down easily and can be carried around either to other rooms or to a friend’s house, and it’s narrower than some swings so it can be handy if space is of a premium in your home, a mum tester said: “It’s easy to fold, but it’s still quite bulky compared to some baby swings that fold flatter, but it does fit into smaller spaces when set up.” 

This swing moves in a front-to-back motion. There are three colours and styles to choose from, although all are mainly white and grey.

One of the features that differentiate this 4moms mamaRoo swing from competitors is its ability to mimic the rocking and bouncing motion that the baby experiences in its parents' arms - the movement bounces up and down, and side to side. Online reviewers have hailed this feature and claim it's the only way they get a few minutes rest, and, having tested it ourselves, we agree. There are five movements to choose from: car ride, kangaroo, tree swing, rock-a-bye, and wave. However, some parents reviewed this swing and said they missed the normal front-to-back motion. 

It only features four nature sounds, but you can connect your own music via an MP3 plug-in; it’s also Bluetooth enabled so you can use your smartphone to control the movement, sounds, speed and volume.

The seat has several recline positions, and the seat cover is removable and machine washable. The overhead toy bar comes with three reversible balls, which are black and white for those early weeks when baby can’t see colour, with colours on the other sides for when baby grows; one mum tester said: “My little girl is now 3 months old and she has loved this bouncer since she was born and still does. It is very easy to assemble and take apart again, and it also stores away in the box nice and compact for easy storage. Also she now loves the 3 balls that spin and bounce above her head, I just wish they had incorporated a way for these to spin without having to spin them manually as she loves to see them spin around.”

For quite a high price, this swing has two traditional motions - front to back and side to side - but lots of parents review this swing, saying their babies are comfy and cosy in it; one mum tester said: “My 6-week-old son loves this swing! It’s very soft & cosy and makes him feel secure. We liked that it has a very stable base and keeps the baby off the floor away from drafts and our dog. The toys & different speeds, and music are great, too, and keep the baby entertained. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase! I love the 360-degree chair, which allows the seat to swing in a natural movement as if the baby is in your arms.” 

The cotton insert can sit in two positions, and there are five adjustable positions - three for the backrest and two for the feet; there are five swing speeds, and the seat rotates 360°. The seat is higher up than most swings, so the baby sits at an elevated position; some parents love this difference from other swings, with one mum saying: “Very soothing and love that my boy can be with the rest of the family instead of being low on the floor!” You can fix the seat so the swinging stops and just use it as a seat.

One feature that differentiates this from most other swings is that not only can you set a timer on this (which many others do), but the swing motion will resume once your baby moves again. So, if the baby slips off to sleep and the swinging stops due to the timer, when the baby stirs or wakes, the motion will start up to keep them soothed. 

Like most swings, this comes with a toy bar, which is adjustable to three positions and comes with three toys included. The newborn insert and the seat cover are both machine washable.

Similar to the Munchkin swing, this works off mains power, which does limit its portability around the house.

This swing is portable and has a small footing, taking up less floor space than most other baby swings, so it’s ideal if space is a premium in your home or if you plan on travelling with the swing frequently. 

The main colour on this swing is grey, like most of them, but it does have a colourful seat. There are two recline positions, six swing settings, and it plays six melodies; the features are much fewer than all the other swings we’ve tested, but this is a practical swing designed for portability and travelling, so it’s natural to have fewer gadgets; one reviewer said: “Brilliant swing! My son loves it. At around 14lb he was only able to use the swing fully reclined which doesn't matter too much although he does like to be sat up now he's 4 months old. He seems really comfy in it! I would definitely recommend it!” 

There is a toy bar, with two toys, but many parents found it a shame the toys couldn’t be removed; one mum said: “This is a great swing if you need to take it to other people’s houses - it’s really easy to carry - but I’d like to swap the toys out. I did manage to hang a couple of my daughter’s own toys in between the others.”