Fisher-Price Papasan Cradle Swing - Nature's Touch N1973
by Fisher-Price
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: Fisher-PriceBrand: Fisher-Price
Model: N1973
Color: Nature's Touch N1973
Product features:
- Swing provides soothing swinging with both front to back like a traditional swing, and side to side motion like a cradle swing
- An overhead motorized mobile incorporates 3 characters including a bird, a butterfly, and a dragonfly
- Mirrored globe allows baby to see all that surrounds them
- Features 6 speeds, 8 soothing songs, and soothing nature sounds
- Folds for storage
- InStep Quick N Lite Bike Trailer (Red/Gold/Grey)
- Tummy Talk Pregnancy Journal Album, Peaches and Cream
Description of Fisher-Price Papasan Cradle Swing - Nature's Touch N1973
The Nature's Touch Baby Papasan Cradle Swing provides soothing swinging variety for your baby. Not only does it swing front-to-back like a traditional swing, but it also has a gentle side-to-side motion like a cradle swing. This cozy nest-like seat comfortably cradles your baby in soft, multi-textured materials. Overhead a soothing motorized mobile incorporates 3 characters - a bird, a butterfly and a dragonfly - that each "fly" with a distinct gentle motion around a mirrored globe that allows your baby to see his or her surroundings.The Papasan Swing's removable toy bar features a fun toy, bead bars and a tray space providing additional activities. The swing features 6 speeds, 8 soothing songs, peaceful nature sounds, an infant head support insert and a 2-position seat recline. Folds easily for storage.
Adding a little bit of extra comfort to baby?s world is always a wonderful thing and this big cushy chair from Nature?s Touch provides a lovely place for baby to either hang out and be entertained or take a quick snooze. It?s modeled after the popular Papasan chairs that are so often the purview only of grown-ups. In addition to the well-padded seat, there is a mobile of pleasant toys and a selection of electronic music, which we found to be much more soothing than is often the case and, mercifully, with adjustable volume. The seat can be set for swing or cradle setting and the liner is detachable and machine washable. --Charlie Williams
Baby Products Reviews of Fisher-Price Papasan Cradle Swing - Nature's Touch N1973
Customer Review: A must have for any parent!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Any parent who's had to cope with colic--or even with normal everyday fussiness--will tell you that you CANNOT LIVE without a swing, and this is one of the best there is. I tell my friends (who are all pregnant...I'm such a trend-setter) I could make do without diapers sooner than I could make do without this.
So why is this swing so much better than the other models?
1). The seat. The papasan seat has a built-in headrest and is more reclined than the average swing seat, so you don't have to worry about baby hurting his neck or back if he falls asleep in his swing. My son's pediatrician even recommended that we let him sleep in it at night, because the incline helps with his reflux. I'm not entirely with my pediatrician on that, and don't recommend letting your child sleep in his swing every night, but I can tell you that this swing is safe enough to do it once in a while, which can be VERY handy for getting your child back into the habit of sleeping through the night if his schedule is disrupted by a trip or special event, or for getting through a particularly nasty bout of reflux or colic. You should still never leave a child unattended in ANY swing...but at least you can let them nap in this one with a clear conscience. And, judging from the way my son passes out in it, it's just as comfy as it looks! I wish they made an adult sized model. If you've seen the baby papasan bouncy seat and were tempted, I'd recommend getting a more stimulating bouncer instead (as that one's comfy, but not good for much else but napping, so kind of a bust for babies past newborn age), and get your papasan fix with this swing instead--it's got all the comfort of the bouncer, and you'll use it for MUCH longer.
The headrest and shallow incline also make this an ideal swing for newborns--we started putting my son in it when he was a week old (and barely six pounds), although we didn't start turning it on until he was a little heavier.
The downside: the incline of the seat cannot be adjusted, so smaller babies may have a hard time reaching the activity bar at first. This isn't a huge problem, however; my son is only 25th percentile in length and weight, and he was able to reach it just fine by the time he was three months old. We didn't even bother attaching the activity bar before then, as he wasn't really reaching for objects yet, anyway.
2). The mobile and activity bar. The mobile over this swing is not a "perfect" mobile, developmentally speaking (but then, few are)--the colors are muted, not bright, and the leaves and butterflies, though pretty, aren't at a great angle for baby to see them. The mirror in the middle, however, more than makes up for it--I wish every mobile had one! The mirror is more than stimulating enough to hold baby's attention (not to mention developmentally sound), and the subdued colors of the rest of the mobile keep it from being overstimulating--also a plus, as even if you aren't trying to put your baby to sleep by putting him in his swing, it's a safe bet you aren't looking to rev him up, either. I find that this mobile strikes a perfect balance between "soothing" and "stimulating." It keeps my son entertained while he's awake, without interfering with his transition into sleep.
The activity bar I'm not quite as enthused with, though it strikes the same sort of balance as the mobile--a few interactive toys in subdued colors, which hold baby's attention without overstimulating him. The toy in the middle is on a ribbon so it doesn't get lost, but it can be difficult for baby to retrieve on his own if he drops it in his lap because of the incline of the seat. The activity bar wasn't a huge priority for me in the first place, though, as I use the swing primarily to soothe, not to entertain. Which brings me to my favorite feature: the activity bar snaps on and off easily, so you can use it when you want it, and leave it off the rest of the time. (It's much easier to get baby in and out of the swing with it off.) I barely ever use it, but when I DO put it on, my son--now four months old--loves it.
3. The music/sounds. This swing plays five different songs, and they're all lovely, soothing, and not tinny or overloud like most baby toys. There's also a volume control, and the music and mobile both turn off automatically after a while, so they don't run down the battery once baby falls asleep. (There's a handy "reset" button to turn them back on without disturbing baby, if you need to.) If you're not into music (or your baby isn't), the swing also plays a selection of soothing nature sounds. Not my cup of tea, but I've known moms who swear by them, and it's nice to have the variety.
The down side: the songs are random, although I'm conviced the swing has its own favorites--mine seems to alternate between three tunes 90% of the time, and I hear the other two very rarely. It's not really a problem, though; baby couldn't care less, ALL the songs are pleasant, and if it really bothers you, you can always turn the music off and on until you hit on the tune you want.
4). The versitility. What I love more than anything about this swing is the versitility of its features. You can use the swing, mobile, and music together or separately--that is, you can turn on the mobile and music without the swing, the swing without the mobile or music, the swing with the music but not the mobile, the swing with the mobile but not the music...you get the idea. The result? You can tailor the swing to your child's tastes, without wasting battery power on features you don't need. The removable activity bar and two-directional feature are just more of the same--this swing is really designed to tailor itself to each child's unique preferences.
Speaking of batteries, as that's a question that tends to come up--how quickly you burn through them depends, of course, on how much you use your swing, and how many features you use. I tend to go all-out on features and probably use the swing four or five times a day, sometimes for two hours at a shot if my baby's napping and I fall asleep on the couch without turning it off. With all that, I go through maybe one set of batteries every 4-6 weeks--a fair price, in my opinion, for the TREMENDOUS amount of use I get out of it.
There's just one feature of this swing I can't get behind one-hundred-and-ten percent, and that's the speed settings. The slowest speed is plenty fast, especially if your little one, like mine, is a lightweight. I've known people who were afraid to turn it on at all for that reason. When my husband and I started turning ours on, our son weighed about eight pounds, and it took a while before we managed to convince ourselves that it wasn't going to catapult him across the room. He's four months old and about 12 pounds now, and the slowest speed is still more than fast enough for him. I doubt I'll ever use the higher settings. As for the slowest one being too fast, though, that's not a problem for baby so much as it might be for you. It may look like it would make YOU nauseus, but I guarantee you, baby will love it. It may look like it's going to chuck your baby across the room...but trust me, it won't. The harness is secure, the seat lives up to its name in that it really CRADLES your baby, so he couldn't fall out if he tried, and, in reality, it's not THAT fast. It just FEELS very fast, especially to an overprotective first-time parent--a fear that you'll get over very quickly if you find, as I did, that the swing is the ONLY way to get your baby to stop crying.
Overall, a WONDERFUL, worth-every-penny, can't-live-without-it product. As for the speeds, I have yet to find ANY multi-speed swing that doesn't have the same problem; companies build them with maximum rather than minimum weights in mind, I guess. And, as I said, it really ISN'T a problem, as the lowest speed is great for most babies. You're just not likely to find yourself using the others, so it's sort of a wasted feature. Even so, it's ultimately better to have the option than not, especially if you happen to have a particularly heavy (or thrill-seeking) baby.
I recommend this swing WHOLEHEARTEDLY. I really don't understand how people survived before these things were invented--I know I couldn't have!!
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