Two-in-one products are the best
February 14, 2018
I live in a small apartment, so I'm always looking for space saving baby products. We don't have a ton of room for extra large items, so when I saw that the Graco Duet was both a swing and a rocker, I was really excited. The Graco Duet also has a much smaller footprint than single-function swings I've seen in other friends' homes, which is a plus for apartment living. Both the dimensions of the base and the arc of the swinging arm keep the footprint of the product nice and compact. My only issue with the footprint of the swing is that the base itself doesn't seem to fold up or breakdown for easy storage, making it a permanent object in a room.
While I was excited that the Graco Duet was both a rocker and swing in one, there were moments when I had some difficulty navigating the rocker back onto the base, one-handed while holding a wailing infant. I solo parent most days of the week, so I do need baby gear to fit together easily. It isn't the most difficult docking situation, but it's a little hard to see around the bowl of the seat when actually fitting it onto the base. I did however love the portability of the rocking seat. It's much easier to get the bouncer off of the base (than back on), and I loved how easily I could move it from room to room.
The swing function is pretty versatile. The rocker seat can be docked in different directions for either side-to-side or front-to-back motion and has an easy-to-turn dial to adjust the swing's speed. Likewise, I liked how quiet the swing was. Again, the other large swings I've seen in friends' homes make a loud knocking or clicking sound. This swing is almost silent.
As for the rocker seat, this piece alone is a two-in-one, with both a rocking and vibrating function. My daughter is hard to soothe and not great at sleeping during the day. With the vibrate function, she managed a cat nap, which is positively miraculous. When using the seat as a rocker, she seemed soothed by the easy motion. Her own motions set the seat rocking, and if it stopped, I was able to control it with a light touch or even a foot. My daughter is very aware and alert, and baby gear with hanging or dangling toys is always a plus in my book. The play bar itself, however, popped off constantly. It doesn't stay in place very well.
It's also a nice looking baby product. This may be superficial, but living in such a small space, it's nice to have baby gear that looks good in your home. The overall colors, the fabric of the seat and head cushion, and the little plush stars are all really sweet.
Thank you to weeSpring Parent Panel for sending me this product to try and review.
* This product review was collected by the manufacturer.