We’ve really enjoyed being part of the Chad Valley Play Panel over the past few months, and I’ve shared reviews of fun toys that my boys have enjoyed (see what they thought of the Chad Valley Rally Challenge and the Chad Valley Hover Craft) so today I thought I’d share one of their toys for the young age group: the Chad Valley baby swing.
I’ve been trying this out for a couple of weeks with baby N, who’s now two months old.
We have the Chad Valley Baby Swing in the Circus Friends design which is quite jolly and colourful. It comes with a detachable toy bar with three different things to keep baby entertained while they’re swinging, which N enjoys looking at, particularly the one on the left with the colourful balls inside it.
The swings is motorised, so it moves by itself and has six different speeds. You’ll need size C batteries which are put in near the control panel. Adding the batteries was the only time we needed a screw driver while assembling – it all slots together quickly and easily, and seems sturdy once assembled.
To activate the swinging speeds, there’s a really easy dial on the side. We are sticking to the slower speeds for now as it is quite powerful! As she gets older, we’ll experiment with the faster swinging.
If you want to, you could also just gently push the swing yourself and it moves easily.
There are two seat positions with the swing – a flat position for younger babies, or a more raised seated position for older ones. It’s really easy to adjust the seat, you just pull it up or down.
Here’s the reclined position, which you can see is pretty flat so it’s suitable from birth. We have tried N in the more upright position too but as she’s still on the younger side, reclined is best for her for now.
I’d never used a swing like this with any of the boys (only bouncing chairs) so this is a new piece of baby equipment for us. Baby N seems to enjoy it and I find its good for entertaining her and keeping her happy in the early evening when she can start to feel a bit grumpy and needs a distraction. It’s also somewhere handy to sit her to read stories or sing nursery rhymes with her. You don’t always have to turn on the swinging motion, so it doubles up as a chair for them.
The Chad Valley baby swing is available for 44.99 at Argos, which I think is a great value price. Most swings are more expensive than this, but this one does everything you need it to do and is well made and fun for baby. It does also fold up for storage if you want to reclaim your living room, or take it away with you.
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
These baby swings are amazing and the happiness they bring your children are just so joyful to see.
We have the graco baby swing and its been unbelievably helpful especially with now having 2 children.