The weekend after we finished our big bathroom makeover, we drove up to the family beach house in Rehoboth, Delaware for a quiet, low-key getaway. It wasn’t that we were tired of looking at the new bathroom — we kept popping in just to admire it — but after so much hard work we wanted a breather. We spent the days playing board games, cooking, and catching up on movies and Law & Order. We also hit the outlets (hello, $9 shoes) and scored some sweet baby girl clothes at bargain prices.
John also declared it a perfect chance to keep hunting for a nursery chair. The Rehoboth area is full of home decor shops, thrift stores, and salvage spots we like to browse. At first we struck out on anything plush and comfy — either the price tags were inflated or the chairs were stiff — but we did spot a pillow that looked exactly like Burger, our chihuahua.
We left Burger-pillow behind (though we’re sure our daughter will adore her furry big brother, so a pillow in his likeness would still be welcome) and kept searching. After visiting several stores we wandered into the All Saints’ Parish Thrift Shop and finally hit the jackpot.
Before describing the find, a quick note on what we wanted. We briefly considered gliders because many parents swear by them, but several friends and family members use regular chairs in their nurseries and love them. We didn’t want to spend $800 on a glider just for looks, and a comfy chair plus an ottoman felt more practical to us. I expected to do a lot of nursing on the sofa with a Boppy nearby since my workspace and TV are in the den, so the nursery chair would likely be used a few times a day rather than for every feeding. Our friends echoed this sentiment: prioritize comfort, add an ottoman, and avoid armless slipper chairs so you have support while holding the baby. That advice guided our search.
At the thrift shop we found an egg-shaped, bucket-like chair that hugged your body in a way no other chair had. We must have tried thirty chairs that day, and this one immediately felt right. Despite not looking luxurious in photos, it conforms to your shape and is unexpectedly supportive. Once John sat in it he didn’t want to get up — a total win. The scale is great for our smaller nursery, and with a bit of restoration (fresh paint, a soft lumbar pillow, and an ottoman) it will be perfect. Best of all: it cost twenty dollars.
The only concern was that the chair looked vintage, and vintage paint can sometimes contain lead. We planned a soy-based wet stripper if needed, but wanted to be sure, so we bought a Lead Check kit at Home Depot for under six dollars. The test required snapping and shaking a small stick, rubbing it into a paint chip for about 30 seconds, and watching for a color change that would indicate lead.
We tested a few chipped areas and even checked the unpainted legs just in case. The kit shows that a pink tint indicates trace or higher amounts of lead, but our stick and the chair remained the same soft yellow — no reaction at all. No lead detected. That was a huge relief.
We still plan to repaint the chair using no-VOC paint and update the legs, but we’ve held off because the chair is so comfortable we don’t want to be without it during the drying process. When the house is quiet, one of us is often curled up in The Chair with feet propped — even in the dark. Photos don’t capture how wonderfully cozy it is.
To make sure it would handle breastfeeding, we had John’s sister (a mom of three) come over and nurse her three-month-old in the chair. We closed the door for privacy and treated her to lunch afterward. Her verdict: very cozy, with ideal arm support. Her endorsement meant a lot.
We never imagined we’d skip a glider or overstuffed armchair, but our $20 thrift store find feels like the perfect fit for our nursery. We’ll update with photos once we repaint and add a lumbar pillow. Until then, you can find me in the nursery with the lights off and my feet up — life is good when you’re pregnant.
Do you have a favorite spot in your home? Any thrift store treasures you’re proud of? Ever vacationed in Rehoboth? We left the chihuahua pillow behind, but it still makes us smile whenever we think about it.
Psst— If you want to follow our nursery from the beginning, check out our painting post, big shopping spree, crib hunting rundown, and curtain-making tutorial.