Editorial Review
The Butterfly Papasan Cradle Swing is the next generation of the Nature's Touch Papasan Cradle swing. Not only can baby swing front to back like a traditional swing, but side to side like a cradle. The cozy nest-like seat comfortably cradles your baby in soft, multi-textured materials. There is also a mobile overhead with three plush stars that float up and down and rotate, and a dome overhead projects an amusing starlight show above baby onto the canopy that surrounds the seat.
The swing has two music modes and two sound effects. There are 16 songs total: eight daytime songs, eight soothing nighttime songs and two long play sounds. Parents can customize baby's swinging experience by choosing motion only, music only, mobile only, or any other combination. Six soothing speeds work in both swing and cradle mode, and an engaging bead bar on the feeding tray keeps infants intrigued. A three-point restraint keeps baby secure. Frame easily folds for storage. Weight capacity is 25 pounds. Requires 4 "D" batteries, not included. Measures 36" x 30" x 40".
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Customer Reviews
Sleep inducing miracle! 
2008-06-21
My grand-daughter would fuss at everything from birth. She would not sleep, and if she did it was a record breaking two hours duration. My daughter bought this swing for her and the little baby fell asleep instantly in the soft side-to-side motions of the swing. It was a wonderful blessing for my daughter. My niece bought the aquarium sister-model to the papasan and her daughter loved it as well. However, the aquarium motor quit after only five months, and my daughter's papasan model quit after two years. Its sad, as she is expecting a second baby at the end of the year and was looking forward to using it. Plus, it wasn't very cheap to be that disposable!
Great for Newborn 2008-06-18
I bought this when our newborn was 2 weeks old out of desperation for more than 1-2 hours of sleep at a time at night. It was a godsend. We were able to get our fussy newborn to sleep in the swing, and to sleep for about 3 hours at a time. The plug-in feature is also wonderful (save on those expensive D batteries!). It's also nice that you can turn off features your kid doesn't like (mine gets too stimulated by the stars and will never sleep when it's on). My only complaint (the reason for 4 stars instead of 5) is that now that he's 2 months old, he's starting to lose interest, and it's kind of expensive for such limited use. Then again, at the time I purchased it from Amazon, I would have paid a lot more for the sleep. At the time, Amazon had the best price.
Life Saver! 
2008-06-15
My brother's girlfriend bought this swing for our baby shower. After receiving it, I read reviews online and became worried after reading other consumers having issues with the motor going out. My daughter absolutely LOVES this swing. She is now 5 months old, 17 pounds, has used it almost everyday since birth, and we have had no problems with the motor. The lights combined with the music or nature sounds still put her to sleep (sometimes me as well-LOL). We love the fact that the swing can be plugged into an outlet, so we never have to worry about batteries. The swing also swings in two directions which is great. When she was smaller, we used the side to side motion. Now she uses the front to back motion. It is one of the best gifts I received.
Jus an average review for this swing 
2008-06-14
This may not be a terribly helpful review as I gave it a pretty neutral 3-star rating but that is because I feel pretty neutral about it. I chose this swing as the colours are light and unobtrusive (pale yellow and green) and I was getting tired of all the bright, boldly coloured plastic baby stuff.
The music and sounds are quite pleasant. The music does switch off after a time, possibly to conserve battery power.
It runs on batteries so if I return to my home country I can bring it without worrying about adaptors and voltage. I have not drained the batteries yet (5wks light use).
It has two levels of recline.
It can swing side-to-side or head-to-foot.
I assembled it all alone, except for the final stage where I needed an extra set of hands to hold something in place while I inserted a screw.
THE GOOD: When crying, he falls asleep almost instantly when I put him in the swing. That is excellent!
THE NOT SO GOOD: The swing mobile is sooo boring you barely even register that it is there. There are three pale green cloth leaves and three plastic bumble bees that turn in a circle. I have actually attached things to the leaves so baby has something to look at. Maybe when he gets older he will enjoy the front attachment as it has 2 or three things he can handle.
In summary, the swinging soothes him to sleep instantly when he needs a nap but there is nothing about it to entertain him when he is awake. For that I use a Fisher Price Activity Mat with lots of brighty coloured mobiles and flashing lights. If I could step back in time I would have bought one with a more interesting mobile, like the Rainforest style swing. It would put him to sleep like this one but may also entertain him while awake.
Sanity saver 2008-06-09
Thank god for the swing because baby wouldn't sleep in his crib for the first 3 months. He would, however, sleep up to 5 hours in the swing at night and was a total sanity saver.
Sleep deprivation makes people do crazy things, like blow $10+ a week on batteries. Man did we burn through the batteries! More than once my husband or I would stumble in a daze to the swing to swap out the batteries because the batteries had died. We used this swing so much we'd go through four D batteries in 3-4 days. It really sucked.
Now that baby is sleeping in his crib we rarely use the swing. He'll play in it for about a 1/2 hr but he plays even better on a blanket on the floor so why bother with the swing?
Our biggest complaints are these. First why is it that most baby items including this swing run on batteries? It's like Fisher Price etc. are in a deep conspiracy with the Duracell company. Why not make it pluggable? It would last longer I think and not be so hard on the motor. Second... this swing sucked swinging front to back, it'd always die out if baby slumped to the side or whatever. Side to side was okay, but then it made a clicking noise that we were never able to figure out. Really annoying. Third... totally inconsistent with the speed setting. Sometimes we'd have to crank it up all the way and it'd barely move, or on a low setting it'd be swaying so fast I thought the baby was going to fly out. Fourth... the seat is hard plastic. Super hard plastic. And the fleece covering or whatever certainly didn't make up for it. Why not put a little foam cushion for the rump or just make it softer and not grooved plastic.
So I give it 3 stars because it did save us from totally going crazy from sleep deprivation but I just can't give it a higher review because of the problems and complaints with it. I can't wait to pack it away for good. I'll probably get a different swing next time.
An okay product 2008-07-05
This product was highly recommended to me by several friends with babies so I purchased it. Overall it is nice quality / look ect but I am very disappointed in the speeds of the swing! The lowest speed is the max that I would place my two week old in. The other speeds are just way to much for a young child!! Also I personally am not a fan of the various sounds. They sound very mechanical and unnatural. We do place him in the swing and rock it ourselves when we need to but overall I am rather disappointed in this piece.
10 STARS in my book! 2008-07-03
I bought this for my sister, and I'm glad I did. Her baby has done great in it ever since she brought him home from the hospital 4 months ago. My favorite features were the PLUG that you plug into the wall, (no more trips to the store for D batteries!) and the projection of the lights on the soft fabric enclosure. He seemed to be noticing that right away! I had 4 kids of my own, and 4 different swings, but this one surpasses them all!
More than just a swing! 2008-07-02
We do love this swing. It was a great purchase and is also being used for my son to sleep in right now. He loves to be cuddled at nights and with this swing it encompasses them when laid back. He is 4 months old and will sleep up to 10 hours in this. Also he wakes up with a smile because he sees his reflection in the mobile! :)
The one downfall is that I do wish it had a plug in. The batteries aren't too bad as we do not have to leave it on while he is sleeping but it could get expensive for those who find their child needs more movement.
For us it has been a lifesaver!
battery user 2008-07-01
I love the cradle swing, but make sure to do your research and choose one of the newer models that has the option of plugging into the wall. The features of the swing are great, but they go through batteries quicker than I can buy them. Batteries from the $ store will last a couple days max, and the pricey versions will last a week or two at best. So save yourself some money and the frustration of putting baby in the swing, only to have it stop swinging because the batteries are gone and you don't have any spare ones on hand.
Loved it! 2008-06-26
This product was recommended to me by a friend and I'm happy I bought it. I liked the design, the colors, the lights and the fact that you can choose the volume for the music. My baby seems very comfortable and likes to look at the stars and plush toys.The swing usually eases him into sleep right away. Another reason I like this item is that it swings from side to side or front to back.It is a bit bulky for easy storage but if that is not an issue I would say this is the best baby swing out there.
