Recliner nursing chair help

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prettyicke

New member
Hey,

My wife and I are expecting our first kid in March.

We’re trying to find a recliner that fits us both (or at least fits her well and me good enough…) and there are hardly any places to go in person and try them.

Does anyone have any good recommendations for a couple with a height disparity?

I’m 5’11” and my wife is 5’3”. We live in seattle so we’ve got access to plenty of places and believe me we have googled and asked friends to minimal success for in person furniture and recliners outside those brands mentioned above. Most friends say they just bought online.

We’ve been to crate and barrel (pottery barn etc) and they are practically the only places to have a couple recliners to try IRL. Everything else is online.

We tried our best to get measurements of a seat depth that worked well for her and then find a back that was slightly taller so I could at least lean back comfortable.

Long story short we bought one online that we read tons of reviews on, mentioning its fit well for a tall and short person according to a couple people’s reviews, and the measurements seemed to meet what we needed.

It arrives and it’s literally too big for me! I couldn’t get my feet easily on the ground at a true 5’11”.

So idk, turning to the internet for advice lol

Also, everything is getting quite real and this just feels like an unnecessary new problem to solve - returning a giant chair and finding a new one that fits. You know what I mean? We’re in the third trimester and the last thing I wanna do is be moving backwards on our “to do” list.

Anyway, thanks for any advice on recliners (and allowing me a mini vent session)!

Edit: we went to La-z-boy and found one that worked. It was more expensive but seems higher end, looks nice (not the old school bachelor style), very adjustable, and fits my wife pretty well but she decided she likes it because she can easily
Get out and stand up with no hands. So we’ll get her a small foot stall.

. If anyone considers La z boy, just know they say “made to order” aka pick your cloth/leather and colors can take 6-17 weeks!!! Leather takes much longer cloth is 6-7 I think the website said. Fortunately they had the one w wanted in stock

Thanks for the tips everyone!
 
@prettyicke Brother, I can’t help because our son is almost 2 and we still don’t have the right chair, four chairs in. We want to try the one from Pottery Barn but there’s not one nearby and it’s $400 to ship it. I’m not okay. Send help (in the form of a chair).

What I can say is that you shouldn’t feel bad worrying about this. You both are going to spend a lot of time in that chair, so it needs to be comfortable. Have you considered two chairs?
 
@lightsway That does make me feel better haha I’m sorry you’ve also been on this miserable chair journey.

We’ve got space for a chair in the nursery and a “non rocking” comfortable chair somewhere else. I don’t think we’ve got space or budget for 2 proper recliners unfortunately.

We’re gonna just lean toward getting one that fits my wife best and I’ll make due since it feels more important to us that’s she’s comfortable while ready feeding than when I’m rocking baby to sleep or feeding with a bottle

Fortunately we got target to do a full refund and return with UPS picking it up at our house. Just need to get it back into a massive box but better than also driving it and lifting it.
 
@prettyicke I was in the same situation. We got into buybuy baby 2 weeks before it closed and could test some out. We got one that we are pretty happy with. It’s called the Evolur Habana. I’m 6’1 and the head rest is tall enough, it rocks, swivels, and reclines. Arm rests are at appropriate height and curve down slightly at the back so when you recline they stay at the same height relative to your body which is nice. My one complaint is there’s something in it that sort of pops if you rock it “too far” which in my opinion is nowhere near where that would be acceptable, the one nice thing about that is even though it’s annoying for me it creates a rhythmic noise and feeling in the chair that seems to sooth my daughter. I didn’t think the massage feature would be of any use but holy shit was I wrong, it is so nice to have and it also seems to put my daughter to sleep when she can slightly feel and hear it through me.
 
@prettyicke I’m in Seattle, searching for a nursery chair with the exact same height difference. We also did the pottery barn / crate and barrel sit test, and found one we liked (the crate and barrel seesaw). Northgate Costco and northgate target both also have 1 recliner each in stock right now that you can sit in, that are more in the 300-400$ range instead of the 800+ range at uvillage. My only other rec is to ask any friends if you can sit in theirs, or look at chairs listed on fb marketplace where you could sit before you buy. Best of luck!
 
@matthew2414 Hello fellow seattle!

Did you get the seesaw already? How has it been for you?

We were able to get a refund and return so we’re gonna go look at stores again and see if we can find something we missed or re try the same chairs (definition of insanity…? Lol)

Thanks for the tip
 
@prettyicke Mom here, I hate our chair and haven’t found a better option for #2
Mine is a rocking recliner (a fine choice. Definitely want to rock or glide, and we’ve slept in the chair, without baby, plenty of times) the big issue the footrest is the type to pop out with a pull-latch but you need to push it down into place with your legs. 1) This was EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL early postpartum and I actually got trapped and needed husband to let me out of the chair. No fun. 2) it requires a burst of effort and a jerking motion that can easily wake baby so even after I recovered it still sucked.

Ours also has an insufficient headrest which became painful for nursing.

So for the next I’m looking for
  • higher back
  • gentler non-leg-driven action to put the foot rest back down
  • quieter rocking mechanism, since ours is spring based and squeaked almost immediately.
  • Wide enough to fit myself + nursing pillow for better support
  • considering a glider with a footrest instead of a recliner but tbd
 
@prettyicke Two kids and we’ve been very happy with double wide chairs with foot rests. The extra space on the sides is great for pillows and they’re rockers so you get some lean back. They also have high backs. I have a very long torso for my height and they both support my head to a degree, even though that’s not a priority. I don’t want to fall asleep with a child in my lap. Recliners put me to sleep and the thought of having one as a nursing chair scares me. I’m 5’10” and my wife is 5’3”.
 
@prettyicke You’re welcome. A friend gave it to us. We took it because it was free and liked it so much that we bought a second one for our second child’s room. Neither is nursing anymore but they’re wide enough for story time so we have no plans to replace.
 
@prettyicke For your wife, I suggest checking out lazyboy! That works for me as a short dude, though you might find it too small for the size that is comfortable to her.
 
@prettyicke La-Z-Boy has excellent recliners and their stores usually have a bunch you can try out. There’s some small-ish ones you could do for a nursery too. We just got one for the living room, but it’s perfect for when baby comes.

PS- I live in Tacoma, so we went to the store by our mall out here.
 
@prettyicke Man we inherited a properly worn out (or in!) old, SUPER COMFY lazy boy from my FIL. My wife had it recovered (I protested, the patina was part of the comfort :( ) and used that. I literally still fall asleep in it on nights when I have to stay with my now 3yr old before she sleeps. Super comfy. Maybe look for a used one?
 
@prettyicke This may be a controversial opinion and not what you’re looking for, but I would opt for a chair that doesn’t recline or have any sort of headrest. I know that sounds wild but after having our first last year, I can confidently say I had never experienced the exhaustion I did in those first few months. I had no idea my body could withstand it. That said, I am so thankful I didn’t have a comfortable chair to rock her in because I would have 100% fallen asleep, and that’s when sleep accidents occur. Cosleeping is most dangerous when it is unintentional. I know this probably not what you wanted to hear, but I tell everyone i know who is having a baby.
 
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