Rock, roll, slip, slide, tilt, twist… that could almost be the title of one of Tana Hoban’s children’s books, couldn’t it? It sounds like a lot of fun any­way, unless those are fur­ni­ture design specs and you have to add a sev­enth and slightly more bor­ing “sit” to the equation.

What makes a great kid’s rocker? I’m no expert, but I love the nat­ural beauty of wood and I’m always on the look­out for well-designed toys and fur­ni­ture that blend seam­lessly with the mod­ern home. Min­i­mal, smart, and pleas­ing to the eye, here are a few of my favorite vin­tage and con­tem­po­rary rock­ers. Enjoy the ride!

Vin­tage 1950s Children’s Bounce Seat by Hukit
avail­able for $650 from mondo cane

A vin­tage clas­sic and num­ber one on my bouncy chair list. Alex A. R. Pederson’s “U” shaped seat was designced in the 50’s for Dan­ish fur­ni­ture com­pany Hukit. I love the touch of red, and would be quite happy to leave this old gem in my liv­ing room for eigh­teen years or more.

Mod­ern Card­board Rocker
avail­able for $108 from lab­o­ra­to­r­yart

LaboratoryArt’s chunky, tear-shaped eco-rocker is made entirely from recy­cled card­board. The mod­ern rocker not only looks great, but can also be eas­ily moved around thanks to the light­weight card­board construction.

Don’t be fooled by appearances–the rocker sup­ports up to 250 pounds and has a smooth pol­ished sur­face, so there’s no dan­ger for your lit­tle one’s fin­gers. Stun­ning in white (though slightly more expen­sive), this Pol­ish rocker ticks all my eco-toy boxes.

Dos-à-Dos Children’s Rock­ing Chair
avail­able from mby­martin

A beau­ti­ful seat for two! Eston­ian designer Mar­tin Saar took his inspi­ra­tion from 18^th Cen­tury tête-à-tête chairs to make a children’s rocker with the hope of encour­ag­ing inter­ac­tion and direct com­mu­ni­ca­tion. Made from lay­ered birch ply­wood and sim­ply waxed with beeswax, it is a joy to behold. Love!

Swingo Rocker Swing
avail­able for $220 from avo­cado store (via luna mag)

I’m all for diver­sity, so when some­one men­tions a rocker that dou­bles up as a slide, I’m all ears.  Designed in Ger­many by Timkid (which also pro­duces a very nice Hippo and Twin rocker as well), Swingo is made from sturdy, solid beech and looks per­fect for hours of indoor play to me.

Col­lapsi­ble Rock­ing Horse
avail­able from michael svane knap

It’s very sim­ple, but I love the aes­thetic of this rock­ing horse by Dan­ish designer Michael Svane Knap. Not only is it min­i­mal, the rocker is also col­lapsi­ble and actu­ally looks quite nice hang­ing on a wall. I’m not sure if it ever went into pro­duc­tion, or if its fold­ing sys­tem is entirely child­proof (ouch–watch those tiny fin­gers!), but a great idea for small spaces nonetheless!

Pic­tured at top of post: Big Tilt, a see­saw with enough room for for (avail­able for $800 from Ply­Play Designs).

Meet The Contributor

Deb­o­rah Beau is a cura­tor of all things vin­tage and hand­made, shar­ing her finds daily on her blog Kick­can & Conkers.

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