“We got this as a gift from our baby shower. We were super happy with it . . . for three days. Then, it started acting like it was possessed,” a reviewer named ConcernedinColorado wrote on the Graco website’s product page for the Slim Spaces Baby Swing.
“Swing lasted one month before the light started to flash and throw my baby around at full speed no matter where the dial was,” wrote Dylanthedad on the Graco website. “Even on the lowest setting.”
There are hundreds of one-star reviews of this swing across the Graco, Amazon, Target, and Walmart websites. Many parents reported that the swing worked fine at first, even for a few weeks or months, but then suddenly very much did not.
Parents are reporting that a red light on the swing’s frame will start to flash, then the seat starts swinging very fast, even on the lowest setting—what’s worse, many reviewers say the speed can’t be lowered once the high-speed mode kicks in. For many customers, the problem couldn’t be resolved even when they replace the batteries.
Some reviewers say that their swing won’t turn off at all unless they remove the batteries. At least one reviewer said that the swing will revert to the highest speed all on its own, even when the power switch is turned off.
Graco’s customer care team has responded to many of the negative reviews customers have left on the company’s website and on target.com, either inviting the customers to contact the company or saying that the team will soon be contacting them to address the issue. Graco’s parent company, Newell Brands, also responded to a parent’s complaint to the Consumer Product Safety Commission about the swing, stating that “Graco does not believe that the specific product identified contains any defect that could create a substantial product hazard or unreasonable risks of serious injury or death.”
Graco did not respond to CR’s request for comment.
It is unclear whether this issue affects all Slim Spaces swings at some point or only some of them; there are many positive reviews from happy customers as well. But on walmart.com, 42 percent of all customer reviews for this swing in the “Etcher” color were one-star reviews as of late October 2024, and 82 reviews included the phrase “too fast” on the Graco product listing. Posts describing this issue appeared on at least one retail platform as early as March 2020.
“Wish I had read the reviews prior to getting this,” wrote reviewer Sherm. “Same issue as everyone else. After a month of use the light is flashing red and it swings at max speed.”
On gracobaby.com, the Slim Spaces swing is touted for its compact footprint, foldability, and easily adjustable speeds. “Swing features adjustable speeds to find the right pace to suit baby’s mood,” reads the product description.
However, many, many unhappy customers say that their swing eventually became not at all adjustable, and that it in fact suits only one mood: fast. Or as more than one customer put it, “turbo mode.”
“The red light on the swing started flashing . . . and it started swinging SUPER FAST,” wrote Landon813, parent of an almost 3-month-old, on the Graco website. “It seemed like my daughter was gonna fly out!!”
“CALLING ALL ASPIRING ASTRONAUTS!” wrote Amy in a two-star Amazon review. “Unless you are wanting your baby to fly into space, BEWARE THE BLINKING LIGHT!” She jokes that the low-battery light must be a kind of “countdown light” because “now, no matter how low the setting, my poor baby is almost launched into orbit!!!”
As funny as a comically fast baby swing may be, it is, of course, also a potential safety issue—especially if babies are not strapped in with the included restraints. Parents have reported that their swings switched into high speed unpredictably, sometimes when they were not within arm’s reach.
“If you are a mom like me, you will eventually need to step away for a quick moment while baby is nearby in the swing,” wrote a customer named Stephanie in an Amazon review. “The battery can go low at any time & this is a HUGE problem.”
Another customer named Nattalie also had a close call, according to her Amazon review: “No baby should swing like that and my son could’ve been seriously neurologically hurt had I not turned around and noticed the change in time.”
“I don’t feel this is safe at all,” said another reviewer on the Graco website. “Genuinely surprised it hasn’t been recalled.”
Aside from the speed issue, there are other scattered reviews mentioning other concerns. One customer named Mallory said that the first time she put batteries in the swing and turned it on, it started smoking and caught fire. “It’s so cute and if it . . . didn’t set on fire it’d be a perfect swing for small spaces,” she wrote, generously.
In addition to complaints and reviews posted to company and platform websites, since early 2024 at least three complaints have been made directly to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency that oversees the safety of most consumer products. “In the last week the on light has started flashing and the swing has accelerated beyond the highest speed,” wrote a parent of a 3-month-old baby, in an incident report submitted to the CPSC in September 2024. “Its as if someone is pushing the swing as hard as they can.”
CR’s safety experts have alerted the CPSC about these reports and asked it to investigate. The agency declined to comment for this article.
“Graco says these swings don’t have any safety issues, but hundreds of parents and caregivers are telling the company otherwise,” says Oriene Shin, CR’s manager of safety policy. “It’s alarming to see so many concerns about a potential safety issue go unaddressed. Parents and caregivers put immense trust in the products they purchase for their babies and they expect companies to promptly address any safety concerns that may arise. It’s critical for both Graco and the CPSC to conduct a thorough investigation into these frightening incidents.”
Or as one parent on the Graco website says, “This needs to be dealt with before someone’s child gets hurt.”
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