Do I really NEED a rocker-glider?

[sadie_beth_1124]

I mean, what are they really for? Just for breastfeeding? Can't you do that anywhere? Or just for BFing at night, so the motion will put them back to sleep? Will a baby not fall asleep otherwise?

Sorry if I sound weird, I'm just trying to figure it out. I'm not the kind to buy something just because everyone says I have to havve it. Guess I just need to be convinced, I'm cheap. ;)

Thanks!

[fortato]

You don't NEED a rocker-glider. You might want a comfortable chair just to sit with your baby- to read, to feed, to comfort them when they wake up at night. It's definitely not just for breastfeeding.
I prefer a glider to a rocking chair because a glider stays put- a rocker sometimes slips backward and you have to keep scooting forward...not something condusive (sp?) to a dozing baby.

I'm cheap too- but this is one piece of furniture that we are investing in- I don't like the look of the Dutalier Gliders, because I think they look like baby furniture, and will seem out of place when they eventually make it down to the family room, so we are buying a Best Chair rocker/glider.

Good Luck with your choice! I hope this helped.

[jhrabosk]

You're absolutely not weird at all and no, you don't NEED it. But I'll tell you, I've found it to be a little piece of heaven.

I didn't buy mine before the baby came. I too thought it was a big waste of money. My in-laws passed down a perfectly good rocker that my husband was rocked in as a baby. We put a nice cushion on it, everything was great.

Fast-forward to us with a three-week-old baby, going to Buy Buy Baby and saying "show us what Dutailiers you have in stock that we can take home TODAY."

Although it's the least of the issues, as the pp said, my rocker would slide backward and bang into the wall. Not nice in the middle of the night. It was also just too small and upright...there may be other rockers that are bigger, but this was the case with mine. I always felt cramped and was never relaxed. Combine this with breastfeeding stress and sleep deprivation and you've got one unhappy mama!

We bought the least expensive Dutailier that we found comfortable and reasonably attractive (spent $500 on everything, including ottoman) and I haven't regretted it for one moment. You can get cheaper...I just was willing to spend a little extra $$ to have a slightly bigger chair and a color/upholstery that I liked.

Good luck!

[BeachBaby]

I definitely did not need a rocker or a glider. When I BFed at night, I (or my husband!) brought the baby back to my bed. We have a cheap rocking chair that we bought at Pier 1, and it did nothing to calm my baby down. LOL. If she needed movement to calm her down, she wanted whoever was holding her to be walking around! Seriously, if we sat down she would scream.

I think first time moms-to-be have this idealized notion (provided by Pottery Barn Kids catalogs, no doubt ;) ) of sitting in your rocker quietly gazing at/nursing/calming your baby. Um. Not really how it works. At least in my house. This is just my opinion, of course. :)

Now, I will say that our daughter is 20 months and we are thinking of buying a stationary upholstered chair for her room so we can read her stories before bedtime. We could certainly do this on our bed, but she associates our bed with nursing (see first paragraph) and we're trying to change her routine in an effort to wean. All that to say, a chair would probably come in handy at some point, but it doesn't necessarily need to be a rocker or glider.

Anyway, just another data point for your analysis. :)

[Metermaid]

I was going to post something similar. I always wanted a glider/rocker because it seems so homey/domestic. In retrospect, it's probably a good thing I never got one. i know it would be just another thing to drape clothing on.

[keschy]

We will probably get a rocker/recliner. My sister who has 2 kids told me that it was very comfortable to nurse and lounge in. She had a rocker glider too and liked the rocker recliner better. I know dutailier makes some very nice ones. I want something I can put in the living room once we're done in the nursery and it seems like a good piece of furniture in general.

[Jo..]

Hi! I don't have anything to add to the 'yes or no' discussion as I am still trying to decide for myself.

I just popped into this thread to pass on a bargain to anyone who may be considering a rocker-recliner.

I saw them online at JCPenney Outlet for $240 (marked down from $400). I thought this was a great deal.
It could be a fantastic deal if you wait for a free shipping code (there aren't any right now, I checked),
or get it shipped to the store at a reduced rate.
http://www4.jcpenney.com/jcp/Product...=SearchResults

[sadie_beth_1124]

Thanks all of you for your replies! I like the different viewpoints, and can't wait to hear more. :) LOL @ PP's idea that it would become soemthing else to drape clothes on! We have a recliner in our bedroom & that's all we seem to do with it.
If the goal is to just have a comfy place to sit (but doesn't have to really rock/glide) I guess I could always move the recliner into the baby's room-- but it's also our computer room, so, the space is already going to be cramped w/o the addition of another, larger chair.
Better yet, maybe I will just keep the recliner in our room, and just do the late-night feedings there. That might solve some problems.

If only I could find a really nice comfy office chair to do the trick. The current chair squeaks and does not make my back happy! And I can't really pull a glider up to the desk.
So much to think about!

Thanks again!

[mariza]

I'm cheap too but I wanted a comfy chair to sit in the nursery to breastfeed. Our house is pretty small and the only other place would be the living room couch and I knew I would have a house full of guests and I'm not one to BF in front of others. Alos, I had DD sleeping in her crib from day 1 and did not want to get in the habit of her sleeping in our room. So I got the cheapo glider from TRU. It was $75 with a coupon and the reviews are pretty mixed, some are just bad but it works for us. I stopped BF at 5 months, but we still use the chair every night. I give DD her pacifier and hold her while we rock for a few minutes. It is the only place I can get her to settle down and relax. She is 14 months now and we have never had a single problem with this glider. Besides, I definately got my $75 worth out of it, so if we ever decide we don't need it I won't feel bad about giving it away, whereas if I paid more I would feel obligated to keep it around.
There are also low priced ones at Walmart, but I can't comment on the quality since I don't have one of these:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/searc...2&Continue.y=9

[kusiakje]

Nope...you don't need one. We don't have one, and I can't say that I miss it. I've tried using friends and family members' rockers and gliders and I just don't like them for rocking DD. The range of motion just isn't right. DD likes to dramatically rock through the air, so I've found the best thing to do is just sit on the corner of the bed or the edge of the couch, hold DD tightly (usually cheek to cheek with her head cupped in my hand), and rock back and forth as far as possible. It usually calms her down in a couple of minutes and my abs get a quick work out. Win-win. :)

--Jessica
Mom to Katarina (DOB 9/16/05)