Bright Starts Up, Up & Away Plug In Sway & Swing Review

Saturday, November 2, 2013

DISCLOSURE: I received a free Bright Starts Up, Up & Away Plug In Sway & Swing to try and review.  My opinions are my own.

All my babies loved being in a swing.  Baby #4 is no exception.  So, I was excited to get a chance to try the Bright Starts Up, Up & Away Plug In Sway & Swing.  We never had anything like this for my other children and I thought this would be really great to have in the house.

The Up, Up & Away Plug In Sway & Swing is a full size swing that can swing back and forth or sway side to side.  The seat can face left, center or right.  It features six speeds and a 30, 45 and 60-minute timer.  It plays 20 minutes of 8 melodies and 3 nature sounds and also includes a mobile with two playtime toys.  The swing features a five point harness and non-slip feet for safety.  The swing can either run on 4 D batteries or can be powered by AC adapter.  It's recommended for babies weighing up to 25 lbs and can be used from birth.
The swing requires assembly.  When I opened the box, that task seemed daunting!  Look at all the parts:


Putting it together was pretty hard.  There were some pieces in my box that were disassembled, but were shown as put together in the manual.  So, I had some extra assembling to do.  There were some pieces that just did not want to come together!  I had to use a rubber mallet (with my husband's help) to force some pieces together.  It was pretty frustrating and I had to break up the assembly over a few days because it was stressing me out!

I could not get this one leg in and even my husband had to use some force.

This screw just wouldn't go in. You had to hold things just so to get the holes to line up and in the end, my husband had to use a screwdriver to widen the hole to get it to go through.

Once it was put together, though, it wasn't bad.  Be warned, it does have a pretty large footprint.  If you have a small space, then this swing isn't for you.  Here it is in our kitchen:


We like to keep it in the kitchen, so baby girl can hang out with us and play or nap while we eat.  But, our kitchen isn't very big, so someone almost always seems to trip on it.  Plus, the swing seat can easily be knocked out of position.  You just need to turn the seat to make it face left, right or center.

When I first put baby girl in it, she immediately reached up for one of the toys in the mobile.  She likes the swaying motion and the music and seems to enjoy being in the swing.


It would have been nice if the toys on the mobile weren't so hard.  I'm always afraid of them hitting her head when she's in the swing.  A rotating mobile would have been nice, too.  I think that would keep her attention longer.

The swing is pretty easy to operate.  There's an off/on switch and buttons to turn on the timer, adjust swing speeds, adjust the volume and to turn on music and sounds.


I really like the music.  It's really pleasant and soothing.  The nature sounds are pretty nice, too.  I like that it plays for a long time and you can start it up again with just a press of a button.

The swing is also pretty quiet.  When you don't have the music on, you can barely hear it.

Something I have noticed with the swing is there's a slight tilt.  No matter if the swing is facing left, front or right, the swing seems to tilt in one direction.  Not good when I find baby napping and tilting to one side:


This shows the tilt a little better:


Another problem I had with the swing -- which just may be my particular unit -- is I could not get it to recline.  

Overall, it's a pretty nice swing and like most things, it has its pros and cons.

PROS:
  • Swings back and forth and sways side to side
  • Includes an AC adapter, so you save on batteries
  • Baby can face three different directions
  • Plays nice music and nature sounds
  • Lower price point than similar swings
  • Swing motor is quiet
CONS:
  • Difficult to put together
  • Large footprint
  • Not as soft or plush as other similar swings
  • Stationary mobile with hard toys
Would you recommend it?
The swing is decent.  It is set at a lower price point than other similar full size swings.  If this is all you could afford, it would be a perfectly fine swing to use.  I like that it swings in two directions and the music and sounds are nice.  The AC adapter is great and helps to save on batteries.  Plus, my daughter enjoys being in it.

How much does it cost?
It retails for $99.99.

Where can I buy it?
It's available on Amazon.com and at Walmart physical and online stores.

3 comments:

  1. I have this swing too and I would consider the seat tilt to be a pretty bad design flaw.

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  2. Thanks for such a nice post,its really informational...Thanks

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  3. I had this swing for my youngest son. There was no seat tilt to ours, that I had ever noticed. When he was a small infant, I put the head stabilizer, similar to what are in infant car seats, in his swing also. It worked great. I loved this swing.

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