The ideal version of newborn parenting involves gently rocking your angelic baby to sleep in your arms while sipping a hot coffee. The chaotic reality? You’ve been pacing the floor for two hours, your coffee is stone cold, and your arms feel like they are about to drop off.
When you hit that level of exhaustion, a solid baby swing isn’t a luxury—it’s a vital backup brain. We picked up the Mothercare-exclusive twin bunny version of the Fisher-Price Deluxe Take Along Swing and Seat to see if it could buy us some hands-free sanity. Spoiler: It did, but it isn’t completely perfect.
Easy Assembly (But Grab Your Own Batteries)
Putting the swing together won’t cause a massive evening meltdown. The packaging comes with clear instructions and different tubes that snap together logically.
The biggest rookie mistake you can make here is forgetting the power source. The swing requires 4 x C batteries, and Fisher-Price absolutely does not include them in the box. Make sure you order a bulk pack alongside the swing, or you’ll be left staring at a useless frame while your newborn screams.
The Post-Jab Lifesaver: Soothing Features
This seat earns its keep by effectively handling a restless baby. If you’ve ever experienced the absolute heartbreak and stress of the post-immunization leg jabs, you know that nothing seems to calm them down.
- Custom Speed and Vibration: The six different swing speeds and minor vibration settings soothe our newborn much better than a static chair.
- Distraction Audio: The swing features 10 different tunes and 2 nature sounds. When our little one experiences pain or overtiredness, dropping her in here with the music on buys us a vital window to get things done.
The Flaws: Stiff Folding and Backwards Bunnies
Fisher-Price markets this as a “Take Along” portable swing suitable for kids up to 9kg, but don’t expect a seamless pack-away experience. Folding the frame requires you to press the buttons at the bottom of the back legs while twisting the frame in on itself. In reality, we found the mechanism incredibly stiff and difficult to operate. It stays put in our living room because fighting the plastic buttons every day isn’t worth the hassle.
Then there is the design oversight with the toy bar. It features two hanging rabbits to entertain the baby. The problem? The rabbits face completely outward, meaning the baby spends her time staring directly at the blank, white backs of the toys instead of their faces. It’s a minor detail, but a confusing design choice nonetheless.
The Survival Checklist for Using a Baby Swing
If you are using a hybrid swing and seat to survive the newborn trenches, keep these rules in mind:
- Check Availability: Mothercare held the exclusive rights to our specific bunny design, and since they no longer operate on the high street, it can be tough to track down. You can check out a highly similar, updated version directly on Amazon.
- Watch the Clock: While it acts as both a swing and a comfortable seat, do not leave your newborn in it for long periods. Extended sessions don’t provide great back support for their developing bodies.
The Verdict
Is the Fisher-Price Deluxe Take Along Swing worth your hard-earned money? Yes. Despite the stiff folding mechanism and the backward-facing toys, the combination of multiple swing speeds and gentle vibrations makes it an absolute sanity-saver when you just need to set the baby down safely.
