When you have a baby you will spend a lot of time in a nursing chair, regardless how you're feeding your baby, so it's important to choose one that will provide support for you in those early days, which is exactly what the the Silver Cross Carmel Nursing Chair promises to do.
With high back support for offering comfort and stability, it also has curved arms that are contoured to support.
Our parent tester and first-time mum put the Silver Cross Carmel Nursing Chair to the test, to see if it was comfortable and durable.
Image by Silver Crosswww.silvercrossbaby.com
Pros
- It's contoured to support
- It's aesthetically nice and fits in any neutral space
- It comes with a pillow and a footstool which offers great additional support
Cons
- It might not be the easiest to clean over time
| Chair dimensions: | 98 x 83 x 73cm |
| Footstool dimensions: | 37 x 39.5 x 30.5cm |
- Curved arms
- Sleigh rocking legs
- High-back
- 1 x footstool
- 1 x pillow
Testing the Silver Cross Carmel Nursing Chair
As a first-time mum, I wasn't sure what to look for in a nursing chair. I knew I wanted something comfortable, but I also wanted it to match my nursery as well and potentially even have it downstairs.
Build
The build itself was really easy, as the instructions had really good diagrams and all the parts were easily identifiable. This chair feels very well manufactured and I really loved the feel of it! I find the chair safe and supportive as well, and I'm not concerned about it tipping too far.
Usability
The nursing chair is a bit on the larger size so it might not be ideal for small spaces, but I liked the fact it was big as it provided more seat space, meaning I could adjust how I was sat when feeding and still be comfortable. I liked the fact the arms were curved as well as it was more comfortable when resting your arm.
One thing I really liked as well was the fact it was easy to get in and out of the chair, and there was no awkward wiggles to get off it. To me this was really important when pregnant as well as in those early stages after birth when I was uncomfortable and holding my newborn.
As first time parents the cleaning side of products and furniture can be rather daunting, and I have been worried about stains. We have cleaned this chair with ease numerous times and it hasn't left any stains or marks, but I do worry about darker stains and how the material will last over time without proper cleaning.
My cat was very intrigued with all the furniture in our nursery and took a great liking to this chair, we were worried this would be difficult to clean and keep it looking new, but it has been very easy to remove fur and excess dirt and dust from the chair.
Performance
The chair is very comfortable, even for extended periods of time. The additional cushion that comes with it is a great touch, as it moulds to your body in a memory foam-like way. I could sit in this for as long as I wanted and not feel uncomfortable.
I found the main cushion is very well padded, which creates extra comfort and again the small cushion can be used as an arm support or neck support too. As a mum who suffered from PGP, the comfort of this chair helped ease the pain and made it easier to get comfortable. I used it a lot before baby even arrived.
One thing I did find was the initial rock to be quite laboured. Our chair sits on a thick bedroom carpet, but I think on wooden floor or a thinner carpet the momentum needed would be less at first but this isn't a major issue. The rock itself is comfortable and smooth, and the range of motion in the rock is also really good, you don’t need a large area within a bedroom to get the full range. I really liked that it had a footstool as well so I could prop my legs up, although you can't really rock on the chair when using this, it's more for reclining and relaxing when feeding or having a contact nap.
Final verdict
Overall the Silver Cross Carmel Nursing Chair did exactly what I would expect and ticked all the right boxes. I am a little cautious how it will last in the long run with the limited cleaning that can be done, or how the material will live up to the cleaning, but for now cleaning hasn't posed an issue!
I think it's good value for money, and I like that it can be bought as part of a furniture set too so it all matches.
More about the Silver Cross Carmel Nursing Chair
How can I clean the Carmel Nursing Chair?
The nursing chair is upholstered in a high-quality, soft-to-touch woven fabric that’s hard-wearing against stains and marks. If you need to clean it, the fabric can be sponge-cleaned in areas that require attention.
Samantha Ball is a Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby, having written for the brand since 2018. She's a mum of two aged seven and three, and is currently expecting her third. She loves searching for the best and current trending products for little ones. She loves to bake, but spends most of her free time between football and ballet classes.