Graco Lovin' Hug Infant Swing - Catalina

"We use the swing multiple times a day, every day. It is a great tool to get your baby to sleep or to calm them down when fussy. The "white noise" sounds work better for us than the classical music when our son is especially cranky. If used a lot, you will go through batteries quite often, so we invested in some rechargeable batteries. You may have to swap them out more often, but it beats spending a ton on new batteries all of the time. We initially tried using the tray on the swing when our son was smaller and it seemed very bulky, so we have left it off for now (very difficult to get off after you have installed it -- so I would suggest leaving it off until you are ready to use it). There are a couple other things worth mentioning: 1. the mobile doesn't stay in one place, it travels usually behind the swing or off to the side instead of staying put above the baby -- but usually by the time it does this, the baby is asleep; 2. the motor had issues just after 6 months. On the flip side, we contacted Graco's customer service number and they ordered a new motor assembly [...] (FYI - the 800 number is listed on the white sticker with the model and serial nos. under the swing's tray.) I would have to assume that most swings will have some issues similar to these if used frequently."

"This swing has soothed my baby to sleep many times when nothing else seemed to comfort him. When he is really fussy he is calmed by the faster swing setting and when he is already sleeping I turn the setting to one or two. The sound effects are his favorite, I rarely use the music feature for him-- he prefers the sound of the water and heartbeat. He recently discovered the owl mobile and is very interested in watching them rotate above his head. I really love the Catalina design, it matches my homes earthy decor well. It is also easy to put together and lightweight, it can be moved from place to place. I often move the swing by me when I am folding laundry, etc. or he is just napping in it."

"My son is colicy and we had the sweet peace by graco. He hated it!! We returned that and got this swing. We tried it out in the store before we bought it. The second I put him in it he calmed down and just stared at the owls. I hadn't even started the swing yet! When we took him out he got upset and we had to put him back in to calm him down! When we were putting it together he was fussy so I held the owls over his head and he calmed down right away!! This swing is awesome."

"my daughters dad insisted on this swing. (we got the same one in pink and grey) my daughter didnt like it the first few times but at about 1 month she was in love. 3 months later and she cries to get in it. it especially was a life saver through colic. she has acid reflux and it helps keep her upright and my hands free. she now watches tv and me clean in it. we have many toys and gadgets for her but this is the best."

"We got this swing for our daughter and I love it. It is just beautiful and I like everything about it. It was easy to put together and the qulity is wonderful. Plus it matches our house just perfect."

"We had the Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium swing for my first son and it was a LIFE SAVER! We used to literally put it next to our bed and let him sleep in it at night because he was so soothed. And the lighted fish globe was a great nightlight. My second little boy loved the same swing while it lasted, but the motor ran out from so much use with our first. So, I recently purcheased the Graco Lovin' Hug Infant Swing. I like the pattern and little owls mobile (definitely the least tacky as far as i'm concerned). However, my three biggest complaints are

1) His head (he is now 5 months) seems to be cocked at an awkward angle. Sort of tipping too far forward.

2) it seems a bit wide for him. The Fisher Price one was much more narrow and hugged baby better, but this one seems far too big for baby to feel snug and cozy in. He absolutely does not enjoy it as much. And cute as the little owls are, they are BORING! He is getting to the age where he needs a bit more stimulation.

3) The Fisher Price swings can swing either front to back or side to side - and believe it or not, your baby will have a preference! Also, if I'm trying to get something done and baby gets fussy, I just switch directions and it usually buys me another 10 minutes or so!

I am returning this swing next week (as my 30 days are almost up!) and will either purchase the Ocean Wonders one again or perhaps try the Fisher Price My Little Lamb Dreamy Swing - which seems similar to the Ocean Wonders. This isn't a horrible swing, but why not get something that will keep baby happy, entertained and comfortable for as long as possible?!!"

"I love this swing! My son falls asleep in it all the time. He goes to our friends' houses and doesn't like their swings (rainforest fisher price) and some others. It has great, easy to use speed settings, and the music is cute, but I don't use the music feature that much. The batteries last a long time. I use the swing between 2 and 6 hours each day, and we are still on our first set of 3 D batteries and he has been using it for over 2 months! I heard that push starting the swing every time you start it will help, so I do that every time...I just give it a push so that batteries don't have to start it from a stop with a heavy baby in it.



The owl mobile overhead is so cute, and he actually looks up and watches it and smiles at it all the time...until he falls asleep. The mobile moves on its own when the swing is in motion, so I love that it doesn't use up the batteries. I also love how easy the seat back is to recline or sit up with many possible adjustment settings.



The only thing I don't like about it (but have learned to cope with just fine) is that the play tray does not come all the way off. I didn't think I wanted it on the swing when he was a newborn, but I had no choice. Now I don't mind it at all since he puts his hands up on it and eventually will probably want to play with toys that are attached to it. You can also hear the light clicking of the motor, but it seems to be a soothing sound to the baby, and any music or tv noise makes it completely unnoticable.



The swing is sturdy, easy to move, and so adorable. I highly recommend this swing."

"Before we bought this swing I had an older version for my son who is now almost 3. The old one lasted up until three months ago with my second son (who is now six months old)! Which I think was pretty impressive, three years of use! Our old one probably stopped working for us because my oldest would get in it and I think strained the motor too much with his weight. We decided to buy the same model because of how long the first lasted! So far so good! The colors are great! The motor is much quieter than on the old one. To the person complaining about the mobile going back behind the seat: that happens when you do not have it positioned right. The trick is to get it hooked to the bar in the right position (opposite side from motor and as close as you can to the top where the bar starts) The seat is comfy! Don't use the music or sound features because my son just sleeps in this next to a CD player we have set up. Wasn't too difficult to put together, but then again I had a very similar one I would put together and take apart a bunch. I think over all this is a really great swing! And even though this is our last baby I'm SO glad I bought the new one, it's a godsend!"

"I had registered and originally received the Nature's Purest Hug Me Swing. It turned out to not be worth the money.



I exchanged it for this swing (same price) and we all love it. It's simple to put together (under 20 minutes. It's vary sturdy. The music is far superior than the other (10 easily recognizable classical songs plus some okay nature sounds). It has six swing speeds, the highest goes fairly fast and will easily rock a cranky baby into a soothing sleep. I also like that the mobile moves with the swing and gives baby something to interact with. Also you can buy snap on toys for the tray so that as baby grows he will have things to keep him occupied when the mobile doesn't cut it anymore.



Another plus is that it will hold up to thirty pounds which means you'll get a longer life out of it for the money.



And I agree that at first, when the swings starts to get going - especially in the higher speeds, the motor does get a little loud, but once it gets to the speed that its set at it's completely silent.



Graco definately did a great job with these swings."

"This is a great swing. My girls were born at 37 weeks and came home around 4 1/2 lbs. They fit great in this swing especially with it reclined. I love that I can swaddle up my babies and/or wrap them in a blanket and swing them. They love it. I don't use the sound settings much right now but may in the future, the songs are nice and the nature is soothing. The timer feature is really nice too since I don't like to let it just swing forever especially once they are asleep. The speed settings are nice too, right now we only use the first two but I can see as they get older how the faster setting may be more fun. The little mobile is also sweet and gives them something to look at as they slowly become more alert. Overall I love this product, the pattern is sweet for both a boy or a girl and blends in nicely. I would definetly recommend this product."