Today’s Hint: Go for a Living-Room Worthy Rocking Chair

Besides the crib and changing table, there’s another piece of furniture that typically makes the nursery-room furniture checklist: A rocking chair or glider.

Initially, I tried to cut our baby gear costs by skipping this purchase, and we fed our newborn while sitting on our living room couch or bed. But once my daughter moved into her own room, it became obvious that we were going to need somewhere to sit in the nursery while we fed, and cuddled, her.  Sitting on the floor against the wall just wasn’t cutting it.

I couldn’t imagine, however, spending money on some of the popular glider models that, while very functional, are expensive and, truth be told, somewhat ugly.

So, I focused my search on nice-looking, living-room worthy upholstered models that I’d want to keep around my house long after the baby stage. This shopping strategy for making the nursery chair purchase well worth the money is today’s hint.

I narrowed my search to stylish upholstered models that resembled those from Land of Nod and Crate and Barrel, but cost less. I focused on chairs available at Diapers.com and at Babies”R”Us, where we were making many of our baby gear purchases and had loyalty club discounts.

The glider in my daughter’s room.

Ultimately, we opted for a pink-and-white polka dot Newco International model from Babies”R”Us, similar to this one recommended by a number of moms over at What to Expect. We also bought a matching ottoman (see the image to the left). We figured the two pieces could serve as a comfortable reading spot in our daughter’s room for years to come, and if we end up getting sick of the polka-dot pattern, we could always reupholster it and move it into our living room.

Such upholstered glider models, a trend in the nursery furniture realm, “can go from the nursery to the family room in a single bound,” as my go-to baby gear book Baby Bargains points out.

To be sure, these chairs generally cost more than their less attractive counterparts, but that’s not always the case. Some of the fancier versions of the not-so-pretty functional models can run $500 or more, in the range of some of the upholstered models. And according to my edition of Baby Bargains, the Newco brand I opted for “makes upholstered gliders at discount prices.”

Plus, you can cut the price of upholstered models further. You could buy them used, say off craigslist, or if you’re crafty, you could make your own by transforming a regular upholstered chair into a rocking one (like Mekenzie Burton Crowder over at Interiors by Kenz so cleverly did for $335).

What if you already have one of the not-so-pretty gliders? The good news is that there are things you can do to spruce it up (think pretty fabric). Kenji and Jen offer a helpful tutorial on how to do this with a Dutailier model and Apartment Therapy also offers some inspiration.

To be sure, if you opt for one of the cheaper, not-so-pretty glider models, say a used one you bought at an inexpensive price, you could always sell it and use the money to get another piece of furniture.

Still, I find it’s less of a hassle to buy a piece of furniture that has functional, and design, staying power from the get go. And as I’ve mentioned before, this buying for the long-term strategy can also be used to make smart crib and stroller purchases.

What advice would you give new moms related to rocking/glider chair purchases? Share your hints below.

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