Babyletto Kiwi electric glider review
A power recliner that swivels, glides and charges your phone, and the reasons to buy a plain one.
The verdict
The Kiwi is the most useful nursery chair you can buy for the first six months, because a power recline you can operate one-handed while holding a sleeping baby is a genuinely different experience from a manual one. Buy it if you will feed at night in a chair rather than in bed. Skip it if the nursery has no outlet where the chair needs to go, or if you want a chair that will still be repairable in fifteen years, which a motorised one will not be.
Babyletto Kiwi Electric Recliner Glider
~$899
A nursery glider that swivels 270 degrees, glides, reclines electronically at the push of a button and has built-in USB charging.
Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Movement | Swivels 270 degrees and glides |
|---|---|
| Recline | Electronic, at the push of a button |
| Power | Built-in USB A and C charging |
| Air quality | GREENGUARD Gold certified, tested for more than 10,000 chemical emissions and VOCs |
| Fabric | Eco-performance fabric using at least 50 recycled plastic bottles and at least 30 percent recycled content |
| Foam | CertiPUR-US certified, meets CA TB117-2013 flammability requirements |
| Frame | FSC certified wood |
Specifications above come from Babyletto's published product specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- A one-handed power recline is the feature. Reclining a manual chair while holding a feeding baby means either waking the baby or not reclining, and anyone who has done a 3am feed understands why that matters.
- The 270 degree swivel is not a luxury in a small nursery. It is how you reach a side table, a changing surface and a cot without standing up.
- GREENGUARD Gold certification is a genuine third-party emissions standard rather than a marketing badge, which matters for a large upholstered object in a room where a baby sleeps.
- Built-in USB charging removes a cable running across a nursery floor, which is a small safety win as soon as a baby is mobile.
Where it falls short
- It is a motorised chair, and motorised furniture has a failure mode that a wooden rocker does not. When the mechanism goes, you are dealing with a manufacturer rather than an upholsterer, and the useful life of the chair is tied to a part being available.
- It needs mains power positioned where the chair goes. If the only outlet is across the room, you are choosing between a cable across the floor and a different chair.
- At about $899 it is one of the most expensive single items in a typical nursery, for a piece of furniture that is genuinely essential for perhaps six months and merely pleasant afterwards.
- Gliders are large. In a small nursery the chair and the cot together can leave no floor space, and this is a full-size recliner rather than a compact one.
- A glider is not a sleep surface. Falling asleep in a chair holding a baby is a recognised risk, and if you find yourself dozing during night feeds the safer choice is to put the baby down on a firm flat surface and go to bed. Ask your health visitor or paediatrician about safer night feeding arrangements.
What owners report
Published owner reviews are consistently positive about comfort and about the power recline specifically, which is the feature buyers say justified the price after the first month. Fabric quality and the swivel both draw praise, and the chair is frequently described as one people kept in a living room after the nursery years.
The recurring criticisms are size, assembly, and delivery damage on a large upholstered item. A smaller but consistent theme is buyers who did not plan for the power cable and had to rearrange the room.
Who it suits
- Parents who will do night feeds in a chair rather than in bed.
- Anyone who wants a chair that stays in the house after the nursery, since it reads as a living room recliner.
- Families who care about third-party emissions certification for nursery furniture.
Who should skip it
- Anyone whose nursery has no outlet in the right place.
- Small nurseries where a full-size recliner and a cot will not both fit.
- Buyers who want furniture that outlives its electronics, where a manual glider is the honest answer.
Alternatives worth considering
DaVinci Olive 360 Degree Swivel Glider Chair with Storage Ottoman
~$349
A swivel glider with an ottoman for well under half the price and no electronics to fail. You give up the one-handed recline, which is the single thing the Kiwi is bought for, and you gain a chair that a furniture repairer can fix.
Check price on AmazonBabyletto Kiwi Gliding Ottoman with Light
~$299
The matching ottoman, included here because the Kiwi chair reclines rather than having a footrest, and some owners want both. Only worth it if the recline alone does not get your legs where you want them.
Check price on AmazonBabyletto Kiwi Electric Recliner Glider, alternative colourway
~$899
Listed colourways vary in price by a surprising amount on the same chair, so check several before ordering. This is the same product and the only difference is fabric colour.
Check price on AmazonCommon questions
Do you really need a glider in a nursery?
No, and plenty of families feed in bed or on the sofa and never buy one. A glider earns its place if you plan to feed and settle in the nursery at night, because a comfortable seated position you can hold for forty minutes is what you are buying. If you already have a comfortable armchair, try it for a few weeks before spending.
Is an electric recline worth the extra?
It is the whole reason to choose this chair. Reclining a manual glider requires both hands or a lever you cannot reach while holding a baby. A button you press with one finger, at night, without moving the baby, is a materially different experience. If you will only ever use the chair upright, buy a manual glider and save $550.
Is it safe to fall asleep in a glider with the baby?
No. Falling asleep in a chair or on a sofa while holding an infant is a recognised risk and is specifically advised against in safe sleep guidance. If you are likely to doze, feed in a position from which the baby can be moved to a firm flat sleep surface, and speak to your health visitor or paediatrician about safer night feeding arrangements.
What is GREENGUARD Gold certification?
A third-party standard for chemical emissions from indoor products, testing against thousands of VOCs. It is a real certification rather than a self-declared claim, which is worth something on a large upholstered item in a small room where a baby sleeps. It is not a comfort or durability rating.
How much space does it need?
More than people plan for, because a recliner needs clearance behind it as well as in front. Measure the full reclined depth rather than the seated footprint, and check the cot can still be reached with the chair open.
Keep reading
- Best nursery furniture
- Newborn sleep guide
- Sound machine vs silence
- Cradlewise smart bassinet review
- Evolur Aurora convertible crib review
- First year costs calculator
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures, published safety standards and the general consensus of verified owner reports. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. Nothing here is medical or safety advice: car seat installation belongs with a certified child passenger safety technician, infant sleep follows your paediatrician and current safe sleep guidance, and no product prevents SIDS. Confirm current specifications, fit and safety information for your own child and vehicle before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.