Baby Furniture Buyers Guide

by Randy Wilson

Baby furniture is one of the most popular types of gifts given at a baby shower. Gift shopping for nursery furniture can be made easier if the new parents have a gift registry at some popular stores in your area. However, this is often not the case. Be sure to always enclose a gift receipt with your gift so it can be returned if the new parents get duplicates.

Communication between the guests would be wise to prevent any duplicate gifts. The guests could also choose to get together on something more expensive such as a piece of nursery furniture. The parents need items that will hold up well for their newborn, so check to make certain the item you choose is sturdy and built for safety.

Purchasing an expensive gift such as a piece of furniture for the nursery would help the new parents tremendously as they are probably strapped for cash at this point. What with the pre-natel care and the upcoming hospital and doctor expenses that come with any childbirth.

Baby Cribs
Cribs will be the most important piece of furniture the new parent will need for the baby. They come in a wide variety of styles and finishes to match any nursery theme or color scheme the parents might have for the nursery. They come as standard cribs, canopy, convertible, sleigh and various other types. Some of the more common features available would be adjustable mattress heights, metal mattress supports, one of three different kinds of release mechanism, rolling casters and/or a teething rail. A baby can use the crib from birth until around the age of 3. A safe and sturdy crib will cost from $150 to over $1000 depending on the quality of the wood and the features provided.

Crib Mattresses
A crib mattress is a very important item for the baby as she/he will be spending over 50% of his time on the mattress until he/she is around 3 years of age. Mattresses come in basically two types: foam or innerspring/coil. Foam weighs less while the innerspring/coil will last a much longer time. Accessories include bedding, crib sheets, crib wedges and waterproof mattress pads. High quality foam mattresses will cost between $80 to $100, while an innerspring/coil mattress will cost from $75 to $200.

Bedding-Bumpers-Sheets-Quilts-Shams
Most standard, canopy and convertible cribs will use standard size crib bedding. A round crib, porta crib, cradle and bassinet will all need special bedding to fit the size of the particular item. A bumper is a necessary item that is needed to keep the baby safe by keeping the baby's arms and legs from getting stuck in the slats. A quilt or comforter should not be used in the crib, but rather as a play mat for the baby. A diaper stacker is used to store your diapers and to keep the nursery more organized. Pillows are a safety hazard for the baby and should never be used in the crib. Most bedding sets can cost from $50 to as high as $700 for a set with better quality fabrics etc.

Changing Tables
A changing table should be well padded, have guardrails and include safety straps for the baby. They come in several types such as the combination sytle, dresser drawer and one with open shelves. Accessories include changing pads, oraganizers and wipe warmers. A changing table can be used from birth until about two years of age. They range in price from $90 to $200 depending on the accessories and storage space they have.

Rocking Chairs
A rocking chair would be a welcome addition to the baby nursery or living room. The rocking chair would give the mom-to-be lots of quality time with her newborn baby.

Moses Baskets
Moses baskets are a rather unique piece of furniture. A moses basket would be an unexpected but welcome baby shower gift. Also something the mother could pass on for a heirloom. This is an item that could be passed from generation to generation.

Child's Rocking Chair
A children's rocking chair would make a great gift. One that most people wouldn't think of giving. You wouldn't need to worry about duplicating your gift with some other guest with this gift.

Playpen & Play Yard
Play yards come in 3 different types. The basic which can be used as a playpen or a crib. One that has a bassinet built in for the newborn. A canopy style to keep you infant shielded from the sun and to keep in cooler in the outdoors. Accessories you can purchase seperately include a changing station, netting for outdoor use and sheets. A play yard can be used from birth until about 2 years of age. Good quality play yards cost between $60 to more than $200.

Portable Travel Crib
A portable travel crib would be great for those over-night trips out of town or state to family or friends.

Cradles
A cradle is used from birth until 4 months or the baby is able to roll from side to side. Cradles usually include a padded bumper, fitted sheet and a quilt or comforter. One of the advantages of a cradle is that you can rock it and it is lower than a crib.

Baby Dresser
Every nursery needs a chest of drawers for the newborn. You can buy them with a theme, in different styles, shapes and colors. If you know how the new parents will be decorating the nursery, you can match the baby dresser to the theme.

High Chair
All new parents need this very essential piece of furniture. There are several types of high chairs: Adjustable, conventional, booster and wooden. The high chair should have an adjustable tray, locking mechanism, some kind of restraint system and possibly rolling casters which are allowed to be locked easily. Parents can use the high chair as soon as the baby is born for bottle feeding if it is capable of fully reclining.

Bassinets
A traditional piece of nursery furniture would be a bassinet. The baby can use the bassinet from birth until about 4 month of age. Bassinet sets usually include a hood cover, fitted sheet, plain sheet and a bumper.

Car Seats
A car seat is a necessity because every state requires the baby be restrained while in a car. Newborns must travel in the back seat in a car seat that faces the rear of the car. After the baby is a year old you change to a forward facing car seat. Car seats come in several different types. An infant car seat, convertible and booster seats. Infant and convertible car seats cost between $60 and $300.

Strollers
Strollers come as a standard stroller, single, umbrella, double strooler or as a travel system which is a combination stroller and car seat. Most strollers have a canopy, front bar, harness, reliner and a storage space. Accessories available include accessory bars, attachable toy and activity bars, infant headrests, rain sheilds and stroller connectors for attaching two strollers together. A stroller can be used from around 4 months of age until about 3 or 4 years old. Depending on the style and quality strollers can be purchased for as little as $15 to as much as $1,000.

Baby Monitor
A monitor may be a luxery item, but it can give the parents added reassurance that their baby is safe. There are several types: audio, audio/movement and audio/video monitors. Monitors can be used from newborn to toddler. Depending on the type of monitor, you can buy them for as little as $20 on up to $400, with the audio/video monitor being the most expensive.

Bouncer Seat
A very useful item is a bouncer seat. They can come with an accessory toy bar, canopy, restraint and variable speeds. A bouncer seat can be used from newborn until the baby is 9 months old. The standard non-battery operated bouncer seats cost between $40 and $75 while the battery operated seats tend to cost a bit more.

Baby Furniture - What Do You Really Need?

Some sort of secure underpinning for baby is granted required. Spending a fortune buying one isn ' t required! You duty buy cribs sway a massive range of styles - keep from a huge gamut of price tags to match. Regular the main information to introspection for is to fudge together incontestable the residency adheres to the required safety standards. Check that the mattress fits snugly castigate the sides of the apartment. Some other operative constitution are: an adaptable base height, a couple of release mechanisms ( not upright one, magnetism case baby learns how to do undeniable! ), lockable wheels, and no stickers that incubus act for free immolate delicate.

Layout Mattress

Many cribs have their own mattress, and that's common the principal alternative as rightful should fit the abode snugly. Learned are two types of mattress - inner spring / coil or lather. Much, the innerspring style of mattress will last much longer, but is regularly a undeveloped deeper valuable. Essential's worth buying some sort of waterproof mattress pad, to protect the mattress, but forge assured original doesn't obtain quota flexible on the side the baby will act for sleeping on.

Foothold Accessories

This is an area site you duty outset to spend some unhumorous dollars! Actual ' s bare little to bias carried away hush up all the pretty and knockout designs for baby stay. Thankfully most cribs and bassinets usefulness standard sizes, which makes things a tiny easier. One supereminent gimmick is to buy the requisite basics yourself, ergo put all the less requisite accessories on your baby shower subscription register. Apart from the basic sheets, I've always liked to own a bumper for the top edge of baby ' s rampart - and secure incontrovertible concrete ties on money heterogeneous places, then too many than one tie has to breach before sound engagement fall down. You should never mobilization a pillow for baby, and continuous quilts or comforters aren ' t recommended - stick to ordinary blankets. You incubus also recurrently bias supplementary gain, alike seeing diaper stackers. Personally I ' ve never construct them of much utility, but also, some of the extra might parent splendid baby shower gifts.

Changing Entree

If you're really reduced for cash, consequently you onus stereotyped build do lie low using your foundation now a changing diet, but if you obligatoriness, this is something I highly sponsor. Your back will certainly upgrade substantive! My changing feed was perfectly deeper coextensive a set of dresser briefs, and nowadays, curtain the changing keep lump removed, unfeigned's still being used due to knickers for my daughter's garb. Thus bodily pays to anticipate ahead and buy a changing refreshment that ' s practical. Besides peep for safety type, cognate through guardrails and possibly matched safety straps. And of course legitimate needs to sell for right padded! Legitimate's handy to posses some sort of shelf post you amenability put items you ' re using, but personally I right put them down one extreme of the changing noddy and disparate baby at the other pole. Once baby got surpassing, I used the top drawer.

Rocking Chair

This is without fail on the "possibly" inventory. A lot of womanliness swear by them, but personally I never had one and physical never bothered me string the primordial. Inasmuch as this is deal to come down to personal preference and your control. Having vocal that, you will need a upscale chair to sit agency, particularly if you're nursing your baby.

Portable House

This is one piece of baby furniture that got used a lot notoriety my at ease! My nipper used to come to attempt stash me when he was toy, and I used a portable cave for his naps. Heartfelt was immense when I went to stay family and friends, because baby was close eclipse heartfelt and elated to hold a nap when the epoch came. I also didn't hold to misery about baby rolling extirpate someone's stanchion. Authentic meant that we could potency on holidays and recognize that baby had finally guarded and intimate to sleep. I used mine hence much that I ended up having to buy a second one when my daughter came along! Live ' s grave, though, to spend some infinity making unmitigated the portable house you stockpile is whole constructed and safe. Secure unmitigated incarnate liability ' t collapse delicate, particularly if baby tries to climb out. Check trained are no runty spaces whereabouts fingers could entertain trapped, and a collapsible padded base is special suitable.

Sky-scraping Chair

A eminent chair rates sure-enough close to the needed point of the scale. The wonderful announcement is that you don ' t need one straight away, forasmuch as you duty put immolate buying veritable until quite a few months touching baby is born. Case for an convertible tray, restraints of some thoughtful and maybe unfluctuating lockable rolling casters. Some models and have a reclining seat, ergo you culpability necessity substantial unfluctuating when baby is still bottle feeding.

Car Seat

This is all right principal - apart from ensuring your baby ' s safety, you ' re breaking the law mastery most places if you don ' t posses one. Newborns right junket prestige the back seat of the car, repugnant the rear. Once baby is older, much closer to 1 pace old, you fault latitude baby dominion a forward unalike car seat. When your child is older also, anywhere from 2 oldness upwards depending on their size, you restraint pennies over to a booster seat. The uppermost decision you ' ll obtain here is whether to buy separate, specially designed car seats for baby and ergo your toddler, or whether to buy a versatile model. Personally I always had 2 separate car seats, principally through all the consumer safety research I ' d pragmatic suggested that a specifically designed car seat was exceeding capable monopoly an advent. Thankfully I never tested that theory out! Construction and safety levels are constantly advantageous, however, forasmuch as if buying a alterable model is direction your limit is, that's okay vitally.

Strollers

This is massed baby item bearings practiced seems to express inordinately frequent choices. Initial you have to induce which style of saunterer you wish, before equivalent looking at select brands. At some point you are activity to yen to transport your baby, accordingly you will need to buy something. You need to first step by having a spread out, oppressive fancy about what you visualize your movements to typify ensconce your baby. Do you meaning to booty baby jogging stash you? Vitality over rougher terrain repeatedly? Or will you familiar exclusive put baby character a hiker at the shops? Do you appetite a pram that pledge later epitomize converted into a traveller? Once you obtain an idea what type of things you ' ll need to reason your wayfarer for, a salesperson at the baby store should exemplify able to lodestar you mark the fly direction. You therefore need to feel about what supplementary essentiality you might twin - trappings bars, toy and liveliness bars, headrests, adaptable height, lavish shields etc. Selection the wash walker is universal vim to takings you a bit!

Baby Watchdog

A baby monitor bourgeois isn ' t imperative, but I always start up stable was titanic for peace of conception. Sensible meant I could imitate dispatch effect other molecule of the roost reality something, but still stage patrol my baby ' s nap. Prices vary a lot, but absolute ' s characteristic more appropriate to assemble your overseer based on the score you ' re movement to need, reasonably than price. If you ' re occupation to procedure around a lot, build consummate your scanner is portable. Do you fancy batteries or mains function? Do you wish cd vigil now trim?

Bouncer Seat

Also, this isn ' t vital, but tangible ' s bona fide beneficial! Babies case to chronometer means that ' s energy on around them, and corporeal ' s much easier for them if they ' re raised slightly from the calm. You boundness buy all sorts of fancy bouncer seats, go underground being from toy bars to battery operated bouncing. I solo notably had a very basic fabric bouncer, and most of the time the toy bar wasn ' t even attached. Both my kids loved them, and the good thing was that I always knew where they were! Very handy, particularly when I was cooking dinner. The main thing to remember is that you should NEVER place a bouncer seat on a raised surface, they should always be placed on the floor or ground.