Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I will agree with the previous reviewer that the assembly instructions leave a bit to be desired. In particular:
1. The infant seat legs can be installed backwards (and it looks like it would take a screwdriver plus a lot of elbow grease to ease the locking "tabs" back out to separate the parts again -- I was lucky and guessed right the first time)
2. There's some white foam wrapped around the inner support bars of the seat frame that have a "do not cut" sticker on them. That does NOT mean "find some other way to remove this packing material besides cutting it off".. those styrofoam pads are supposed to STAY on the bars (as cushioning since they are right next to the baby under the seat material), so DO NOT REMOVE THEM at all. The tubes are white (i.e. don't match the rest of the swing) which makes it look as if they don't belong in the assembled product at first, so it would be easy to mistakenly rip them off in the initial frenzy of unpacking.
3. Yes, the mobile plug has 3 prongs and the socket has 4, but push firmly and everything snaps together fine. The mismatch prevents the mobile from ever coming back out. Fortunately, you can't accidentally install this part backwards. :-)
As for the swing itself, it's great! I didn't think we'd really use the removable infant-seat feature, but it comes in really handy: when kiddo has a wet diaper, I can just pick up the entire chair off the swing (with baby strapped into it), walk to the room with the changing table, and put him down while prepping the wipes and new diaper. The built-in, foldover blankets are a nice touch. The "Zen" music is just new-agey versions of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and a few classic pieces, but is still less jarring than standard baby-gear music.
Switching the swing direction from side-to-side to fore-aft direction is best done by picking up the infant seat out of the socket, rotating it, and then reseating it. It is possible to rotate the chair without picking it up, but it takes a fair amount of force and would be quite jarring to any child who was actually seated in the chair during that operation.
The swinging action is smooth and quiet. There's just the tiniest bit of sway in the frame itself with each swing because of the slight gap between the legs and the sockets in the motor housing where they snap in. It doesn't bother me (i.e. there's no accompanying rattling noise and the swing is still rock-solid), and could probably easily be remedied by shimming the gap with some paper.
The mobile doesn't move on its own. And the stripe pattern on the parasols is not reproduced on the bottom which seems a bit silly to me. (i.e. you and I see a high-contrast pattern from the top, but the baby just sees a uniform brown disc of plastic from beneath -- whose visual acuity is supposed to be stimulated here anyway?) It is nice that the mobile swings out of the way. Getting the baby in and out of the swing is a breeze.
Overall, very happy with this purchase. The design, materials and operation are solid. I withhold one star because the assembly instructions really don't cut it.
Click Here to see more reviews about:
Fisher-Price Zen Collection Cradle SwingBring baby a sense of comfort with the motion he enjoys most - whether it's rocking side-to-side or front-to-back. Surround him in softness - soft fabrics, a variety of music and the soft, gentile motion of the toys on the mobile.
For you, the function is two-fold, because the plush seat is removable, with wood handles that let you take baby from room to room! Whatever room you and baby end up in, the rich textures, earthy colors and beautiful wood accents will help create harmony in your home. Additional features include three-point restraint, two-position recline and machine-washable seat pad, pillow and attached blankets.
Features:
2 swinging motions - side to side cradle motion or front to back swinging motion
Open top design with swing-away mobile for easy access to baby
Removable infant seat provides flexibility
Mobile with 3 patterned characters taht move gently on their own to soothe baby
Deep seat with soft blanket wrap, recline and 3-point restraint
6 speeds
14 songs in classical and lullaby style to Zen-like orchestration and 2 sound effect tracks
Volume control
Legs for storage
Requires 3 "C" batteries - not included
Dimensions: 30"L x 36"W x 44"H
Maximum Weight: 25 lbs.
Get 35% OFF
Click here for more information about Fisher-Price Zen Collection Cradle Swing
