In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
We buy all the products we test — no freebies from companies. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission, which helps support our testing.
The Nuna Leaf Curv is designed to be an innovative alternative to a typical gaudy and intrusive baby swing. It's meant to seamlessly blend in with a modern family's home, which it does pretty well; however, its soothing ability is not on par with other competitors. Nuna's website claims that the seat will maintain a swaying motion for over two minutes with a single push, but we discovered this is not the case during our testing. The sway time may change depending on the baby's weight, and even so, two minutes is hardly enough time for a parent to do anything but sit and wait to give the next push. The primary purpose behind having a good baby swing is to use it as an alternative to a caregiver's arms. So, although the Leaf may be a more visually appealing product to have in your home, we don't think it's worth the tradeoff of the extra effort involved to keep it going.
REASONS TO BUY
Compact
Contemporary design
Lightweight
Quality materials
REASONS TO AVOID
Poor soothing ability
Short sway time
Loud Velcro harness
Safety Alert
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a safety warning about a few Fisher-Price infant rockers and other similar gear (like a baby bouncer, rocker, or swing) with more than a 10-degree incline. They urge against using these products for baby's sleeping and remind caregivers to monitor their baby while using them. Read and follow the manufacturer's instructions to properly restrain your baby in the device, and never add bedding items. If your baby is dozing off to sleep, move them to a safe sleeping surface (one that's flat and firm with no bedding), like a crib, bassinet, or play yard.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Nuna is an Amsterdam based company started by a father of two who was looking for a particular style of baby gear but was not satisfied with what was available at the time. After bringing together a design team from the Netherlands, their first highchair launched in 2007. To this day, they aim to combine practicality with style, adding a modern twist, making baby gear that blends seamlessly with a contemporary home. They work to create products often intended to grow with baby into toddlerhood.
Performance Comparison
The Nuna Leaf swings via manual power so for uninterrupted movement, a caregiver must be within arms' reach to keep the party consistently swinging. We found this to be a definite negative. Also, the 3-point harness has very strong, loud velcro which is always a deal breaker for us.
Credit: Dana Ellis
Soothing
Of all the swings in the review, the Nuna has the lowest soothing ability, mainly due to its dependence on an outside force to keep it swaying. It is also disappointingly low on features. There is no recline adjustment, only one movement direction, zero white noise, and the compatible mobile is sold separately. If the baby ever does settle into this seat, there is always the possibility that you might accidentally disrupt them with too robust of a push, or forget to give a push at all, leaving them motionless. The harness connects with two Velcro straps that are very strong, which is good for keeping baby secure, but by default are also very loud, just adding to the list of things that may disturb the soothing process of your baby.
Active play is possible in the Nuna Leaf.
Credit: Dana Ellis
Ease of Use
The Leaf Curv has many advantages when it comes to ease of use. There are no buttons or controls to figure out, and it is one of the lightest and easiest seats to move around the house. It has a locking lever at the base of the seat that keeps it stationary when carrying it, or better yet, you can simply pop the top off altogether and move the swing in two pieces. The Oeko-Tex certified organic cotton insert can be easily removed and is machine-washable.
The Nuna Leaf can accommodate children up to 130 lbs making it a long term furniture investment.
Credit: Dana Ellis
As mentioned before, this swing is manually powered, which is a massive blow to its usability. If your baby requires a perpetual sway to calm down, you will need to be nearby the entire time. Also, the Velcro harness may seem like a good idea, simplifying things without a buckle, but this particular Velcro requires either two hands to open or a firm tug. Performing this motion or creating this noise is not ideal when you have a sleepy, subdued, or fussy baby in hand.
The Nuna Leaf Curve is one of two manually powered swings in this review, the other being the Little Tikes Snug 'n Secure.
There are no loose ends or messy finishes on the Curv.
Quality
As is typical of many Nuna products, the Leaf excels in quality. The superb fit, finish, and durability shows in every part of this swing, and it is easy to see that much thought has gone into its modern, minimalist design. One of our favorite parts of the Leaf Curv is that it is virtually silent when in motion. No creaks or clicks are audible, and there is no motor to make whirring and ratcheting sounds. With such high-quality construction, we have faith that it will withstand years of use as a baby swing and a fun toddler lounger.
The Velcro straps are well made and strong, however, they make a loud noise when pulling them apart. Not ideal for a sleeping baby.
Credit: Dana Ellis
Safety
While it does comply with the safety recommendations set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Nuna has average safety features compared to other swings. While its three-point harness and static recline of 30 degrees are sufficient from newborn to young infancy, once baby can sit upright unassisted, this chair must be put away for later. The Leaf's fine print describes its two stages of use.
Stage 1 — Birth to sitting upright unassisted
Stage 2 — Walking up to 130 pounds (harness not used)
And if you think practically, we aren't sure this chair is trustworthy with an uncoordinated younger toddler just learning about the consequences of motion and gravity and the potential injuries that can result from a misstep in sitting.
