We have a FP Natures Touch cradle swing and yes it does swing fast. It never goes past the lowest setting. What I do however is drape a baby blanket or small towel over the end of the cradle so it drags along the floor. This slows it down to a more suitable speed for bubs.

Mine runs on batteries. I've never changed them yet. I've had the swing since DS was maybe about 2 months and used it for him until he was about 8 months. Am now using it for DD.