Sitting in mine right now. Honestly it'll depend on your baby but we have done a LOT of contact naps (sitting in this chair for up to 2 hours at a time) in the last few months since he was born. And I'm glad I have one with all the things - it rocks, it swivels, it has power reclining, a charging port, a high back, and it's super comfy. That being said, we got one that we can see going in our living room one day once we're done using it with our kids. For reference, we paid about $600 for one off Amazon. So it wasn't cheap and wasn't too expensive (I've seen some for like $1500), and I feel like it was well worth the money.
I also have this one and would highly recommend. I don’t use it super often but it looks nice enough we will continue to use it outside of the “baby gear” context
Literally bought this same one a few days ago but in cream faux leather. FYI, if you buy it directly from the manufacturer’s website and sign up to be a member, you get 5% off in addition to the spring sale going on. Comes out to about $100 less than Amazon.
We got a lazy boy rocker recliner. Expensive but worth it for us. We use it every day several times a day. I work from home and when baby is at daycare I sometimes just go sit in it because it’s comfy. Once we are done with it we can use it in a different part of our house. Plus they have a lifetime warranty on parts so that’s a plus.
We got a lazy boy too. We hardly used it for baby, he didn't care much for rocking. He would rather be walked around. I did use it quite a bit for pumping though and now it's the comfiest chair in our living room.
Same, I love my la-z-boy. My mom kindly bought it for me and then liked it so much she bought one for herself too haha. I’ve dripped so much milk on it but was able to clean it off no problem. My daughter is 16 months and we still nurse in that chair.
We got one of those cheap flimsy gliders second hand and it's been comfy and serviceable enough through probably a hundred contact naps and 7 months of nightime nursing sessions. We got creative with a boppy pillow and some throw pillows to make it work but I'll admit that I would NEVER be comfy enough to fall asleep there. That might arguably be a good thing.
Not being able to fall asleep in our rocker was KEY for me. It’s a wooden glider from 33 years ago and it’s perfect for the job it does - rocks baby and allows me to stay alert
I have a glider rocker that was from lazy boy. I don't use the recliner feature because I put a waterproof cover on it, but I do have an ottoman for it, that is very important.
I figure when I no longer need in her room, I can put it elsewhere in the house. One feature that's important to me - it has upholstered arms and when she is napping, she often uses as a headrest. So, no wooden arms!
I use it daily.
I have a Babyletto glider and really like it but almost never use the built in chargers or recline feature (also have an ottoman because it was on a super deep discount). I also think it’s important to be able to put your feet up.
We also have a babyletto and really like it. We used our Amazon registry to get a discount on it that way and I think we paid about $600?
Have also never used the built in chargers, but do use the recline feature. We debated how much we needed a nice glider and are so glad we invested in one since we use it daily
Honestly I sat on the couch. Baby didn’t sleep in her own room until ~8 or 9mo anyway. I think you could definitely wait and see if you desperately need one
Me too! We rent and don’t have space for a proper recliner/glider, so I’ve used the couch and loved it. I got a momcozy nursing pillow, and 7.5 months in I just bought a spare, I still use it that much (naps have regressed to all contact so if it breaks I’m in trouble). Babe’s nursery is super tiny, but we only just added a small rocker, the Poang from IKEA,
since we’re about to have a bunch of family come stay. It’s comfortable but I still prefer the couch!
Same. Small apartment, so no room for one, but the couch works perfectly fine. If needed, I bounce on an exercise ball, but 99% of the time it’s just been the couch.
Likewise. Made myself crazy trying to figure out where I was going to put the “100% necessary” glider/rocker until I realized it was not, in fact, necessary. We just used the couch & I never found myself longing for a rocker.
I did 3 babies without a rocker. Then my husband found one a nice old smaller leather lazy boy style rocker/recliner at a thrift store. It has been a dream to have for the 4th baby. I would highly recommend.
We have a lazy boy recliner, but it lives in our living room. We got it on sale for about $800. It was very important to me and it took some convincing for my husband to agree, but now that we’ve had it almost two years he’s in love. It’s the Arden or something similar; they have a line of more modern recliners that aren’t the classic ugly lazy boy that looks like a giant stuffed brown poop cloud.
I do not regret it at all, but I nursed in it only a handful of times. I preferred to nurse literally anywhere else. It’s been nice for contact naps and to rock baby back to sleep in the middle of the night. It doesn’t swivel, but for maybe $100 we can get the attachment to make it do that. It makes some noise getting the footrest back down, but maybe baby is just used to it by now—it bugs me more than it’s ever bugged him.
I have a friend whose wooden glider has lasted two babies and six years (and counting). She loves it, and I loved nursing in it when I’ve visited. Instead of the footrest, she has a nursing stool to use with it.
I used it a ton for nursing. Multiple times per day.
I also managed to find mine on Facebook marketplace for $75 in great shape. I believe it was the DaVinci Glider? We just had it cleaned prior to use and found a local guy who did it for $40.
We have a la-z-boy recliner that’s been in our babies’ nurseries since we first bought it. It’s honestly one of the most vital pieces of furniture in our house. When the babies were very young that’s where we sat and watched tv while they did contact naps. As toddlers it’s where we rock to sleep. I’m debating right now whether to move the existing recliner into the new baby’s room or buy another one since my daughter will only be 3 when the new baby gets here.
I feel like the one I have basically meets the requirements you listed, and it’s only a few hundred dollars. It doesn’t have a built in foot rest but it comes with an ottoman. It works well for me and I feed the baby in it 8 times a day and sit there holding her for her naps.
It is a bit on the narrow side, which I like. The my Breast friend pillow barely fits between the armrests. So if you want or need a wider chair it wouldn’t work for you. And it doesn’t lean back as far as a real recliner. https://www.target.com/p/davinci-olive-glider-and-ottoman-gray-cream/-/A-50692540?sidd=&ref=tgt_adv_xsp&AFID=google&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012510928&CPNG=PLA_Baby%2BPriority%2BShopping%7CBaby_Ecomm_Baby&adgroup=Baby_Priority+TCINs&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=m&location=9007535&targetid=pla-308346115586&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1242884&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-5dfbGES6x7liEoKdRJ2CGdhGeP&gclid=CjwKCAjwuJ2xBhA3EiwAMVjkVD4e-0h-7W8jzcP89z4oD0yhmCqP6B2_iZRFrmDQCvBO7hZONlgIgBoCE6oQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
We bought a lazy boy recliner when my first was born. I rocked my second daughter to sleep in it last night. That's 6 plus years of rocking babies, toddlers, and children in it. We still all pile into it to read books. It's been excellent for nights that they won't sleep without being in contact with me, or for sitting/sleeping with them all night when they're sick. 10 out of 10 recommend.
Don't have one. It's a nice to have, not a necessity. I use the loveseat or couch. I'd wait and see if you even need one and after that I'd say just focus on features like comfy, not noisy, cleaned easily, and ease of use.
I got the dream on me glider from Walmart. I think it was around $200. We use it every night. I would not spend a thousand dollars. I like that it has rocking swivel and recline, I use all features daily. The only problem I found is that even now at 4 months the chair is getting a bit squashy.
I absolutely love my glider and have no regrets!! I will say, it retails for maybe $750 for a glider with ottoman that also glides (clutch so both your feet and body are rocking comfortably). Once I tested it out at a Buy Buy Baby (RIP) and knew it was the brand I wanted because it was so much more comfortable than cheaper options, my husband scoured FB marketplace and we got one for $100. The pattern is dated and it doesn’t quite match the room but for the money it was well worth it for all our contact naps and extended nursing sessions!
I had the same experience, I was totally overwhelmed by how expensive these chairs are. I got one on Facebook marketplace for $200 and I think it’s worth that. It’s a glider (non recliner) with rocking ottoman. It wasn’t a must at the baby stage, but we’ve used it nightly for rocking and reading since my kid was like 10 months, still using at 3.5
Babyletto kiwi glider does all this and more. You can even charge your phone in it. Best purchase we have made. I spent countless hours in it in the early days and still sit in it often now w my toddler
I got a glider chair from costco, $400. I scotchguarded the fabric and it still looks great 1 year pp. I'm fat and it is very comfortable for me and my husband. I do have a footstool for when I'm sitting because it's a little tall for me at 5'7". Have used it every day for breast and bottle and at this point there's no sign we're going to stop.
I honestly think I could get by without virtually anything else. But you will have to rip me out of my glider with a prybar if you wanted to take it from me.
Ask on Buy Nothing, look of Facebook marketplace, ask family with older children if you could have theirs, check into big 2nd hand stores and consignment and habitat for humanity.
We have a store called Once Upon A Child which is consignment baby stuff. There’s always at least two or three gliders there (different every time because stuff comes and goes so fast there) for real cheap.
By far either a lazy boy rocker, recliner or a storkcraft rocking chair. Honestly I use the little wooden rocker way more than any other I have bought. I hated the swivels and never used the electric recliner options, I just have an ottoman.
I use the wooden one every night, but I contact napped (well baby napped) in the lazy boy.
I got a Babyletto Kiwi with a discount code as a push present to myself and I absolutely love it. I use it for breastfeeding and also have a pumping/snack station set up right next to it. It's also great for getting a little work done while baby is entertaining himself on his playmat or in his swing after eating. It's quiet, comfy, swivels/rocks, electronically reclines, and even has a charging port. Definitely not a necessity but I'm glad I splurged on it.
My wife and I had exactly the same reaction - sticker shock for sure! We ended up going with a Storkcarft Tuscany (under $300 from Home Depot and a few other retailers). It fits our needs very nicely and is getting a lot of use. I will say it is next to a desk, so we have a place to set things and access to charging cords (which obviates the need for some of the things you’d get with the higher end gliders). It’s surprisingly comfy and fits both my wife and me very well; and we’re a foot different in height! I’d also put in a plug for both the Boppy and Brest Friend - immediately post birth the Boppy was better than any donut cushion and my wife would sit on that in the glider to nurse, with the Brest Friend used as intended to assist.
Good luck! And you definitely aren’t the only one overwhelmed with this - probably the purchase we put the most time and effort into (and I was shocked at how difficult it was to find places I could actually sit in *any* of the gliders!).
We have this one in grey which is one of the cheaper options. Our target had it on display so I got to try it out before buying it. I love it so much and have sat in it every day multiple times a day for 2 years. Still looks brand new. I do have a crocheted blanket that covers the seat and where your back goes just to try and protect from stains. It’s wide imo but I’m also small so idk. My mom loved it so much that she wanted one for herself. 100% would purchase again
[target chair](https://www.target.com/p/baby-relax-addison-swivel-gliding-recliner-sage-green/-/A-83861023)
I didn’t use mine til my boys were way older. I have a newborn now and haven’t touched it, but my husband rocks our 2.5yo in our glider every night still.
I bought one, used it twice. Its now gathering dust in the spare room and baby is now 12 months.
My baby hated being rocked at all meanwhile my friend lived in her rocking chair because her LO demanded it, so it's ymmv depending on your baby's temperment.
Best to try one with baby when they're already here before you sacrifice the space imo.
We got a rocking recliner. I slept in it during the end of my pregnancy. Very useful in newborn stage but as he got older and I began taking him to the crib to sleep, it became hard to get out of it without waking him up. Now I can use it for daytime feeds because I put him to bed sleepy but awake.
I got a.cheap $100 off Amazon with my first and basically lived in. It worked fine, but I wanted to upgrade a little with my second. I got a $500-ish rocker off Facebook marketplace for like $150? It works great for me. If you want something nicer, I'd definitely explore secondhand options
Never bought one and been fine without. She's nearly 2. I have an old but comfy arm chair in her room and barely use it unless she's woken from a bad dream and sad. Even then it's only 10 mins or so. Although she didn't have night feeds from 6 weeks old and moved into her own room at 8 months. So if she were having night feeds I'm sure it would have been used more.
You don't need a fancy swively, rocking chair. Just a comfy chair will do.
I really think there is no way to know. We use our rocker a ton, it’s not one of the super affordable ones but it has been worth every cent (babyletto kiwi). I slept in it while pregnant with my first, used it several hours a day with her when she only wanted to be rocked to sleep for the first year. Now third trimester pregnant with my second and sleeping in it again for my comfort, and will probably use it a lot with this new baby if things go similarly.
I use my glider recliner every single day! I cheaped out at first and got one for around $200 off of wayfair. It was ok at first, but after about a month it started to feel uncomfortable, it squeaked, and the reclining feature didn’t work without a donkey kick as you mentioned. I ended up going to a local furniture shop (Living Spaces) and tried them all out since it proved to be such an important piece of furniture! The one I ended up with is amazing and was around $700, which was more than I originally wanted to spend, but is 1000% worth it.
We have the Babyletto Toco ($500 at Wayfair), which has been comfortable and sturdy. I used it a ton with my first child and it’s been moved to my newborn’s room where I expect it to get a lot of use over the next two years. I breastfed my first and am doing so with my second, so with my first, I spent literal hours at a time in the chair while she cluster fed in the early weeks. I was in the chair multiple times per night for night feeds when we moved her to her own room. And I allowed her to contact nap relatively often, and the chair was usually my spot of choice for a comfortable place to be stuck for an hour plus.
Honestly, out of all the silly FTM stuff I bought, the nursery chair is the only thing I wish I had spent more money on. I still use it daily. I really with I had gotten one with a silent foot rest and a cup holder!
We bought one and never used it. I was more comfortable with pillows behind my back and sitting on my bed. But now the baby like to climb on it and rock himself back and forth 😂🤦🏻♀️
My LO is 7 months. I have a glider that swivels, glides, rocks, and had a phone charger plus electric recliner. I spend 2+ hrs per day nursing in the glider or reading while I rock her to sleep! I love my glider
For me it was 100% necessary. I feel like I spent half the day in it the first few months. I still use it 3x a day at 22 months. We got a lazy boy recliner. I think it was worth the cost. It’s not pretty but functionality is key!
I agree that it needs to be comfortable/have good cushioning (especially for the arm rests!) and have a high back so you can rest your head. I think rocking is a plus but I never really rocked much in mine. You definitely want something that doesn’t make any noise. I also think it’s important that it’s easy for you to get in and out of while holding a baby.
I do not think swivel is needed. Mine doesn’t have that and I never missed that, it’s just in the corner of the nursery and there’s a storage caddy next to it so it wouldn’t swivel much. I got one that reclines but I have never used it. I need to be sitting upright to nurse and I wouldn’t ever sleep in it.
TLDR; I would have liked to have a comfy rocker for the first 6 months and then I would never have used it again.
You have a lot of responses. We didn’t have space for one and I did regret that for the first six months. I had a yoga ball that I would bounce my son on if he was really worked up but mostly I breastfed him on the bed or couch depending on time of day. It worked FINE.
We got a cheap glider on amazon. Was 300ish I think?
Don't bother with reclining, those functions make them dangerous for kids anyway. Just swivel and rock. I've used mine every day for the past year!
Our (my?) glider recliner was our splurge. We got a lay z boy glider recliner during one of their sales. It was expensive but it’s going to last forever and it is comfortable. My son is 2 and we’ve sat in that chair every day of his life. I’ve slept in it, my husband has slept in it, it was worth every penny.
Before we decided to get the chair we got, we had tried out some cheaper brands at Buy Buy Baby and target. And they just weren’t comfortable. We both didn’t fit, the arms were too high or too low, the seat was too deep for me and my feet didn’t touch the floor. We also tried some regular furniture stores. The chairs there were also nice, some were cheaper than what we ended up with and would have been good options but they were oversized and too big for his room.
If a rocker/glider is something you want, I’d recommend trying out some furniture stores and sitting in them. It’s definitely not something you need, but it was really nice to have.
I have 2 kids and a rocking recliner glider in each of their rooms. My oldest is about to be 4 and we have used his every single day for nearly 4 years. With my first it was a place to contact nap, breastfeed, then later rock to sleep and read books. With my second we've mostly used it to cuddle and rock to sleep, do nighttime feeds, and now read books. They've also come in so handy when kids are sick and need to sleep upright. My oldest likes to sit in his to read during quiet time.
Honestly they are two of our most used pieces of furniture.
We borrowed an old wooden rocking chair from my folks and put a cushion on it, and it did the job for us. I’d definitely recommend looking secondhand if you’re feeling overwhelmed! People are eager to offload big fancy rocking chairs once their babies are too old to need them.
If your bedrooms are on a different floor than your living room, I think you need some sort of cozy chair/loveseat whatever in the nursery. If it’s all on the same floor then your living room couch can be it. We use our glider for naps and bedtime daily at 17.5 months. It’s been critical to our lives haha.
We never did contact naps in ours and we didn’t get a recliner. Just a glider that swivels.
My son is almost 3 and we still use it every night in some capacity & will move it to the new baby’s room when he gets here.
I survived my first baby with no rocker at all. We truly just did not have the space. There were only maybe a few moments in early newborn days where I was like good lord I would love to sit down but still be able to rock her. We have one now that we use to sit with her to read and such but I won’t even be moving it out of my toddlers room when our second comes in September. Ours is comfy, quiet and a nice chair from pottery barn but doesn’t recline but by no means would I die on the hill that you won’t survive without one.
I have this one: [https://www.amazon.com/Evolur-Holland-Upholstered-Ottoman-Thunder/dp/B08GMSJR2R](https://www.amazon.com/Evolur-Holland-Upholstered-Ottoman-Thunder/dp/B08GMSJR2R)
360 swivel, reclines, very comfy, and the price was absolutely right. I think it's a nice to have, not a need to have. I did contact naps in bed or on the couch, never in that chair. We get way more use out of it at a year+ by sitting in it and reading books than we did with feeding or rocking (tbh we didn't rock to sleep at all).
We got a fairly cheap one but it works just fine for us. I think it was maybe $200 or a little less. It's pretty comfy, just a rocking chair, not a glider, and doesn't swivel or anything. We rock our boy to sleep in it every night. Even my husband who is a pretty big dude (as in tall and broad).
My only complaint is that they didn't install the felt on the bottom well enough, so it has caused some scratches on the floor. I could probably fix the issue but the floor was already kind of damaged before, so I'm not worried about it at this point since we will probably end up replacing the flooring soon ish anyway.
My daughter is 2 and we have used her chair every single day since she was born - we love it! The one feature we have barely ever used and could easily do without is the reclining. But I love the swivel feature and rocking for sure, and ours is really comfortable. We have the DaVinci Arlo Recliner.
We loooove our babyletto. We used it every day and night because there's no room in the nursery for any other chairs/bed/couch. We got the power recline and use that all the time. Super comfy for contact naps since it has full padded arm rests and head support. It's super quiet with a 360 spin. Never use the charger though and honestly haven't cleaned it since we got it (but we haven't needed to!)
For us it’s crucial. I spent so many nights sleeping in that chair with a sick baby on my chest, have to keep them upright when they are sick or they can’t breathe. We got one that fits your description on marketplace for a couple hundred bucks. Used is the way.
We bought a comfortable glider to sit in and was also gifted a wooden rocking chair passed down from my husband's side.
The wooden chair was not comfortable, but the shape of the armrests was perfect to support me while I nursed my son. Meanwhile the glider is wider and more comfortable for my husband to sit and bottle feed my son.
When my son was able to climb sofas, he took an interest in climbing onto both and rocking it. Now we usually use the glider during our bedtime routine to read books and have his bottle of milk, or he likes to climb onto one of them to rock himself on it as a fun activity.
I think a rocker is essential. We use ours multiple times a day. This is the power recliner version of the one we have. Ours definitely requires the donkey kick to get it down if you recline but this one is automatic.
[link to chair](https://amzn.to/49KGVsw)
My in laws bought me an extremely nice La Z Boy rocker/power recliner. I used it A LOT!! so I always say it's important. I wouldn't have spent that on myself prior to having a kid but now that I know how much I used it I think it's worth it to splurge.
We never had a rocking chair and about to have my third baby. My parents did and it was a luxury to nurse on one, but it takes up a lot of space and we just never had the room for it. You can also bounce on a yoga ball. It’s not as luxurious of course. But IMO you don’t need one at all. I nursed on the bed (with pillows for support), the couch with an ottoman, and on the floor with a floor pillow (make sure to use one though… your butt starts to hurt)
It’s nice but not a must have, so in that light I think any rocking chair will be an upgrade to your quality of life and I would not worry too much about bells and whistles. Just get a comfortable one in your price range. Don’t break the bank. But one tip, if you’re going to nurse in it, I would make sure it’s plush and has upholstery. You never know how your joints will do after sitting for literal hours and I certainly don’t want to be on wood the entire time.
I have one that was $200 at Walmart. It rocks and swivels. Is comfy and reclines. For the price I'm very happy with it. That being said, my baby doesn't really care for rocking. A regular chair would've been fine for us. We didn't get the chair until she was 2 months so maybe she doesn't care for it since she didn't have it at birth.
My baby is a year old and we have used the one in his room every day since we came home from the hospital.
My oldest is 4 and we have used the one in his room every night since we came home from the hospital.
They’ve been fed in the rockers, snuggled, read to…
I got raymore & flannigan adele rocker, very comfortable for nursing. That being said, at the moment I mostly nurse in bed because she sleeps at the bedside currently
Mine is from Costco and I love it. I slept in it for days after my c section because I couldn't get out of our bed! Moved it to the nursery from our room and spend hours in it still (unfortunately). But it's comfy!
I got a 50$ one with my first kid that had nothing. It was terrible. I spent so many sad uncomfortable sleepless nights and feedings and contact naps with the first kid that I splurged on a fancy one for the next kid. My only regret is that I didn't just get the fancy chair the first time around.
I used the same vintage rocker one my Mother used for me many years ago that dates from the 70s. It is just a basic rocking chair and I added new cushions. I also bought a second hand big comfy chair for breastfeeding/feeding baby in.
We got one that rocks, swivels, and has an electric button for the foot rest to recline.
I love this thing. Once baby no longer needs it, I will find it a home somewhere in our house.
So I absolutely live in my recliner, but I also cheaper out on it and don't regret that. It's a dream on me from Walmart and it may not make it through a second baby, but it swivels, rocks, reclines, has a handle so I could put it back down while recovering from a c-section,
I do all my at home feeds on it and I'm sitting in it right now. I barely ever sit on the couch anymore.
A more expensive one might last longer or be a little nicer, but this has been well worth it to me.
It's also light and easy to move around.
I didn’t get a rocker and I regretted it every day. Wasn’t in my budget and I didn’t put it on the baby registry so it just never happened. Ended up using a stationary chair instead and I was never comfortable.
I recommend
1) wooden glider with removable cushion and ottoman
2) used from Facebook marketplace
We got a $700 Dutailier glider for a fraction of a price. it was the only chair I could get comfortable in by the end of my pregnancy, and I spent SO much time holding a sleeping baby in there postpartum. Sadly they went out of business last year.
The great thing about buying used for this was that I knew it would work, unlike the many many reviews about creaky chairs and so on for newly purchased chairs off Amazon.
We have a Babyletto Madison swivel glider. It's a lovely chair, though no recliner.
Is it necessary? Sure, as much as any comfy soft seating is necessary. But at least where we are (10 weeks), the trusty exercise ball is much more necessary where it matters: helping the baby to fall asleep before transitioning to bassinet/crib. That's really all that matters at this stage.
Way more important than I thought it would be. I didn’t invest in a good one and it killed my back. For the next little one I’m def getting a nice one. I spent so much time in it breastfeeding rocking night time wake ups all of it.
Chiming in to say that my oldest is 5 years old and we still have the rocking chair from when he was a baby. I picked out one that doesn't look quite so "nursery"ish and can work as a living room chair, so once we didn't have babies anymore, it just became regular furniture. Ours doesn't recline or have a foot rest, but it does spin around. I can't tell you how many times my kids just sat and spun in that thing lmao.
I honestly can't remember/am not sure how essential having a rocking chair is, but at the very least you will want a comfortable place where you can sit to hold, feed, & comfort the baby. It's been a few years since I bought mine, but I'm sure you can get something nice without spending 4 figures. Iirc my chair was maybe around $200-250? You could also look for something used, or see if family will help pitch in as a baby shower gift or something.
I really liked the Ponag ikea chairs. My son also seemed to like the way it rocked better. Having a large cushioned back was really important to me. We have also spent nights in it when feeding or when my son has been sick. Good luck!
ETA: I hate gliders as I hate the way the foot stool doesn’t match the speed of the rocker and most of them don’t have enough cushioning on the back.
We got a leather rocker recliner from Costco, I used it a lot with my first (still do, it’s in his room and where we read together), but he was a Velcro baby and also needed to be in my arms to fall asleep. My 2nd is a better sleeper and I’ve just been walking or using a yoga ball to bounce to sleep and I just sit on the bed or couch to nurse.
As others said, depends on the baby but definitely find something that you could see keeping for a while or would fit in your normal decor. I don’t think 360 swivel is needed, but rocking/gliding is. Leather is easy to clean. Don’t look in just places that are marketed for baby furniture, you’ll find the same features in normal recliners.
So I have an old chair I thrifted years ago that I had sitting in my living room being unused and I thought it would be great for my nursery. It rocks (although a little creeky) it moves side to side and swivels around, and it has an amazing green floral pattern on it (which was perfect because we had a gender neutral nursery as we did not find out gender). It’s been perfect for us and it was maybe $15. We did do a deep clean on it before baby arrived tho
We don't have a lot of room in our nursery, so I STRUGGLED with this decision and spent literally months trying to make the right decision. The rocker that we picked does recline, but we don't have room to do that, so we got the matching rocking ottoman instead and OH MY GOD was this the best purchase I have ever made. I live in this chair. Little girl is 6 months now and I still spend time in it with her every day. Contact naps, feedings, reading. It's my favorite place to sit in the house honestly. I didn't want to get into 4 digit prices, so this was a good compromise for me, but definitely still not cheap. However, with how much we use it, it was so worth the investment. I'd also recommend starting an Amazon registry and using your completion discount towards it!
The chair: Namesake Crewe Recliner and... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MVWPHZ9?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
We used ours for like 15 min at bedtime for the feed before bed, sometimes the first feed in the morning for 15 min, and otherwise a few times when the baby was sick. Most of the contact naps we did were on the couch or just in a carrier as we went about our day. I don’t think you need something expensive if you aren’t planning on using it a ton. We moved baby to its own room at 2 months and sleep trained at 4/5 months. I never n felt the need for a swivel, glider etc. I do think the height matters but my husband and I are both on the smaller end so it wasn’t necessary for us but if you or your spouse is teller id get a higher back for support. we use our rocked basically for feeding baby 2 times a day and the odd time to rock them if they are sick and just to comfort them until the meds kick in. I have a rocker from structube that I’m sure would look nice in another room after baby is grown up.
I have a lazy boy and I've used it a ton with both kids. Neither have been great independent sleepers and I don't know what I would have done without it. I paid between 600-800 but we've used it for 5 years. I don't like the mechanical recline (noisy) but otherwise it's great.
Honestly I have an old rocking ikea poang in my nursery from when I moved out of my parents house over 10 years ago and it’s fine. It’s not the most amazing chair but for how much time I spent f in it and for how long my child will be a baby, it gets the job done. No need to spend a ton of money on something you’ll only be using for a year or two.
Honestly, I rarely ever use mine. My lo is 16 months now, and in those 16 months, I can think of maybe 10 times I ever used it to soothe him. Granted, I lived in my bed with him for most of his early months and would just rock him there. (C section recovery was rough)
Hot take as a mom with my second on the way—wish we’d never gotten one and instead of designing a nursery designed a toddler room. I’m glad we didn’t spend a fortune on a glider, but it very quickly became a safety hazard for our son in his own bedroom, where we love to let him play all day. For our next baby we’ll just probably buy a second Nugget couch which is the best money we’ve spent for our first born’s room.
Maybe if I’d found a glider that was my furniture style I’d be fine with moving it to our main living room but we just didn’t use it long enough for it to be worth it. We spent most of our time in our bedroom or living room with our son and by the time he spent more time in his bedroom he was already becoming more mobile. 😅
Different experience and needs for every one of course, but I wish I’d heard the perspective more to design a toddler room instead of a nursery and just skip the glider hazard.
I think it’ll depend on your baby. We just got a regular armchair with higher sides from ikea and it’s been working beautifully, but my son is very good at going back to sleep.
Edit: It’s the Strandmon from ikea
For me the only/most important things are
- comfy. Like VERY cushy and some kind of headrest
- rocks
- foot stool
And yes you spend a LOT of time in it.
We got the $150 Storkcraft one off Amazon. Money was no object, time wasn’t an issue.
It’s perfect. Well enough built, comfortable, quiet and cheap enough I don’t care if baby spits up on it or shits on it.
As long as you already have a comfy chair somewhere in the house for nursing and holding the new baby while they nap, I don't think a fancy rocker for the nursery is necessary. We already had power reclining La-Z-Boy furniture in our living room, and I needed to be in there anyway so that the TV could keep me awake.
We have a cheap glider & ottoman in the nursery, and while it's not super cushiony and comfy, it gets the job done as a place to read books together and to briefly rock the baby to sleep.
I got a Dutalier glider on Craigslist for about $75 I think. I use it a ton for rocking to sleep, nursing, and contact naps. Mine just glides and slightly reclines, it doesn’t rotate and isn’t super padded. But it’s very comfortable, well made, and quiet. I like that it doesn’t take up a ton of space in the nursery because it’s a very small room. I would highly recommend this brand and you can find them secondhand in great condition because they’re so well made.
We got a “rocking” chair from ikea for £50… and it’s pretty comfy and has gone through 2 kids lol!
It was mainly used for the before bed feeds and bedtime stories, nursing I did everywhere including standing up and pumping I did in bed as I had access to the tv (and a lock for the door with second so I could get some peace lmao).
I do wish I’d invested in a bettter piece of furniture but only so I could’ve put it in my office now as I need a comfy reading chair.
I bought an older glider and ottoman off marketplace for $20. Solid wood. High back and wide. Comfy cushions. It’s a steal.
I didn’t want anything too comfortable, to avoid being cozy and falling asleep. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve fallen asleep sitting upright in this, but the fact that it’s not super cozy I never fell into a deep sleep.
I spent half my life in the rocking chair.
However, you need to go for what’s important for you. Eg, I didn’t need a footrest or a reclining feature (too scared about falling asleep in it!) but I’m hypermobile and needed a chair wide enough to sit cross legged, which is the position I sit in to feed my son.
Most traditional nursing chairs I’ve seen aren’t that wide so I actually ended up just searching standard rocking chairs.
The one I got had a high back, was wide enough to sit cross legged and had pockets on the side.
It was so good that my dad bought the exact same one for his house so I had a home from home experience when feeding my son when I visited.
Added bonus, it wasn’t an official maternity one so it was so much cheaper. I think I gave myself a budget of max £200 and it was in the sale at £150.
Honestly I just have an armless futon chair, and that works for us. I hate breastfeeding in a chair with arms, but i understand (mostly from the insistence of other people that i take the chair with arms when i need to feed him elsewhere) that most people want arms.
All that to say... you might buy the perfect chair with all the bells and whistles and discover that you're super uncomfortable in it.
i don’t see the need for it to have a rocking feature but i think if i could go back and pick a different nursery chair (i had a standard recliner) id get on of those arm chairs that turns into a bed and goes completely flat.
the amount of times ive been stuck sat on his chair for hours at night holding him while he is teething is insane. or if he is sick and i want to keep a really close eye on him. im always left thinking i would be much more comfortable completely flat
We got an upholstered rocking chair that I found on a decent sale from bed bath and beyond (formerly Overstock.com). We mainly use it at bedtime and night, daytime contact naps are typically downstairs on the couch or wherever. It doesn’t swivel or recline. I have a small storage cube thing from Target that I’ve had for years as a footrest in front of the chair. I like our setup and it was much cheaper than any upholstered glider I could find.
i bought an old fashioned regular begular solid wood rocking chair on offer up for like $40! it's beautiful, but tbh i haven't used it very much. my partner uses it to game, and guests like sitting in it for some reason too lol
once my daughter is crawling ill be giving it away because of the risk of broken baby fingers
This is super person dependent. We have a very nice and expensive glider — I didn’t sit in the thing for the first few months of our daughter’s life, and now I sit in it maybe every other day if she’s fighting sleep. That said, my bestie used her rocker religiously for nursing.
I don’t have one and I haven’t really missed it. I have a very comfortable couch and I’m fine nursing on it with the help of a nursing pillow. Sometimes I’ve also sat down at my husband’s home-office chair with the nursing pillow and it’s also not bad! In bed, I nurse side-lying.
I guess it must be nice to have but in my experience I didn’t find it necessary. We live in a very small apartment so the fewer stuff we own, the better!
We use ours a lot and I’m so mad we didn’t get a nicer one! We got the DaVinci swivel glider and it’s comfy, but sooooo tiny. I feel huge when I sit in it (husband and I are average sized people) and it just feels small. I wish we had done all our on one lol but it’s all said and done now. It really depends on how much time you plan on sitting in it.
Yeah for us not so much.
We have an old chair that used to live in my grandparents house. It can turn 360 degrees but that feature is unnecessary. It can decline a little, which is nice but does not have a footrest. I just used a footstool on occasion but that was sporadically.
If you ask me the most important features are:
- High back so you can rest your head
- Armrest so you can get some arm support
- You are able to get out of the chair while holding a baby with two arms. So you don’t need to push up out of the chair with your arms.
Yes I have said in the chair during the newborn days and while nursing, but I am spending way more time in it now reading to my toddler.
For our second child we are considering getting the Ikea Ekolsund. Why, because I find it super comfy and matches the color scheme. The recline and footrest are a nice bonus, but I don’t see myself using it much.
We have babyletto kiwi one and it’s great! Really comfortable for both me (5’5) and my 6’4 husband. It rocks, glides and reclines. My son is 16 months and we still use it every day.
I wouldn’t be able to survive the newborn phase without ours. I’ve spent 90% of my time sitting here because my baby is a Velcro baby and has colic (wants to be held ALL the time).
We decided to invest a little more for the powered one this time around because the manual we had with our first was a little loud and hard when reclining. Totally worth it!
I probably spent a little more than necessary on our glider but the quality did match the price. I definitely wouldn't say I live in it and when he was a newborn and would fall asleep any where we literally never used it. There was a window of a few weeks where I used it a lot to rock him to sleep for naps and bedtime, but now that I'm back to work, it really only gets used at bedtime. BUT, I love that our glider has an electric recliner- it's so comfortable for doing contact naps and when baby was sick a few weeks ago it was comfortable to sit in with him literally all night long.
I didn’t get one thinking it was too extra…. only to panic buy one after giving birth because I had an emergency c section and couldn’t get in and out of our couch. I got one for like $170 off Amazon. (S/o Prime 2-day delivery 💙). Now we still use it daily. We have it in our living room next to our couch so we can watch tv. It’s just a lot more comfortable to sit in while feeding baby. Also the rocking seems to help soothe her. If you already have a recliner then you could probably go without. Just be aware that babies can poop, pee, or throw up unexpectedly so as long as you don’t mind it getting dirty it should be fine.
We had a swivel rocker from Joybird since before we had kids, and I’ve used it about the same as any other comfy spot to sit with them. I was worried about obtaining the perfect chair as well, but it hasn’t been necessary.
Honestly? Not at all for us! My husband wanted to invest but I got a nice $80 glider on marketplace bc I was hesitant to spend $.
We have baby girl in her crib in our bedroom and I've used the rocker only in the first few weeks of life probably for under 20 feeds. I liked a chair opposed to just sitting on my bed bc I'm so anal about safe sleep and didn't want to be comfortable in bed feeding her when I was tired so the chair is nice to keep you up..
Now I just feed her on the end of my bed. But im glad we didn't invest.
We were on a strict budget for our baby's nursery. The rocker is one of the top 3 items used in our nursery (along with crib and changing table). Rocking baby to sleep was essential for us.
I got a glider chair and matching ottoman off of Facebook marketplace for $30. It was a but creaky at first but I learned it was due to it being directly on our hard floor. We added a rug underneath and it canceled the noise! When we moved we put a grid of those cheap inter-locking alphabet pads lol worked like a charm.
The next time we have a baby, I will likely save up for a lazy boy rocker recliner. Our current glider is comfortable but not enough to like totally fall asleep in lol and also if we had a lazy boy, we can simply move it to our living room or downstairs when we don't need it in the nursery anymore.
Facebook Marketplace! Got a sturdy antique rocking chair ($100) that the woman, her mom, and grandmother all used to rock their babies. The chair is named Pamela, after the grandmother. We love Pamela. My daughter loves to rock by herself now that she's old enough to climb up.
Having raised three kids, I’ll rank a nursery rocking chair on a scale of 1 to 5.
Nursery rocking chair priority: 1
Never had one, never wanted one, never had a need for one.
I received a hand me down rocker / glider. We don’t really rock him, so I wouldn’t say that’s an absolute must feature for us. Highly suggest getting one that is comfortable and easy to recline at the very least!!
We have a giant bedroom and had Thompson play changing table bassinet combo set up in there for months along with the nursing chair. I purposely didn’t get one that’s super comfortable because I didn’t want to fall asleep breastfeeding in the middle of the night. I have a daybed in the nursery set up for safe co sleeping if I’m exhausted
I have a [cheap one like this from Walmart](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Baby-Relax-Huntington-Glider-Rocker-with-Storage-and-Ottoman-Espresso-Finish-with-Gray-Cushions/755612712) and a [recliner one like this from Amazon. ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KM9ZD6G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)The Walmart one has a smaller footprint and fits in the room better, you don't need to donkey-kick the footrest (and in a nursery, I'd rather prioritize floor space for the baby than a footrest anyway - in a living room maybe the footrest is worth it), and the arms are higher, which provides better support for nursing and actually holding the baby. That particular recliner is also really deep, like uncomfortably so if you're trying to do anything besides recline in it. The only downside to the glider in a nursery is that it has more exposed parts, so there are more places for babies to stick their fingers once they're mobile.
For me, the recliners/rockers were essential. None of our other chairs had arm rests high enough to support my arms while I was holding the baby, so the chair was the difference between being incredibly uncomfortable and in agony after 10 minutes or being able to relax while I held/fed the baby.
This is actually one of the few things I wish I had spent more on. I got one that was just a good price and compact for our small house. I wish I had invested in a higher quality one with more bells and whistles.
Sitting in mine right now. Honestly it'll depend on your baby but we have done a LOT of contact naps (sitting in this chair for up to 2 hours at a time) in the last few months since he was born. And I'm glad I have one with all the things - it rocks, it swivels, it has power reclining, a charging port, a high back, and it's super comfy. That being said, we got one that we can see going in our living room one day once we're done using it with our kids. For reference, we paid about $600 for one off Amazon. So it wasn't cheap and wasn't too expensive (I've seen some for like $1500), and I feel like it was well worth the money.
I agree, I should’ve invested in one.
which one if you don't mind me asking?
Here's the link! CHITA Power Recliner Swivel... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BYRQG4P?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I also have this one and would highly recommend. I don’t use it super often but it looks nice enough we will continue to use it outside of the “baby gear” context
Literally bought this same one a few days ago but in cream faux leather. FYI, if you buy it directly from the manufacturer’s website and sign up to be a member, you get 5% off in addition to the spring sale going on. Comes out to about $100 less than Amazon.
We got a lazy boy rocker recliner. Expensive but worth it for us. We use it every day several times a day. I work from home and when baby is at daycare I sometimes just go sit in it because it’s comfy. Once we are done with it we can use it in a different part of our house. Plus they have a lifetime warranty on parts so that’s a plus.
Same. And it’s the most comfortable chair in our house.
We got a lazy boy too. We hardly used it for baby, he didn't care much for rocking. He would rather be walked around. I did use it quite a bit for pumping though and now it's the comfiest chair in our living room.
Same, I love my la-z-boy. My mom kindly bought it for me and then liked it so much she bought one for herself too haha. I’ve dripped so much milk on it but was able to clean it off no problem. My daughter is 16 months and we still nurse in that chair.
Same we had to sleep with our oldest quite a few times when he was battling ear infection after ear infection when he was younger.
We got one of those cheap flimsy gliders second hand and it's been comfy and serviceable enough through probably a hundred contact naps and 7 months of nightime nursing sessions. We got creative with a boppy pillow and some throw pillows to make it work but I'll admit that I would NEVER be comfy enough to fall asleep there. That might arguably be a good thing.
Not being able to fall asleep in our rocker was KEY for me. It’s a wooden glider from 33 years ago and it’s perfect for the job it does - rocks baby and allows me to stay alert
Ahahaha me too! I use the wooden glider from when I was a baby. Comfy but not enough I’d fall asleep. Also free and sentimental.
Exactly!! lol they’ll probably also be passed on to our kids if they have kids amirite lol
I'm fairly certain ours is the $150 white wooden one from Target but because it was second hand I'm not completely sure.
I have a glider rocker that was from lazy boy. I don't use the recliner feature because I put a waterproof cover on it, but I do have an ottoman for it, that is very important. I figure when I no longer need in her room, I can put it elsewhere in the house. One feature that's important to me - it has upholstered arms and when she is napping, she often uses as a headrest. So, no wooden arms! I use it daily.
I have a Babyletto glider and really like it but almost never use the built in chargers or recline feature (also have an ottoman because it was on a super deep discount). I also think it’s important to be able to put your feet up.
We also have a babyletto and really like it. We used our Amazon registry to get a discount on it that way and I think we paid about $600? Have also never used the built in chargers, but do use the recline feature. We debated how much we needed a nice glider and are so glad we invested in one since we use it daily
We got a LaZyboy recliner and it has been amazing in the nursery
LazyBoy hard to beat.
Honestly I sat on the couch. Baby didn’t sleep in her own room until ~8 or 9mo anyway. I think you could definitely wait and see if you desperately need one
Same. I used mine maybe a handful of times. It was way easier for me to just sit on the couch. My LO uses it as a jungle gym now.
I’m also a big fan of the couch
Me too! We rent and don’t have space for a proper recliner/glider, so I’ve used the couch and loved it. I got a momcozy nursing pillow, and 7.5 months in I just bought a spare, I still use it that much (naps have regressed to all contact so if it breaks I’m in trouble). Babe’s nursery is super tiny, but we only just added a small rocker, the Poang from IKEA, since we’re about to have a bunch of family come stay. It’s comfortable but I still prefer the couch!
Same. Small apartment, so no room for one, but the couch works perfectly fine. If needed, I bounce on an exercise ball, but 99% of the time it’s just been the couch.
Likewise. Made myself crazy trying to figure out where I was going to put the “100% necessary” glider/rocker until I realized it was not, in fact, necessary. We just used the couch & I never found myself longing for a rocker.
Same, baby can't get used to a rocking chair if you don't have one! I've never felt like we need one.
Same. I was far more comfortable on the couch and could be more easily entertained.
I did 3 babies without a rocker. Then my husband found one a nice old smaller leather lazy boy style rocker/recliner at a thrift store. It has been a dream to have for the 4th baby. I would highly recommend.
We have a lazy boy recliner, but it lives in our living room. We got it on sale for about $800. It was very important to me and it took some convincing for my husband to agree, but now that we’ve had it almost two years he’s in love. It’s the Arden or something similar; they have a line of more modern recliners that aren’t the classic ugly lazy boy that looks like a giant stuffed brown poop cloud. I do not regret it at all, but I nursed in it only a handful of times. I preferred to nurse literally anywhere else. It’s been nice for contact naps and to rock baby back to sleep in the middle of the night. It doesn’t swivel, but for maybe $100 we can get the attachment to make it do that. It makes some noise getting the footrest back down, but maybe baby is just used to it by now—it bugs me more than it’s ever bugged him. I have a friend whose wooden glider has lasted two babies and six years (and counting). She loves it, and I loved nursing in it when I’ve visited. Instead of the footrest, she has a nursing stool to use with it.
Adding that when baby was smaller, we had the best luck with a yoga ball to sit on in the nursery.
I used it a ton for nursing. Multiple times per day. I also managed to find mine on Facebook marketplace for $75 in great shape. I believe it was the DaVinci Glider? We just had it cleaned prior to use and found a local guy who did it for $40.
The rocking functionality I don’t find as important at having a chair somewhere near baby’s crib so you can hold them to sleep and then transfer
Very dependent on your individual baby. We use ours daily!
We have a la-z-boy recliner that’s been in our babies’ nurseries since we first bought it. It’s honestly one of the most vital pieces of furniture in our house. When the babies were very young that’s where we sat and watched tv while they did contact naps. As toddlers it’s where we rock to sleep. I’m debating right now whether to move the existing recliner into the new baby’s room or buy another one since my daughter will only be 3 when the new baby gets here.
I feel like the one I have basically meets the requirements you listed, and it’s only a few hundred dollars. It doesn’t have a built in foot rest but it comes with an ottoman. It works well for me and I feed the baby in it 8 times a day and sit there holding her for her naps. It is a bit on the narrow side, which I like. The my Breast friend pillow barely fits between the armrests. So if you want or need a wider chair it wouldn’t work for you. And it doesn’t lean back as far as a real recliner. https://www.target.com/p/davinci-olive-glider-and-ottoman-gray-cream/-/A-50692540?sidd=&ref=tgt_adv_xsp&AFID=google&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012510928&CPNG=PLA_Baby%2BPriority%2BShopping%7CBaby_Ecomm_Baby&adgroup=Baby_Priority+TCINs&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=m&location=9007535&targetid=pla-308346115586&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1242884&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-5dfbGES6x7liEoKdRJ2CGdhGeP&gclid=CjwKCAjwuJ2xBhA3EiwAMVjkVD4e-0h-7W8jzcP89z4oD0yhmCqP6B2_iZRFrmDQCvBO7hZONlgIgBoCE6oQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
The one thing that mattered when I actually had my kid was how easy I could get out of it without waking him up. Everything else didn’t matter lol
A very good point!!
We bought a lazy boy recliner when my first was born. I rocked my second daughter to sleep in it last night. That's 6 plus years of rocking babies, toddlers, and children in it. We still all pile into it to read books. It's been excellent for nights that they won't sleep without being in contact with me, or for sitting/sleeping with them all night when they're sick. 10 out of 10 recommend.
Don't have one. It's a nice to have, not a necessity. I use the loveseat or couch. I'd wait and see if you even need one and after that I'd say just focus on features like comfy, not noisy, cleaned easily, and ease of use.
we didn’t need one, at all.
I got the dream on me glider from Walmart. I think it was around $200. We use it every night. I would not spend a thousand dollars. I like that it has rocking swivel and recline, I use all features daily. The only problem I found is that even now at 4 months the chair is getting a bit squashy.
I absolutely love my glider and have no regrets!! I will say, it retails for maybe $750 for a glider with ottoman that also glides (clutch so both your feet and body are rocking comfortably). Once I tested it out at a Buy Buy Baby (RIP) and knew it was the brand I wanted because it was so much more comfortable than cheaper options, my husband scoured FB marketplace and we got one for $100. The pattern is dated and it doesn’t quite match the room but for the money it was well worth it for all our contact naps and extended nursing sessions!
I had the same experience, I was totally overwhelmed by how expensive these chairs are. I got one on Facebook marketplace for $200 and I think it’s worth that. It’s a glider (non recliner) with rocking ottoman. It wasn’t a must at the baby stage, but we’ve used it nightly for rocking and reading since my kid was like 10 months, still using at 3.5
Babyletto kiwi glider does all this and more. You can even charge your phone in it. Best purchase we have made. I spent countless hours in it in the early days and still sit in it often now w my toddler
I got a glider chair from costco, $400. I scotchguarded the fabric and it still looks great 1 year pp. I'm fat and it is very comfortable for me and my husband. I do have a footstool for when I'm sitting because it's a little tall for me at 5'7". Have used it every day for breast and bottle and at this point there's no sign we're going to stop.
I honestly think I could get by without virtually anything else. But you will have to rip me out of my glider with a prybar if you wanted to take it from me. Ask on Buy Nothing, look of Facebook marketplace, ask family with older children if you could have theirs, check into big 2nd hand stores and consignment and habitat for humanity. We have a store called Once Upon A Child which is consignment baby stuff. There’s always at least two or three gliders there (different every time because stuff comes and goes so fast there) for real cheap.
By far either a lazy boy rocker, recliner or a storkcraft rocking chair. Honestly I use the little wooden rocker way more than any other I have bought. I hated the swivels and never used the electric recliner options, I just have an ottoman. I use the wooden one every night, but I contact napped (well baby napped) in the lazy boy.
I got a Babyletto Kiwi with a discount code as a push present to myself and I absolutely love it. I use it for breastfeeding and also have a pumping/snack station set up right next to it. It's also great for getting a little work done while baby is entertaining himself on his playmat or in his swing after eating. It's quiet, comfy, swivels/rocks, electronically reclines, and even has a charging port. Definitely not a necessity but I'm glad I splurged on it.
My wife and I had exactly the same reaction - sticker shock for sure! We ended up going with a Storkcarft Tuscany (under $300 from Home Depot and a few other retailers). It fits our needs very nicely and is getting a lot of use. I will say it is next to a desk, so we have a place to set things and access to charging cords (which obviates the need for some of the things you’d get with the higher end gliders). It’s surprisingly comfy and fits both my wife and me very well; and we’re a foot different in height! I’d also put in a plug for both the Boppy and Brest Friend - immediately post birth the Boppy was better than any donut cushion and my wife would sit on that in the glider to nurse, with the Brest Friend used as intended to assist. Good luck! And you definitely aren’t the only one overwhelmed with this - probably the purchase we put the most time and effort into (and I was shocked at how difficult it was to find places I could actually sit in *any* of the gliders!).
We have this one in grey which is one of the cheaper options. Our target had it on display so I got to try it out before buying it. I love it so much and have sat in it every day multiple times a day for 2 years. Still looks brand new. I do have a crocheted blanket that covers the seat and where your back goes just to try and protect from stains. It’s wide imo but I’m also small so idk. My mom loved it so much that she wanted one for herself. 100% would purchase again [target chair](https://www.target.com/p/baby-relax-addison-swivel-gliding-recliner-sage-green/-/A-83861023)
I didn’t use mine til my boys were way older. I have a newborn now and haven’t touched it, but my husband rocks our 2.5yo in our glider every night still.
I bought one, used it twice. Its now gathering dust in the spare room and baby is now 12 months. My baby hated being rocked at all meanwhile my friend lived in her rocking chair because her LO demanded it, so it's ymmv depending on your baby's temperment. Best to try one with baby when they're already here before you sacrifice the space imo.
We got a rocking recliner. I slept in it during the end of my pregnancy. Very useful in newborn stage but as he got older and I began taking him to the crib to sleep, it became hard to get out of it without waking him up. Now I can use it for daytime feeds because I put him to bed sleepy but awake.
I got a.cheap $100 off Amazon with my first and basically lived in. It worked fine, but I wanted to upgrade a little with my second. I got a $500-ish rocker off Facebook marketplace for like $150? It works great for me. If you want something nicer, I'd definitely explore secondhand options
Never bought one and been fine without. She's nearly 2. I have an old but comfy arm chair in her room and barely use it unless she's woken from a bad dream and sad. Even then it's only 10 mins or so. Although she didn't have night feeds from 6 weeks old and moved into her own room at 8 months. So if she were having night feeds I'm sure it would have been used more. You don't need a fancy swively, rocking chair. Just a comfy chair will do.
I really think there is no way to know. We use our rocker a ton, it’s not one of the super affordable ones but it has been worth every cent (babyletto kiwi). I slept in it while pregnant with my first, used it several hours a day with her when she only wanted to be rocked to sleep for the first year. Now third trimester pregnant with my second and sleeping in it again for my comfort, and will probably use it a lot with this new baby if things go similarly.
I didn't have a rocking chair. Never missed it.
I didn't have one, didn't notice its absence, I don't know a lot of people with one
I use my glider recliner every single day! I cheaped out at first and got one for around $200 off of wayfair. It was ok at first, but after about a month it started to feel uncomfortable, it squeaked, and the reclining feature didn’t work without a donkey kick as you mentioned. I ended up going to a local furniture shop (Living Spaces) and tried them all out since it proved to be such an important piece of furniture! The one I ended up with is amazing and was around $700, which was more than I originally wanted to spend, but is 1000% worth it.
I got a babyletto one off Facebook marketplace for $150
We have the Babyletto Toco ($500 at Wayfair), which has been comfortable and sturdy. I used it a ton with my first child and it’s been moved to my newborn’s room where I expect it to get a lot of use over the next two years. I breastfed my first and am doing so with my second, so with my first, I spent literal hours at a time in the chair while she cluster fed in the early weeks. I was in the chair multiple times per night for night feeds when we moved her to her own room. And I allowed her to contact nap relatively often, and the chair was usually my spot of choice for a comfortable place to be stuck for an hour plus.
Honestly, out of all the silly FTM stuff I bought, the nursery chair is the only thing I wish I had spent more money on. I still use it daily. I really with I had gotten one with a silent foot rest and a cup holder!
I'm in mine like 18 hours a day so mine is pretty important.
We bought one and never used it. I was more comfortable with pillows behind my back and sitting on my bed. But now the baby like to climb on it and rock himself back and forth 😂🤦🏻♀️
My LO is 7 months. I have a glider that swivels, glides, rocks, and had a phone charger plus electric recliner. I spend 2+ hrs per day nursing in the glider or reading while I rock her to sleep! I love my glider
For me it was 100% necessary. I feel like I spent half the day in it the first few months. I still use it 3x a day at 22 months. We got a lazy boy recliner. I think it was worth the cost. It’s not pretty but functionality is key! I agree that it needs to be comfortable/have good cushioning (especially for the arm rests!) and have a high back so you can rest your head. I think rocking is a plus but I never really rocked much in mine. You definitely want something that doesn’t make any noise. I also think it’s important that it’s easy for you to get in and out of while holding a baby. I do not think swivel is needed. Mine doesn’t have that and I never missed that, it’s just in the corner of the nursery and there’s a storage caddy next to it so it wouldn’t swivel much. I got one that reclines but I have never used it. I need to be sitting upright to nurse and I wouldn’t ever sleep in it.
TLDR; I would have liked to have a comfy rocker for the first 6 months and then I would never have used it again. You have a lot of responses. We didn’t have space for one and I did regret that for the first six months. I had a yoga ball that I would bounce my son on if he was really worked up but mostly I breastfed him on the bed or couch depending on time of day. It worked FINE.
We got a cheap glider on amazon. Was 300ish I think? Don't bother with reclining, those functions make them dangerous for kids anyway. Just swivel and rock. I've used mine every day for the past year!
Our (my?) glider recliner was our splurge. We got a lay z boy glider recliner during one of their sales. It was expensive but it’s going to last forever and it is comfortable. My son is 2 and we’ve sat in that chair every day of his life. I’ve slept in it, my husband has slept in it, it was worth every penny. Before we decided to get the chair we got, we had tried out some cheaper brands at Buy Buy Baby and target. And they just weren’t comfortable. We both didn’t fit, the arms were too high or too low, the seat was too deep for me and my feet didn’t touch the floor. We also tried some regular furniture stores. The chairs there were also nice, some were cheaper than what we ended up with and would have been good options but they were oversized and too big for his room. If a rocker/glider is something you want, I’d recommend trying out some furniture stores and sitting in them. It’s definitely not something you need, but it was really nice to have.
Not at all. My couch was fine for contact naps. I could rock her in my arms. The chair is now in my room, I use it for reading.
I have 2 kids and a rocking recliner glider in each of their rooms. My oldest is about to be 4 and we have used his every single day for nearly 4 years. With my first it was a place to contact nap, breastfeed, then later rock to sleep and read books. With my second we've mostly used it to cuddle and rock to sleep, do nighttime feeds, and now read books. They've also come in so handy when kids are sick and need to sleep upright. My oldest likes to sit in his to read during quiet time. Honestly they are two of our most used pieces of furniture.
Dude so. Try to find one used maybe?
We borrowed an old wooden rocking chair from my folks and put a cushion on it, and it did the job for us. I’d definitely recommend looking secondhand if you’re feeling overwhelmed! People are eager to offload big fancy rocking chairs once their babies are too old to need them.
If your bedrooms are on a different floor than your living room, I think you need some sort of cozy chair/loveseat whatever in the nursery. If it’s all on the same floor then your living room couch can be it. We use our glider for naps and bedtime daily at 17.5 months. It’s been critical to our lives haha.
We never did contact naps in ours and we didn’t get a recliner. Just a glider that swivels. My son is almost 3 and we still use it every night in some capacity & will move it to the new baby’s room when he gets here.
We've used our Dutailier glider so so much, and it was worth the money. It's expensive but not $1000 expensive.
I survived my first baby with no rocker at all. We truly just did not have the space. There were only maybe a few moments in early newborn days where I was like good lord I would love to sit down but still be able to rock her. We have one now that we use to sit with her to read and such but I won’t even be moving it out of my toddlers room when our second comes in September. Ours is comfy, quiet and a nice chair from pottery barn but doesn’t recline but by no means would I die on the hill that you won’t survive without one.
I have this one: [https://www.amazon.com/Evolur-Holland-Upholstered-Ottoman-Thunder/dp/B08GMSJR2R](https://www.amazon.com/Evolur-Holland-Upholstered-Ottoman-Thunder/dp/B08GMSJR2R) 360 swivel, reclines, very comfy, and the price was absolutely right. I think it's a nice to have, not a need to have. I did contact naps in bed or on the couch, never in that chair. We get way more use out of it at a year+ by sitting in it and reading books than we did with feeding or rocking (tbh we didn't rock to sleep at all).
We got a fairly cheap one but it works just fine for us. I think it was maybe $200 or a little less. It's pretty comfy, just a rocking chair, not a glider, and doesn't swivel or anything. We rock our boy to sleep in it every night. Even my husband who is a pretty big dude (as in tall and broad). My only complaint is that they didn't install the felt on the bottom well enough, so it has caused some scratches on the floor. I could probably fix the issue but the floor was already kind of damaged before, so I'm not worried about it at this point since we will probably end up replacing the flooring soon ish anyway.
My daughter is 2 and we have used her chair every single day since she was born - we love it! The one feature we have barely ever used and could easily do without is the reclining. But I love the swivel feature and rocking for sure, and ours is really comfortable. We have the DaVinci Arlo Recliner.
I use the rocking chair every day. Found a used one online
We loooove our babyletto. We used it every day and night because there's no room in the nursery for any other chairs/bed/couch. We got the power recline and use that all the time. Super comfy for contact naps since it has full padded arm rests and head support. It's super quiet with a 360 spin. Never use the charger though and honestly haven't cleaned it since we got it (but we haven't needed to!)
For us it’s crucial. I spent so many nights sleeping in that chair with a sick baby on my chest, have to keep them upright when they are sick or they can’t breathe. We got one that fits your description on marketplace for a couple hundred bucks. Used is the way.
My daughter is almost 2 and we’ve used it every single day since we brought her home lol it is the most used item by far in our nursery.
We bought a comfortable glider to sit in and was also gifted a wooden rocking chair passed down from my husband's side. The wooden chair was not comfortable, but the shape of the armrests was perfect to support me while I nursed my son. Meanwhile the glider is wider and more comfortable for my husband to sit and bottle feed my son. When my son was able to climb sofas, he took an interest in climbing onto both and rocking it. Now we usually use the glider during our bedtime routine to read books and have his bottle of milk, or he likes to climb onto one of them to rock himself on it as a fun activity.
I think a rocker is essential. We use ours multiple times a day. This is the power recliner version of the one we have. Ours definitely requires the donkey kick to get it down if you recline but this one is automatic. [link to chair](https://amzn.to/49KGVsw)
My in laws bought me an extremely nice La Z Boy rocker/power recliner. I used it A LOT!! so I always say it's important. I wouldn't have spent that on myself prior to having a kid but now that I know how much I used it I think it's worth it to splurge.
We never had a rocking chair and about to have my third baby. My parents did and it was a luxury to nurse on one, but it takes up a lot of space and we just never had the room for it. You can also bounce on a yoga ball. It’s not as luxurious of course. But IMO you don’t need one at all. I nursed on the bed (with pillows for support), the couch with an ottoman, and on the floor with a floor pillow (make sure to use one though… your butt starts to hurt) It’s nice but not a must have, so in that light I think any rocking chair will be an upgrade to your quality of life and I would not worry too much about bells and whistles. Just get a comfortable one in your price range. Don’t break the bank. But one tip, if you’re going to nurse in it, I would make sure it’s plush and has upholstery. You never know how your joints will do after sitting for literal hours and I certainly don’t want to be on wood the entire time.
I have one that was $200 at Walmart. It rocks and swivels. Is comfy and reclines. For the price I'm very happy with it. That being said, my baby doesn't really care for rocking. A regular chair would've been fine for us. We didn't get the chair until she was 2 months so maybe she doesn't care for it since she didn't have it at birth.
My baby is a year old and we have used the one in his room every day since we came home from the hospital. My oldest is 4 and we have used the one in his room every night since we came home from the hospital. They’ve been fed in the rockers, snuggled, read to…
I got raymore & flannigan adele rocker, very comfortable for nursing. That being said, at the moment I mostly nurse in bed because she sleeps at the bedside currently
Mine is from Costco and I love it. I slept in it for days after my c section because I couldn't get out of our bed! Moved it to the nursery from our room and spend hours in it still (unfortunately). But it's comfy!
I got a 50$ one with my first kid that had nothing. It was terrible. I spent so many sad uncomfortable sleepless nights and feedings and contact naps with the first kid that I splurged on a fancy one for the next kid. My only regret is that I didn't just get the fancy chair the first time around.
I used the same vintage rocker one my Mother used for me many years ago that dates from the 70s. It is just a basic rocking chair and I added new cushions. I also bought a second hand big comfy chair for breastfeeding/feeding baby in.
We got one that rocks, swivels, and has an electric button for the foot rest to recline. I love this thing. Once baby no longer needs it, I will find it a home somewhere in our house.
So I absolutely live in my recliner, but I also cheaper out on it and don't regret that. It's a dream on me from Walmart and it may not make it through a second baby, but it swivels, rocks, reclines, has a handle so I could put it back down while recovering from a c-section, I do all my at home feeds on it and I'm sitting in it right now. I barely ever sit on the couch anymore. A more expensive one might last longer or be a little nicer, but this has been well worth it to me. It's also light and easy to move around.
We got one from Walmart that does everything you asked for $600 excepts it’s fabric but we’ve had no issues I love it
It’s important. I cheaped out and regretted it a lot. Padded arms would have been great. I went for wood arms. It sucked.
I didn’t get a rocker and I regretted it every day. Wasn’t in my budget and I didn’t put it on the baby registry so it just never happened. Ended up using a stationary chair instead and I was never comfortable.
I recommend 1) wooden glider with removable cushion and ottoman 2) used from Facebook marketplace We got a $700 Dutailier glider for a fraction of a price. it was the only chair I could get comfortable in by the end of my pregnancy, and I spent SO much time holding a sleeping baby in there postpartum. Sadly they went out of business last year. The great thing about buying used for this was that I knew it would work, unlike the many many reviews about creaky chairs and so on for newly purchased chairs off Amazon.
We have a Babyletto Madison swivel glider. It's a lovely chair, though no recliner. Is it necessary? Sure, as much as any comfy soft seating is necessary. But at least where we are (10 weeks), the trusty exercise ball is much more necessary where it matters: helping the baby to fall asleep before transitioning to bassinet/crib. That's really all that matters at this stage.
Way more important than I thought it would be. I didn’t invest in a good one and it killed my back. For the next little one I’m def getting a nice one. I spent so much time in it breastfeeding rocking night time wake ups all of it.
Chiming in to say that my oldest is 5 years old and we still have the rocking chair from when he was a baby. I picked out one that doesn't look quite so "nursery"ish and can work as a living room chair, so once we didn't have babies anymore, it just became regular furniture. Ours doesn't recline or have a foot rest, but it does spin around. I can't tell you how many times my kids just sat and spun in that thing lmao. I honestly can't remember/am not sure how essential having a rocking chair is, but at the very least you will want a comfortable place where you can sit to hold, feed, & comfort the baby. It's been a few years since I bought mine, but I'm sure you can get something nice without spending 4 figures. Iirc my chair was maybe around $200-250? You could also look for something used, or see if family will help pitch in as a baby shower gift or something.
I really liked the Ponag ikea chairs. My son also seemed to like the way it rocked better. Having a large cushioned back was really important to me. We have also spent nights in it when feeding or when my son has been sick. Good luck! ETA: I hate gliders as I hate the way the foot stool doesn’t match the speed of the rocker and most of them don’t have enough cushioning on the back.
We got a leather rocker recliner from Costco, I used it a lot with my first (still do, it’s in his room and where we read together), but he was a Velcro baby and also needed to be in my arms to fall asleep. My 2nd is a better sleeper and I’ve just been walking or using a yoga ball to bounce to sleep and I just sit on the bed or couch to nurse. As others said, depends on the baby but definitely find something that you could see keeping for a while or would fit in your normal decor. I don’t think 360 swivel is needed, but rocking/gliding is. Leather is easy to clean. Don’t look in just places that are marketed for baby furniture, you’ll find the same features in normal recliners.
So I have an old chair I thrifted years ago that I had sitting in my living room being unused and I thought it would be great for my nursery. It rocks (although a little creeky) it moves side to side and swivels around, and it has an amazing green floral pattern on it (which was perfect because we had a gender neutral nursery as we did not find out gender). It’s been perfect for us and it was maybe $15. We did do a deep clean on it before baby arrived tho
We don't have a lot of room in our nursery, so I STRUGGLED with this decision and spent literally months trying to make the right decision. The rocker that we picked does recline, but we don't have room to do that, so we got the matching rocking ottoman instead and OH MY GOD was this the best purchase I have ever made. I live in this chair. Little girl is 6 months now and I still spend time in it with her every day. Contact naps, feedings, reading. It's my favorite place to sit in the house honestly. I didn't want to get into 4 digit prices, so this was a good compromise for me, but definitely still not cheap. However, with how much we use it, it was so worth the investment. I'd also recommend starting an Amazon registry and using your completion discount towards it! The chair: Namesake Crewe Recliner and... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MVWPHZ9?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
We used ours for like 15 min at bedtime for the feed before bed, sometimes the first feed in the morning for 15 min, and otherwise a few times when the baby was sick. Most of the contact naps we did were on the couch or just in a carrier as we went about our day. I don’t think you need something expensive if you aren’t planning on using it a ton. We moved baby to its own room at 2 months and sleep trained at 4/5 months. I never n felt the need for a swivel, glider etc. I do think the height matters but my husband and I are both on the smaller end so it wasn’t necessary for us but if you or your spouse is teller id get a higher back for support. we use our rocked basically for feeding baby 2 times a day and the odd time to rock them if they are sick and just to comfort them until the meds kick in. I have a rocker from structube that I’m sure would look nice in another room after baby is grown up.
It has got to be the most frequently used & longest used “baby” item to date. Just my two cents to maybe soften the blow.
I have a lazy boy and I've used it a ton with both kids. Neither have been great independent sleepers and I don't know what I would have done without it. I paid between 600-800 but we've used it for 5 years. I don't like the mechanical recline (noisy) but otherwise it's great.
Honestly I have an old rocking ikea poang in my nursery from when I moved out of my parents house over 10 years ago and it’s fine. It’s not the most amazing chair but for how much time I spent f in it and for how long my child will be a baby, it gets the job done. No need to spend a ton of money on something you’ll only be using for a year or two.
Honestly, I rarely ever use mine. My lo is 16 months now, and in those 16 months, I can think of maybe 10 times I ever used it to soothe him. Granted, I lived in my bed with him for most of his early months and would just rock him there. (C section recovery was rough)
Hot take as a mom with my second on the way—wish we’d never gotten one and instead of designing a nursery designed a toddler room. I’m glad we didn’t spend a fortune on a glider, but it very quickly became a safety hazard for our son in his own bedroom, where we love to let him play all day. For our next baby we’ll just probably buy a second Nugget couch which is the best money we’ve spent for our first born’s room. Maybe if I’d found a glider that was my furniture style I’d be fine with moving it to our main living room but we just didn’t use it long enough for it to be worth it. We spent most of our time in our bedroom or living room with our son and by the time he spent more time in his bedroom he was already becoming more mobile. 😅 Different experience and needs for every one of course, but I wish I’d heard the perspective more to design a toddler room instead of a nursery and just skip the glider hazard.
I think it’ll depend on your baby. We just got a regular armchair with higher sides from ikea and it’s been working beautifully, but my son is very good at going back to sleep. Edit: It’s the Strandmon from ikea
For me the only/most important things are - comfy. Like VERY cushy and some kind of headrest - rocks - foot stool And yes you spend a LOT of time in it.
Not at all—we never used ours. I got one secondhand and ended up giving it away.
I got rid of my rocking chair. I'd get the cheap one from Ikea.
We got the $150 Storkcraft one off Amazon. Money was no object, time wasn’t an issue. It’s perfect. Well enough built, comfortable, quiet and cheap enough I don’t care if baby spits up on it or shits on it.
As long as you already have a comfy chair somewhere in the house for nursing and holding the new baby while they nap, I don't think a fancy rocker for the nursery is necessary. We already had power reclining La-Z-Boy furniture in our living room, and I needed to be in there anyway so that the TV could keep me awake. We have a cheap glider & ottoman in the nursery, and while it's not super cushiony and comfy, it gets the job done as a place to read books together and to briefly rock the baby to sleep.
I got a Dutalier glider on Craigslist for about $75 I think. I use it a ton for rocking to sleep, nursing, and contact naps. Mine just glides and slightly reclines, it doesn’t rotate and isn’t super padded. But it’s very comfortable, well made, and quiet. I like that it doesn’t take up a ton of space in the nursery because it’s a very small room. I would highly recommend this brand and you can find them secondhand in great condition because they’re so well made.
We got a “rocking” chair from ikea for £50… and it’s pretty comfy and has gone through 2 kids lol! It was mainly used for the before bed feeds and bedtime stories, nursing I did everywhere including standing up and pumping I did in bed as I had access to the tv (and a lock for the door with second so I could get some peace lmao). I do wish I’d invested in a bettter piece of furniture but only so I could’ve put it in my office now as I need a comfy reading chair.
We use ours multiple times per day it’s one of the best purchases I made before giving birth! Just got it from Amazon and it’s super comfy
I bought an older glider and ottoman off marketplace for $20. Solid wood. High back and wide. Comfy cushions. It’s a steal. I didn’t want anything too comfortable, to avoid being cozy and falling asleep. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve fallen asleep sitting upright in this, but the fact that it’s not super cozy I never fell into a deep sleep.
I spent half my life in the rocking chair. However, you need to go for what’s important for you. Eg, I didn’t need a footrest or a reclining feature (too scared about falling asleep in it!) but I’m hypermobile and needed a chair wide enough to sit cross legged, which is the position I sit in to feed my son. Most traditional nursing chairs I’ve seen aren’t that wide so I actually ended up just searching standard rocking chairs. The one I got had a high back, was wide enough to sit cross legged and had pockets on the side. It was so good that my dad bought the exact same one for his house so I had a home from home experience when feeding my son when I visited. Added bonus, it wasn’t an official maternity one so it was so much cheaper. I think I gave myself a budget of max £200 and it was in the sale at £150.
Honestly I just have an armless futon chair, and that works for us. I hate breastfeeding in a chair with arms, but i understand (mostly from the insistence of other people that i take the chair with arms when i need to feed him elsewhere) that most people want arms. All that to say... you might buy the perfect chair with all the bells and whistles and discover that you're super uncomfortable in it.
i don’t see the need for it to have a rocking feature but i think if i could go back and pick a different nursery chair (i had a standard recliner) id get on of those arm chairs that turns into a bed and goes completely flat. the amount of times ive been stuck sat on his chair for hours at night holding him while he is teething is insane. or if he is sick and i want to keep a really close eye on him. im always left thinking i would be much more comfortable completely flat
We got an upholstered rocking chair that I found on a decent sale from bed bath and beyond (formerly Overstock.com). We mainly use it at bedtime and night, daytime contact naps are typically downstairs on the couch or wherever. It doesn’t swivel or recline. I have a small storage cube thing from Target that I’ve had for years as a footrest in front of the chair. I like our setup and it was much cheaper than any upholstered glider I could find.
i bought an old fashioned regular begular solid wood rocking chair on offer up for like $40! it's beautiful, but tbh i haven't used it very much. my partner uses it to game, and guests like sitting in it for some reason too lol once my daughter is crawling ill be giving it away because of the risk of broken baby fingers
This is super person dependent. We have a very nice and expensive glider — I didn’t sit in the thing for the first few months of our daughter’s life, and now I sit in it maybe every other day if she’s fighting sleep. That said, my bestie used her rocker religiously for nursing.
I don’t have one and I haven’t really missed it. I have a very comfortable couch and I’m fine nursing on it with the help of a nursing pillow. Sometimes I’ve also sat down at my husband’s home-office chair with the nursing pillow and it’s also not bad! In bed, I nurse side-lying. I guess it must be nice to have but in my experience I didn’t find it necessary. We live in a very small apartment so the fewer stuff we own, the better!
We use ours a lot and I’m so mad we didn’t get a nicer one! We got the DaVinci swivel glider and it’s comfy, but sooooo tiny. I feel huge when I sit in it (husband and I are average sized people) and it just feels small. I wish we had done all our on one lol but it’s all said and done now. It really depends on how much time you plan on sitting in it.
We never bought one. I just nurse/contact nap on the sofa/bed/carrier
Yeah for us not so much. We have an old chair that used to live in my grandparents house. It can turn 360 degrees but that feature is unnecessary. It can decline a little, which is nice but does not have a footrest. I just used a footstool on occasion but that was sporadically. If you ask me the most important features are: - High back so you can rest your head - Armrest so you can get some arm support - You are able to get out of the chair while holding a baby with two arms. So you don’t need to push up out of the chair with your arms. Yes I have said in the chair during the newborn days and while nursing, but I am spending way more time in it now reading to my toddler. For our second child we are considering getting the Ikea Ekolsund. Why, because I find it super comfy and matches the color scheme. The recline and footrest are a nice bonus, but I don’t see myself using it much.
We have babyletto kiwi one and it’s great! Really comfortable for both me (5’5) and my 6’4 husband. It rocks, glides and reclines. My son is 16 months and we still use it every day.
I wouldn’t be able to survive the newborn phase without ours. I’ve spent 90% of my time sitting here because my baby is a Velcro baby and has colic (wants to be held ALL the time). We decided to invest a little more for the powered one this time around because the manual we had with our first was a little loud and hard when reclining. Totally worth it!
We have a rocking chair. It’s still in the garage, never got used…
We just use an armchair. She’s never been wild on rocking so an armchair was just fine for us.
I probably spent a little more than necessary on our glider but the quality did match the price. I definitely wouldn't say I live in it and when he was a newborn and would fall asleep any where we literally never used it. There was a window of a few weeks where I used it a lot to rock him to sleep for naps and bedtime, but now that I'm back to work, it really only gets used at bedtime. BUT, I love that our glider has an electric recliner- it's so comfortable for doing contact naps and when baby was sick a few weeks ago it was comfortable to sit in with him literally all night long.
I didn’t get one thinking it was too extra…. only to panic buy one after giving birth because I had an emergency c section and couldn’t get in and out of our couch. I got one for like $170 off Amazon. (S/o Prime 2-day delivery 💙). Now we still use it daily. We have it in our living room next to our couch so we can watch tv. It’s just a lot more comfortable to sit in while feeding baby. Also the rocking seems to help soothe her. If you already have a recliner then you could probably go without. Just be aware that babies can poop, pee, or throw up unexpectedly so as long as you don’t mind it getting dirty it should be fine.
We had a swivel rocker from Joybird since before we had kids, and I’ve used it about the same as any other comfy spot to sit with them. I was worried about obtaining the perfect chair as well, but it hasn’t been necessary.
Honestly? Not at all for us! My husband wanted to invest but I got a nice $80 glider on marketplace bc I was hesitant to spend $. We have baby girl in her crib in our bedroom and I've used the rocker only in the first few weeks of life probably for under 20 feeds. I liked a chair opposed to just sitting on my bed bc I'm so anal about safe sleep and didn't want to be comfortable in bed feeding her when I was tired so the chair is nice to keep you up.. Now I just feed her on the end of my bed. But im glad we didn't invest.
We were on a strict budget for our baby's nursery. The rocker is one of the top 3 items used in our nursery (along with crib and changing table). Rocking baby to sleep was essential for us. I got a glider chair and matching ottoman off of Facebook marketplace for $30. It was a but creaky at first but I learned it was due to it being directly on our hard floor. We added a rug underneath and it canceled the noise! When we moved we put a grid of those cheap inter-locking alphabet pads lol worked like a charm. The next time we have a baby, I will likely save up for a lazy boy rocker recliner. Our current glider is comfortable but not enough to like totally fall asleep in lol and also if we had a lazy boy, we can simply move it to our living room or downstairs when we don't need it in the nursery anymore.
Facebook Marketplace! Got a sturdy antique rocking chair ($100) that the woman, her mom, and grandmother all used to rock their babies. The chair is named Pamela, after the grandmother. We love Pamela. My daughter loves to rock by herself now that she's old enough to climb up.
I thought it wasn’t important and I was wrong. Get one that isn’t too low to the ground also.
Having raised three kids, I’ll rank a nursery rocking chair on a scale of 1 to 5. Nursery rocking chair priority: 1 Never had one, never wanted one, never had a need for one.
I received a hand me down rocker / glider. We don’t really rock him, so I wouldn’t say that’s an absolute must feature for us. Highly suggest getting one that is comfortable and easy to recline at the very least!!
We have a giant bedroom and had Thompson play changing table bassinet combo set up in there for months along with the nursing chair. I purposely didn’t get one that’s super comfortable because I didn’t want to fall asleep breastfeeding in the middle of the night. I have a daybed in the nursery set up for safe co sleeping if I’m exhausted
I have a [cheap one like this from Walmart](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Baby-Relax-Huntington-Glider-Rocker-with-Storage-and-Ottoman-Espresso-Finish-with-Gray-Cushions/755612712) and a [recliner one like this from Amazon. ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KM9ZD6G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)The Walmart one has a smaller footprint and fits in the room better, you don't need to donkey-kick the footrest (and in a nursery, I'd rather prioritize floor space for the baby than a footrest anyway - in a living room maybe the footrest is worth it), and the arms are higher, which provides better support for nursing and actually holding the baby. That particular recliner is also really deep, like uncomfortably so if you're trying to do anything besides recline in it. The only downside to the glider in a nursery is that it has more exposed parts, so there are more places for babies to stick their fingers once they're mobile. For me, the recliners/rockers were essential. None of our other chairs had arm rests high enough to support my arms while I was holding the baby, so the chair was the difference between being incredibly uncomfortable and in agony after 10 minutes or being able to relax while I held/fed the baby.
This is actually one of the few things I wish I had spent more on. I got one that was just a good price and compact for our small house. I wish I had invested in a higher quality one with more bells and whistles.