Design Advice

How to Choose Your Perfect Nursery Chair

If you ask any parent what piece of furniture they used the most in those first few months, it’s almost never the crib. It’s the chair.

It all happens in the chair. From day one you’ll be feeding, rocking, scrolling, laughing, crying–sometimes all at the same time. So choosing the right nursery chair isn’t just about checking a box on your registry. It’s about finding something that feels good night after night. While the rest of the nursery may be all about baby, this piece is for you.

The good news is nursery seating today comes with so much more flexibility than it used to. You’re no longer stuck choosing between bulky and boring or custom and wildly expensive. You can have comfort, style, and personalization without the long lead times or intimidating price tags.

Let’s walk through how to think about it.

Shop Nursery Chairs

Types of Nursery Chairs

First, (and arguably most important) motion.

While some parents love a smooth glider, some want a classic rocker. Others swear by a recliner for those long cluster-feeding evenings. There’s no right or wrong, it’s just about what feels intuitive to you!

If you like a full 360° swivel with a gentle glide, go for the Dawn or Dusk Swivel Gliders. They give you that fluid movement while maintaining a slim visual impact. If you lean more modern, the rounded silhouette of the Cosma Swivel Glider feels clean and sculptural while still being incredibly cozy. If you know you’ll want to kick your feet up and realllllly settle in, the Drift Recliner gives you that extra level of comfort, with both manual and electric options. And if you love the nostalgia of a traditional rocker, the Starling Rocking Chair offers that familiar back-and-forth motion in a compact yet design-forward shape.

There’s no gold star for picking one over the other! One good tip is to think about how you naturally move when you’re soothing someone. That’s usually your answer.

Comfort & Everyday Use

Let’s be real. You will spend thousands of hours in this chair. While it’s important to love how it looks at 3pm, it’s just as important to love how it feels at 3am!

Key things to look for? First, a supportive back cushion. You won't want to be finagling a pillow into place at 5am in order to feel comfortable. Second, make sure the seat height is comfortable for you–often this means getting the matching ottoman. You’ll be so thankful you have somewhere to put your feet up. Trust us! Third, fabric, fabric, fabric. Beyond looking beautiful, It should feel soft against your skin and be made with fabrics and dyes that are safe for your baby. Bonus points if it’s spill proof or stain resistant too. Repeat after us–spills. will. happen. Choosing a fabric that's easy to clean will save you in more ways than one.

Comfort isn’t about overstuffed bulk. It’s about thoughtful design. The kind that supports you when you’re tired and holds up beautifully over time.

Size, Shape & Fit

Nurseries come in every size. Some are full rooms. Some are little corners carved out of bedrooms. Pay attention to both the physical footprint and the visual footprint.

Chairs like the Dawn and Dusk Gliders are designed to be slim and small-space friendly while still offering full swivel and smooth glide. They don’t overwhelm the room, which is especially important if you’re also fitting in a dresser, crib, and changing area. Rocking chairs like our Starling are generally known for their smaller footprint, making them a great option too!

It’s important to think ahead. Where could this chair live after the nursery years? In a reading corner? A bedroom? A living room?

Choosing a silhouette that feels crisp and timeless means you’re investing in a piece you’ll actually want to keep.

Fabric & Customization

This is where it gets really fun.

Fabric sets the tone for the entire room. Do you want something quiet and textural like Basketweave in Birch? A soft bouclé like Alabaster? A subtle stripe like Ticking Stripe in Bluebell? Or maybe something playful and exclusive like Hidden Garden in Grove? The beauty of our customization is that you get to choose what fits your vibe.

Our chairs are available in premium performance wovens, luxe bouclé, yarn-dyed stripes and ginghams, and exclusive performance prints, all treated with a water-repellent finish. They’re designed to be beautiful and practical.

And here’s the part that matters: it’s custom without the custom furniture hassle.

You don’t need an interior designer. You don’t have to wait months. You don’t have to stretch your budget into uncomfortable territory just to get something that feels special. You get to pick the base. The fabric. The motion. And it ships with reasonable lead times, backed by Nestig’s 60-day returns policy and best-in-class customer service

It’s designed by you, for you–without feeling intimidating.

Longevity Beyond the Nursery

The newborn stage is intense and fleeting.

One day you’ll walk into that room and realize the rocking sessions are fewer. The feeds are shorter. But the chair? Still getting just as much love. It turns into the storytime chair, the “come sit with me” chair, the place you land during long talks before bed. It doesn’t stop being important. It just grows up alongside them.

That’s why it helps to choose something you’ll love even when it’s no longer “the nursery chair.” All of our silhouettes are designed to transition seamlessly into other rooms in the home. Clean lines. Thoughtful proportions. Fabrics that don’t scream baby.

The goal isn’t to buy something disposable. It’s to choose a piece that grows with your family. Choose the chair you’ll want to sit in long after the nursery years are over. It’s where a whole lot of life is about to happen.