Rockers and gliders, along with cribs and dressers, have been a staple of nursery rooms for decades. Though a comfortable upholstered club chair or recliner may work just as well, gliders have a few advantages. On this page we will be checking out some of the best nursery gliders of this year.
All About Nursery Gliders: What’s Here
Gliders are more comfortable, especially with an ottoman, and babies love the subtle back and forth rocking motion of a glider chair. Furthermore, these chairs are multi-purpose, wonderful for snuggling, breastfeeding or bottle feeding, and rocking your little one to sleep. The nice thing about many of the newer gliders is that now look like regular living room chairs, so after you’re done with it in the nursery it can be moved to another location in the house.
Further down the page, we begin a discussion about why gliders for nurseries have found their place as an essential piece of furniture. Following this section, readers will see an overview of the types of gliders and rocking chairs available. We mention some of the most important things to look for when shopping for the best nursery gliders.
First up is our review section does an in-depth rundown of the best nursery gliders of this year.
7 Best Nursery Gliders: Glide Baby to Sleep
Some of these can get pretty expensive so make sure you’re sitting down for this. Keep in mind, you’ll be spending a lot of time in this chair, so you may want to invest in something pretty nice. When you’ve got a baby that’s teething and you haven’t slept for four consecutive nights a comfortable plan B plush glider or recliner is a valuable asset. We recommend selecting on comfort first and looks second.
1. Stork Craft Hoop Glider and Ottoman
Best Nursery Gliders with Style
Stork Craft has made some of the best selling gliders for years running now. They’ve thought of pretty much everything: generous padding, an extremely useful sidepocket that hangs off the right arm of the chair, enclosed ball bearings for a gentle glide, and five attractive color options.
The only thing we don’t like is that the back and seat cushions are hand washable only, though they are spot cleanable so you can get it back to looking like new when those accidents happen.
This glider is JPMA certified so you can be sure it has passed all the safety tests. Relatively, this nursery glider is pretty affordable. Many glider and ottoman sets can really get expensive, sometimes even being around $1000.
2. Madison Swivel Glider by babyletto
Best Gliders for Small Nursery
This swivel glider is a durable, high quality glider for a fair price. The company babyletto is known for their eco-friendly and non toxic furniture and products. They also feature very modern styles and most of their chairs such as this one are made with 100% microsuede. The oversize seat provides more than enough room for you and your little one.
This microsuede material is extremely durable, water-resistant, and stain resistant. The metal base supports it all, with a weight capacity of 300 pounds! Holy cow. The downside to this swivel glider is that it does not come with an ottoman, though you can purchase one separately. Without the ottoman, it will be hard to do anymore than nap in this chair, but in many cases that is enough. Overall, it is a quality chair that is stylish and best suited for shorter rocking sessions or a smaller nursery.
3. Baby Relax “The Kelcie” Nursery Swivel Glider Chair
Best Upholstered Glider for Nursery
If you are looking for an extra wide and deep seat, Baby Relax makes a great swivel glider. The Kelcie chair is extremely spacious. The frame is made of hardwood, and the cushions are microfiber. It comes in three color variations so you can match it with your nursery. It is spot cleanable, so you can cleanup if your baby comes up with any nasty surprises.
The one thing we don’t like about this set is that the ottoman does not glide, but some people prefer stationary foot rests. It is a larger chair, sure to bolster the look of any nursery room and be the perfect centerpiece. Due to it’s size and comfort level, The Kelcie has earned the award for best upholstered glider for nursery.
4. Dutailier Multi-Position Glider with Ottoman
Best Nursery Glider and Ottoman
In our book, this is one of the best nursery gliders available. It is super comfortable and spacious. The construction quality is high-end and it comes with a 5 year warranty. The foam cushions and arm pads are removable. The beautiful hardwood frame looks great with all the different color styles. These chairs are manufactured in Canada, and the company has been around for thirty five years. They must be doing something right!
The great thing about this chair is its versatility. You can recline the backrest to multiple angle settings. And the glider part can lock in 6 different positions as well. This makes it so you can find just the right position for reading, TV viewing, cuddling, or feeding your baby. It is slightly more expensive than middle of the road options, but with all the features you get it is well worth the extra cost.
The one improvement they could add is a side pocket that hangs on one of the arms of the chair. Other than that, this is the perfect glider for nearly any nursery space. Since the ottoman glides too, it gets the best nursery gliders and ottoman award.
5. Stork Craft Tuscany Glider and Ottoman
Best Ergonomic Glider Chair
This is the second chair from Stork Craft featured in our list. The Tuscany chair comes with a matching lumbar support pillow which helps alleviate back pain and find a comfortable position during feeding time. With this model you’ve got 6 wood finishes and 4 fabrics to choose from. The enclosed metal ball bearings maintain a smooth glide and will gently soothe your baby back to sleep.
6. DaVinci Olive Upholstered Swivel Glider
Best Swivel Glider for Nursery
This glider is much like the Stork Craft chair featured above, but has a complete fabric look that some of us prefer over the exposed frame. In addition, this chair lets you swivel 360 degrees instead of just back and forth. This makes it the best swivel glider for nursery comfort. The DaVinci chair is composed of a high quality durable heathered polyester fabric.
7. Baby Relax Mikayla Swivel Gliding Recliner
Best Nursery Glider Recliner
If you’re looking for a more compact chair without an ottoman, this glider from Baby Relax is a wonderful option. The Mikayla glider is a best seller in the glider chair category. The trim and button tufting on the back rest give the chair a finished look that will be a fine addition to any nursery.
Types of Nursery Chairs
Chairs are a pretty straightforward design but there are some variations to keep in mind when shopping for the right nursery chair. If you’re going to shell out some cash you may as well get the perfect fit, especially if you have plans to have multiple children.
Baby Gliders
Glider chairs are essentially an updated version of the rocking chair. The comfort is nearly indescribable and if you haven’t used one before you’ll be pretty surprised the first time. Modern gliders usually incorporate a ball bearing mechanism that allows you to glide back and forth. There are many designs of gliders are not one is necessarily the best. Some have 360-degree swiveling as well. Most standalone gliders feature oversized seats and lots of padding for you and the baby.
Baby Glider and Ottoman Sets
Typically sets are a bit more expensive than standalone chairs, but the extra cost can be worth it. Having a place to rest your legs and feet is a welcome addition, especially if you need to catch up on some much needed rest.
Baby Rocking Chairs
Rocking chairs, as opposed to gliders, require some effort with your toes to keep them rocking. They move on rounded rockers or legs as the base of the chair. There are some pretty stylish rocking chairs out there these days. You can get oldschool and get an all wood traditional rocking chair (some are very beautiful) or perhaps select a modern looking rocking chair. While rocking chairs are great for short nursing sessions and the like, they are not ideal for longer duration or you may be dealing with sore tushy.
Baby Swivel Gliders
This category is just a variation of the standard glider. These types of chairs not only glide back and forth, but you are also able to swivel them usually 360 degrees.
Recliners
Though many people think of the iconic Lazy Boy chair for the living room and the ultimate TV viewing setup, some recliners make pretty great nursery chairs. Comfortable enough to fall asleep in, and spacious enough for both you and the baby.
Extra Wide Rocking Chairs
If you’ve got a twin situation going on, it is probably worth your time to consider an extra wide seat as a go to nursery chair.
Why Nursery Baby Gliders are Popular
Nearly every furniture store and large department store sells rockers and gliders. Gliders are also sometimes called platform rockers. If you don’t know what one is, it is pretty simple. The entire frame is attached to the seat using a double-rocker four-bar linkage. This linkage allows the sitter to smoothly glide or “swing” back and forth.
The History
The first chairs that incorporated the glider design came about in the 1930’s. They quickly grew in popularity, especially the basket weave design in the hot weather down in the South (no air conditioning back then!). Many people would substitute them in place of a porch swing, but it was quickly discovered they made an excellent nursery furnishing.
The calm and gentle gliding put many a cranky baby at ease. Particularly in the early weeks and months of being a parent, you’re going to be up a lot at night feeding your baby and trying (and praying) for them to fall back asleep.
Why You’ll Love a Nursery Glider
Take a moment to picture this:
You wake up to the sound of a crying baby at about 2:30 AM. After making sure your body still works and getting your bearings, you make your way to the nursery. There that little stinker is, wailing away but too cute to get angry at. You change baby and get them a clean diaper, rock baby in your arms, maybe even sing a little diddy, but say your baby keeps crying after all of that.
Maybe after all, baby is fussing because they decided they want an early breakfast. Most people would take their baby to the couch or chair in the living room and try to find a good spot to get comfortable and feed the baby.
Then you snuggle the baby until finally, at long last, baby has fallen back to sleep. Then back to the nursery, back to the crib, then just before your about one step out of the room, baby wakes up and starts crying. That may have been past you, because you now is much wiser and owns a wonderful glider. It is placed right in the nursery ready to rock your baby to sleep. You kick your legs up on the ottoman and you just may find yourself so comfortable you begin dozing away with baby.
The Best Nursery Gliders Have These Features
These are just a few things, in our humble opinion, worth considering before making a final selection. If you tick these boxes, you’ll ensure you can enjoy a comfortable, rocking snuggle as long as you want with your bundle of love. While perhaps all of these aren’t “must-haves” they are definitely each worth considering.
- Comfortable Upholstery. Though wooden rockers have been around for ages and have been a traditional chair for many families, gliders have become more popular. Mainly, this is because the cushy, upholstered chairs are much easier on the butt than sitting on cane or wood for long periods of time. Look for generous padding and seat cushioning, nothing is worse than a rock hard nursery chair at 4:00 am in the morning.
- Arm Rests. Arm rests will support your elbows and arms which is a life saver. Especially when you add the weight of your baby. Even younger and stronger arms will get tired very quickly unless they have something supporting them in a chair. Interestingly, many of the fancy more “modern-ey” chairs do not feature arm rests at all. While some people may enjoy the aesthetic more, the trade-off isn’t worth it.
- Side Pockets. Pockets on the side give you a little place to stash magazines, phones, burp cloths, and the number of other gadgets that find their way into your daily routine. This makes sure you have everything you need right at your side when you sit down with baby. No getting up or making multiple trips for things you forgot.
- Reclining. Many parents find that they use their nursery chair as a second bed, where they get about half of their sleep the first few months when raising a newborn baby. A reclining feature that offers up to 6 inches of reclining is definitely ideal.
- Locking System. It is a good idea to find a chair with some sort of locking mechanism. Then you can lock the chair and not worry about anything if you drift off to sleep. Locking the chair in place ensures the safety of yourself and the baby.
- Wide Seat. This allows you to easily change positions and get up and sit down in the chair. Great for both feeding time and snuggling time.