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Fisher-Price Zen Collection Cradle
New from:$143.95 (
)
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(average 4.5)

Overview / Features

  • Model: L8339. Manufacturer: Fisher-Price.
  • Part of the new high-end exclusive Zen Collection for Baby, sophisticated look has upscale materials and all the must have features moms look for
  • Features a seat that rotates 90 degrees to provide side-to-side cradle motion or front-to-back swing motion together with a range of speeds
  • Features two sound effect sound tracks and 14 songs in a unique Zen-like orchestration - 6 lullabies and 8 entertaining musical tracks
  • Beautiful accents and fabric design
  • Uniquely designed mobile with three fun patterned characters that moves gently and freely on their own to soothe and captivate baby

Product description

Bring baby a sense of comfort with the motion he enjoys most - whether it's rocking side-to-side or front-to-back. Surround him in softness - soft fabrics, a variety of music and the soft, gentile motion of the toys on the mobile.

For you, the function is two-fold, because the plush seat is removable, with wood handles that let you take baby from room to room! Whatever room you and baby end up in, the rich textures, earthy colors and beautiful wood accents will help create harmony in your home. Additional features include three-point restraint, two-position recline and machine-washable seat pad, pillow and attached blankets.

Features:

  • 2 swinging motions - side to side cradle motion or front to back swinging motion
  • Open top design with swing-away mobile for easy access to baby
  • Removable infant seat provides flexibility
  • Mobile with 3 patterned characters taht move gently on their own to soothe baby
  • Deep seat with soft blanket wrap, recline and 3-point restraint
  • 6 speeds
  • 14 songs in classical and lullaby style to Zen-like orchestration and 2 sound effect tracks
  • Volume control
  • Legs for storage
  • Requires 3 "C" batteries - not included
  • Dimensions: 30"L x 36"W x 44"H
  • Maximum Weight: 25 lbs.

Most helpful reviews

  Great (5)     Ok (3)     Bad (2)  

        Great swing. Ambiguous instructions
44 of 45 find this helpfulJun 20, 2008
I will agree with the previous reviewer that the assembly instructions leave a bit to be desired. In particular:

1. The infant seat legs can be installed backwards (and it looks like it would take a screwdriver plus a lot of elbow grease to ease the locking "tabs" back out to separate the parts again -- I was lucky and guessed right the first time)
2. There's some white foam wrapped around the inner support bars of the seat frame that have a "do not cut" sticker on them. That does NOT mean "find some other way to remove this packing material besides cutting it off".. those styrofoam pads are supposed to STAY on the bars (as cushioning since they are right next to the baby under the seat material), so DO NOT REMOVE THEM at all. The tubes are white (i.e. don't match the rest of the swing) which makes it look as if they don't belong in the assembled product at first, so it would be easy to mistakenly rip them off in the initial frenzy of unpacking.
3. Yes, the mobile plug has 3 prongs and the socket has 4, but push firmly and everything snaps together fine. The mismatch prevents the mobile from ever coming back out. Fortunately, you can't accidentally install this part backwards. :-)

As for the swing itself, it's great! I didn't think we'd really use the removable infant-seat feature, but it comes in really handy: when kiddo has a wet diaper, I can just pick up the entire chair off the swing (with baby strapped into it), walk to the room with the changing table, and put him down while prepping the wipes and new diaper. The built-in, foldover blankets are a nice touch. The "Zen" music is just new-agey versions of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and a few classic pieces, but is still less jarring than standard baby-gear music.

Switching the swing direction from side-to-side to fore-aft direction is best done by picking up the infant seat out of the socket, rotating it, and then reseating it. It is possible to rotate the chair without picking it up, but it takes a fair amount of force and would be quite jarring to any child who was actually seated in the chair during that operation.

The swinging action is smooth and quiet. There's just the tiniest bit of sway in the frame itself with each swing because of the slight gap between the legs and the sockets in the motor housing where they snap in. It doesn't bother me (i.e. there's no accompanying rattling noise and the swing is still rock-solid), and could probably easily be remedied by shimming the gap with some paper.

The mobile doesn't move on its own. And the stripe pattern on the parasols is not reproduced on the bottom which seems a bit silly to me. (i.e. you and I see a high-contrast pattern from the top, but the baby just sees a uniform brown disc of plastic from beneath -- whose visual acuity is supposed to be stimulated here anyway?) It is nice that the mobile swings out of the way. Getting the baby in and out of the swing is a breeze.

Overall, very happy with this purchase. The design, materials and operation are solid. I withhold one star because the assembly instructions really don't cut it.

        Phenomenal Swing!
12 of 12 find this helpfulSep 23, 2008
I am so glad that we spent the extra money and bought this swing. I put this swing together in about 30 min while I was 35 weeks pregnant and on modified bed rest. It was a cinch, and the directions were self explanatory. I never had the slightest problem.

The design and color of this swing is a perfect match for our homes decor and paint. The swing itself feels sturdy and comfortable. The cover comes off easily to wash and the mobile is just enough to keep baby entertained but not restrict the view for him to look else where and for us to see him. The seat comes off so easily and turns directions without any effort. It is so easy to place the seat back on the swing, no need to jostle baby around. I was very pleasantly surprised how high the seat actually sits up off the floor when not on the swing. It is almost chair or couch height which is perfect. It is also good if you have pets walking around. All in all we are so pleased with this swing. If I had to pick one thing that would make it better, would be the music is a little low at full volume, but considering the rest of the perks. I can live with that.

Update on swing since our son arrived:

I can't say enough about this swing, it is literally worth it's weight in gold to us. Our son is 2.5 weeks old and he has slept in the seat since he came home from the hospital. He LOVES it! I can take him anywhere with out waking him and he sleeps like a rock in it. He hates to be swaddled so this swing gives him the snuggled feeling that makes most babies sleep well but keeps his arms free like he wants. He is in the seat or swinging day and night. Our pediatrician told us while they are newborns that whatever makes them sleep and is safe to let them sleep there, so this will be our most used item for a while since he is not very comfy in his crib or playard yet.

He loves to swing also. It's nice that it rocks both ways. The cover on the seat is so soft and the blanket on it is very nice to have. It comes off and washes in a cinch. The music if very nice a soothing, however I do wish it would go a little louder.

This swing was by far our best purchase for our son!


        Best Swing Ever
8 of 8 find this helpfulSep 18, 2008
We love this swing. It is the only place our daughter will take a nap. It moves easily from room to room. The rotational seat is also a big hit. Some days she likes the side to side swinging motion and other days the front to back. The A/C adapter is excellent. The last swing we had for our son ate up batteries.

        Great Swing!
10 of 11 find this helpfulJul 08, 2008
I received this swing as a baby gift for our little boy due in September. My mom purchased it for me because I was looking for a different looking swing then I see everywhere, and that everyone I know with kids has.
I put this together myself last weekend (7.5mos pregnant), and had NO problems! It seemed overwhelming at first, with all of the pieces, but it went together great!
I do agree that the styrofoam paddings for the swing part, that have a no scissor sign on it, is confusing...I accidently cut them off at first, but they were super easy to just tape back on.

I love that this swing can swing both ways, and that you can take the swing part out and it is a seat that you can carry around. I also love the colors!!! The only thing is...with me having a boy, I thought the maroon bow on top of the blanket looked a little girlie, but my mom was able to unstich it very easily and you can't even tell!

I give this swing great reviews, and for anyone who is looking for a different type of swing then everyone else has, this is a great choice!!!

        We're enjoying the swing
5 of 5 find this helpfulJul 17, 2008
The swing is well made. The material on the seat is heavy duty and stylish. It does get a little hot for our son, as we live in Hawaii. Otherwise, this is a great swing for our mealtimes. I gave it 4 stars due to the cost - it's pretty pricey.

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