more on our swing

A few folks have asked for more information on the swing in our living room seen in these posts - this moment and Swinging

This swing/hammock/chair thingy is the best thing we've ever brought into our home.  My sister has one for her children which came as a recommendation from her Occupational Therapist.  When my oldest daughter visited she fell in love.  Between my sister and me, we've had seven kids use the hammocks for a wide variety of reasons - to create a cocoon or safe space when over stimulated, as an indoor physical activity during long winters, for gentle rocking when upset, to read and write in a quiet space, and to swing and fly as high as the sky.  The uses are as limitless as your child's imagination.

My sister found this hammock at hammocks.com

Installation

We found the ceiling joist fairly easily.  There were formerly big dark brown beams running the width of our ceiling which we removed a few years ago. Ick.  But they helped us locate the joists.  My sister has her's mounted in a wide open archway/doorway which leaves plenty of swing space between two rooms.  Either way, you need a header or joist to mount the swing.

We screwed two eye bolts into the ceiling approximately 18 inches apart.  Using outdoor swing chain and hooks, we linked the hammock ends to the hooks and mounted the chain through the eye bolts in the ceiling.  I'm not sure if my photos will help make this more clear, but I've added them.

We did choose to loop the chain between the two eye bolts, so we can simply flip the hammock over the chain to get it out of the way.  This is perfect for cleaning or having guests over without having them trip over the swing.  My older two kids are tall enough to reach the hammock and pull it back down when they want to use it. 

I'm happy to answer questions if you are considering bringing a swing/hammock into your home!  Happy swinging!