The weekend after we finished our big bathroom makeover, we escaped out of town for a little getaway. It wasn’t that we were tired of admiring the new space (we kept sneaking in to ogle our handiwork), but after all that effort we needed a break—especially our main tile guy, John, who deserved a mini-vacation. We drove five hours to the family beach house in quiet, off-season Rehoboth, Delaware. We know it sounds odd to go to the beach in winter, but we love the sleepy atmosphere, the board games, the home-cooked meals, and the uninterrupted time to catch up on Law & Order and movies we’d been meaning to watch. We also hit the outlets (yes, $9 shoes) and scored some adorable, inexpensive baby clothes.
John turned our trip into a “nursery chair search,” reasoning that a beach town with its thrift stores, salvage shops, and home decor spots would be the perfect place to find a cozy chair for the modest nursery. At first we had no luck finding something plush and inviting. We did, however, find a pillow that looked exactly like our dog Burger, which was amusing but not what we came for.
After visiting several stores—many with inflated beachfront prices or stiff, uncomfortable chairs—we wandered into the All Saints’ Parish Thrift Shop. That’s where we hit the jackpot.
Before I get to the find, here’s what we were looking for. We considered gliders since many parents swear by them, but several people we trust (John’s sisters and a close friend) have simple chairs in their nurseries and love them. Gliders either didn’t fit our aesthetic or carried an $800 price tag. We decided we wanted a comfy chair plus an ottoman—something supportive with arms so I wouldn’t be straining during feedings. I also knew I would do much of the nursing on the sofa with a Boppy since our den (where the TV and my desk are) is right off the kitchen, so the nursery chair would likely be used once or twice a day rather than as my primary nursing spot. That made the idea of spending a fortune on a glider or oversized chair feel unnecessary.
We called our friends and family who had non-gliding nursery chairs and got the same advice: choose comfort, add an ottoman, and avoid armless slipper chairs so you have support while holding the baby. With that reassurance, we kept looking.
In the thrift shop we found a cozy, enveloping egg chair. Its bucket-like shape hugged you, conforming to your body in a way other chairs didn’t—after trying maybe thirty chairs that day, this one made both of us swoon. It’s compact enough for our small nursery and perfect for late-night feedings and quiet moments. We pictured fresh paint, a soft lumbar pillow, and an ottoman to make it even better. And the price? Twenty dollars. Sold.
Since the chair looked vintage, our first concern was lead paint. The shopkeeper thought it might be an original from the 60s or 70s, so we bought a Lead Check kit from Home Depot and followed the directions. We snapped the stick, shook it, and rubbed it on a few chipped areas to test beneath any sealed surface.
The test involves rubbing the reagent against paint for about 30 seconds. A pink tint indicates lead—either trace or higher levels depending on intensity—while a yellow result means no lead detected. We tested several spots including a leg that looked unpainted. The results stayed yellow: no pink at all. Relief. No lead.
We still plan to refresh the chair with no-VOC paint (and paint the black legs), but we haven’t been able to bring ourselves to paint it yet—sitting in it now is bliss, and waiting for paint to dry would be torture. When the house is quiet, you can often find one of us curled up in that chair with our feet up, sometimes in the dark. It’s that comfortable, and photos don’t quite capture it.
To make sure the chair would work for breastfeeding, John’s sister—an experienced mom—came over to nurse her three-month-old in it. She closed the door, took it for a test, and later declared it very cozy with perfect arm support. Her approval means a lot to us.
We never imagined we’d end up with a vintage thrift-store egg chair in the nursery instead of an overstuffed armchair or a glider, but we couldn’t be happier with our $20 find. It’s comfortable, supportive, compact, and perfectly suited to our needs.
I will admit I was a little jealous while taking photos—John got to enjoy the chair while I worked—but that’s a small sacrifice for the delightful addition to our nursery.
We’ll post updated pictures once we paint it and add a plush lumbar pillow. Until then you can find me sitting in the nursery with the lights off and my feet up. Life is good while you’re pregnant.
Enough about our vintage, lead-free, twenty-dollar chair—what about you? Do you have a favorite spot to sit in your house? Any thrift-store treasures you’re proud of? Do you vacation in Rehoboth? Did anyone else eye that chihuahua pillow we put back? Share your finds and favorites.
Psst— Want to follow our nursery progress from the beginning? Check out our painting post, shopping spree, crib hunt, and curtain-making tutorial in our earlier updates.