When to Retire Our Swing

My dd is now just over 2 years old, and we also loved our swing, as well as she did. We finally retired her swing when she was able to reach the outside legs of the swing. That way she wasn't able to get her arm caught between the part that swings and the outside legs that support it. If I remember it correctly, she was about 7 months old when we stopped using it. But I would suggest that you be your own judge for your own dd. Every child develops at different speeds.

Once she starts trying to sit up in it, it is time to retire it.
She won't like it anyway when she is able to move around more.

My kids are 10, 5, & 4. We're well past the swing stage but I had to stop using it about 4 to 6 months because they would reach out and STOP THE SWING! My middle son was a large STRONG baby and he even pulled himself to a stand in the swing. I got rid of it then and there! I loved the silly thing as much as the kids did. They sat in the bathroom swinging away while I showered, cooked dinner, wrapped presents, put on make up. . . I was able to finish everything because of that wonderful thing. Sounds like you need to switch it out for one of those saucer type things or it's just plain old floor time. Just remember to lay on the floor and check out what's available. You'd be surprised by what you'll find at their level!

I think we retired our swing when my son was about 6 or 7 months old. He was to the point where he only enjoyed swinging for about 10 seconds and then he sat up and tried to get out. That's when we retired it... he didn't miss it.

Are you in the room with an eye on her constantly? If so the I agree with the other posts. If you have a tendency to leave the room for even a moment however, I would retire it soon before she actually can reach the bars.

We LOVED our swing too, we were forced to retire when they got too bog & the swing wouldnt go or the child got too mobile to sit safely.

With our son we used the swing until he was 15 months old. Our weight limit on the swing was 25 lbs. We even burned through a motor on the swing and had to replace it. As long as they are not falling out of them then you are pretty safe.

Hi there. We have two year old twins who stayed in their swings until they were a year old. It was the only way they would take their morning nap and also go to bed at night. Batteries got expensive with two swings though! They would also sit up in the swing, but never fell out or tipped it or anything. I think they reached the max weight and we changed our routine.

We used our swing until our son was so heavy it barely swung :). He grew tired of it too, it became a hazard with him trying to grab and tear the mobile off.
If she's under the weight limit and enjoys it, use it.

Yep. It looks like it's time!

We retired our son's swing when he was about the same age. He kept grabbing the sides and hurting his hands when he did so.

Good luck!

K., We had the same trouble with our oldest children. They could still fit in and loved the swing but grabbed the bars. We retired it at that point. It just got to be a safety issue. We had a different type swing with our youngest. We were able to use it a lot longer. It had a bar in the back only. J. J.

If she is tring to get out of the baby swing I would say it is time to retire the swing. My son used his swing for quite a while. He really enjoyed it. I would look and see what the weight limit is and go by that. If she is not in any danger then I would continue the swing and if she shows interest in the swing. My son used his for a year.

We didn't stop until Eli hit the weight limit. But if she seems to be interfering with its swinging or if you think she's in danger of getting hurt if something gets caught, I would stop using it.

most swings have a 20-30 lb weight limit, find out the weight limit on your swing, that is when you stop using it. also just an fyi recent medical studies have shown that babies that are left in swings, while they are awake, during the day develope low IQ's due to the fact they are not being stimulated and their minds are numbed. We love our swing, I don't know what we would have done without it, our lil guy slept in it for a couple months, it was the only way he would sleep. Now if he is really upset or fighting sleep tooth and nail it is a god send to put him to sleep but I don't put him in it at any other time.

My husband and I retired the swing for our kids when they were about 8 months old. By then they were getting to big for it. I would keep it going for a bit longer. It is also good excersise for their legs it helps to build strength in them.
I am a married mom of almost 12 yrs. with 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4.

My daughter used her swing right up until she surpassed the weight allowance. When she was congested and had a hard time sleeping flat, it was the only way she would sleep at night. I think if your child is enjoying it and the weight limit has not been met, you should use it as long as you want to. :)

I have two swings, a cradle one for a newborn and one that allows the baby to sit upright. My daughter is 7 months and loves the upright one! There is a tray and a couple toys attached to it. I put cherrios on the tray and play with her while she is in it.
There is no way a swing alone can lower a kids IQ...maybe if you put the baby in there and leave them to stare at the ceiling or mobile.

Hi, I think we stopped the swing around 6 months (20 pounds??) or so BUT-after that we used the jumpper that sits on the floor and he LOVED it for a long long time...

It's time! Get an exersaucer with all the toys and gizmos. Both my boys loved being able to bobble around. It doesn't move around the room like a walker yet if positioned correctly, little ones get the same kind of leg workout.

Somewhere on the swing or on the box it should say at what weight to stop using the swing. I know mine did.

Both of my girls absolutely loved the swing, too! We stopped using it when the oldest was about 8 months old because she could literally reach out, grab the support and stop herself ... and I was concerned for her safety. My youngest - who is one the small size - used it until she was about 13 months old. While she did sit up and occasionally grab the support, I was never concerned that she would get hurt. She continued using the swing until her feet dragged on the floor! Go with your gut instinct to determine the correct time to retire it ... we're usually right!

I agree that you should check the weight limit on the swing and go by that. My daughter is eight months old and still likes to take naps in her swing. She gets plenty of activity time on the floor, in her exersaucer and in her jumper, but the swing is still useful for naps and occasional play time. Our swing came with a toy tray that attaches to the front so she can still play while she's in the swing.

It's time your little one was in a Johnny Jump Up. Hooks on top of the door frame and you can adjust the height so her litle feet can touch the floor and swing herself. My kids loved it...kathy Q

hello K., i think its time! we took ours away i think when my daughter was about 4 or 5 months. it sounds to me she is ready to explore more things. my daughter loved hers to!! good luck

No, you can keep using it for lot longer. There's nothing wrong with a baby that can sit up straight using a swing. (If your baby does sit up, it may throw off the motion of the swing for a while, but it's not a problem--it just shifts the momentum.) Our kids did use swings off and on once they got bigger. Just be careful, either with tiny or older babies, of using the swing TOO much. Your baby needs plenty of floor time (especially at this age!) and plenty of time being held. Normally "seat time" in any sort of carseat, bouncy seat, saucer, walker, swing, etc takes the place of these two things, so it's best to use them only sparingly!

its probably about time to retire the swing here soon ill be retiring my daughters swing. my daughter is the same age. i believe it is time to retire seats and toys when the get to big to sit in them. i could have asked when to upgrade my five month olds carseat but i figured it was time when she got to big to sit in it and sit properly. so if shes doing all of that then maybe you might want to see if she will sit in other things thats not her swing i just suggest slowly wheening her out of the swing.