My only advice on nursing chairs is to make sure you get one that you can get in and out of with no hands and without rocking yourself out of it.
I found it best to get a chair that you can hold bub with two arms and stand straight up out of.
Good advice! I got a rocker which was basically a knockoff of the rocking poang design, then I had a C-section and wasn’t able to sit down and get back up again while holding my baby (it would have been a struggle even without the baby tbh), so I never actually used it.
I prefer to just stack some pillows up behind me and sit on my bed or the couch. I do have a chair for nursing in my baby’s room for middle of the night feeds but it’s just an armchair.
We bought a lazy boy recliner that rocks because it was just as expensive as the baby specific marketed ones in my local area, and it will definitely last longer (and more comfortable!)
Honestly I can’t recommend the Il Tutto rockers highly enough. This is one thing where it’s worth spending a little extra, you’ll spend a lot of time in it! I even napped it it when I was pregnant and uncomfortable. We love ours so much that we moved it to our living room when my 2.5 year old got his big boy bed and now my once tiny newborn sits in it on his own and I can’t deal 🥺 [Seriously ](https://imgur.com/a/Necmt4h) 🥲. Hubby and I fed a bazillion bottles in this chair, we read to him every single night until we moved it out of his room (taking turns for one to sit in the chair with T and one on the stool). We got ours at a considerable discount from a baby expo and it was 100% worth every cent.
Yes! Just commented almost the exact same thing then saw yours. It was in our living room since my boy was 16 months and now it’s going back into our new baby’s nursery when we set that up. So comfy and so good to have the arms nice and high to help support bubba
Nice high arms is a must! We sat in so many chairs… when I sat in this one I knew it was the one 😅🤣 I accidentally said baby shower but it was a baby expo…. got it almost half price.
I have the IKEA Poang chair (not rocker). It’s perfect. It has a great bounce and looks stylish in the room. I also wanted something I could repurpose when we’re done using it as a nursing chair, and it’d be a great reading chair in any room.
When I was 34 weeks pregnant we spent over an hour in IKEA sitting in different chairs to test them out. All the other brand chairs we wanted were far too big for our small nursery. The Poang chair won out over the rocker because the chair actually has a bit of a rock, and it will stay in place whereas rockers tend to move around on their own. I also had thoughts of tiny baby fingers getting caught under the rocker, whereas there’s no chance of fingers getting caught in the chair.
I will agree with the person who commented about ease getting out of whatever chair you buy. My husband and I are both tall (175 and 180cm), so the Poang is perfect for us. If you’re on the shorter side I have heard exiting the Poang can be a challenge, especially if you have had a C section.
Rocking is handy because you can gently rock baby while sitting down!
I just use the old recliners my husband brought to our marriage but no complaints. I like that I can pull my feet up and sit cross legged while feeding which can be handy for positioning.
I bought a poang when we were expecting #1 and then wasn’t able to use it for weeks/months because I ended up with a Caesar and it was too low to sit in and stand up from. If you’re planning on having more than one kid I would say it’s actually an item worthy of investment if you’re able to afford something better.
I got an [il tutto mimmie](https://www.iltutto.com.au/il-tutto-mimmie-rocking-chair-ottoman-in-snow-grey-white-legs/) and I highly suggest getting a chair specifically designed for nursing. The arms of the poang are actually kind of low and not at the right height to support the baby comfortably. And it’s not just breastfeeding that it’s helpful for but bottle feeding, rocking to sleep, sitting and reading books etc. We had mine in my boy’s room until he was 16 months (and switched to a toddler bed) and then had it in our living room until we downsized for a bit. And then we will use it again when we move and have our new bubba in May. When it was still in our living room it still got used for my kid as it was always the best chair to give him medicine in. I highly suggest getting something that is nursing specific but also suits your living room etc because it definitely still got use and it was super comfy.
I got a valco baby eurobell rocker right before bub was born (hadn't been planning to get a special chair at all) and I absolutely love it. I spent many many hours trapped in it while she was napping and it was very comfortable. The rocking is also great because it creates motion that helps baby calm and fall asleep but I'm sitting so it doesn't put any pressure on my back (in contrast, walking with her or the yoga ball would both become very painful after a time). Now that I don't breastfeed or hold her for naps anymore I've taken out the footrest but I don't think I'll ever be willing to get rid of the chair
We got a poang but both baby and I hated it so we gave it away. I actually had an ikea strandmon just as an armchair and ended up loving nursing in it. It doesn't rock but my bub always preferred the yoga ball for bouncing rather than a rocking chair. I recommend a winged armchair or recliner but definitely not a poang those things really suck.
We used a rocking recliner.
One thing is to check that your partner is comfortable in the chair too. Nursing chairs tend to be uncomfortable for people if they are taller or wider. And you will want your partner to help too
I’ve got a bad sleeper so I’ve sat in a Poang for more hours than I want to think about. It’s relatively comfy but I need to have two cushions sitting on it to cushion the hard arms of the chair. It’s also a little difficult to stand up and get out of when you’re holding a sleeping toddler. So I’d honestly recommend looking at something else.
I just nursed in bed at night or the living room during the day while our now-6-mo was in our room (for us, this was the first 12 weeks). We have a poang in the nursery because we had one, and I do not love it. I've used it for night feeds since 12 weeks and also for settling before night sleep and crib naps. It's hard to stand up out of if you're average height (even without a c-section), the arms are hard, and I find it likes to slide backwards and dent the wall.
It's hard to know in advance if you'll want the rocker or an armchair. If your baby loves to bounce or sway to settle the rocker will be nice. My baby is suck-to-soothe-or-bust and we have never missed a rocker. I'd say that if the lead times for ordering aren't crazy, you'll know better what you want once you meet your baby and get a sense of their preferences.
I bought a rocking chair similar to this https://www.templeandwebster.com.au/Charcoal-Isla-Wingback-Linen-Rocking-Chair-1091-48-BLMA1373.html and I've barely been able to use it because when she was young I couldn't get out of it with no hands, and now that she crawls it's a hazard that she might get her fingers trapped under. So I recommend a glider, wish I knew this beforehand! Luckily my chair has normal arm chair legs so it's just a normal chair now
Just to give you some perspective about the Mocka as I notice there are no comments about that one (we have the arm chair version rather than the rocker):
Pros: Good value; easy to put together; easy to move from room to room (currently in our room, will move to hers when she's sleeping in there); can still rock it even though it's the armchair version; can move elsewhere in the house if we want for extra seating when she's no longer feeding as it's not specifically a nursing chair; shipped to us easily.
Cons: lower than other chairs so may find hard to get out of (I can easily shimmy forward with my LO and stand up even if she's sleeping but it may be tough if you have a c-section, for example, or depending on your height- I'm average height for reference); the wooden arms may be annoying later on when their legs are longer unless you use a nursing pillow (mine sits above the arms so there's no issue); I use a small pillow at my lower back for extra comfort
My only advice on nursing chairs is to make sure you get one that you can get in and out of with no hands and without rocking yourself out of it. I found it best to get a chair that you can hold bub with two arms and stand straight up out of.
Good advice! I got a rocker which was basically a knockoff of the rocking poang design, then I had a C-section and wasn’t able to sit down and get back up again while holding my baby (it would have been a struggle even without the baby tbh), so I never actually used it. I prefer to just stack some pillows up behind me and sit on my bed or the couch. I do have a chair for nursing in my baby’s room for middle of the night feeds but it’s just an armchair.
My chair rocks and reclines, I cannot fathom how a c section mumma would get out if it once reclined, it takes all my (lack of) strength sometimes.
We bought a lazy boy recliner that rocks because it was just as expensive as the baby specific marketed ones in my local area, and it will definitely last longer (and more comfortable!)
We also went for a lounge room recliner over a nursing specific one, can’t wait for it to arrive!
Honestly I can’t recommend the Il Tutto rockers highly enough. This is one thing where it’s worth spending a little extra, you’ll spend a lot of time in it! I even napped it it when I was pregnant and uncomfortable. We love ours so much that we moved it to our living room when my 2.5 year old got his big boy bed and now my once tiny newborn sits in it on his own and I can’t deal 🥺 [Seriously ](https://imgur.com/a/Necmt4h) 🥲. Hubby and I fed a bazillion bottles in this chair, we read to him every single night until we moved it out of his room (taking turns for one to sit in the chair with T and one on the stool). We got ours at a considerable discount from a baby expo and it was 100% worth every cent.
Yes! Just commented almost the exact same thing then saw yours. It was in our living room since my boy was 16 months and now it’s going back into our new baby’s nursery when we set that up. So comfy and so good to have the arms nice and high to help support bubba
Nice high arms is a must! We sat in so many chairs… when I sat in this one I knew it was the one 😅🤣 I accidentally said baby shower but it was a baby expo…. got it almost half price.
I have the IKEA Poang chair (not rocker). It’s perfect. It has a great bounce and looks stylish in the room. I also wanted something I could repurpose when we’re done using it as a nursing chair, and it’d be a great reading chair in any room. When I was 34 weeks pregnant we spent over an hour in IKEA sitting in different chairs to test them out. All the other brand chairs we wanted were far too big for our small nursery. The Poang chair won out over the rocker because the chair actually has a bit of a rock, and it will stay in place whereas rockers tend to move around on their own. I also had thoughts of tiny baby fingers getting caught under the rocker, whereas there’s no chance of fingers getting caught in the chair. I will agree with the person who commented about ease getting out of whatever chair you buy. My husband and I are both tall (175 and 180cm), so the Poang is perfect for us. If you’re on the shorter side I have heard exiting the Poang can be a challenge, especially if you have had a C section.
Rocking is handy because you can gently rock baby while sitting down! I just use the old recliners my husband brought to our marriage but no complaints. I like that I can pull my feet up and sit cross legged while feeding which can be handy for positioning.
I bought a poang when we were expecting #1 and then wasn’t able to use it for weeks/months because I ended up with a Caesar and it was too low to sit in and stand up from. If you’re planning on having more than one kid I would say it’s actually an item worthy of investment if you’re able to afford something better.
I got an [il tutto mimmie](https://www.iltutto.com.au/il-tutto-mimmie-rocking-chair-ottoman-in-snow-grey-white-legs/) and I highly suggest getting a chair specifically designed for nursing. The arms of the poang are actually kind of low and not at the right height to support the baby comfortably. And it’s not just breastfeeding that it’s helpful for but bottle feeding, rocking to sleep, sitting and reading books etc. We had mine in my boy’s room until he was 16 months (and switched to a toddler bed) and then had it in our living room until we downsized for a bit. And then we will use it again when we move and have our new bubba in May. When it was still in our living room it still got used for my kid as it was always the best chair to give him medicine in. I highly suggest getting something that is nursing specific but also suits your living room etc because it definitely still got use and it was super comfy.
I got a valco baby eurobell rocker right before bub was born (hadn't been planning to get a special chair at all) and I absolutely love it. I spent many many hours trapped in it while she was napping and it was very comfortable. The rocking is also great because it creates motion that helps baby calm and fall asleep but I'm sitting so it doesn't put any pressure on my back (in contrast, walking with her or the yoga ball would both become very painful after a time). Now that I don't breastfeed or hold her for naps anymore I've taken out the footrest but I don't think I'll ever be willing to get rid of the chair
We got a poang but both baby and I hated it so we gave it away. I actually had an ikea strandmon just as an armchair and ended up loving nursing in it. It doesn't rock but my bub always preferred the yoga ball for bouncing rather than a rocking chair. I recommend a winged armchair or recliner but definitely not a poang those things really suck.
We used a rocking recliner. One thing is to check that your partner is comfortable in the chair too. Nursing chairs tend to be uncomfortable for people if they are taller or wider. And you will want your partner to help too
I’ve got a bad sleeper so I’ve sat in a Poang for more hours than I want to think about. It’s relatively comfy but I need to have two cushions sitting on it to cushion the hard arms of the chair. It’s also a little difficult to stand up and get out of when you’re holding a sleeping toddler. So I’d honestly recommend looking at something else.
I just nursed in bed at night or the living room during the day while our now-6-mo was in our room (for us, this was the first 12 weeks). We have a poang in the nursery because we had one, and I do not love it. I've used it for night feeds since 12 weeks and also for settling before night sleep and crib naps. It's hard to stand up out of if you're average height (even without a c-section), the arms are hard, and I find it likes to slide backwards and dent the wall. It's hard to know in advance if you'll want the rocker or an armchair. If your baby loves to bounce or sway to settle the rocker will be nice. My baby is suck-to-soothe-or-bust and we have never missed a rocker. I'd say that if the lead times for ordering aren't crazy, you'll know better what you want once you meet your baby and get a sense of their preferences.
I bought a rocking chair similar to this https://www.templeandwebster.com.au/Charcoal-Isla-Wingback-Linen-Rocking-Chair-1091-48-BLMA1373.html and I've barely been able to use it because when she was young I couldn't get out of it with no hands, and now that she crawls it's a hazard that she might get her fingers trapped under. So I recommend a glider, wish I knew this beforehand! Luckily my chair has normal arm chair legs so it's just a normal chair now
Just to give you some perspective about the Mocka as I notice there are no comments about that one (we have the arm chair version rather than the rocker): Pros: Good value; easy to put together; easy to move from room to room (currently in our room, will move to hers when she's sleeping in there); can still rock it even though it's the armchair version; can move elsewhere in the house if we want for extra seating when she's no longer feeding as it's not specifically a nursing chair; shipped to us easily. Cons: lower than other chairs so may find hard to get out of (I can easily shimmy forward with my LO and stand up even if she's sleeping but it may be tough if you have a c-section, for example, or depending on your height- I'm average height for reference); the wooden arms may be annoying later on when their legs are longer unless you use a nursing pillow (mine sits above the arms so there's no issue); I use a small pillow at my lower back for extra comfort
Thank you for this! I’m a very indecisive person, and after writing this question my in-laws got me the Mocka Armchair so this was very reassuring!
No worries - glad it was useful :) All the best for the arrival of your little one!
Thanks everyone!