Best furniture option for nursery?

[Strawberry06]

Starting to think about baby's room and I'm stuck whether to get a chest of drawers or wardrobe alongside the cot.

Only one option will fit in the room.

Wardrobe allows me to hang stuff which I'd prefer and allows storage for other large items but most of the clothes are likely to be folded in which case chest of drawers is better.

What's worked better in peoples experience?

Me neither! Like I said my sister had one and barely used it. I think they are seen as essential part of a nursery/they look nice but personally I find the space restricting and baby could even fall off!

I always changed mine on the floor. Had two changing mats, one for upstairs one for down stairs. Was never an issue.

I’ve got both a wardrobe and a chest of drawers (both large) in my sons room and always have done (his clothes have always been kept in there, even when his cot was in with us) and I’ve never used the wardrobe for him, at all, it’s all our stuff. The chest of drawers is large enough that all his clothes can be kept in there and I use the top to change him.. even now he’s nearly two 🤣 My knees and back are not up to changing on the floor! I also had a shelf above the chest of drawers, high enough that if not bump my head mind, that I kept three wicker baskets on one for muslins, one for nappies and wipes and one for socks and hats.

I've never had a section - but agree you don't need a changing table. Much safer to do it on the floor/ on your lap

Wardrobe with shelves/drawers at the bottom. Or drawers in the bottom of the cot? If you have a boy most of their stuff won't need hanging. Girls you may have dresses

The first few weeks both times I couldn't change on the floor. C section recovery meant it was painful and difficult to get up and get baby up safely, and then my VBAC I had such poor core strength along with stitch recovery it was tough. We have a changing mat on top of drawers in our room. Brilliant for in the night as we are limited for floor space and I wouldn't want to lift baby out of cot onto floor to change them.

Drawers here. Two DDs, and the few dresses that are better hung up live in our room – which also reduces the odds of anyone deciding to wear one to the park on a spectacularly muddy day.

Ok, I'm a bit leftfield with my opinions, but I only had a wardrobe with DS1 and used the shoe organiser things from ikea: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/skubb-storage-with-6-compartments-white-00245880/

I find changing tables difficult on my back but loved changing both kids on a mat on the floor. I'm clearly in the minority there!

We had IKEA single wardrobes and put shelves in them with the thought that you can take shelves out and swap for a rail later. Or you could just put a rail in the top and shelves below, as baby and small child clothes don't need long hanging space anyway?

We had something similar to this
https://www.dunelm.com/product/compton-ivory-mini-wardrobe-1000146571?defaultSkuId=30645271&dsc=BedroommWardrobes-SmartShopping%5BGOO-PLA-FURNBEDS-WARDROBES%5D&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9MCnBhCYARIsAB1WQVXmODzXjLswQi7g0zq-Mnt43v2JI7pKE1dq4dngklp3yODUHPmMz54aAgRNEALwwwcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

You can do a search for "gentleman's chests" which is a similar thing.

It's still in daily use by our teen DS - uniform hangs in the cupboard and casual clothes in the drawers.

I’ve had 4 babies. I bought a changing table for the first…complete waste of time. Just changed subsequent babies on the bed/floor/sofa on a mat. So much easier and so much less space. I think I would go for a chest of drawers …up until they are about 3 I think you can keep even hanging things in drawers. There are prob very few things that really need hanging and Thry can go in your wardrobe?

We have a nursery wardrobe that is half for hanging and half with shelves. Best if both worlds. The hanging part has a rail at the top and then a rail half way down since the clothes are small. The shelves are large and deep so I got some storage baskets/drawer organisers so I could maximise the space.

I’d get chest of drawers then hanging rail attached to the wall above the drawers. That’s what we’re doing for our baby girl

Chest of drawers because then you can not only fit all the bigger clothes but muslins, blankets, socks, hats, nappies, wipes etc etc in the drawers too. One wide enough for a good changing mat then you can put the sudocrem, nappy sacks, wipes and nappies on the top too, or on shelves above and change nappies and clothes much more easily standing up. It's all very well doing it on the floor but this can be 10 times a day or more in the first few weeks and it's annoying every time you forget a bag, need a clean muslin or vest etc to keep getting up and down. We have a wardrobe and chest of drawers in my DS's room and have hardly used the wardrobe so far (he's 3.5).

Definitely wpuld choose chest of drawers. We had both and wardrobe rail remained empty (tiny coat hangers a faff and no point thanking baby clothes).
We had a changing station which was never used (and just accumulated muslins and other baby paraphernalia) - mat on the floor way easier as could just whip it out in any room easily.

We spent a fortune on nice nursery furniture. I wouldn’t in retrospect. Buy decent but cheap stuff from places like ikea. Save the money for when they are older and appreciate stuff.

Without question, get the drawers! Completely agree with other posters in that literally everything goes in the there after a bit. I have both (and the drawers are actually a changing table) and I can honestly say the wardrobe is just full of crap now, and I probably only ever used the top to change him three times in total. I also had an emergency c-section and have been a lone parent from day one, and found no issues with changing him on the floor, the bed, the sofa. You’ll find a way that works for you, but the purpose built changing units are money you can definitely do without spending!

Best of luck, you’ve got such wonderful times ahead ❤️