When you have a baby, their safety immediately becomes your top priority. This is why you need to ensure they are safe in every piece of baby care equipment you purchase. This includes baby swings. While many parents use this as a primary method to care for and soothe their babies. Others worry that it may not be a good option for their developing baby.
Are electric baby swings safe? Baby swing manufacturers have been working to create swings for years that are known to be safe when operated. If you use the baby swing properly, then yes, it is safe for babies to use.
There have been some reports of death in baby swings. This happens when a parent allows their child to use the swing incorrectly, resulting in ultimate harm to the baby. This can be prevented by following the requirements necessary to keep your swinging baby happy and healthy. Luckily, I’ve outlined the guidelines below to make sure your baby’s electric swing is keeping them safe.
Making Sure Your Baby Is Safe In Their Swing
Electric swings are a great way to keep your baby from fussing and can easily calm them down and help them feel relaxed. When you’re caring for them, you want to make sure they are in the swing for the recommended amount of time and aren’t moving at a speed that is too quick. By ensuring they are safe in their swing at all times, you can keep them from developing any damage to their brain.
Many believe an electric swing can be harmful to their baby, as there are suspicions that it can cause Shaken Baby Syndrome or SBS. This normally happens when a caregiver or parent becomes irritated or frustrated with a child and starts to shake them.
This causes the baby’s brain to halt development. It can also give the baby severe whiplash as their neck muscles are not yet strong enough to hold up their head.
Since this is normally caused by intentional abuse from a parent or guardian, it’s very rare that this can accidentally happen to your child while they’re in the swing. If you don’t follow the required guidelines when keeping them in a swing, however, it can lead to further harm to your baby’s brain and head.
Here are the different guidelines to keep in mind when safely placing your baby in the swing throughout the day.
Don’t Keep Them in The Swing For Too Long
Just like their brains, babies’ bodies are constantly growing, changing, and developing. This means they need to be moving on their own to develop certain muscles and motor skills. Only allow them to lay in their swing for approximately 30 minutes at a time, for a few portions of the day.
If they lay in an electric swing for too long, this can make the baby dizzy and overwhelmed. You’ll want to remove them from the swing to let them lay down in a stable position on the floor or in their crib so they can move on their own. This is also helpful for their brains as they stay in one place without moving too much.
Don’t keep your baby in the swing to take long naps or sleep overnight. Their brains can’t handle staying in a motorized swing for hours at a time. This can cause them to get sick or experience motor issues or brain damage. If your baby does become relaxed enough in the swing that it makes them drift to sleep, they are okay to swing for under 10 minutes in the swing.
After 10 minutes of rest, they can remain in the swing if you make sure to turn it off while they’re sleeping. Babies also need love, affection, and attention. This is why you want to make sure you’re still holding them and providing love and care. Try not to make the swing too much of a substitute for holding your baby.
Refrain From Putting Too Many Objects In Their Swing
Be sure to keep from putting padding inside of the swing. They are made with the baby’s comfort in mind. So, the padding that is already built inside of the swing should be plenty comfortable for your baby to experience while swinging if they are given too many pillows or blankets while in the swing, they could possibly become at risk for SIDs (sudden infant death).
This occurs when a baby is in an unsafe and uncomfortable environment. If the baby is given too much padding, like with pillows or blankets, for instance, they can experience SIDs. The excess padding can cause them to become too warm and can intensely harm their fragile growing bodies.
You can easily avoid this by refraining from putting any extra fluff in their swing. You can put their favorite blanket or stuffed animal inside of the swing, but make sure not to go overboard.
Keep Them Safe and Secure Inside The Swing
Some parents may assume their baby isn’t safe inside of a swing because they may risk the dangers of falling out. Several baby equipment manufacturers pride themselves on making sure a baby doesn’t fall out of its swing. They do this by installing several different straps and safety features.
A lot of baby swing brands will include different multifunctional straps to keep them snug at all times. Be sure you’re strapping them in well by using the adjustable straps to ensure they won’t fall out, but also that they’re comfortable and the straps aren’t too tight. Straps in the swing that are too tight for your baby can restrain them from moving their muscles, keeping them from fully developing.
When the baby is strapped in, make sure you’ve moved the swing in a reclining position for babies under four months. Babies under the age of four months need to sit in a reclining motion so their head is properly held. Their neck muscles aren’t yet strong enough for them to hold their head up on their own. Make sure you’re keeping this in mind when placing them in the swing.
Don’t Let Anyone Else Push The Baby In The Swing
Electric swings are known to be effective and helpful because they swing your baby to and fro in a rhythmic and consistent motion. This helps to soothe the baby and isn’t too overwhelming for them and their brains while trying to relax. A way that this relaxation can be disrupted is if something else comes in to disturb the ongoing rhythm of the swing.
We know how excited other children can be when a new little brother or sister is brought into the world. This means they will want to do everything together, including pushing them as they swing along. This can get extremely dangerous for the baby.
A newborn baby needs to be swinging without any distractions that may overwhelm it. While a child has good intentions to keep the baby happy, the swing disruption can cause damage to the baby’s brain. Be sure to communicate with your child the dangers of letting them swing the baby on their own as it can overwhelm the baby’s senses.
Monitor The Speed Setting Depending on Their Age
It’s very common to become concerned about a swing moving too fast and causing Shaken Baby Syndrome to take place for your child. Luckily, swing manufacturers have created swings specifically designed to keep the baby from experiencing too fast of a motion.
This still means you need to keep an eye out for the speed that the swing is moving at. Make sure they aren’t going too quickly for their age. At one month, set the speed to the lowest setting and let the baby swing at that speed. As the baby gets older, move it up one-speed setting for each month of its life.
If the swing does seem to be going too quick for the baby, they will make sure to let you know they are experiencing discomfort. This is why you should never leave the baby unattended while in the swing.
Always keep a lookout to make sure your baby looks either happy or relaxed in the swing. If you see any type of discomfort appear on your face, you should take them out immediately and switch to a slower setting next time they’re in the swing.
Don’t Give Them Too Many Distractions
As your baby swings along, they will begin to feel soothed and ultimately relaxed. That can’t happen if the baby is noticing different colors, objects, or more. Try not to buy a swing that is flashy or contains items like mobiles to entertain the baby. This is the time in the baby’s day where he or she doesn’t need to be entertained.
Babies’ brains aren’t yet ready to handle different distractions happening all at once. The swinging motion, in combination with bright colors or objects handing off of the mobile, can become too much of an overload for the baby.
Make sure not to let them grab any toys off of the swing if you do decide to purchase a swing with various items. If they swallow any of these objects, it can become a choking hazard for your baby.
The swinging motion can also be considered a distraction to the baby. Many manufacturers will sell swings that move in all sorts of different directions like side to side or even in a diagonal fashion. You don’t want your child moving in these motions as this can cause them to get sick or their brain can become confused.
Stick to a regular back and forth motion, as that it all your swing needs to do in order to properly relax the baby.
Keeping Your Baby Safe In An Electric Swing
It’s quite difficult for you to purchase a swing that wasn’t made with your baby’s safety in mind. Many toy and baby equipment manufacturers will stay up to date on different rules and guidelines to keep babies safe and happy. This is why you’ll find swings with various safety features made to keep them secure and not moving too fast.
Even though they have been created with the intention of safety, it takes so much more than that. As a parent or caregiver, it’s important to make sure the electric swing is being used safely. As long as you’re making sure to follow the above guidelines, you shouldn’t have any problems keeping them safe in their electric swing.
Matan Feldman, Dad & Swing Expert
My Name is Matan Feldman and I am a dad of a toddler and an infant based out of Atlanta. I manage this website, Safe Baby Fun (formerly known as Baby Swing Hubs), and mostly blog here about baby activity gear including swings, walkers, bouncers, and jumpers, among others. From what I have learned being a parent for over 7 years now, I am very excited to share good tips with other parents especially if it can improve the safety of kids. I work with a baby products testing and review company and over the past 2 years, I have gained deep insight into baby products and am happy to recommend them here. When I am not wasting time learning one or two tricks at home with my two kids, I spend a lot of time blogging on this site or on other sites to assist parents looking for first-hand insight or feedback on different baby products – especially from a dad’s perspective. If you have any questions, you can reach me using my email, matan@safebabyfun.com.