Chair for nursery-Do I really need?

[Nikshim]

Hi all,
I have scanned the site and read lots of information about chairs, gliders and rockers, but my question is do you really need this or is it a nice to have. Does baby not sleep unless you are rocking it? Is it really that more comfortable for feeding?

I really don't like the look of the gliders and once you start looking for a fabric chair the prices are quite high. On a tip from another user, I will check out Little ones and also furniture stores but I still think it will cost over $500. If I have to buy a chair, I want one that I could move to another room if need be and the Dutaliers just don't fit in with our family or other bedroom furniture. I will have a full size bed in our nursery and I have an old antique rocker that I could move in the nursery. Would this work?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[StubbyDog]

Since this is my first child, I can't really say how much it's needed. But I have had the same questions in my mind, as I also don't really care much for the look of gliders, and want something that I would want to put into my living room later. I also like the reclining aspect of an upholstered rocker/recliner.

But I did want to let you know that it is possible to find upholstered rocker/recliners for cheaper than $500. I was afraid they'd be that much too, and I'm sure you can spend that much very easily. But we went to a furniture store that just opened here, Ashley, and while I'm sure the quality isn't necessarily great they had MANY rocker/recliners for $300 and up. They were comfortable and not ugly, and we found one that we liked for about $350. Also, check classifieds...remember you can always buy or sew a slipcover for a chair, or even reupholster although i'm sure cost on that isn't cheap. We also went to Costco and they had a couple rocker/recliner options there for less than $400.

[SissyTone]

We bought a glider for our family room (downstairs), which is great, but after 4 weeks of trooping downstairs to feed Annie in the dead of night, we bought a cheap ($150) slipcovered chair from IKEA for her room. Are you going to breastfeed? If so, and you don't get a glider, I would hold off on buying it until after the baby is born - chairs that seemed like they would be perfect ended up getting the "Goldilocks" treatment from me... too deep, too low, arms too high, etc. Get a chair that fits your feeding style.

[Rikkele]

IMO you definitely need to invest in a COMFORTABLE rocking chair whether it be a glider or upolstered rocker. This is by far the most used piece of equipment that we purchased in preaparation for DD. I wanted one that reclined as there have been many previous posts emphasizing what a wonderful feature this is. However my DH couldn't understand why we needed to spend so much on a rocker so we got one without that feature. Can you believe he asked me the other day why we didn't get one that reclined?? WHat? Anyways, our gets TONS of use and is very comfortable. It is a Shermag glider with ottoman. In retrospect, out of all the tons of money we spent on strollers, swing, boucer, PNP, crib etc... I would say this is one item that you should definitely not skimp on. You will not be sorry if you spend the money to get a comfortable, quality rocker. To save, you could forgo the ottoman and use a nursing stool which works very well. HTH!

[sdbc]

For us, it was a waste of $$. During the day, I'm happier sitting on the couch in the living room, and at night, I prefer to nurse in bed in the side-lying position. I guess you don' really know what you will prefer until the baby is born. I'd advise to wait on that purchase to see if you are comfortable elsewhere in the house. It's an expensive mistake if you end up not using it.

[lampes]

The glider was a godsend for me. In fact, I really wish I had sprung for the xtra dollars and got one that reclined. In the early days when I was feeding about every two hours and I couldn't do the side lying thing (didn't work until DS was older), I would be glued to the glider. One thing that you could do is buy a chair that you like and attach a glider mechanism. Someone from the board did that and it was really cost effective. Additionally, look around your local furniture stores. A friend bought a chair and a half glider from a chain furniture store for a lot of less $$ than in a specialty shop.

[amp]

For us, the rocker was definitely something I have come to appreciate more and more. I knew I wanted one, but didn't know if I needed it. Since we only have office chairs and beds upstairs, I needed that rocker in the nursery! And we bought our rocker (traditional type) at USA Baby for about $70. It isn't as nice as the upholstered rockers, but it has been a godsend, cost much less and it looks great too! Just my 2 cents.

[czollmann]

I love our glider! Although it was one of the more expensive purchases, it is something that I have used everyday, serveral times a days since my 1st DS was born. For me it was a must have for nursing and I love to sit in it and rock or read to my babies! I have a Dutalier glider with ottoman and it is very comfortable. It is not something that I feel will fit anywhere in my house after I am done with it, but I have already used it for 2 1/2 years and expect to for at least another 2-3 years with my 2nd DS. I figure I have already had my moneys worth with it and on top of that, I have no doubt that I will be able to sell it for good money to someone who can use it when I am done. Even if I couldn't I would have no regrets.

I do think that if you are comfortable in your antique rocker, that might be a good option for you. I just think it is really nice to have something in the nursery to feed, rock, sing to, read, etc.


Carol
mom to
Ben (2/02) & Jack (3/04)

[yayagirl]

We got a Poang chair from Ikea for cheap, and we LOVE it. It bounces ever-so-slightly, and the oak finish matches an oak-finished medela nursing stool perfectly. Great for nursing and for calming baby, not expensive, and sits in the living room.

[CiderLogan]

We have a glider in DD's room. I didn't use our glider all that much in the beginning. I prefered to nurse in our bed or on the couch downstairs - I usually didn't want to feel isolated in DD's room, and feedings took longer so I preferred to sit and watch tv, read, etc. But now that DD is older, we use the glider a lot more. I feed her in there a lot because she is too distracted by everything going on in the rest of the house. And it's a great place to sit and read to her! It wouldn't have to be a glider, though -- a non-rocking chair would do just as well for us (DD never notices whether we're rocking or not). I think you should find a comfortable chair in a style that you like, so you can move it to another room later. You could use your antique rocker, but only if it's comfortable. And I would worry that a traditional rocker might 'rock' over DD's fingers if she pushed it while she is near it now that she is mobile, KWIM?

Jenny
Mom of Julia, 8/03

[LittleMonkeyMom]

It really sounds like that's a workable plan.

We had an antique rocker in DD's bedroom that we rarely used. We do have a glider in the living room, but that was more for DH. However, I did like the glider for those 2-4 a.m. wake-up calls. I'd rock her and watch muted movies with the closed captioning on, which helped make the sleep deprivation bearable.


SAHM to Charlie Beth (3/29/2003) and three wild and wacky dogs.

[KBecks]

I'm planning to wait until DS is born to decide. At first we'll try it wihout a glider in the nursery, as we have other comfortable seating and live in a one-level house.

If I need a chair in the nursery, I'll try to snag one from the family room or living room, but if those dont' work for feedings, we'll go glider shopping.

KBecks