Have seen a few books mention baby in swing 'once they reach the appropriate age'. I read my swing manual and it just mentions a weight limit. Patrick is 12 days old, is he still too young to be in the swing?
It might depend on the type of swing, but all my kids have been in ours since day one (ok, day two b/c we were still in the hospital on day one). We have the FP Papasan one so it has the cradle where it lays back more. You can even put a blanket dragging off the end to make it swing slower if it swings too fast b/c the baby is too little. (My kids are tiny so they definitely don't reach any minimum weights but the manual just said to have a blanket dragging off the bottom and that slows it down plenty.)
Re: Age mimimum for swing?
Our Graco Lovin' Hug is 30 lbs max. When shopping I noticed most Fisher Price swings are 25 lbs max.
To the OP: I don't think there is a minimum age. Just be sure to make sure your LO's head is supported and that the belt is secure.
Natural M/c 12/13/08 at 8w5d