Why did we get this product?
When my husband and I were expecting before our son was born we had bought the
Graco Travel System in Bancroft. We liked the system a lot and wanted to get the pack n play and swing to match. We received both as gifts at a baby shower about a month before my son was born.
Lovin' Hug Swing in Bancroft
At first the name on the swing is very confusing because we kept seeing Lovin' Hug and it wasn't the swing that matched our set. We learned that Graco has many different patterns in the Lovin' Hug line and that Bancroft is one of 25-30 designs that they have. Each of the designs is slightly different though and have their own personality.
The setup...
Like most of the baby equipment and toys in our home, my husband put this one together. He put this one up fairly quickly and commented that the assembly was not hard to do.
In a nutshell here is what needs to be done for the setup.
1. Insert and connect the seat wire into the chair and fasten it in
2. Then put the arms of the tubing into the brackets on the seat.
3. Attach the tray to the seat
4. Attach the legs to the housing unit (at the top of the triangle)
5. Make sure the tubing is on the base of the legs
6. Attach swing to the triangular base
7. Then insert the 5-point harness seat belt into the swing
8. Adjust the recline (for the age of the baby)
9. Install the batteries (requires 3 "D" batteries- of which we have had in for over 1 year and never needed to replace)
**Once set up this swing is a good size. The front is 24.5"across, Front-to-back is 34", and Top-to-floor is 36".
Some features of this swing
This swing has some great features including
music, nature sounds, volume control, a timer, 6 speeds of rocking, and teddy bears that hang on a mobile-like piece.
The control area for most of these features is found at the top of swing attached to the top of one of the triangle bases.
**The area that has the
six speeds for rocking has six buttons representing the speeds with the power on/off button in the middle. The speeds are easy to use either by choosing the speed first and then pressing the on button or pressing on and then pressing a number button to change the speed.
A smaller baby will swing higher on each setting than a larger baby.
**The
music for the swing includes 10 classical pieces. To turn on- just push the "music" button (which is a yellow button with a music note on it). To move to the next track just push the "music" button again.
**The
nature sounds have 5 different nature sounds. To turn on you push the "nature" button (which is a yellow button with a small bird on it). When you press the "nature button again it moves to the next sound. After the 5th sound it will go back to the first track.
The nature sounds are least impressive part of this swing. The sounds from what I can tell of them are supposed to represent the following:
1. Rain with Birds chirping
2. Rain
3. Rain with water lapping
4. Water lapping
5. ???Godzilla stomping???
The rain sounds are
very static-y and make those sounds similar to what your tv sounds like when you lose the picture and it goes into a black and white snow storm. Track 5 is also very bad... I can't even tell what it is supposed to be... Godzilla stomping is my best bet. We do like track 4 as it is the only clear sounding nature sound.
**
Volume control on this swing is great. There is a button to turn the music/nature off and two other buttons (one with a plus sign and one with a minus sign) to raise and lower the volume. There are 5 volume settings which are great at making the music/nature loud or soft enough for the situation.
**The
timer button can be used to set the timer for the swing and/or the music/nature sounds. When using the timer with the swing you can set it for 10,20, or 30 minutes depending on how many times you press the button. (You press it once for 10 minutes, twice for 20 minutes, and 3 times for 30 minutes). When using the timer with the swing the button will flash the number of times you press it. When using the timer with the music/nature sounds on the timer will set the same way as described for the swing, but there is no blinking light. The swing and/or music/nature sounds can also be used without the timer and will run until the power button is turned off.
**The
mobile is another cute part of the swing that hangs above the seat for the child to look at. This model has a mobile that has three legs that hold three teddy bears. Each stuffed teddy bear is white with brown eyes, nose, and mouth. Each bear is approximately 5" x 5".
The seat
The seat itself also has a recline feature. There are 4 recline positions depending on how old your child is. A younger baby needs the 2 most reclined positions while an older child can use the upper 2 positions. The chair is extremely easy to recline or sit up and the chair nicely locks into place.
The seat also has a head rest pillow for comfort for the baby. The headrest attaches easily through the straps on the chair and can be removed if not needed depending on the age of the baby.
There is also a tray that goes over the baby's lap and locks into place. The tray has room for toys and holes for drinks (although not very deep, so we typically don't put drinks on the tray).
The seat belt for the seat has easily adjustable straps for the 5-point harness system.
Intended use of the swing
This swing is meant for newborns up to when a child weight reaches 30lbs or when the child attempts to climb out. The instructions do say that babies under 5.5 lbs should
not use this swing. Also, some newborns cannot sit in a recline position and require some special needs, in this case consult a doctor before starting to use this swing.
Cleaning
The seat cover is removable and can be machine washed in cold water on a delicate cycle and drip dried.
The frame can be easily clean with a mild soap and warm water (no bleach or detergent on the frame).
Our experience
We have used this swing with my son since he was a week old. He has always found great comfort in using the swing. When he was younger and even now at almost 14 months old we used this swing when nothing else works when he is fussing and it
always calms him down (and usually to sleep). He likes the music and the water lapping nature sounds, but not the other nature sounds.
In the past two months, since he has been learning to walk more, he also enjoys walking over to his swing and pushing it. He will spend long periods of time just walking around the swing base and pushing his swing. Sometimes I think he enjoys that more than being in it.
Through the teething process this has been a lifesaver for us. When nothing else works and his teeth are just about to break through this can help him get to sleep- as long as he can see mommy and daddy close by.
My son is around 23lbs now and we plan on using this as long as we can!
Overall
We love this swing and think many others should know how great this swing is too! If you are looking for a swing for your child, this one may be for you!
For more information:
www.gracobaby.com
1-800-345-4109
