Looking for some chair advice

[cerrena]

Prior to being turning into a nursery, we used our second bedroom as an office for my husband and a storage area. There was an old sofa in there that had at one point belonged to my husband's grandparents. My husband found it comfortable but I did not and it was really worn and had some of the ugliest fabric I've ever seen. So we decided to get rid of it. We first thought that we'd move an old arm chair up from our basement. But now that we have it in the nursery, it's looking pretty worn out and thread bare too. So my husband wants to ditch it too. This leaves the room currently chairless.

I could move a wooden rocking chair in there. But I'm not sure it's comfortable enough to sit in for long periods of time. I'm willing to buy a new chair but I don't have a huge budget to spend. Are gliders worth the extra money? Would a new arm chair work? Would it be worth looking at a new two sitter that an adult could nap on if neccessary?

[amp]

We have a traditional rocker in our nursery, and I really like having somewhere to sit in there. I never wanted to go downstairs to feed the baby in the night, and sitting in my bed to feed was a bit awkward sometimes. I don't think you need any specific kind of chair, and I suppose some people never miss having one at all. The reason we went with a rocker, instead of another kind of chair, is that the rocker took up less space and was cheaper than many armchairs. It's comfortable enough for the amount of time we sit in it to feed DS. I would have loved one of the upholstered rockers, but they were just out of our price range. I think you can put whatever you want in there and it can be expensive and used in the rest of the house later, or it can be inexpensive. It's totally up to you.

[Saartje]

If money's tight and the arm chair from your basement is comfortable, have you considered just reupholstering or slipcovering that chair? That would fix the worn out, threadbare appearance, for much less money than the cost of a new chair.

If you have a wooden rocker you want to use, I'd suggest attaching cushions to it. You definitely want your chair to be comfortable for long periods of time. If you're buying new, though, I'd say gliders are worth the extra money.

When I was considering our baby budget, the one category in which I planned to spend however much was needed was in the purchase of a glider. I knew I wanted an uber-comfortable chair for nursing and for rocking the baby, and would prefer to economize elsewhere, since I plan to keep this chair long-term (it's not just a "baby" piece of furniture, for me). But I'm pretty picky about comfort, and I'm also tall and long-limbed, so often things others find comfortable I do not. You'll probably be happy with a cheaper glider than I chose, if a glider is what you want, and you might even be able to find one used.

My baby's not here yet, but my glider is. I'm sitting in it as I write this, and today's the first time this week that my back hasn't hurt (glider just arrived yesterday). :)

[kijip]

Before my son was born I said that I did not want a glider- I thought they were ugly. Well my MIL did not listen to me and I ended up with one and one of those huge gliding ottomans to match. My husband picked the style out - it is wannabe mission style. Boy am I glad that I was overruled- I love this thing and my son nursed there all the time. Sometimes he would only eat while in the glider. Some of them are very affordable- less than a new armchair and less than a fitted slipcover if you can't sew and have to hire the job out. Do whatever works for you. A loveseat is not a bad idea also but if you are tall nursing on a low sofa could be a problem.

[cric]

I personally never found a glider to be comfortable. We chose to get a rocker/recliner/swiveler for the nursery & don;t regret it a bit. I sleep in that room with DS if he's having one of those "waking up every hour" kinda nights. If he sleeps w/ me in the chair, he'll go for 4 hrs. We cuddle while reclined.

[hwin708]

Another poster here mentioned a brilliant idea - she simply ordered the glider hardware (something under $50) and had her DH screw it into the bottom of her armchair...thus, you can buy any chair you want and make it into a glider.
If you are worried about the budget, I would simply get the hardware and a nice slipcover.
Good luck!