Necessary to get Reclining Glider?

[jilawine]

I love the reclining feature of the gliders but can't figure out if it is necessary given the cost. We plan to get an ottoman which I figure will be comfortable once you put your feet up- thoughts on if the reclining feature is just a nice to have or a necessity? Thanks.

[tny915]

At our house the recline feature continues to this day to be a necessity. I have the ottoman too, but there's been many a night where I've nursed or rocked DD to sleep and slept with her in my arms for hours, and the recline just makes things so much more comfortable. This was especially helpful for me in the first few weeks when I basically lived in the glider day and night.

[NYSarah]

I would ditto this -- whatever you get, make sure you will be comfortable if you fall asleep in it. Because you will! :D

[dknees]

We got the reclining glider because (at least for the Dutailier upholstered ones) I am tall and the regular gliders weren't tall enough in the back for me. The top hit me around shoulder level, which would not be comfortable at all if I wanted to rest my head :) Plus, we liked the idea of being able to use it in the family room someday, and dh loves to have a recliner!

[MarisaSF]

I have a non-reclining dutailer. Yes, surely there were times when I wish I could recline it, but I've slept well in the upright position. If it's just $100 more or so, I'd go with the reclining. (I got mine second hand for a great price, so didn't have a choice.)

For the Ottoman -- I like having the rocking ottoman with the pull-out nursing footstool.

Oh FWIW- my glider has the "multi-position lock" and I NEVER use this feature.

[tarabenet]

Recliner is a must-have feature for me while I'm looking setting up my own nursery. Two reasons:

1. A friend of mine tells me to expect to get my best (or maybe even "only") pre-delivery sleep in a recliner for those last few days/weeks before the birth.

2. My niece had terrible AR and my family took shifts holding her 24/7 for her first 3 months. I was able to snuggle her safely and still get a little rest in the recliner. The regular upright glider, with my feet up on the ottoman and a baby on my lap, put too much stress on my knees and back.

[Pipersmamma]

With my first it was such a necessity as she was a poor sleeper adn I spent many middle of the night hours rocking with her. My second sleeps much better, so I'm spending less time in the glider, but I still am quite glad I have the recline feature. You might not miss it if you don't get it, but if you do, I think you'll really enjoy having it.

[laurena]

Very little is really necessary when it comes to baby items (wait, did I just say that?? :)), but these "unnecessary" items can make your life so much better; even if it's just for a few weeks. We got the reclining option and, in our case, it turned out to be a life-saver. Our DD had AR, so we had to keep her upright to get her to sleep for the first 2 months. And, 8 weeks is a long time when you are not geting a full night's sleep. Another big bonus for me was that my DH probably spent more time helping rock her due to the recline feature -- men and their recliners! As for the ottoman, I bought a nursing stool that I still prefer to use over the ottoman even when not BF'ing because it positions my back better, but my DH always uses the ottoman. Good luck with your decision!

[jerzeygirl]

You know, i didn't think it was necessary when i bought mine, and i didn't want to be restricted to certain styles. I asked a saleswoman when i was shopping around, and she told me that they didn't even carry them because the recline feature was so unnecessary.

Eight months later, i love my glider, but not getting a reclining feature is my only regret. (And i think that woman should be fired!) I've fallen asleep so many times in mine, and i've woken up 20 minutes later with a kink in my neck. If I had it to do over again, i'd sacrifice some style for the recline feature!

[staceywj]

I also have a reclining glider - I utilize it numerous times every day and love it. I feel that DD can get into a more comfortable position to fall asleep in when I am reclined. I am also more comfortable. The reclining ottoman also works great with it. The nursing stool also comes in handy. I definitely think it is worth the $ and one of the best things that we bought.
Good Luck,
Stacey

[Jennamax]

I absolutely loved our reclining glider. When I went in to feed him, half asleep, it was great to lay back while he ate. There were a few times I even fell asleep in it while he ate.

[scrooner]

Because of the book we were convinced we needed to get a Dutailier, and because of this board we were convinced we needed the reclining feature. We were just about to get the $460 Dutailier from BRU, but thought it might be fun to shop around for La-Z-Boy type recliners just to see what the difference in price might be.

Couldn't find anything we liked at JC Penney, Meier & Frank, Levitz or Wickes. But then on a last-minute whim we went to La-Z-Boy (thinking they would be way too expensive) and boy were we surprised. There were a number of rocker/recliners we liked for $300/$400...and most of them can be fitted with a swivel for $80 if you're into that! I don't know if they are usually that cheap -- it may have been a sale. We ordered the "Anderson" for $300 because it was super comfy & had great neck & lumbar support, and went with their floor model fabric so we could pick it up this week. But you can have it done in another fabric if you're willing to wait a couple months.

One thing that's different about La-Z-Boys compared to other recliners is that you can recline the back without locking the chair up (can't do that with chairs from the other places), so it should be better for nursing & rocking at the same time. Also, most of the chairs have a 3-position leg support (sounds weird, but it's pretty nifty if you try it out). The $300 models don't, but we didn't feel it was worth the extra $100 when we were perfectly happy with the chair otherwise.

We're really stoked that we'll have a chair we both can take turns sleeping in, and it will last us long after we need it for the baby.

Not a shill but starting to sound like one,

Dan in Portland
3 months to go!

[Devinsmom]

My glider reclines and has the multi-position lock. I thought that I would enjoy these features, but I never used either. Baby is now 18 months. If I could go back, I wouldn't have bothered with the extras. Although I do love my gliding ottoman with the pull-out foot stool!