A sensory swing does not need a hook in the ceiling. A freestanding stand holds the swing on its own, so nothing is drilled, the swing can move from the bedroom to the lounge room, and it all comes with you when you move house. That suits rented homes, plasterboard ceilings with no joist where you need one, classrooms, clinics, and anyone who would rather not drill. This guide is about choosing the stand that fits your room: how much floor it takes, how tall it is against your ceiling, and how much swinging it allows. The capacities and measurements come from the product listings and manuals.
If you do want a fixed point in a ceiling or a beam, our guide How to Hang a Sensory Swing: Ceiling, Beam, Tree or Stand covers anchor plates and tree straps step by step.
Measure Three Things First
Floor space. Each stand has a fixed footprint, from 1.1m by 1.1m for the X stand to 2.6m by 2.06m for the large swing set stand. Add clear space on every side for getting on and off, and in case somebody jumps off, falls off or swings too strongly. Keep walls, furniture, windows and toys out of that space.
Ceiling height. A stand has to fit under the ceiling with room to spare. The X stand, the U stand and both swing set stands are 1.85m to 2.1m tall, so they fit under a standard 2.4m ceiling. The heavier duty tripod stand is 2.57m tall, which is taller than a 2.4m ceiling.
How your child likes to move. Sitting, rocking and gentle swinging suit the smaller stands. Swinging more, or several children at once, needs a swing set stand with its wider base. The stand footprint is the measurement that matters most, because a stand with a small footprint would have less stability when pushed past gentle swinging.
Our Stands Side by Side
| Stand | Height | Footprint | Rating | Movement | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X stand | 2.1m | 1.1 x 1.1m | 120kg | Sitting and gentle swinging | Pod swings, wrap swings from one point, hammock chairs |
| U stand | 2.05m | 1.6 x 1.4m | 150kg when sitting | Sitting, gentle to moderate swinging | Wrap swings from one or two points, pods, hammock chairs, 100cm nest swings for gentle swinging |
| Medium swing set stand | 1.9m | 2.05 x 1.93m | 150kg suggested, 250kg tested | Swinging | 100cm nest swings, wrap swings, pods |
| Large swing set stand | 1.85m | 2.6 x 2.06m | 150kg suggested, 250kg tested | Swinging | 150cm nest swings, wrap swings, or two smaller swings at once |
| Heavier duty tripod stand | 2.57m | 2.6m triangle | 204kg | Sitting, gentle to moderate swinging | Cacoons, including the Double |
Wrap swings fit every stand, because you tie them off at whatever length suits. Where the swing and the stand have different ratings, the lower one applies: a pod rated to 80kg on the 120kg X stand is an 80kg setup.
Which Stand for Which Room
A Bedroom or a Small Lounge Room
The X stand takes the least floor of any of our stands, 1.1m by 1.1m, and at 15kg one adult can carry it to another room. It is made for sitting and gentle swinging, so it pairs with a pod swing or a wrap swing hung from one point. The pod swings are sold as a set with this 2.1m stand, including a chain and carabiners for setting the height (blue and green or red and yellow). If the floor is uneven, the feet push in, pull out or turn over to level the stand.
A Sensory Room, Play Room or Therapy Space
The U stand has three hanging points on a 1.6m by 1.4m base, and it is the smallest stand that hangs a wrap swing from two points, which opens the wrap up and lets it swing forward and back. It takes a pod, a hammock chair or a 100cm nest swing for gentle swinging as well. Its manual notes that at a certain swinging strength the legs lift a little, which can make a noise on a hard floor, so put matting under it on tiles or timber.
A Large Room, Garage or Undercover Verandah
For real swinging, the swing set stands are the ones to use. The medium stand is about 20% narrower than the large, and suits 100cm nest swings and wrap swings; the large stand takes the 150cm nest swings or two smaller swings at once. Both are galvanised and powder coated, so they work indoors or outside. They are sold with a swing as sets, such as the medium wrap swing with the medium stand and the 150cm mat nest swing with the large stand. For strong swinging, the manuals suggest a stand that is fixed down, with spiral pegs (from us) or Velcro sandbags (from eBay).
Cacoons Indoors
A Cacoon needs a high hanging point: the Bebo size asks for 220cm or more, and the stand approved for all three sizes, the heavier duty tripod, is 2.57m tall on a 2.6m triangle. It has flat feet for indoor floors, but it only fits a room with a ceiling higher than that, such as a raked ceiling or a high hall. Without that height, a Cacoon hangs from a strong exposed beam with a daisy chain strap, which also needs no drilling.
No Stand and No Drilling: an Exposed Beam
If the room has an exposed beam, or you have a verandah with rafters, tree straps are the other way to hang a swing without a single hole. Each strap is rated to 200kg and comes with a swivel and a carabiner. You pass it over the beam, feed the end through its own loop so it locks tight, and clip the swing on. The beam must be sound, with room for the strap to sit flat, and the strap should not sit on a sharp edge.
Setting Up a Stand Indoors
- Put the stand on a flat floor, clear of furniture and anything a child or swing could bump into.
- Lay a mat or other soft surface under the swing rather than bare tiles or timber.
- Hang the swing low: the manuals give a maximum of 35cm off the floor for the pod swing and 40cm for wrap swings, nest swings and hangouts. Choose a height that makes it easy to get on and off.
- Sit in the centre of the swing rather than standing or jumping on it, and do not hang from the stand itself.
- Have an adult test the setup before a child uses it, and supervise while the swing is in use.
- Check the carabiners, straps and stand joints regularly, and retighten anything that has worked loose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a sensory swing stand fit under my ceiling?
The X stand (2.1m), U stand (2.05m) and the medium and large swing set stands (1.9m and 1.85m) all fit under a standard 2.4m ceiling. The heavier duty tripod stand for the Cacoons is 2.57m tall, so it needs a higher ceiling or an outdoor spot.
Which stand is best for a small room?
The X stand, with a 1.1m by 1.1m base, is the smallest, and it suits a pod swing or a wrap swing from one point for sitting and gentle swinging. If you want the wrap to hang from two points and swing forward and back, the U stand is the next size up at 1.6m by 1.4m. Allow clear space around either stand for getting on and off.
Can a child swing strongly on an indoor stand?
Only on a swing set stand. The X stand is for sitting and gentle swinging, and the U stand and tripod for gentle to moderate swinging, because a stand with a smaller footprint has less stability when pushed past that. The medium and large swing set stands have the widest bases, and for strong swinging the manuals suggest fixing the stand down, which is simplest with spiral pegs (from us) or Velcro sandbags (from eBay).
Browse the swing and stand sets on our sensory swings with stands page, or the stands on their own under stands and mounting.
