Life

Luca Lorenzelli/Fotolia

Why Does Your Baby Hate Their Swing?

by Cat Bowen

My son was the worst sleeper on the planet. For the first few months, we had to work every trick in the book just to get two hours of rest. He hated all the things, but the swing most of all. I'd wonder, "why does my baby hate their swing?" I mean, it was fancy. It had an iPod dock, massage function, customizable settings, plush cover, a butler with a palm frond fan, everything. He'd scream as soon as we approached it. Like maybe, it was trying to kill him.

Before I buy another swing off a baby registry for another pair of expectant parents hoping for a sleep miracle, I wanted to find out what actually is the deal with swings. I mean, most babies must like them if they're so popular, right? Or is it some crazy money-making machine that assumes that new parents will shell out any amount of money to remember what sleep or teeth brushing is like? Because, honestly, I've talked to more than a few of my friends whose babies thought that the swing was actually the roller coaster ride into a waking nightmare.

Turns out that we're not the only ones with this problem. Just a quick Twitter search turns out thousands of results. Thousands of parents suggesting that their child also hates the expensive swing they bought.

So what's the deal? Why does my baby hate their swing?

I talked to Deandre Hill, a pediatric nurse practitioner from Staten Island to get her expert opinion. She tells Romper, "Babies' little vestibular systems are developing, and they don't all react in the same way to the swinging motion. The assumption is that because they were often in motion in the uterus, they'll love a similar motion after being born, but a swing is not a natural motion, and not all babies will like it." Hill went on to say that sometimes babies will become accustomed to the swinging and grow to like it, but that it's not always the case. She notes that unfortunately, it may vary even from brand to brand, as the type of swinging changes, and that it's all baby's preference.

Essentially, swings are one of those expensive things that you buy in life that could end up being worth their weight in gold, (my daughter loved the swing like I love wine at 8 p.m.) or being a total waste of your hard-earned money. Don't feel bad, though. Nothing could possibly top the money-wasting efforts of all those beanie babies you bought with your allowance money.