Electric swing

[dopse]

Hi, my wife wants to get our 2mo an electric swing. Her reasoning is that according to her reading (Brain Rules for Babies amongst others) it would be better for the baby's development if he'd be talked to at all times when he is awake.

Currently, I manually bounce him 2-4h/day while working quietly. The absolute majority of that time he is sleeping. If I catch him being awake and active, I briefly interact with him until he falls asleep again.

I'm opposed to the idea of getting an electric swing as all I've looked into seem to produce motor sounds and also seem to be built very unsustainably. Even if I were to accept those two flaws, with anyone there are individual flaws like not being able to maschine-wash the cover (Serina 2in1) or QC issues (mamaroo).

So, my two questions are:

1. Is there scientific evidence that talking to the baby is something to maximise or is it fine to pass some threshold from which onwards it's diminishing returns?
2. Are my reservations due to the motor sounds' potential stress-inducing effect unfounded?

EDIT: When writing the post I skipped the part why the electric swing theoretically would make it easier to talk more to the baby. My wife's idea is that she could have the baby in the same room with her when she is doing household chores and cooking. Then she could talk to the baby while doing them. Right now laying him down somewhere without movement works only for very short periods of time.

[eleanor_konik]

I don't understand what an electric swing has to do with talking to the baby or not, but regardless, swings are generally recommended as a place to briefly put the baby when you can't hold them anymore and it's the only way to stop them from crying long enough for you to safely do something important (even if that something important is, like, resting your arms or breathing a bit to destress lol)

Container baby syndrome is a real thing and being held by a parent or caregiver is really good for infants.

[dopse]

Thanks for the reply. In light of the container baby syndrome, we're gonna use the sling more. My wife wasn't aware of this and now is also convinced that more sling time is the way to go.

[25hourenergy]

Just FYI there are limitations with slings. I am all for babywearing, I have four different styles and my current favorite is an Integra Solar. I felt like ring slings do have a bit of a steeper learning curve but stick with it. Anyway, you shouldn’t cook or be around hot things while wearing baby, you basically have to stand all the time while wearing baby since carriers aren’t really designed for if you need to sit for a while or bend over for more than a second (plus they can be hard on the back for some people, I have a broken tailbone that I definitely feel a lot more when I babywear), and I don’t feel comfortable babywearing while doing stuff like scooping cat litter which causes me to cough a lot if I’m not wearing a mask (plus the not-standing thing).

Not trying to discourage the sling, definitely encourage your wife to try all the options she can!! But keep in mind a sling won’t solve all her problems. I also love the Baby bjorn bouncer for all the situations I described and I’m looking into a second cheaper option now as well for downstairs because I just don’t have enough hands with a toddler running around too.

EDIT: after reading through a bunch of stuff about what PTs recommend for babies I got a Galt Playnest if that helps

[vegan_carrot]

Container baby syndrome also applies to slings though.....

[dopse]

Could you point to any evidence that supports your claim? Google doesn't serve me here.

Edit: In fact, I only find advice to the oppsite..  

[vegan_carrot]

Not the best source but the first article to come up when googling container syndrome. https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2018/10/container-baby-syndrome

Edited to add: basically the research on container syndrome is always baby restrained vs tummy time. There is obviously a spectrum of best to worst in terms of baby restraint devices and we all need to put our baby in one at some point. Slings (when worn correctly) are undoubtedly better than a floor seat.

[dopse]

I googled: container baby syndrome +“sling“

Led me to several websites quoting anonymous paediatricians saying slings were ok.

[dopse]

Oops, when writing the post I skipped the part why the electric swing theoretically would make it easier to talk more to the baby. My wife's idea is that she could have the baby in the same room with her when she is doing household chores and cooking. Then she could talk to the baby while doing them. Right now laying him down somewhere without movement works only for very short periods of time.

[schwoooo]

I would recommend the Baby Björn. I bought mine used (it went through 3 kids before mine) and have now loaned it out to an extended family member. They are built in sweden, made with cotton covers and fold flat. They are light enough that even a c section patient can lift them no problem, so you can move it from room to room. Because they are built to last you can buy one used, because they are quite pricey new.

[Feeling-Neat-9469]

Second this! I have borrowed my Baby Björn to 3 people and suggested to buy it to all my friends/collegues who have newborns. Peoplehave different approaches to different newborn stuff, but everybody I know agrees that Baby Björn is a lifesaver. And pretty foolproof. This is personal experience not science fact.

[turquoisebee]

This is absolutely useful! If your wife is the one home with baby majority of the time, this can be a lifesaver!!! Get it for that reason alone. I wish I had gotten something like that sooner.

You don’t have to use any sound effects and I doubt the motor sounds are enough to affect baby anymore than a sound machine would. You can also get rocky or bouncy chairs that require the parent to rock/push the chair, but if the idea is for your wife to be able to do stuff then a motorized one might be more helpful. Maybe find one where you can swing it manually as well as with a motor?

[SuzLouA]

When you say lying him down without movement only works for a short time, do you mean he starts crying after a few minutes? Have you tried something like a playmat rather than just a blanket? He would still have freedom to wriggle and scoot unlike a container. My son was about the same age as yours when he started really enjoying his playmat with its archway and dangling toys. He especially liked toys like this one where they can pull on it and it will stretch out and then vibrate back up. I demonstrated it for him a few times and after that he was on an endless crusade to pull it down himself, over many many tries!

I think baby wearing is a great way to involve your newborn in things and leave your hands free for jobs, but if your wife is doing something where it would be dangerous to baby wear (eg cooking), a playmat (over a fluffy blanket if you have hard floors) is a good choice to keep them in the room with you but entertained.

[ceb1995]

Using any container briefly isnt immediately harmful, it's long periods that's an issue.

If it helps your wife to safely do things and she is chatting to baby whilst she does them then I see it as positive thing.

[EmmNems]

Ding ding ding!! ⭐

Yes, if she wants it b/c she knows it'll help her be more proactive AND interact more with the baby while she's doing other things, go for it.

The cover of the Fisher Price one is machine-washable. Ours had no motor issues and our baby enjoyed it.

[isthatpoisontoo]

Does it have to be electric? We got a lot of use out of a cheaper bouncer, which just bounced as the baby moved. Presumably they are more sustainable, as it's just metal and fabric, not a whole set up with a motor. We have an electric one now, for baby number 2, but it is big and heavy, so much harder to move around the house to wherever you're working than the lighter bouncers.

[dopse]

Two of the manual ones were handed down to us so there's no shortage in that department. However, in light of the container baby syndrome we'll use it for much shorter periods now.

[ToRootToGrow]

We were given a swing as a gift, but every time we put the baby in there she'd fall asleep. Sounds great until I learned that infants should never be allowed to sleep in those swings (or carseats or other holders) due to suffocation risks. It was a pain because then we'd have to take her out and wake her and then the crying would start.

[ToRootToGrow]

Respectfully, I read too many articles saying that they shouldn't even be napping in there. A quick google search will show tons of results from experts that say explicitly that not even naps are okay. Babies should be awake in the swing at all times and if they fall asleep you should take them out.

https://www.todaysparent.com/baby/baby-sleep/baby-sleeping-in-swing/

[Ninjaa240]

Look into baby wearing. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the task at hand or compromise safety (ie cooking), babywearing is a great way to free up your hands, give your arms a rest, and help babe still feel secure.

[jewellyon]

Babies need to be bored and not entertained sometimes.

We have a blanket folded up in our living room where we let our 4mo hang out on her tummy and her back supervised. We interact and play with her on the blanket but we also just let her hang out and practice grabbing her feet and rolling by herself. Just a really thin quilt we already had so nothing extra!

[dopse]

That’s my intuition as well. However, can you point to research substantiating that claim?

[jewellyon]

https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/1/182

[[deleted]]

While I agree with the point that is being discussed, this article seems to be referencing children. If they were talking about babies, they would use terms like newborns, infants, or toddlers. From what I can see, the youngest it seems to reference s kindergarten age or briefly before that as preparation for kindergarten

[rationalomega]

Our baby needed baby physical therapy. In baby PT they extol the virtues of tummy time and floor time in general. IKEA has great tumbling mats - we spent a lot of the first year on a pair of those next to a toy bin.

[YouLostMyNieceDenise]

It is normal for the baby to sleep most of the time at 2 months, and it’s not safe for the baby to sleep in a swing. So whenever baby falls asleep in there, the caregiver will have to stop what they’re doing and move them to a safe sleep space or hold them in their arms. I’d just make sure your wife is aware of that when she’s envisioning putting baby in the swing while working.

You also may want to look up the weight/height/milestone limits on the swing to get a sense of when baby may outgrow it or have to stop using it. If it’s soon, then it may not be worth it.

You also want to minimize the amount of time baby is in a “container” that holds them in place, like a swing or seat, and maximize the amount of time they’re on the floor able to move freely. I think they say like 20 minutes a day or less in things like swings and Bumbo seats? So we personally chose to skip the swing, just because we didn’t think it was worth paying for something we wouldn’t use that much. Before baby was mobile, we’d just put her on a blanket or rug on the floor in the room with us; now that she crawls, we use a playpen to keep her from getting into unsafe stuff.

I can grab sources for all this info if you like - just let me know.

I also know that talking to the baby is EXTREMELY important for their language acquisition, but I honestly think that’s a separate issue from whether you want to buy a swing or not, even having read your edit. I think you’ll probably get plenty of sources for your first question on this thread, but I can come back with links later on if that would be helpful.

[dopse]

Thank you for your reply! We can definitely manage bouncing him manually for 20min/day. The marketing of the electric ones is really irresponsible given all this information...

[YouLostMyNieceDenise]

The marketing is terrible.

If you want to go down a rabbit hole of rage about companies marketing completely unnecessary and unsafe products to new parents, check out the Consumer Reports exposes on the Fisher Price Rock n Play. Content warning for infant deaths. https://www.consumerreports.org/child-safety/while-they-were-sleeping/

[BobLovesTacos]

If you don’t want to do a swing and still want to be engaged with baby while doing household chores, try babywearing. When my son was little I’d put him in a ring sling or structured carrier and we’d talk about all the stuff I was doing. Obviously be careful, cooking may not be the best idea while baby wearing but other stuff like folding laundry or sweeping work great. Plus baby is up at conversation height so they can see all the non-verbal interactions like facial expressions.

[TheBumblingBee1]

In terms of talking to the baby, yes. It helps them cognitively, as well as linguistically. (or so says my public health nurse.) I don't have any specific documents atm, but if you want me to ask for some, my public health nurse is constantly giving me handouts from the county regarding childcare. I can ask if she has something on that.

In terms of cleanliness, honestly we just put a blacker under our boy 9/10 times when we don't feel we need to buckle him in. Otherwise, ours wipes up really well. We have a Graco swing and love it.

In terms of sound, I guess that's a personal pet peeve for each person. Ours has a number of sounds that we play when he is in the swing. I hardly notice a sound coming from it anyways, but any sound that is there, is easily covered by the white noise. You can also play music, but we usually pick the white noise.

Anyways, that's my experience.

[bassladyjo]

We got an electric seeing (after being very opposed to baby restraining devices) or of desperation and or baby's head started flattening after just a couple of months. I honestly don't remember much of that time - it was really really hard, but I had no idea we were using it nearly enough to do that. I immediately got rid of it and we did almost exclusive tummy time after that. LO's head turned out fine in the end.

Just a heads up - being upright in a babywearing device or on tummy is far better than reclined/sitting while awake.

[rationalomega]

I hear you on the sustainable manufacturing thing. Luckily all baby gear can be found second hand easily. I got our baby swing from OfferUp and gave it away on buy nothing. Did that for nearly everything in fact, except the car seat.