Internet, I need your advice.
(Let’s be honest, I need your advice about a LOT of things. I get into a panic about pretty much All Things Baby. But let’s start with one simple question and… see where that takes us.)
When planning for our nursery, my husband and I knew that we would want a chair of some sort for reading and breastfeeding and general cuddling-and-shushing purposes.
We went into the nursery-planning process with the idea that we would buy as much transitional furniture as possible. We have a guest room established, and an office, so we figure this will be The Baby’s Room for… until The Baby has turned into The Sullen Teenager.
We (or actually my far-too-kind-and-generous parents) got a crib that is one of those “Lifetime Sleeping Apparatus” things that adjusts to a toddler bed and then can be easily converted into a full-size bed down the road.
(Here is where I say that I only ever had a twin bed, and so did my husband, and we both turned out FINE and clearly we are already spoiling the stuffing out of this kiddo.)
Instead of a “real” changing table, we (again, my wonderful parents) got a dresser that has a changing table attachment. That way, the kiddo will transition nicely over the years from diapers and burp rags to snarls of underwear and mismatched socks and Whatever-the-Kids-Wear-in-the-Future.
(Here is where I say that the prospect of having a teenager never really entered into my initial I Want a Baby thinking, and the whole thing kind of renders me gape-mouthed and stunned.)
(Not stunned enough to stop typing. I’m sorry.)
We wanted to apply the same “transitional” thinking to our choice of chair. So we found a beautiful arm chair at Pottery Barn Kids that starts life as a glider and has feet you can install down the line (sold separately) to transform it into a regular old armchair.
Here is the armchair:
This is the color we’d want. Probably we’d have to enrobe it in plastic or something though, right? To protect it from spit up ETCETERA? (Photo from PotteryBarnKids.com)
Isn’t it lovely, Internet?
Of course, it also comes with a price tag that will make you consider taking up carpentry just so you can build your own chair instead.
But, honestly, I have no idea what to pay for a stupid glider, and it seems comparable in price to other gliders out there.
I shared our choice with a few people, and one mom suggested that such a sinky, comfy chair might pose difficulties whilst holding a sleeping baby. Namely, that it might be difficult to RISE from the chair with a baby in my arms.
Sounds reasonable, and it was something I hadn’t thought of. I didn’t have any spare babies lying around, but the next time I was in the area, I stopped by the PBK and sat in the chair with my purse cradled in my arms (football hold style) and tried to get up. It wasn’t… impossible. But it wasn’t… easy.
Then again, I’m not sure it would be easy EVER. In any kind of chair. Barring a chair that could mechanically stand me up and push me out of it, that is.
My stomach muscles aren’t really working as well as they have in the past, after all.
Otherwise, the chair was still lovely: comfortable, with thick padded arms and that nice rocking feature. There’s an optional ottoman you can get with it (for another arm and a leg). The wingback style is nice because you can rest your head against the “wings” and take a little snooze. I mean, that’s what happens when you stagger out of bed in the middle of the night to feed your child, right? Snoozing? What do I know.
Anyway, once I had the idea planted in my head that this chair maybe wasn’t ideal, I started looking around.
The first thing I noticed was that these armchair-style gliders are POPULAR.
(And expensive.)
In fact, it’s difficult to find NON-armchair type gliders. At least in the three stores we visited. Which… please don’t make me go to more stores. The three I’ve visited are overwhelming enough.
But the stores/websites I visited had another style of glider that seemed, well, less popular but still not unusual (this one is also from Pottery Barn Kids):
I also really love the side table here. And the color scheme. And the wall. (Photo from PotteryBarnKids.com)
My husband and I tried a few of them at non-PBK stores. While I don’t mind them, he is not a big fan. And even I have to admit: most of them are kind of ugly. (I know, I know – personal preference and all that.)
But, while they are still ridiculously expensive, they are LESS expensive than the PBK armchair.
My husband points out, however, that this version of glider is much less flexible in terms of Future Use. It would always be a glider. (I grew up in a house with a glider in the living room, so it seems like a perfectly normal piece of living room furniture, but I think it screams Baby’s Room! to my husband.)
And then another mom pointed out that THIS version of glider has lots of moving parts. Which would be dangerous for little fingers.
So now I have visions of our poor baby’s mangled hands floating through my already-anxiety-addled brain.
It seems like there is a third version: the Straight-Up Rocking Chair.
The least expensive option, but still not FREE. (Teeny tiny photo and giant chair name both from Overstock.com)
But Internet… I don’t know.
This chair looks functional.I don’t find it… UNattractive.
It just… I just can’t picture hours of cuddling in that chair with my baby. I can’t picture us curling up together to read Babar’s Travels or Corduroy or Goodnight Moon. I can’t picture myself feeding a snuggly sleepy infant – comfortably – in that chair. And I certainly can’t picture myself getting a few more winks in while the baby – safely – finishes a meal.
As with all things related to babies and parenting and the seemingly endless array of Things You Just MUST Have, this glider decision is fraught with so many issues! Safety! And Comfort! And Cost Effectiveness! And Functionality! And Durability! And Other As-Yet-Unconsidered Considerations! And and and!
But YOU. You MUST have The Perfect Glider Answers to all my glider questions, right, Internet?
Here goes:
What glider did/do you use? Why did you choose it? Why did you choose NOT to get other versions? Are there options I’m overlooking here? Do you think it’s smart or foolish to try to buy furniture for the baby that will last for the next decade or so? Do/did you use your glider after the baby grew out of it? What, for the love of cupcakes, is an actual REASONABLE price to pay for a glider? And WHY, WHYYYYYY is everything baby-related SO EXPENSIVE?
You know what’s super annoying is when you say “I want X. Help me choose among various items, all of which are X”—and someone says “Hey, how about Y?”
I’m doing it anyway. I suggest a La-Z-Boy rocking recliner instead of a glider. We had a glider for our firstborn, because a glider is what you buy when you are expecting a baby, so we bought a glider. Later I found a recliner solved all the glider problems/deficits I was experiencing. Plus, I could FULL-ON SLEEP in it, if I needed/wanted to sleep in the baby’s room. Plus, it’s an absolutely regular piece of living room furniture later on. Plus, it’s usually upholstered in polyester, which cleans up nice. Plus, it’s harder to rock on the baby’s fingers when the baby is at the crawling-around stage. Plus, it’s usually wider in the seat than a glider, so there’s room for the baby to sit next to you later, for reading or if the baby is cutely reading his own book while you read yours, or for if you have ANOTHER baby and want to read to two at once, or whatever.
But the main thing is that it has cushy comfy arms with no big HOLE in the arm, which is important when a baby is resting on your arm and your arm is resting on the chair arm and that situation goes on for a long time. I would have needed about a zillion pillows in the 2nd and 3rd options, and the pillows would have been slipping irritatingly out the holes.
I would suggest checking out Babies R Us online. They have hundreds from $175- $750.
Listen to Swistle. Also. It is a lovely idea to buy the furniture that converts to older kid furniture later. But that stuff is usually expensive and your kid is going to ruin it much sooner than you think. So you can just buy the cheapest stuff and that is fine. I have just a glider glider and I really like it. Comfortable, rocks nicely, and I feel that I’ve already gotten my money’s worth out of it for the three years I’ve had it.
Cloth crib teethers. Buy some right now and put them on that crib. Or the baby will leave bite marks before you realize it. And then your teenager’s bed will have teeth marks on it. (I put them on our crib when Elizabeth was about ten months old. It was WAY too late. Bite marks.)
I had all the same concerns that you had (comfort, using the chair later in a living room, price, appearance), and I really loved the PB version of the rocking armchair but it was too expensive. I ended up finding this similar one at walmart.com. It doesn’t come in grey (boo), so I bought “buttercream” which is NOT yellow–it’s just a natural fiber color (I don’t know how to describe the color–it’s like the color of jute or hemp, I guess). They also have white, I think. It’s not AS comfortable as the PB version, but it was WAY CHEAPER and it’s a little stiffer which I think will make it easier to stand up from. It’s definitely not uncomfortable (but keep in mind that my baby hasn’t been born yet, so I can’t give you a full review). Furthermore, the covering is a slipcover, so you can take it off and wash it if you need to. I think the slipcover is not supposed to be machine washable, but I think you could soak it in the sink or something. To be honest, the whole deal was so economical that I’m not too worried about the slipcover and I’d be willing to buy another one if it gets stained or something. I bought the chair, ottoman, and the two matching slipcovers for about $300 total (with free shipping). I like the other comment about a reclining rocker and I would’ve totally gone that route, but our nursery is way too small to fit something that size (and i’m sure it would be expensive to find one that I enjoy the appearance of). I don’t think that these rocker legs come off (to transform it to a regular chair), which is something I didn’t consider…but I think I would enjoy rocking in the living room or something anyway. And at this price you don’t have to keep it FOREVER. Good luck and congratulations!!
http://www.walmart.com/ip/15561471?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227000633205&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=&wl3=13223683870&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem
we bought the glider from Toys r Us (well, gifted to us by family). And we love it, we really do although if I was doing it again, i would get one of those regular chairs that is a glider not the wooden things bc I’m terrified of P climbing onto it and getting seriously hurt. Yes. I’m a freak 🙂
also, this is not what you asked for but you know internet is for voicing opinions that no one ever asked for, right? We bought a convertible crib too…and then a twin bed for P. So…baby could still end up in a twin lol
La-Z-Boy recliner in microfiber. Spills wipe off easy, and you can sleep in it easy peasy if that’s what it takes for the LO to sleep. I think I slept the first month with our daughter in ours. Super comfy.
I think the comment above about buying a rocking recliner is a good idea. We have a very expensive (thanks grandma) rocker from Room and Board (Carter swivel chair) that is absolutely amazing. I wasn’t sure about spending that much on a chair, but we have used that chair every day for the last two years. It’s microfiber and it still looks great after baby spit up, etc (and may very well be the nicest piece of furniture we own, lol). I would maybe consider a darker gray to hide stains better. It would be awesome if it reclined though.
Anyway, my point is, you won’t regret buying a nice chair. I also wasn’t a fan of the “glider” look either and wanted something that could be used in another room after the baby. Also, I wouldn’t worry about the difficulty of getting out of the chair- I’ve never really thought that was a problem. It’s much more difficult getting the baby transferred into the crib without waking them up. 🙂
I’m with Swistle here. We had an armchair that didn’t even rock (it does a LITTLE, but it’s quite obviously not a glider) and I LOVED it. (Well, still love it, but it was most amazing for breastfeeding/cat naps.) I also liked that it had a matching ottoman instead of a built in foot rest. Getting the foot rest portion of the chair back down when you’re done feeding seems like it would be a little difficult. Manageable, I suppose, I just preferred the ottoman. Of course, you could still use an ottoman with a chair that DOES have a built in foot rest.
I have a glider, like the one you have in the picture (all white). It is true that it isn’t comfortable enough to fall asleep in (at all!). I only got it for $30 at a consignment sale. They are ALL over Craigslist, so if you decide to splurge elsewhere, at least you can get these much cheaper. Love your blog. I also love just between friends (jbfsale.com), which is a national sale that does kids consignment. All things baby & kids. They should have a spring & fall sale in your area.
I preferred a rocking chair rather than a glider, because for me it was easier to stop the motion if/when I needed to, and much easier to get out of with a sleeping baby in my arms. There are tons of options of rocking chairs, so it doesn’t have to be the one pictured above. And as said above, an ottoman is nice to go with it (for long naps or when you’re just too tired to go back to bed AGAIN knowing you’ll end up in the nursery soon anyway), but not absolutely necessary.
My opinion about baby furniture that can transition for use in the teenage years: Not important. Between now and then so much can change. Therefore, get what works for you now, without thinking about how it can work for you in ten years (or even five).
What Swistle said.
Amen to Swistle.
I have the second type of glider and love it. I wanted a bug cushy gliding armchair, but our nursery is small and it wouldn’t fit. The one I have is made by Shermag and is super comfortable. I’ve done lots of dozing. It also has a gliding ottoman, which is key. I worried about my baby pinching his fingers in the bottom, but it has a little lever to lock the chair so that’s not an issue (although with the way the chair sits, in a corner and next to the crib, he’s never even tried to get at it). You’re smart to think about getting up with a sleeping babe in your arms. I plan to put this glider elsewhere when he stops nursing–either in the living room, our bedroom, or the office. Oh, and the upholstery is some sort of magical stain repelling material. Seriously. Magic.
Congratulations again! I had the second type of glider with an ottoman, and I never used the ottoman. I managed to feed the baby and fall asleep in the glider just fine, and it was also fine for reading to my son, but it didn’t stay in his room for the long term. We moved when he was almost two, and the glider went to the basement of the new house and then I sold it in a garage sale.
I recommend listening to other’s opinions, but then doing what feels right for you.
Oh, and I forgot- we got the transitional furniture for my son, and his now-footboard has teething marks on it. Definitely get the covers that are recommended above! Soon, we are going to get him all new furniture since the transitional stuff still looks a bit babyish.
Yep, agree with Swistle. We have a rocking chair and la-z-boy, and I think I spent the first three months in the la-z-boy. Easy to put the leg rest out or in, easy to sleep in, easy to clean, lasts forever. They even now make them with a glider and swivel. Ours was just a rocker recliner though, which worked well.
I didn’t read all the other comments, but here’s my 2 cents. For my first daughter we found a very comfy rocking chair (upholstered and cushy) from a garage sale. I love it, but I found that there was no way to fall asleep in it while holding a baby. Which is something that I needed, because often that’s what happened. So with my second, I went out and bought a rocking recliner. This one, specifically: http://www.babyongrand.com/bestchairs/blainrecliner and I love it.
The lady at the store pointed out, though, that often the kid will fall in love with their chair and it’s hard to convince them to part with it when baby number two comes along. So keep in mind this chair will be in your little one’s room for a long time (for story reading, etc.) and it might not make it out to your living room as soon as you would like.
Congrats, btw! So happy for you!
Ok, first things first. I evidently missed the whole big announcement but congratulations!!! So happy for you guys. From my personal experience these past many months I would definitely advise comfy style #1. We fell in love with the Little Castle rockers (I tried one at BBB and immediately wanted to take it home with me) and discovered that they made a line for walmart (I KNOW) at half the price. Like maybe $300 vs $600+. So we bought one and I am so so grateful we did. Growing up I rocked many a sibling in the later two options and it just doesn’t compare to a comfy glider. Reading books, naps for you with the baby, nursing, rocking before naps etc. Our chair has been worth every single penny. Even if I have to buy a new glider for each child’s room there is no going back in my mind. I just couldn’t do it now that I’ve experienced luxury 🙂
Yeah, what Swistle said. Although, we had a Dutalier glider, similar to option #2, and I loved it. Six years later we just sold it (our youngest is almost three) and it was in excellent condition. I spent probably a solid year of my life in that thing and never hated it. So, that’s probably unhelpful.
I had a ginormous cushy overstuffed Pottery Barn Kids rocker that lasted through seven years and three children and was fabulous, if somewhat stained at the end. Swistle makes excellent points. Also, your children will put their mark on everything you own so buying things that will supposedly be used through college is….lets just say those things probably won’t last as long as you might hope.
Swistle is right.
This is the one we got: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12633578
And we love it. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. And even though it’s white/more of a beige, actually, it’s still quite clean. I think it’s kind of a micro-fibery kind of material. But still. Shockingly nice and clean, 9 months into this gig. We also have the ottoman, which I like having- makes it super comfy for nursing. It only has been thrown up on one time, which actually ended up more on me than the chair in the end anyway. I know some people say that kids ruin all the things and that you’ll likely get rid of it, etc. etc. But I’m not necessarily inclined to agree. Our plan for this chair is to move it OUT of the kid’s room when we’re no longer breastfeeding/she’s over a certain age, because a. I really like this chair, and b. she doesn’t need a full size chair in her room once she’s all mobile and what not. I plan to replace it with one of those cute kid-sized chairs that will likely be embroidered with her name because, well, I have a problem with wanting things personalized.
Our glider rocks and swivels, which is nice, and truthfully we don’t have a problem getting out of it with the baby. We also lay her down wide awake, so the whole “don’t wake the baby” thing is null at this point for us. When we were in that stage of “don’t wake the baby because she fell asleep while nursing and SHHHHHH,” she was still in our room. So I was nursing her in bed and moving her over to the pack-n-play bassinet. Totally different dynamics.
At the end of the day, my opinion is to find something YOU find to be aesthetically pleasing and comfortable to sit and rock in. I personally have only fallen asleep in our chair a couple of times in the middle of the night while feeding E. Never for long periods of time. Just while she’s eating, I’m snoozing. Sort of. So I’ve never had a desire for anything that lays all the way down or reclines.
Now that I’ve rambled on forever, I can tell you that choosing a glider was SO. DIFFICULT. for us. I wanted just the right color (which was actually a shade of gray, that I never got because zomg they are hard to find in that color! And when you do they are SO PRICEY!), and I didn’t want one that had any kind of wood or anything on it. I wanted the comfy, plush kind of chair and I wanted it to be stylish and look right in the room. We went around and around, so I totally feel you on this dilemma.
This may be my first comment here, though I have lurked for a while. Congratulations on your pregnancy!
We did not use a glider, nor did we put a chair in Tot’s room. Swistle makes an excellent point. I agree with the rocker/recliner option, but we took a slightly different path with ours. MH and I like to sit together and didn’t want to give that up for a single recliner option. We bought a rocking/reclining love seat (Lay-Z Boy) for our living room – which is close to Tot’s room in our single level house. The sides rock independently, and one side can recline while the other continues to rock. We love it.
My SIL spent oodles of money to get a crib that transitioned to a bed. Cue to my six month old nephew teething on the crib. Teeth marks everywhere. Splinters of wood. My BIL misplaces some pieces or hardware or something. Now my nephew is sleeping in some plastic racecar bed they got off Craig’s List. Baby stuff should not be forever stuff. But I have no kids, so take what I say with a grain of salt, as always!
I commented on this the other day and it must have disappeared into the lost comment cyber island. Hmph!
I was SUPER picky about a glider too. I loathe the wooden frame looking gliders that you can get everywhere and did not want that kind at all. The PBK one does look a little better, but, still no. The first chair you showed is where it’s at. The wings are PERFECT for that middle of the night nursing snooze. And you’ll have no trouble getting out of it. I ended up going with a gliding chair and ottoman that look like a regular arm chair. I think the brand was Best. It’s similar to this: http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/baby/furniture/best-chairs-inc-glider-or-ottoman/prod.jump?ppId=1851514
We aren’t getting a glider. (Of course, bear in mind that we aren’t having an actual nursery, just a crib-in-the-corner-of-the-office/guestroom type baby room). Upon marrying my husband, I fought him tooth and nail on his fugly la-z-boy rocking recliner entering our apartment. He insisted, so it went in his office. Now, three years later? I love the stupid thing. I’m sitting in it right now. I fall asleep in it often. I’m going to rock our baby in this ridiculously comfortable chair. So while I don’t know if a glider-type chair would be better, we’re going to rock the la-z-boy.
All that being said, the glider/ottoman from Toys R Us that Lauren posted above is gorgeous.
Ahhh you are having a baby!! YAY!!! So excited for you! And the PBK rocker/chair was my dream chair…but we have a Lazy Boy recliner in our living room (that I always hated and wanted to swap out with something more chic) but as it turns out it was awesome for the last few months of pregnancy for napping (sore hips + heartburn = recliner sleeping) and it is great for rocking/feeding the baby. When we move it is going to go into our room and I’m getting a more stylish chair for the living room, but I’m glad we had that old recliner for my pregnancy/early baby days.
When we were pregnant with my first my husband bought me a Dutalier glider which worked really well in the baby’s room. He ordered it so that the parts that look like fingers would slip in had solid wood sides, vs slatted, so no danger for baby. Plus, it was in the nursery, where we only slept mostly, the rest of our time was in the rest of the house, no danger for tiny fingers. Your husband is right I guess, it is sort of nursery only, but when we were done with it, we gave it away to friends that were adopting (and now due with #2 in August) so it worked out for us.
The Monte gliders are tops if you like something a little more modern that doesn’t look like a baby room glider. Check them out. yes it’s horrendously expensive but you can put it in your family room or den when you’re finished with the baby room. http://www.montedesign.net/ We have the Alto glider and I’m on #2 and get definitely get up and down pretty easily from it.
Don’t buy anything from PBK! I ordered our Wingback rocker in December and the ship date is now May 29th, two month after the birth of our child. 🙁
My advice to anyone thinking about purchasing a glider is to be sure to try it out in a store before purchasing! Don’t just sit and rock, like I did, move around and lean to each side as if you are picking up something off the floor or petting the dog. I fell in love with one a couple of years ago and even though it was cost more than I planned to spend for an extra chair I bought it. The first incident was when it tipped with me when I leaned over to pet the dog. There were a couple of incidents in between but the last incident before I decided this chair has got to go was when my very pregnant daughter in law leaned a little too far to the side and it flipped. Thank goodness she was able to catch herself with her hand before she fell and we quickly righted the chair for her. She did bruise her hand and I shutter to think she could have really been hurt. She doesn’t go near that chair now and I’m going to replace it with a plain old fashioned wooden rocking chair to safely rock my new granddaughter when she arrives.
I was prompted to write this after searching online for baby furniture and saw an endless number of gliders advertised in one very popular baby store. Not implying they’re all tippy as I’m sure there’s very safe ones out there but my Brooks glider is not one of them. Please try before you buy for that precious bundle.