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Finally: Ikea Poäng Rocking Chair

2009-06-poangrock.jpg

On the one hand, it was inevitable. On the other hand, what took you so long, Ikea? They've finally added a rocking base option to the ubiquitous Poäng chair. Will this be the holy grail for parents on a quest for an inexpensive nursery rocker or be a disappointment like the Lillberg rocker?

 
 

2009-06-poangrock2.jpg

Curiously, the rocking version of the Poäng is not listed yet online but has been available in some stores for a few months. We tracked down a photo on Flickr by Gene who snapped it in his Atlanta Ikea (where only birch was in stock).

Gene knows his stuff and tells us that the rocking base is listed as an option in the official Poäng options booklet where he also noticed an option for a webbed seat which is not shown in the print catalog or the Ikea website. Gene notes that "this option brings the design even nearer to the original Aalto design it emulates." (Intriguing! Has anyone ever seen a webbed Poäng?)

The Poäng rocking chair will run you about a hundred dollars for the base with varying costs for the seat depending on which textile you chose. Has anyone else seen this in their local Ikea? Better yet, has anyone bought it and can leave a review in the comments? We'd be especially interested to know if its rocking arc is any better than the Lillberg.

Thanks for the helping hand, Gene!

(Via GrassrootsModern)

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Comments (24)

Yep, I saw it the other day at the Burbank Ikea. I was in a hurry (and with 4 month old in tow) so I didn't get a chance to sit in it. But my first thought was how low to the ground it was- being tall, I'm not sure it would be that easy to get into and out of while holding a baby. But if you're shorter this might be just what you've been looking for!

posted by designerjen on June 22nd 2009 at 4:56pm
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A few months ago on a trip to Ikea I saw the rocker. I was so excited because it would be perfect for my son's nursery...then I sat in it. I loved the way it looked but felt it would be really uncomfortable to nurse in. The back is really reclined as seen in the photos. It might work for some but not me. The other negative is that it only comes in the birch color. I ended up getting the original Poang and have been pretty happy with that.

posted by piperlemons on June 22nd 2009 at 5:01pm
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I saw this at my local store (Edmonton) on Friday night and was able to compare it side-by-side with the Lillberg. It rocks fairly smoothly (I only sat in it for a few moments), much better than the Lillberg, which I find has very flat rockers and therefore doesn't move very well.

Overall I thought it was nice but would probably be too uncomfortable for nursing (pure speculation!). The seat is also quite low like most of their newer chairs and it does leave the sitter looking at the ceiling/sky, so I imagine a parent having to struggle up out of the rocker rather than stand up from something higher and more upright.

posted by Mlle Kate on June 22nd 2009 at 5:16pm
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I responded on an earlier post regarding rockers:

"I got the Poang rocker. Unfortunately I miscarried before I had a chance to really test it out. What I can say about it is this....it rocks well on solid surface floors (ie hardwood or tile) but not as well on carpeting...since I am short and the chair is quite deep, I was just able to reach the floor so I would have probably eventually gotten the ottoman to go along with it. Being really deep it is quite comfy (especially with the lambswool-like cushion) but I suspect it may be a bit difficult to get out of if you were holding a sleeping baby unless you are tall. That being said, I still love it."

posted by undomestic on June 22nd 2009 at 5:55pm
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I really wanted a Poäng but just wasn't convinced...I may have to change my mind now that there is a rocker style. I'd have to try it out in person though, based on other comments.

posted by thehighernest on June 22nd 2009 at 6:56pm
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The best part of the regular Poang is that it rocks gently without any crush points for little fingers or toes which all other rocking chairs have. I think the rocking base makes it a little dangerous for any curious small children/siblings standing near it.

posted by LindaJS on June 22nd 2009 at 8:40pm
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We got the rocker at our closest IKEA (Cincinatti area, Ohio) in April. I remember at the time thinking I struck gold since it was a very new item and I still feel that way. We love our Poang rocker. Yes, the seat is deep, but with a Medela nursing stool, nursing time is very comfortable. We "upgraded" and got the leather cushions for easy cleaning. Also, the rocking is even and does not squeek (on hardwod floors). Highly recommended.

posted by VanessaF on June 22nd 2009 at 8:57pm
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It's hard to nurse in. The arm rests are really rather low, and I found myself stuffing pillows all around me just to keep DS level. It's comfy, just the arms are a tad too low for nursing.

posted by BuddhaBellysMum on June 22nd 2009 at 10:02pm
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I find I can't nurse very well in any chair without some kind of nursing pillow to support my arms and my baby (I like the one by My Brest Friend--worst name ever but 1000 times better than the boppy). The low arms on the poang are good for this because the pillow just rests on top of them, so this is a really good solution for me.

posted by adriennep on June 23rd 2009 at 1:07am
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The problem with the Poang, rocker or not, is that the chair is angled (quite significantly) BACKwards, which fights against what you are trying to do when nursing. That is why you have to use a lot of pillows, etc. to get the baby in position.

It's good for rocking and relaxing, but not for nursing.

posted by mschatelaine on June 23rd 2009 at 2:13am
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the babe isn't born yet, so i can't say as far as nursing goes, but after testing out the rocker and the original, we went with the original Poäng. there was something awkward about the way the rocker leaned back that made it less comfortable than the slight bounce of its predecessor.

posted by valerian on June 23rd 2009 at 9:37am
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Exactly, mschatelaine. Not only is it too reclined for nursing, but it's hard to get out of it with a sleeping baby in your arms. And the chair is quite narrow, so there isn't much room to nurse a no-longer-newborn comfortably without bopping him on the head (I stopped using a nursing pillow after a few weeks).
Finally, now that he's a toddler and wants to sit side by side to read books, it's a really tight squeeze.
We already had the Poang so we made do. But if there's a next time I will spend the money on a wider, more upright chair with upholstered arms.

posted by e_lisa on June 23rd 2009 at 9:48am
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The wood arms would make it uncomfortable for nursing- they need to be padded.

posted by Toker on June 23rd 2009 at 10:50am
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was just going to write exactly what Toker said-- ouch!! (looks nice though!)

posted by Barbara S on June 23rd 2009 at 2:48pm
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wow, i think i like this. i'd like it even more if the rolling rocking base could be bought separately to replace the stationary base that i already have.

one thing that drives me absolutely nuts is the little wood nubs that stick out on the front of the rocker part. i realize they're there so it stops from tilting too far forward (i think...)—it just looks out of place since the back end is so beautifully rounded. it breaks up the seamlessness of the design.

posted by joshhh on June 23rd 2009 at 9:12pm
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The Lillberg sucks- I wouldn't even call it a rocker. I love this one, though. I haven't had the baby yet so we'll see how nursing goes- should be fine with the boppy pillow. Also, I'm 5'10" AND 8 months pregnant, and find this rocker easy to get in and out of. Now the regular Poang, that's too low for me. It was also an excellent price, of course. I didn't want to spend 600 on an upholstered rocking chair that is going to get stains all over it. The cushions for this one also zip off to wash! I got the juicy orange fabric- gorgeous! And undomestic, I'm sorry about your miscarriage. : (

posted by Sophia Papaya on June 23rd 2009 at 9:43pm
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You can get it in Montreal (although it is not listed on the website). I was sold by its price and design. Far nicer than any glider on the market. Not nursing yet, but find it very comfortable (3 weeks to go) and easy to get out of.

posted by hah0 on June 24th 2009 at 1:13pm
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I've seen a webbed poang. I live in San Diego, and in the international houses in Balboa Park, "Finland" has a couple of webbed poang's. My husband lived in Finland for a while, and said they are very common there (though I don't know if they still sell them - they might be older).

posted by fresh.air on June 25th 2009 at 12:46am
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PS Now that I went to Aalto link, I'm not sure if the Balboa Park webbed chairs were Poangs or actual Alvo Aalto chairs. Same with my husband's comment on Finland. Though I have to assume that since he said they were pretty common, they might have been Poangs and not actual Aaltos. On the OTHER hand, I noticed that almost everyone we visited there had the Alvo Aalto vase, so maybe they all have the chairs too...!

posted by fresh.air on June 25th 2009 at 12:49am
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Sorry, Alvar, not Alvo

posted by fresh.air on June 25th 2009 at 12:56am
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i tried both the lillberg and the poang rocker out today in Calgary's ikea. as others have mentioned, the lillberg doesn't rock very well and i also don't like how it doesn't have a head rest. the poang rocker was very comfortable and rocked very nicely. my husband pointed out that it looks uncomfortable to rock in, but even in our glider that had padded armrests, i used pillows to nurse most comfortably. i felt that the poang rocker would be just fine, and would look super cute if you sewed up or purchased a cute pillow that accents your nursery.

posted by chelseyr on July 1st 2009 at 8:22pm
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*husband pointed out that it looks uncomfortable to NURSE in* sorry about that!

posted by chelseyr on July 1st 2009 at 8:22pm
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Glad you wrote about this was thinking of getting one in order to have a rocker in our living room. Have a lazyboy in the bedroom. Not the most aesthetically pleasing choice, but it's comfy and can rock and swing from side to side.

posted by kpbittner on July 19th 2009 at 2:45am
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How are these for reading? I want to put a rocker or two in the bedroom, but the space is pretty tight. I'm looking for something affordable that could easily be scooted forward or back to accommodate foot traffic, and of course something really comfortable for reading and relaxing with wine or cocoa.

posted by gingerbookgoddess on September 23rd 2009 at 9:45pm
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