Every parent needs the occasional break from holding, rocking and singing to their baby to comfort them—and that’s where baby swings come in. The best baby swings provide a safe place for your child while you grab a much-needed snack or load the dishwasher. You can’t keep them in your arms 24/7. The gentle motion of a baby swing is designed to calm infants and features such as music and vibration are also soothing.

The Graco Glider LX Baby Swing is just the right size for bigger babies.

“When used with proper supervision, they are a great way to soothe babies,” says Dr. Rebekah Diamond, a pediatric hospitalist and assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University. “Some babies love them; others prefer rockers or other baby holders. So feel free to try out as many safety-approved swings as fit your lifestyle, budget and baby-soothing needs.”

Safe sleep note: Swings can feel like a lifesaver to exhausted parents, but they can be dangerous if used improperly. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that if your baby falls asleep in a swing, they should instead be placed in a crib or another firm sleep surface on their back as soon as possible. Don’t leave an infant unattended in a swing, and make sure to check age and weight guidelines for the swing you choose and to look for any recalls issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

After reviewing various baby swings’ features, size and weight, convenience, customer reviews and more, we’ve compiled the best baby swings to soothe your little one.

Weight: 22 pounds | Batteries or AC Adapter: Both | Weight Limit: 30 pounds (swing); 18 pounds (bouncer) | Modes: 6 swing speeds; 2 vibrations| Sounds: 10 songs; 5 sounds

This versatile baby swing offers two types of baby gear in one: a swing and a bouncer. Many families feel that both of these are essential during the challenging days of early parenthood. If you need to take a shower or do some chores around the house, a bouncer is much more portable than a swing, so it’s a bonus to get both options with a single baby-gear purchase.

The Graco DuetConnect LX Swing & Bouncer features several swing, vibration, music and sound modes so that you can experiment to find your baby’s favorite combinations. This swing also offers a mobile to entertain your little one with three soft stars, as well as a timer mode. The plug-in option is crucial if your baby enjoys the swing, because it saves you a bundle on batteries. There are two recline options.

The DuetConnect is similar to another of our other Graco best swings picks, so you may want to look closely at the details of each to see which works better for your family. The DuetConnect is slightly less expensive than the Soothe and comes with a bouncer vs. a rocker. This version of the DuetConnect only swings side to side, not front to back. Pick the DuetSoothe or the DuetConnect Multi-Direction if you want a baby swing that offers both swinging motions.

Weight: 19 pounds | Batteries or AC Adapter: AC adapter | Weight Limit: 25 pounds (or 6 months, whichever comes first) | Modes: 5 motions; 5 speeds | Sounds: 4 sounds

Swaying and vibrating are super common features among baby swings, but the 4moms MamaRoo4 Baby Swing features 4moms’ unique movement modes that mimic how a parent gently bounces and sways their baby: car ride, kangaroo, tree swing, rock-a-bye and wave. The swing is Bluetooth enabled, and the associated app (for both iPhone and Android) controls the swing’s motion, sound, speed and volume. (Note that despite the swing’s Bluetooth capability, you can’t play music on it through your phone, only through the aux port.)

In addition to its innovative swinging modes, the MamaRoo4 features a relatively small base, the ability to recline to any angle, machine-washable seat fabric and three toy balls.

Weight: 18 pounds | Batteries or AC Adapter: Both | Weight Limit: 30 pounds | Modes: 6 swing gliding speeds; 2 vibrations | Sounds: 10 songs; 5 nature sounds

If your baby is an overachiever on the growth charts at the pediatrician’s office, here’s an excellent choice for a baby swing. Despite its roominess and higher weight limit, this swing takes up 40% less floor space than many popular swings because its feet don’t stick out as far. Its base measures 25.5 inches by 30.75 inches, to be exact.

The Graco Glider LX Baby Swing soothes your baby with a gentle gliding motion and supports them with soft, removable head and body supports. It also features three adjustable recline options, a five-point harness, timer mode and an adjustable toy bar with two plush bears.

Weight: 4 pounds | Batteries or AC Adapter: Batteries | Weight Limit: 20 pounds | Modes: 6 swing speeds | Sounds: 12 soothing melodies

There’s some debate among parents of twins regarding whether two swings are necessary, but those who’ve sprung for a pair seem very happy with their decision. It’s hard to know who will need comfort when. If you’re planning to buy not one, but two swings, you’ll want to look for something with a smaller footprint and ideally, portable and affordable. The Ingenuity Comfort 2 Go Swing fits the bill, as it costs about $100 less than some swings, weighs less than 5 pounds and folds easily. It is lower to the floor and less sturdy than some pricier swings.

Other welcome features are a removable pad that’s machine washable and dryer safe, two recline positions, three timer settings to save battery power, a toy bar with two cute plush toys, non-slip feet and a removable extra head support.

Weight: 21 pounds | Batteries or AC Adapter: Both | Weight Limit: 30 pounds for swing, 18 pounds for rocker | Modes: 6 swing speeds; 2 swing directions; 2 vibrations | Sounds: 10 songs; 5 nature sounds

With the Graco DuetSoothe Swing and Rocker, you only need to buy one piece of baby gear to get two products. You can leave the swing in one area of your home while having the portability of a rocker (with a handle) when you remove the seat. Then you can, say, bring it into the bathroom so that you can take a shower with your baby safely nearby.

The swing is versatile thanks to its two recline positions, two swinging positions (side to side and back and forth) and six swinging speeds. Not every baby swing goes side to side, as well as back and forth, and you may find out that your baby insists on one particular direction! It features a roomy seat and a mobile with three plush bears.

Weight: 9 pounds | Batteries or AC Adapter: AC adapter | Weight Limit: 20 pounds | Modes: 5 speeds | Sounds: 4 classical music pieces; 8 sounds

Not only does this baby swing include a remote control to control its speed, music and timer, but it also streams your favorite (or more likely, your baby’s favorite) music through its Bluetooth speaker. It also has digital rather than the typical manual controls.

The Munchkin Bluetooth-Enabled Baby Swing’s less high-tech features include easy assembly and folding (it’s only two pieces) and a removable body pad and headrest that are machine washable and dryer safe. Plus, as Munchkin points out, the swing is “as light as a gallon of milk.” Its soothing motion is designed to mimic a parent’s swaying movements so it does only move side to side.

Weight: 1 pound | Batteries or AC Adapter: Batteries | Weight Limit: 25 pounds | Modes: 6 swing speeds; 1 vibration| Sounds: 10 songs and nature sounds

The popular Fisher-Price Deluxe Take-Along Swing & Seat gives you two baby products in one. Clicking the locking clip at the bottom turns the swing into a stationary infant seat (which, for one, makes it easier to move). It also easily folds flat for storage or car trips, and the top portion works well as a handle.

This swing’s soft seat pad is removable and machine washable (but not dryer safe), and the newborn insert is removable. This simple swing might be all your fussy baby needs to chill out.

The most important thing to know about baby swings is how to use them safely, as board-certified pediatrician Dr. Loretta Cody explains. “I don’t necessarily recommend or not recommend baby swings,” she says. “The important issue is what you are using the swing for. ...It can be used at the right age as a place to place a baby for a short period of time, allowing the parent to have their hands free.”

It’s tempting, especially when you have a nap-resistant baby, to let your child sleep in a swing, but experts like Cody advise against it, instead urging parents to transfer the baby from the swing to their crib for safer sleep.

“Most commercially sold baby swings are safe if they are used as directed,” says Columbia University’s Diamond. She recommends making sure that your chosen swing is approved for safety by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association and that you follow product specifications (for example, the product’s weight guidelines for babies).

If you have a preemie or a baby with health problems, it’s best to ask your pediatrician about baby swing safety for your infant’s specific needs.

Following a particular swing’s age and weight guidelines is important for your child’s safety and comfort.

Cody says that babies younger than 4 months old should be placed in a swing only in its most reclined position, because they haven’t yet developed adequate neck control to be upright. At this age, she says, a baby can slump and potentially suffocate.

According to Cody, babies older 4 four months who have good head control and are within a swing’s weight limit can be safely seated in an upright position. Still, she says, “There must be shoulder straps to avoid the baby from falling out or tipping over the swing.”