NURSING CHAIRS may feel like more of an indulgence than a necessity, but whether you're breastfeeding or not, it's helpful to have a comfy chair in baby's room for an adult to relax in.
The best nursing chairs rock and are especially handy since the rocking motion can also help soothe baby to sleep. If you're looking for a chair baby can sit and rock in, don't miss our roundup of best baby bouncers.
These can morph into reading chairs for you and your little one to snuggle up in for bedtime stories, or even turn into your favourite piece of living room furniture.
This list of best nursing chairs is compiled based on the top-rated styles, according to parents.
Breastfeeding mums are always on the lookout for chairs and pillows to help them stay comfortable in the early days of near-constant baby feeding.
However, having a dedicated space for a parent to sit is just as essential if you want to give your baby a bottle or dad wants to read little one a bedtime story.
A nursing chair isn’t just for the early days; the best chairs will become favourites for the first few years and are also handy when grandparents come for a visit.
The good news is, you can easily find a baby rocking chair to suit your style, your space and your budget.
In fact, some of the best nursing chairs out there aren’t even technically designed for the nursery (we’re looking at you, Ikea Poäng chair).
Rocking chairs, glider chairs, reclining chairs... here are the best nursing chairs that will have you singing Rock A Bye Baby to your little one.
1. Best wipe-clean nursing chair: Ikea Poäng rocking chair
- Ikea Poäng rocking chair, £215 at IKEA - buy here
This value chair can take you through the nursing days, and take your kid from tiny tot to teenager.
It's made from wipe-clean leather for easy stain removal.
A high back offers support, and you can get a matching footstool for added comfort.
If you're looking to spend under £200 on your baby rocking chair, opt for the standard Ikea Poäng armchair - it doesn't rock but it has a soft bouncing motion to help soothe a fussy baby.
2. Best stylish nursing chair: Pottery Barn Kids Charleston Slim Reclining Chair
- Pottery Barn Kids Charleston Slim Reclining Chair, £899.10 at John Lewis - buy here
Yes, this stylish glider rocking chair is eye-wateringly expensive, but you may be able to justify the price tag when you see how easily it can work as a statement furniture piece in your living room.
This isn't a chair for a year or two, it's an investment piece for the long haul.
It's also perfect for smaller nurseries and comes with plush, firm cushions offering nestling comfort. The seat swivels and manually reclines in three different positions so you can feed and snuggle with your baby.
3. Best reclining nursing chair: Kub Haywood Nursing Chair
- Kub Haywood Nursing Chair, £296.10 at John Lewis - buy here
The baby rocking chair has a wide seat and reclining mechanism.
It's perfect if you end up having a sleep in the nursery, and it also comes with a foot rest.
Parents like how comfortable and easy to assemble it is, as well as the roomy side pockets, which are ideal for housing muslins, books, baby wipes and a snack or two for hungry, tired parents.
4. Best designer nursing chair: Vitra Eames RAR rocking chair
- Vitra Eames RAR rocking chair, £459 at Heal's - buy here
An Eames chair is the stuff of modern design fantasy - timeless, compact and suitable for any space.
This rocking version in moulded, recyclable propylene ticks every box for nursing comfort, too.
5. Best nursing chair for curling up in: MADE Kolton rocking chair
- MADE Kolton rocking chair, £549 at MADE - buy here
This rocking chair is gorgeous to look at - we love the bright turquoise hue - and its firmness makes it the ideal chair for curling up in with a book and child in tow.
Also makes a style statement in any room of the house.
What is the point of a rocking chair?
Rocking motions and movements help soothe babies and send them off to sleep.
It's why babies tend to fall asleep in buggies and when driven around in the car.
A piece of furniture with that same rocking capability - whether a baby rocker that baby can sit in or a nursing chair for adults to relax in, can be a very useful piece of kit to invest in, especially for baby's first year.
A rocking nursing chair is a multi-tasking object: it's comfortable for feeding baby, whether they're being breastfed or bottle-fed, and the rocking motion can help calm baby when they need it.
As baby gets older a nursing chair becomes a reading chair, a relaxing chair, and possibly even a spaceship for a child's imaginary play games. The possibilities are endless!
Are rocking chairs safe for newborns?
Since parents sit in nursing rocking chairs with baby snuggled in their arms, these can be used from birth.
Most baby bouncers and rockers that you place baby in directly are also suitable for newborns - but we'd advise checking the specific rocking chair to make sure.
What makes a good nursing chair?
There are different factors to consider when choosing which nursing chair is best for you, your home and your family.
We'd recommend choosing a rocking chair which has the added benefit of movement - which is helpful for babies but also turns into a fun piece of furniture in kids' games as they get older.
For breastfeeding parents, a nursing chair with padded armrests and a padded back, like the Kub Haywood Nursing Chair, ticks every box.
It also reclines for those nights you spend sleeping next to baby's bed.
If you've got other kids running around and need an easy-clean chair, a wipe-clean option like the IKEA Poäng can be a handy addition to the home.
For longevity, pick a stylish designer chair that doubles as a nursing chair - it will feel like an investment piece in any room of the house, but will also get you through those first few months of sleeplessness.
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