Upholstered Glider Rockers

[NYGirl]

I'd like to get an upholstered glider/rocker - one that looks like a living room sofa/chair. I've seen them in catalogues like Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel, for upwards of $1000. The cheapest I've seen on the web is about $600, but I want one with slip covers so I can wash them, and in a color that is will work in my living room once the baby is bigger. Has anyone seen anything like this at a reasonable price? Crate and Barrel actually has two on sale until 10/19/03 if other people are looking - they look nice on the web and are $799 and $899 (add delivery and tax and you're at $1000).

[californiamom]

I got one by Dutailier at jcpenney.com.
(http://www1.jcpenney.com/jcp/Products.aspx?DeptID=327&CatID=8138&CatTyp=DEP&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=STY&ItemID=0787a5b&ProdSeq=5&OffSet=5&ProdCount=8&Cat=rocker-ottoman&Dep=children%27s&PCat=furniture&PCatID=4242&RefPage=ProductList&Sale=&NumMatches=8&RecPtr=&SearchIn=0&ShowMenu=&TTYP=&ShopBy=0&PersistenceID=&RecordID=&SearchString=)

It was a good deal ($529 for the glider and the ottoman, free shipping to their catalog desk) and right now they're having a 15% sale on baby furniture.

I had the same concerns you do: I bought mine in "sand" so I can put it in my living room later one and the slipcovers can be washed (they say dry clean only).

I just wish the cushions were a little softer but then Dutailier does not have the comfiest cushions anyway...

[mattiew]

I've seen one at Babies R Us for around $400, however I don't think you can order additional slipcovers.

Good Luck!
Carrie

[Jen841]

There is a previous thread on this. I would attach it, but I don't know how!

We have a chair like you are referring to that we bought for around $330. It does not have a slip cover, but we picked an upholstry (sp) that is easy to wipe down. We asked around at furniture stores about what we wanted, and this was the cheapest we found. We love it! The store did have a company that could do one with a slipcover for around $600.

Happy Rocking!

[colleen95]

I'm going to purchase a Best Chairs upholstered glider. You can look at them on their website at http://www.bestchairs.com under the Storytime collection. The price for ours is $299 + $40 for stain-proofing of the fabric. I looked at Little Castles, and found minimal difference (apart from about $400!). Best chairs are available at furniture stores where you can choose from about 300 fabrics, and the website will find one near you. As a tip, our store does not carry the Storytime collection, but they had 2 chairs that are exactly the same as the Storytime chairs we liked, just different model numbers. I figured at $299, I can buy a slipcover later when and if I decide I don't like the fabric any more. They also have ottomans, but they are $199.

[aggie202]

I bought the Best Chairs glider from Cohen's in Manalapan, NJ and love it. With the Medela nursing stool, it's really comfy and easy on your back. I think it was around $325 plus tax. . .

Here's a link to a thread where many of us have posted our research on the upholstered glider/rocker scene. . .

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=6&topic_id=3527&mesg_id=3527&listing_type=search

[lynettefrancois]

Another vote for Best Chairs... Haven't gotten mine yet, but they had several samples in the local baby store I got it from. One of the fabrics on a floor model had started to pill (it was one of those shiny polyester fabrics), but I chose a tightly woven toile that also happened to be on the floor and looked great. The all cotton floor models had also held up well. I saw them then looked on the boards for feedback and couldn't find any bad reviews. Mine glides AND swivels (I think I paid $20 or so more for the swivel, for a total of about $330). It will easily transition to and look good in another room (I'm very picky about furniture). ****Important: SIT in any chair you are considering before buying!!!! Otherwise your feet may not hit the ground, the arms may be too low or high, the back may not be tall enough to rest your weary (nodding off) head, or you may feel there is too much/little room width-wise or depth-wise. Best Chairs has a good selection to fit smaller or larger bodies, which is nice. I also ended up purchasing a nursing stool online instead of a matching ottoman. About $150 less, looks better, and from what I've read on the boards, functions better too. HTH! Lynette

[Second time parents]

You should take a look at www.rockingchairstore.com/ A friend of ours purchased this chair and sent the picture to us. She said it was nice and big and very comfortable and it was only $465. Hope this helps.

[akc]

Hi -

Hold on - you MUST consider the Dutailier Upholstered Glider and Ottoman. Basically, it's a glider mechanism underneath an upholstered club chair - you'd NEVER know it was a glider and is usuable in any room in the house. We lived in ours (seriously, hours a day!) and I loved it b/c it didn't look like a glider and was as comfy as a club chair. It has the glider mechanism underneath so it was smooth rocking and it actually swiveled around as well (great for filling bottles, grabbing books, and reach for burp cloths!

They actually have two styles (one of which has come out since my dd was born in July '02) , run about $500 for the chair, have a choice of fabrics or can even be custom upholstered if you want (you supply the fabric, no extra cost). We got ours through Bellini locally, but most boutique stores that carry Dutailier can order them and they are also online. Here are links to the chairs below (I don't have any experience with the vendor) as well as a picture of the chair in my daughter's room. I had it upholstered in the fabric it is in and it gets the most compliments of anything in her nursery!

Here's a link to an example of the chair we got - We skipped the ottoman (because it glides too, and you actually need your feet on the ground to push back and forth - it didn't lock in place)
http://www.rocking-chairs.com/16000.htm

Here's the new design -
http://www.rocking-chairs.com/16200.htm

I would also warn against getting an upholstered rocker (vs a glider) b/c (and I've posted this elsewhere)the deal with a rocker is that it MOVES, unlike a glider, which had an unmoveable flat surface on the ground. That doesn't mean much early - in the infant stage, all you want to do is rock. But, later you could run into trouble because a rocker can be pushed around by a crawler or toddler, so you have to worry about the chair moving into things and smushed fingers (one hand under, other using the side to pull herself up). I'm sure that little ones learn fast not to do it again, but I didn't want the hassle of moving the chair back in place all the time. This really isn't the biggest deal, but there are more choices for upholstered rockers so I thought I'd bring it up.

Anyway, just thought I'd add my .02 - hope that helps! Attached is a picture of Maeve's upholstered glider -

Alexa

[NYGirl]

Were you able to sit in this chair before you bought it? It looks a lot like the one at JC Penny, but that is available only on the web - I can't imagine buying a chair without seeing it first. Does it really feel a lot like one of the usual looking gliders?

[NYGirl]

Were you able to see the chair before you bought it? Could you have returned it from the catalogue desk if you did't like it? Does it have the same mechanism for gliding as the other Dutailers do?

Lots of questions - I think this one or the other Dutailer mentioned in Post 8 are in the lead for me. I went to Crate & Barrel to look at theirs and they only glide a few inches, as compared to the long glide you get on one of the exposed (un-upholstered) gliders.

[akc]

Hi -

Actually, I was sold on the chair when I sat in it. I had tried another upholstered chair that my local Bellini carried and it was not very comfy. The curve of the back and padding on the seat makes it very comfortable which was when we were convinced to get it. They had the denim fabric one in the store (like the link I attached) and, to be honest, I wasn't crazy about the buttons, BUT when it came back in my fabric, I loved it. I think b/c it was the big plaid it was a lot less noticeable. It does look a little like the JC Penny one, but I am not a fan of slipcovers, especially if you want it to look like tailored furniture, so I was only going for upholstered looks.

It glides just like the regular wood-exposed ones and, unlike those, swivels in a full 360 degree turn. That was really handy when I needed to grab burp cloths or bibs quickly (they were in a drawer near the chair) or get her a book to read (that is our routine several times a day now - she's already grasped that she needs to point to another one on the shelf before I finish the one I'm reading or she'll have to go to bed!)

Only thing that may be different than the regular glider is the height of the seat back. The upholstered glider back is more like a club chair, so it's not as tall. We are both pretty tall, I'm 5'11" and hubby is 6' 1 1/2" so we did find that our head was above the edge of the back. That's pretty normal but you'll find when you're sleep deprived you may want to take a little nap holding the baby in the chair. We just scrunched down a little lower in the chair and then could lean our head on the padded back, but I thought I would tell you that. The back on the 2nd kind of Dutailier (the newer one) looks higher but the chair back doesn't look as comfy to me - haven't tried it though. I thought I might go see it since we've got a 2nd due in Jan, and I need another chair!

Where are you in NY b/c there are a bunch of Bellini's in NY? - here's a link to locations. http://bellini.com/eastcoast/store.htm I would also call local boutique-type stores. A lot of them carry this chair b/c it is the only upholstered glider out there that is Dutailier. You could also probably call them (Dutailier) and ask them for store locations that carry their products and these chairs in particular.

Hope this helps - good luck!

Alexa

p.s. Oops - just saw your second post. It does glide just like a regular one - long and strong for rocking. The mechanism underneath the skirt is the same. I think returns would depend on the store from which you purchase it (and that is not a custom fabric). I would go with a company that makes their living making gliders over Crate & Barrel or someone else. They know how to do them right! We've used ours for probably and average of 1 1/2 hours a day (a LOT more when she was a newborn) EVERYDAY for 15 months and I have not a single complaint! We fed there, read there, snuggled there, slept there - We actually made a little "Day in the Life video" of my daughter at 3 mos and it was subtitled, "Why the Rocking Chair is so very tired" b/c we are in it so much during the day!

p.s. 2 There is a note on the site I sent you that says that there is a new version coming out. You might find out what the differences are and the price - or, if the old ones might go on sale b/c the new one is out.

[robmab719]

I just ordered the Dutailier slipcovered glider and ottoman from JCPenney. $399 for the glider, $129 for the ottoman. I haven't received it yet (should be coming by end of next week), but I'll let you know how comfy it is when I get it. My understanding is that you can return it to any JCPenney store for a refund if you don't like it.

[Second time parents]

I saw these new models from Dutailier. It is the model 16200 and 16210 and they now have swivel recline and the seat lock. I wish that they had them before we bought ours, but we still love the roomy comfortable seat on ours. I was told by the staff at www.rockingchairstore.com that it is still the same chair as the one we purchased except it has all of these new features. good luck!

[Amie]

We bought the one from JC Penneys for the same reasons as everyone above. It looks just like this:
http://www.rocking-chairs.com/16200.htm
Two things I'd warn against:
It's not tall enough to rest your head against the back. You won't be falling asleep in this. However, if you lean over the kiddo to feed like I do, you won't need to lean back.
It is slipcovered, but I'd be really careful of washing it yourself (especially in NYC apartment communal washers!) I will probably dry clean mine when I need to.
It does look like a "real" chair and glides beautifully.
I used a 30% off coupon online, so it was cheap! Keep an eye out for them...it said in the fine print that it wouldn't work on furniture, but it did!

-Amie

[NYGirl]

Thanks so much for your help. We found a similar Dutailer chair in a local store that is tailored (not slip covered) and only $400 including delivery. So I think we'll probably order that one. I was really happy to find it - we went to a lot of stores before finding it. It doesn't swivel, but there is a new one coming out that does. I don't know how much the new one will be though or whether the store will let me order one and return it, so we'll probably not get the swiveling one. I'll have to go up and talk to them.