The 3 Best Baby Swings for Small Spaces & Apartments

A baby swing can be an absolute lifesaver during baby’s first few months at home.

When you find yourself with a difficult sleeper who can’t seem to get cozy in a bassinet or crib, sometimes the motion from a swing is the perfect solution.

The motion often soothes them. Remember, they aren’t used to staying totally still. In the womb, mom was moving around constantly!

The only problem: Baby swings can sometimes take up a lot of space.

But if you’re looking for the best baby swing for small spaces or small apartments, I’ve got you covered. Here are my top picks:

• Best budget swing: Fisher-Price SpaceSaver Swing and Seat (Amazon)
• Best mid-range swing: Ingenuity Comfort 2 Go Portable Swing (Amazon)
• Best high-end swing: Primo 2-in-1 Smart Voyager Convertible Infant Swing and High Chair (Amazon)

What to look for in a baby swing

Before I send you off into the Amazon jungle (see what I did there?) to fend for yourself, here are a couple of helpful tips to keep in mind while shopping for a compact baby swing.

Footprint:

This is pretty easily found on any product page online, especially on Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers. Make sure you’re looking at the actual product dimensions and not the shipping dimensions! They will likely be totally different.

Also, keep a look out for baby swings that can fold up. That’s a great feature to have if you like to travel or go back and forth to family members’ houses and such.

Features:

Most baby swings have similar features: Between 5-8 speed settings, a 5-point harness, battery operation, etc. But read the manufacturer descriptions closely if you have a certain preference (like battery vs plus, or extra speed settings).

One thing to look for that not all swings have is a timer, or some kind of auto shut off mode. That can be a useful safety feature to have.

Front to Back swing vs Side to Side:

If space is a concern for you, you’ll want to pay close attention to the orientation of the swinging motion before you buy.

In most cases, front to back swings will be more compact. The actual frame may not be different, but the front to back swings require less clearance or extra room on the sides. Side to side swings are tougher to fit in small spaces or crowded rooms, for the most part.

Double check the dimensions and footprint, to be sure, and I highly recommend watching a video of the swing in action on Amazon to get a sense of how much room you’ll need.

Best Budget Baby Swing for Small Spaces: Fisher-Price SpaceSaver Swing and Seat

Overview: This pint-sized swing from Fisher-Price is a perfect entry level baby swing that’s guaranteed to hardly take up any room at all in your home or apartment.

Still, it’s got most of the features you could want in a newborn swing: 6 speed settings, built-in music and nature sounds, and a 5-point harness for maximum safety. It’s a small swing overall, but what it lacks in range of motion and power it more than makes up for in colorful design and convenient.

Weight: 11.02lbs

Dimensions: 23.50 L x 24.00 W x 28.00 H inches

Age Range: 0-6 months

Why I Like It: What’s not to like? This is one of the smallest and most compact baby swings you’re going to find on the market, clocking in at only two feet wide and a mere 28 inches high.

This battery operated swing will fit easily in small corners of rooms, in a crowded nursery, or tucked away in the trunk of your car for easy transport.

The swing itself is simple yet effective. You’ll strap your baby in with a 5-point harness and choose one of six different speed settings. The swing moves front to back (which saves you a lot of room) and is really pleasant and soothing for babies.

I really like the built-in music and nature sounds, since babies tend not to love silence when they’re sleeping! Just like they don’t love staying totally still.

Finally, this swing from Fisher-Price is super easy to assemble, so you’ll have it up and running in no time at all once it arrives at your doorstep. That’s a huge plus if you’re sleep deprived and desperate for a few hours of good rest!

Potential Drawbacks: I know it’s what you’re looking for, but this swing is pretty small and won’t grow up with your baby for too long. The age range from the manufacturer goes all the way to 6 months, but from the looks and size of this swing, I think most babies will outgrow it before then.

The seat and swing itself are also really low to the ground, which is great for saving space, but kind of a pain for getting baby in and out.

Check out the latest price & real customer reviews of the Fisher-Price SpaceSaver on Amazon.

Best Mid-Range Baby Swing for Small Spaces: Ingenuity Comfort 2 Go Portable Swing

Overview: Another super, duper pint-sized swing, the Comfort 2 Go from Ingenuity is a perfect fit for a small apartment or cramped room. Its dimensions are very similar to the Fisher-Price model listed above, but it has some advantages to it to justify a slightly higher price tag:

Notably, this swing is meant for babies up to 9 months and comes with 2 different reclining seat positions for a little more comfort and adjustability. This is a super solid and well-built swing that won’t take up much room at all in your home.

Weight: 9lbs

Dimensions: 28.5 L x 22.5 W x 23 H

Age Range: 0-9 months

Why I Like It: I love the compact footprint of this swing. It’s not even a full 2 feet high! I could see this easily slotting somewhere in your living room or next to the baby’s crib. It’s battery powered, too, so it doesn’t need to be near a power outlet.

The design is really cute, too, with plush toys hanging from a toy bar above baby’s head. (The picture shows the pink Audrey model, but you can get this same swing in other colors).

Some of its other features are pretty standard: 6 swing settings and built-in music and sounds. The manufacturer even says the 6 speeds should hold up as even your baby grows and begins to weigh the swing down, indicating it has solid operating power.

One thing I love about this swing is the built-in timer for 30, 45, and 60 minutes, which sets it above some of its competitors at this price range. The timer is a really convenient and comforting feature to have.

Oh, and finally, this swing (though already tiny) folds up for SUPER easy travel. You’ll be able to fit it into most large suitcases when fully folded.

Potential Drawbacks: Some reviewers noted that the swing is a little loud when operating. Others found the toy bar was in an annoying location that made it awkward getting baby in and out of the swing.

The only other drawback, as is common with very small and compact baby swings, is that your baby will likely outgrow it quickly. It’ll serve infants and newborns very well, but can only hold up to 20lbs or so, and even that is being a little generous.

Check out the latest price & real customer reviews of the Ingenuity swing on Amazon.

Best High-End Baby Swing for Small Spaces: Primo 2-in-1 Smart Voyager Convertible Infant Swing and High Chair

Overview: For something a little different, check out the genius design behind the Smart Voyager from Primo.

This swing, while not the smallest on this list, might end up saving you the most room for one simple reason — it doubles as a high chair!

(Related: What’s the difference between a high chair vs booster seat?)

Just pop off the toy bar, adjust the seat, and slide the food tray in and whala…. you can deserve baby dinner.

If you’re sick of lugging the booster seat in and out of storage, or wishing you had some baby furniture that had a more versatile use, this is a really interesting option.

Weight: 29lbs

Dimensions: 28.35 L x 23.32 W x 40.16 H inches

Age Range: 0-6 months

Why I Like It: There’s SO much to like about this swing. For starters, as I wrote above, the double-use nature of it will end up saving you a ton of room. And possibly money. (The high-chair is only for children age 6 to 36 months, according to the manufacturer.)

And when it comes to size, no, this isn’t the smallest swing on the list. But the footprint is very similar to the options I listed above — only the height is different, coming in at around 40 inches.

The Bluetooth connectivity and other technology innovations on the Smart Voyager are really cool. For starters, you can hook the swing up to your phone to control each and every setting from anywhere in the house. There’s also a “responsive cry activation,” mode which turns the swing on its lowest setting when it senses the baby is awake and upset.

It’s also got all the standard features, and then some: Timer, 8 swing speeds, height adjustment, 5 recline levels, and all sorts of different settings for the tray and footrest.

Potential Drawbacks: This is the priciest option on this list and doesn’t come cheap. Though it does bring a lot of value (you could potentially use it for several years), some of the features driving up the price aren’t totally necessary, like the Bluetooth.

Some reviewers had trouble getting the harness snug on newborns.

This chair is also a little heavy, so it’s far less portable than the other options on this list.

Check out the latest price & real customer reviews of the Primo swing on Amazon.

Wrapping Up

There are plenty of baby swing options that don’t take up a lot of room! It all depends on your budget and which features are really important to you.

Just be sure to always double-check the actual item dimensions (not shipping dimensions!) against what you have available. And when in doubt, a folding swing is a great idea for travel and even moving the swing around the house.

For my money, I really like the Ingenuity Comfort 2 Go. It’s a slight step up in features from lower budget options, but the price is still pretty reasonable and the reviews are good.

Check out the latest price and read real customer reviews for the Ingenuity Comfort 2 Go Swing on Amazon.

Hope this helps, parents!