Sleep & Monitoring
Powered swings, rockers and vibrating bouncers rated on motion, safety and value, for supervised awake time only.
Best first
A light, rotating swing that starts swaying on its own when your baby gets fussy, and runs on batteries when there's no socket.
Best for Most parents who want a proper electric swing that's light enough to carry between rooms and smart enough to react to fussing.
Still the swing that moves most like a parent, now sold under the UPPAbaby name, and still priced like it knows it.
Best for Parents who want the most natural-feeling motion and like the idea of adjusting it from their phone or a smart speaker.
A sleek, light side-to-side swing with a remote and Bluetooth, and some of the happiest owner reviews on the high street.
Best for Parents who want a compact, modern-looking swing they can control from the sofa.
A light, good-looking swing with a remote, timers and Bluetooth, held back by middling owner reviews.
Best for Parents who want a stylish, lightweight swing that works with or without a socket.
A full-size swing whose seat lifts off to become a portable rocker, at a price that undercuts most rivals.
Best for Parents who want a swing and a rocker for the price of one, and have the floor space.
A no-frills, battery-powered swing that folds flat, for about the price of a takeaway.
Best for Parents on a tight budget, or anyone wanting a cheap second swing for the grandparents' house.
A vibrating bouncer and rocker that becomes a toddler seat, so it earns its floor space for far longer than a swing.
Best for Parents who'd rather have a simple bouncer that lasts into toddlerhood than a swing that's outgrown at six months.
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Side by side
Tap a column to sort. Scores are out of 10.
| Product | Links | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maxi-Cosi Cassia Electric SwingGold Star | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 7.4 | £180 | Amazon |
| UPPAbaby Mamaroo Smart SwingSplurge Star | 7.6 | 9.3 | 8.1 | 8.4 | 5.2 | 5.6 | £320 | Amazon |
| Munchkin Bluetooth Baby Swing | 7.5 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 8.4 | 7.2 | 7.0 | £180 | Amazon |
| Mamas & Papas Alto Smart Swing | 7.4 | 7.0 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 6.8 | £169 | Amazon |
| Joie Serina 2in1 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 8.0 | £140 | Amazon |
| Graco Baby Delight SwingValue Star | 6.8 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 8.2 | 8.8 | £40 | Amazon |
| Ingenuity Keep Cozy 3-in-1 Bouncer | 6.7 | 4.0 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 8.2 | £70 | Amazon |
Before you buy
A swing moves the seat for you, on mains or battery power, so it keeps going while your hands are full. A bouncer moves when your baby kicks or you give it a nudge; on budget models the only powered part is a vibration unit. A rocker is rocked by hand, and some products, like the Joie Serina 2in1, combine a swing frame with a lift-off rocker.
Swings help most when you need sustained soothing, but they're bulky and most are outgrown at around six months or 9kg. A bouncer is cheaper and lighter, and some, like the Ingenuity Keep Cozy, convert into a toddler seat, so they earn their floor space for longer.
Babies have preferences, and you won't know yours until you try. The Mamaroo combines up-and-down with side-to-side movement; the Maxi-Cosi Cassia and Joie Serina switch between front-to-back and side-to-side; the Munchkin sways side to side; the Graco Baby Delight swings front to back. More motion options mean a better chance of finding one your baby likes, which is part of what you pay for with pricier models.
If you can, try before you buy, and check the returns policy. Argos, for example, excludes the Mamas & Papas Alto from its 30-day money back guarantee.
Mains-only swings, like the Mamaroo and Munchkin, tend to live in one room near a socket. The Maxi-Cosi Cassia and Mamas & Papas Alto run on mains or AA batteries, which makes them easier to move around the house. Battery-only models like the Graco Baby Delight (four C cells) have no cable to trip over, but if you use one every day the batteries add up, so rechargeable cells are worth buying.
Bluetooth speakers, remotes and apps let you change the speed or the music without leaning over your baby, which is genuinely useful. The Mamaroo works with the UPPAbaby app, Alexa and Google Home; the Munchkin and Alto come with remotes; and the Cassia starts swaying on its own when it senses your baby getting fussy. Graco also makes an Eluma Sway with cry detection, but it was out of stock on Graco's UK site when I checked.
None of this changes the golden rule: a swing is for supervised awake time, and a sleeping baby belongs in their cot.
Swings make good hand-me-downs, as long as you check a few things. Get the manual (most are online), make sure every strap and part is there, and search 'product recalls' on gov.uk. If you're offered an older 4moms mamaRoo, check the model: in 2022 around two million older mamaRoo swings with three-point harnesses were recalled in the US and Canada over a strap entanglement risk for crawling babies, with a free strap fastener as the fix.
No. The Lullaby Trust advises against letting babies sleep in anything that keeps them seated or inclined, including swings and bouncy chairs, because it can restrict their breathing. If your baby dozes off, lift them out and lay them on their back in their cot or Moses basket. UPPAbaby's Mamaroo manual says the same: never let your baby sleep in it, because it doesn't replace a cot.
Every swing and bouncer in this roundup is designed for use from birth, usually with a newborn insert and the seat in its most reclined position. Follow the manual on recline: UPPAbaby says to keep the Mamaroo fully reclined until your baby is at least four months old and can hold their head up without help.
At the weight limit, or as soon as your baby starts trying to sit up, roll or push up, whichever comes first. Most swings here stop at 9kg, while the Mamaroo goes to 11.3kg. The Ingenuity Keep Cozy is the exception, converting into a stationary toddler seat for up to 30 months.
It has the most convincing motion here and the best smart controls, and its three-year warranty helps. But at around £320 it costs well over half as much again as the Maxi-Cosi Cassia, which covers most of what parents need, runs on batteries and is far easier to move. Buy the Mamaroo if motion quality is your priority and you have the space; otherwise, keep the money.
They're cheap and light, and some babies love the gentle buzz, but vibration is a mild effect compared with a powered swing. A good bouncer earns its keep as a safe, supervised place to put your baby down, especially models like the Ingenuity Keep Cozy that convert into a toddler seat later.