When you’re getting your nursery all set up, there are plenty of things that are easy to register for. Matching crib, dresser, and changing table? Check. Sheets, mattress cover, towels and washcloths? Check. Diapers and wipes? Check, check, and check again. But a good chair for the nursery is a very personal choice, and can be sort of pricey. This may not be the sort of thing you want to quickly pick out at the baby store, add to your registry, and hope that someone (or multiple someones) purchases for you.
Choosing a Chair For Your Nursery
You’ll probably be spending a lot of time in this chair for the next few months (or years). Before you head out to “pick one up,” take a few minutes to think about how you’ll use it, and how it can continue to be a part of your family’s home after the nursery gets a makeover.
- Involve your significant other. Hopefully, your significant other will also be spending a significant amount of time in this chair. Farmer Doc loves a recliner, so that was one of the requirements of our nursery chair. We had a few sleepless nights while we were getting the whole breastfeeding thing figured out, and then again when Baby Doc had RSV. That recliner feature sure came in handy!
- Try a bunch out. Not sure if you want a rocker, a recliner, or a glider? Grab your significant other (see #1) and head out shopping. Take your time, and try out a bunch of different options. Then you can narrow it down to a type of chair, then pick the perfect one for your family. (We went with a combo rocker-recliner.) Think about a pillow or two for extra support if you need it.
- Think about what you’ll use it for. What is the main purpose going to be for this chair? Bedtime books and snuggles? Late night bottle feeding? Early morning breastfeeding? However you plan to use it, think about any special requirements your chair might have. We had planned on using this chair for feedings and for bedtime books and snuggles. We almost bought a chair with a cooler in the arm, but it wasn’t quite comfortable enough for me (see #4). Although with all the time I spent in this chair during my breastfeeding trouble, a cooler would have come in super handy!
- Think about size. Chances are good that you’ll be spending a lot of time in this chair. You want it to be comfortable for you, for your significant other, for your baby, and for a combination of people (and maybe pets, too)! Farmer Doc is 6’4″. I’m 5’8″. There is really no chance that Baby Doc is going to be a small kid. So we knew that we needed a big chair. (At 14 months old and 32.25 inches tall, he’s in the 87th percentile for height.) Those rail-backed rockers just weren’t going to cut it for us.
- Think about the future. Eventually, this chair is going to get moved out of the nursery. Where is it going to go then? What will you use it for? A good nursery chair can be a pretty major purchase, so make sure it’s going to keep working for you for years to come.
How did you pick your nursery chair? Do you have other tips? Share them in the comments below!
More in the “5 Tips For New Moms” series:
{Affiliate links were used in this post.}
Comment Policy
I welcome comments and conversation. All comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately. As long as you are respectful and courteous, your comment will be approved.(Read my comment policy for more details.)