Fisher-Price Aquarium Cradle Swing is one of my favorite baby items

My mother bought the Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Cradle Swing for me when I was pregnant with my first child, five years ago. I didn't know it at the time, but she shelled out more than the average for a swing, between $200 and $240.

I find them online now around $200.

I used this swing for my daughter and son from the time each was 6 weeks to about 9 months for my daughter. My 6-month old son is still using it, but is bigger than my daughter and may not last until 9 months as his feet are right at the edge now.

My daughter loved the swing, and I am inclined to believe she remembered it because she got a little jealous when we pulled it out of storage for our son. I caught her in the nick of time trying to sit in it and yanked her to safety as I don't believe it supports 40 lb preschoolers.

My son loves to sleep in it, and so puts up a bit of a fuss if I'm putting him in it when he's not sleepy. It's very handy for keeping him safe and occupied, as is the Evenflo Exersaucer Mega, when mommy needs to get some work done nearby.

The good
It was very easy to put together. I did it myself without any tools. All the pieces have parts that just pop into premade holes. If I recall correctly, it was put together within a half hour, and it's never fallen apart. In fact, it looks almost as pretty after five years as it was the day I first put my daughter in it.

It swings side to side, and back to front. You easily change the direction by pressing in a plastic button at the front of the device that swings the arm 90 degrees. There are also two seat positions. One is cradle, for infants. The other is slightly inclined, for older babies. When my daughter was around 6 months, we put her in the second setting and put the swing in front of Baby Einstein videos for an hour or two. Ah, mommy and daddy time.

(I am going to speak in present tense so I don't have to keep switching between past for my daughter and present for my son)

It is very durable. I've read reviews saying that the motor failed, but I haven't had a single problem. There are very few pieces; just the large body, the mobile, and the tray. Not much to lose or break.

The wonderful
It is very soothing to my babies. The swing has many different levels (speeds) and features. My favorite speed is right in the middle. Once they're asleep I slow it down or turn it off. If they're especially fussy, a faster speed sometimes calms them down.

The sounds include rain, ocean, music, and something I call babbling brook which neither of my kids like and would make me feel like going to the bathroom. You can also turn off the sounds, and all other features. Both my kids prefer the music. It lasts a couple minutes, then switches off. You can hit the reset button to continue the music, and the volume is adjustable. I noticed that louder volumes helped my kids go to sleep faster.

The mobile has fish dangling from it and both kids follow the fish with their eyes. I assume they like that; I know I like watching them. What is really cute though is the fishbowl right above their heads that lights up and has confetti, sparkles, and little fish floating in it. My kids stare at that for a long time before they fall asleep.

Not so hot
The footprint of this swing is large. The legs spread out wide to keep the swing stable, which makes it secure but uses up a chunk of your living room. I've walked it out and it's about 5 feet wide by 4 feet deep. Expensive real estate when we lived in a one-bedroom condo, but ok in a generous-sized living room. You can pull the legs in for storage, but it doesn't collapse.

Battery life is very short. This swing takes 4 D-sized batteries and devours them. I went through a 4-pack at least once a week. Now I've switched to two sets of rechargeables so I always have a set ready. I get a much shorter use out of them (1 to 2 days) but at least I'm not going broke. It's easy to tell when to switch as the music gets warped when the batteries are low. Seriously, don't make your kids listen to it that way. I'm convinced it might make them tone deaf.

All in all
Regardless of the footprint and the hole in my wallet from batteries, I wouldn't have gone without this swing for either of my kids. It is my most used and favorite give from my baby shower, and one of my top baby items altogether.