9 Best Gliders, Rocking Chairs, and Recliners to Put in Your Baby's Nursery

✔️ WHY WE LIKE IT: The long back, 22-inch wide seat, and built-in footrest are supportive for tall moms and dads. We gave this one of our previous Good Housekeeping Parenting Awards.

✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: This reclines electronically, gently easing you and your baby into a lying-back position with the footrest up. It does not swivel, however—for that, upgrade to The Glider Plus.

The Glider has an adjustable headrest, a feature we did not see on many others. It doesn't move up and down, but the headrest can be tilted forward via power control if you need the support while you're gazing down at your infant. The lumbar support is also power-adjustable.

A USB port is built on the outside of the armrest, perfect for charging your tablet or cell phone during long feeding sessions. The fabric is a polyester and nylon blend, which you can clean with a damp cloth; there are cleaning directions on the Nurture& website.

✔️ TESTING NOTES: "It's wide enough for both me and my toddler to sit in while I breastfeed my newborn," a consumer tester told us. Another said, “I have been living in this while breastfeeding and recovering from my C-section."

The seat is about 21 inches from the ground, so if you have short legs, it might not be best fit for you.

✔️ CERTIFICATIONS: FSC Certified wood

✔️ WHY WE LIKE IT: This won our most recent Parenting Award for its nearly 25-inch wide, comfy seat, plus the built-in nightlight.

✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: The built-in USB-C port can keep a device charged without it being in the way. A button makes it electronically recline a little or a lot (almost flat!), and then raise back up again.

This comes with a lumbar pillow. The brand says that the chenille fabric is both water- and stain-resistant for easy clean up. It's available in two colors: white and beige.

✔️ TESTING NOTES: “What I enjoyed most about this recliner is the wide seat and back. It provided enough room for me to change seated positions with my newborn in-hand (i.e. one leg bent and under the other, legs crossed, legs opened, etc.) and I was able to fit comfortably and secure my newborn's position as well," a tester said. "I also enjoyed the light settings underneath the chair, very helpful at night for changing without needing to turn on a harsh overhead light. Lastly, the cushion and fabric is so soft—it's like sleeping on a cloud."

✔️ CERTIFICATIONS: Greenguard Gold Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Certified fabric

✔️ WHY WE LIKE IT: This wing back chair won a previous Parenting Award in part for its 360-degree swivel—you can spin in a full circle while sitting in this. It also includes two chargers on the outside, a USB-A and a USB-C.

✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: This seat has a slightly smaller profile, in case space is an issue, though that makes it better for shorter parents versus taller ones. Because it can turn all the way around, it's easy to turn toward a window, or away from other people.

This quietly tilts back and goes back up electronically. It glides back and forth.

✔️ TESTING NOTES: “It’s the most comfortable swivel chair I ever tried,” one mom told us. “The design is elegant, and the leg rest is just perfect!”

Another said it had a “smaller footprint than other armchairs” and thus didn't take up too much floor space.

✔️ CERTIFICATIONS: Greenguard Gold Certified, CertiPUR-US Certified foam

✔️ WHY WE LIKE IT: It's a power recliner with a USB-A port as well as a USB-C port on the side, and a large, pillowy back support.

✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: The Harlowe does much of what the more expensive gliders do for a little less money: It swivels far to the left and right, and reclines automatically with a built-in footrest. Inside the seat are traditional steel springs, the kind you find in living-room recliners.

For assembly, you slide three back pieces on to the base, no tools required.

Delta says the performance fabric is both water- and stain-resistant for easy cleaning. It comes in two colors: a beige and a dark gray.

✔️ TESTING NOTES: We have not yet looked at this one with our own consumer testers, but online reviewers praise the soft fabric and easy power recline.

✔️ CERTIFICATIONS: Greenguard Gold Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Certified fabric

✔️ WHY WE LIKE IT: If you prefer a separate ottoman to a built-in footstool on a nursery chair—which lets you customize the fit by moving the ottoman closer in or further out—we like this glider set sold with an ottoman for under $400.

✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: The Olive comes fully assembled, and in addition to the ottoman, comes with a lumbar pillow.

The polyester fabric is not performance fabric but can be spot-cleaned.

✔️ TESTING NOTES: The Olive Glider spins in a full circle and glides back and forth, but does not recline. The seat back sits at a fixed recline position that allows a parent to put their head back. Some online reviewers say they like that; others wish that the seat back was a little less tilted.

The seat width is on the small side—as a frame of reference, 17.5 inches is about what you get on an airplane seat. Some parents said it's still super comfortable, while others said it's not the best glider for plus-size parents.

✔️ CERTIFICATIONS: Greenguard Gold Certified, CertiPUR-US Certified foam, FSC Certified wood

✔️ WHY WE LIKE IT: Perhaps you want a classic rocking chair, not a glider. If you're going for a mid-century modern nursery, this chair nails the look. It's got beautiful wooden rocking legs and sticks to its primary function—it rocks. Consider it low-tech chic—a rocker our grandparents would have wished for in their day.

✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: There's no recline, swivel, or glide. Because there are no power functions, this is a lightweight rocker that you can easily move around, and you don't need to sit it near an outlet.

✔️ TESTING NOTES: The Kai might look large but it has a relatively small footprint. With no recline, you can move it closer to the wall than most recliners can go—just make sure you account for the backward motion of the rocker. With no footrest that pops up, you also don't have to worry about what's in front of it.

Online reviewers say assembly takes only a few minutes, and that the chair is extremely comfortable. The performance fabric looks high-end yet users say it lives up to the promise of being water and stain resistant.

✔️ CERTIFICATIONS: Greenguard Gold Certified, CertiPUR-US Certified foam, FSC Certified wood

✔️ WHY WE LIKE IT: The "Pillow" version of the this luxe, swiveling, gliding, and reclining Paxton chair includes two loose pillows that can help you position your baby on your lap. The springy seat, about 20 inches off the floor, can fit a short mom or dad better than most.

✔️ WHAT TO KNOW: If you choose West Elm's white-glove delivery service, they'll assemble this in your nursery for you.

✔️ TESTING NOTES: The Paxton comes in a range of neutral-color performance fabrics for water and stain resistance.

If you splurge on the power version of the Paxton, online reviewers say it operates fairly silently and smoothly. One said, "At first, I thought the idea of a chair with a USB where you can plug in your phone was a little unnecessary, but it’s actually great."

However, if you don't want to have to plug the chair in, you can go with the manual version of the Paxton, and knock off hundreds of dollars. There's a pull tab at the side of the chair that flips the footrest up, and then you manually push it back down.

✔️ CERTIFICATIONS: Greenguard Gold Certified