Baby Furniture Buying Guide

Welcoming your new baby into your home is a joyful time, one made easier with the right baby furniture in your nursery. With all the baby furniture available, you may need a little help deciding which items your baby needs. Overstock.com is your baby outlet, and we're here to help. This baby furniture buying guide will help you understand the options you have when it comes to nursery furniture so you can decide which items will make life with your baby the best it can be.

Essential Baby Furniture:

1. Cribs: The most useful piece of baby furniture you can buy is a baby crib. Babies spend up to 16 hours every day sleeping, so having a comfortable, safe place for your baby to sleep is a necessity. There are many different styles of cribs, however. In addition to standard baby cribs, there are convertible cribs that grow with your baby, converting into a toddler, twin, full-size or day bed. When you're furnishing your nursery, look for cribs and baby furniture that best fit your needs. A ban placed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission prohibits drop-side cribs from being sold due to a high number of deaths caused by this model. For your baby's safety, stick with cribs that have fixed sides and strong crib slats.

2. Crib mattresses: Crib mattresses are specially designed for use in baby furniture. They are smaller and usually thinner than standard mattresses. Crib mattresses are also very firm; the firmer your baby mattress is the better. A firm crib mattress helps prevent suffocation in the case that your baby gets turned over onto his stomach, keeping his face from sinking into the mattress. It's also important to make sure your crib mattress fits snugly in the crib with no gaps between the mattress and the crib frame. A crib mattress can also be used on a toddler bed when your little one has outgrown his baby furniture since toddler beds typically take the same size mattress.

3. Bassinets and cradles: For the first month or two of infancy, a crib may be too big for your baby and you'll want to keep him close by during the night as well. Bassinets and cradles are smaller versions of cribs and are small enough to keep in your bedroom or wherever you want to keep an eye on your sleeping infant. Bassinets are generally a little larger and stationary, while cradles usually have a rocking motion. Some models combine both a bassinet and cradle into one because a rocking motion can help sooth a crying baby.

4. Dressers and storage: You'll want to make sure you have baby furniture in your nursery that provides you with a place to store clothes, toys and everything else you need for your baby. Dressers, closet storage, hampers and toy boxes are all baby furniture pieces that can help you keep the nursery organized. When everything you need is within reach, you can spend less time looking for what you need and more time interacting with your baby.

5. Changing tables: After the crib, a changing table is the most used piece of baby furniture in your nursery. The changing table gives you an easy, convenient place to change your baby's diaper and even change outfits. Many changing tables come with shelves or drawers to hold diapers, wipes and changes of clothes and a pad to make it more comfortable for baby. The most important features of these baby furniture pieces increase safety. A changing table should have either raised sides on the top to keep your baby from rolling off the sides or straps to buckle your baby in during changings.

6. Gliders and ottomans: A glider is one of the only pieces of baby furniture that is designed as much for the parent as it is for the baby. A glider and ottoman set give you somewhere comfortable to sit while feeding and comforting your baby, whether in the middle of the night or the middle of the day. The smooth, gliding motion of these baby furniture pieces helps to sooth and calm your baby and can lower your stress levels, too.