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Best Glider Rockers Reviewed
Any experienced mommy will tell you how useful and soothing a glider rocker is for your newborn. Smooth rocking movement pacifies fussy infants and provides a comfortable abode to nurse your bundle during feeding times.
When you are looking for the best glider rocker for nursing, it’s important to take into consideration those details that will make your glider most enjoyable.
There is no better nursing rocker that offers perfectly smooth rocking motion than a high quality glider. Gliders are the choice piece of furniture for feeding and rocking your baby to sleep.
Which glider will be the best for your needs will depend on which features you like, as well as a number of other considerations. We cover all the details in our review, but you can also jump to our quick comparison chart for the quick answers on nursing rockers, and all the specifics
We list a few suggestions below that might shed some light on reasonable features to consider before you make a purchase. You can also jump down to the comparison chart below for quick answers and details.
Top Glider Rockers Comparison Chart
Best Glider Rocker
1. DaVinci Olive Upholstered Swivel Glider with Bonus Ottoman
DaVinci Olive Upholstered Swivel Glider with Bonus Ottoman
While the high-chair, crib, and baby changing table will always change the way that a home looks, there’s no need for a baby glider to do the same. You can still have a stylish rocker, no matter what.
DaVinci’s olive-upholstered swivel glider is a beauty to behold. The fabric drapes over the frame of the chair sumptuously and creates an elegant look for any nursery. The company says that its swivel glider makes it easy for mothers to nurse their infants, thanks to its adjustability with both swivel and tilt.
It’s also clear that DaVinci wanted to address the fact that nursing can sometimes be a messy experience. Babies have a habit of creating a mess wherever they go. The Olive Glider and Ottoman come with heathered polyester fabric designed to resist stains and prevent your baby from ruining the look of your stylish new chair.
Furthermore, the company has thought extensively about the safety of the upholstery. All the fabric is free from dangerous chemical retardants, preventing any unwanted contamination of either mother or child.
On first blush, the DaVinci doesn’t look like the most comfortable chair on the market. But its simplicity belies its plushness. The chair comes with a lumbar pillow, glide and swivel, head and neck support, and a bonus ottoman. This combination makes it easy to spend long hours in the chair with your child and is particularly suitable for mothers with newborns.
2. Naomi Home Deluxe Multiposition Sleigh Glider and Ottoman Set
Naomi Home Deluxe Multiposition Sleigh Glider and Ottoman Set
While the company does all of the usual things, such as leaving dangerous chemicals out of the construction of its chair, it also builds safety into the design. Naomi uses a proprietary multi-purpose brake system to stabilize the glide as you move it from one setting to another.
The company rightly addressed concerns about mothers changing the position of the chair while nursing their baby. There’s a possibility on some glider designs that mommy’s might jolt or jerk into a new place suddenly, risking injury. The Naomi brake system, however, uses an in-built mechanical brake to prevent sudden movements, while still delivering silky-smooth setting changes.
Naomi is also conscious of the fact that babies and nursing aren’t always the cleanest of operations. Babies make a mess. The company’s Home Deluxe Multiposition Sleigh Glider and Ottoman Set comes, therefore, with a special type of wipe-down fabric that’s easy to clean and resistant to stains. There’s no need to dress the glider rocker with additional towels and blankets to protect the upholstery. All you need to do is get a damp cloth and some soapy water and wipe it down. It’s a genuine “easy clean” product.
Finally, Naomi has made a special effort to make the nursery chair more comfortable than the competition. It’s done this primarily through making the padding thicker. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better-padded product on the market.
Ultimately, the Home Deluxe Multiposition Sleigh Glider and Ottoman Set is for mothers who want to spend time in the nursery in comfort while not worrying about safety issues. Naomi puts safety first, giving owners peace of mind.
3. Angel Line Monterey Glider and Ottoman Cushion
Angel Line Monterey Glider and Ottoman Cushion
Angel Line wanted to make a nursery rocker that was both practical and durable, and in many ways, that’s what the company has achieved. The Monterey Glider and Ottoman Cushion is undoubtedly a product that provides a practical solution for mother and child.
The aesthetics of the nursery chair are second-to-none. The espresso wood, combined with the grey upholstery theme gives the chair an almost professional look, making it ideal for nurseries, playrooms, and even living rooms. The chair itself is a work of art, and looks great, even though you have to unpack and assemble it yourself.
The utility of the chair comes from the convenient little pouch at the side. While most nursing chairs expect you to have both baby and book in hand before you sit down, the Monterey Glider and Ottoman Cushion Set doesn’t. Instead, you can load it up with books in its side pouches and then reach down, pick up a book, and start reading, either to yourself or your child.
The other significant benefit of the Monterey Glider and Ottoman Cushion is the sturdy construction. One of the reasons it’s so hard to make the best nursery glider is the fact that there are so many moving parts. Nursery rockers are sophisticated, well-padded contraptions, that move in a variety of directions and rely on ball bearings. Angle Line, however, focuses heavily on quality construction. You get the sense when you sit on the chair that there are no expenses spared. It feels solid.
The bearings are high quality, and you’re never in any doubt over the performance of the gliding mechanism. Overall, it feels like a sturdy and long-lasting piece of furniture, ideal if you’re planning on having more babies in the future.
4. Baby Relax Mikayla Swivel Gliding Recliner
Baby Relax Mikayla Swivel Gliding Recliner
One of the goals of Baby Relax when designing the Mikayla Swivel Gliding Recliner was to provide mothers with a smooth, full range of motion. The problem with many recliner chairs is their tendency to kick at specific points along their motion. While that’s an annoying feature of some cheaper designs, it’s a safety issue when you’re looking after a baby. You don’t want sudden, jerking movements interrupting a feeding session and causing both you and child to fall uncontrollably. You need gentle, predictable movements as you change position. The Mikayla Swivel Gliding Recliner does this by using special ball bearings and motion control system to make it easy for mothers to adjust the recline without danger.
Baby Relax built several positions into the nursery rocker to make it suitable for nursing. It’s ideal for breastfeeding, napping, reading, sitting, and rocking. You can change between positions using a lever on the side of the chair that is easy to reach and comfortable to operate.
Not only is the fabric easy to wipe down, but it’s also surprisingly robust. Pets and sharp nails can scratch at it with minimal damage if any at all. You get the sense that this is a product designed to last.
The Mikayla Swivel Gliding Recliner is, therefore, for mothers who want a do-it-all glider rocker. It’s easy to clean, has an excellent build quality, and seamlessly transitions between positions – safe for both mother and child. The back of the chair is also high which is a bonus for particularly tall mothers.
5. Dutailier Sleigh Glider Multiposition-Lock Recline with Ottoman Included
Dutailier Sleigh Glider Multiposition-Lock Recline with Ottoman Included
The standout feature of the chair is the comfort factor. Dutailier has used its experience in manufacturing chairs to develop multiple methods through which the chair delivers superior comfort to users. The most impressive aspect of the chair is its ergonomic shape. It’s specifically designed for parents who want to cradle their child for hours on end, read a book, or do something else with their hands. The chair features Dutailier’s famous padded armrests, lumbar support cushions, and multi-position lock system, allowing you to recline at different angles depending on your needs.
The basic idea behind the chair seems to have been to take comfort off the list of parental needs. Looking after a child is difficult, but with the help of the Dutailier Sleigh, comfort is no longer a concern. Parents can get on with all their other parental challenges, knowing that Dutailier has them covered on the comfort front.
Part of the reason for the strength of Dutalier’s products is the fact that all of its chairs are handmade by people with vast experience in the baby rocking chair industry. The company’s flagship baby glider is the cream of the crop, offering incredible comfort and built to last.
Top Glider Rockers Features To Consider
Comfort
There is no ignoring that comfort is of utmost importance when you are looking for the best glider chair for nursing your baby. Simply offering a padded seat isn’t going to translate into lasting comfort while you sit with your baby for a long duration. Quality materials and construction can make a big difference. Good back support, comfortable arm rests, and a quality ottoman are all hallmarks of a reliable glider chair.
Materials
Upholstered furniture of any type can get dirty or stained, and nursing and burping your baby is bound to present it’s fair share of messes. It’s really important to look for nursery gliders that feature stain resistant materials, so maintaining an appealing appearance is much more likely in the long term. A clean glider rocking chair is ever so much more attractive in your home and appeals to guests as well.
Footrest
Sitting in your new baby rocking chair while reading a good book, or watching a movie will likely become part of your routine for the first number months. A glider rocker with ottoman can really bring your comfort level to the next notch, but you might also consider a nursery glider recliner. These designs often take up less space and provide a lot of comfort in a smaller footprint.
Build Quality
Low quality furniture is so common today that it sometimes makes it difficult to sort out which products are to be avoided. Cheap nursery rockers legitimately do not last. They are not reliably built and often start squeaking, which will wake your baby up. Even worse, bargain nursery gliders can be dangerous and could even break while you are rocking your baby. Cheap furniture can sometimes be very helpful for certain uses, but not in this case. For safety’s sake, we avoided reviewing the lower-end baby rockers. Check out our top picks for best nursery glider below.