Homemade baby swing

via www.spousonomics.com

I love the swing, but I especially love the story that goes along with the swing and the phrase "deeply plastic," which I intend to coopt. Thanks for the pointer, Paula!

Comments

[Savannah Hernandez]

What a nifty idea! Good job, I love it <3

xoxo,
Mommy Appelseed
www.mommyappelseed.com

[Gil]

It's a nice invention. Yes some harness for safety could be a nice addition, but as it's likely their first child and they have no pets it's probably not going to drop her. But I can see this being a huge "No way" if they have older kids (who would think climbing in would be fun or who would want to "help" push the swing - which they do with store bought swings (but have the limited range of motion and safety harnesses).

[Product Safety Expert]

Just wanted to say (and I almost never comment on things):
Although I think the concept is quite inventive and I applaud your husband for his involvement. I see some serious flaws in the execution.

My qualifications:

Parent of 2
MS in Mechanical Engineering
10 years exp. in the development and safety testing of Children’s products
Active in the development of voluntary & mandatory standards for cribs and infant sleeping products

My concerns:
1) For safe sleep, babies should be positioned on their backs without any positioning material or soft bedding around them. Many children suffocate every year from unnecessary bedding in their sleeping environment. Read more at CPSC.gov
2) Although that rubbermaid bin may seem strong, the type of plastic used is prone to sudden cracking due to stress. This is especially true when you drill a hole in it (as where the rope is threaded). A better design would not use the drilled holes for support, but instead include some type of platform that the bin could be supported on. I have real concern that the bin handle will fail and cause your baby to tumble out. Anyone who has overfilled one of these bins and tried to lift it can sympathize with the stress cracking issue.
3) The rope used to hang this appears to be secured with knots, and although your husband could be an expert sailor or rock climber, others reading this may not be. An improperly tied knot could weaken, loosen, or fail. Again, causing the child to fall.
4) If you do continue to use this or a modified design, please lower the height of the swing to within a few inches of the ground. There is no reason for it to be so high. In the event that it does fail, the less distance between the baby and the ground, the better.

Best Wishes
Product Safety Expert.

[Asha Dornfest]

What an amazing comment. Thanks for the detailed response! I'll tweet the originator with your suggestions.

[MultipleMum]

How cute does that look? Not too sure I would want my baby in it (especially after reading the comment above!) but it sure makes me happy just looking at the photo :)

[Calories in alcoholic drinks]

Wow this is so cute, reminds me of the ones you can get in IKEA, but is much cuter and personal!!

[Kristianna]

I think this could be a nice baby DOLL swing, but not for a living human baby capable of sustaining actual injuries. It IS a lovely photo, though. (Good luck to the family on keeping that adults only look--homes are for all members, not just the decor preferences of the parents.)

[CitySitter]

I really like this swing. Its simple and would have more swing and motion with its setup. Very cool.

[Al]

I think it's genius! I wish I would have found this article BEFORE we bought our swing. My hubby is a carpenter and very creative; he could have made something like this. It would have saved us A LOT of space by putting it in a doorway, compared to the swing we bought. It would have saved us some money too. My baby isn't hear yet, but I probably won't be strapping our baby into it, not at first anyways while he/she is all swaddled. My sisters never strapped their kids into the swing and OMG they lived without ever even falling out of it! Typically, you only use the swing for the first 5 months tops anyways; after that, the baby goes in a jumper. hm... Maybe my hubby could make a jumper to go in the doorway. We were just going to buy a jumper that goes in the doorway, but now I am inspired. For the record, baby swings that you buy come with some padding around them, like the one we have (http://www.target.com/p/Fisher-Price-Cradle-n-Swing-My-Little-Snugabunny/-/A-13269834). They also don't lay flat on their backs in the swing either.