Nursery Furniture Buying Guide: Every Piece You Need (and What You Can Skip)

A piece-by-piece checklist for the baby room, with honest notes on what you can skip.

Short answer: most nurseries need only three pieces of furniture on day one: a crib with a firm, well-fitting mattress, a dresser you can change diapers on, and somewhere to sit for night feeds. A tall chest, nightstand, bookcase or hutch can come later, and a separate changing table, a toddler bed and a big-kid bed can usually be skipped if you choose a convertible crib and a dresser that takes a changing tray. Buy the crib and the dresser for the long run: at Romina both are 100% solid wood, Made in Europe, Greenguard Gold certified and covered by a 3-year warranty.

What nursery furniture do you actually need?

Registries can make a nursery look like a ten-piece project. In practice, a baby needs a safe place to sleep, you need a safe place to change them and to store tiny clothes, and you both need a comfortable spot for feeding. Everything else is a nice-to-have.

Here's the short version, from must-have to optional:

Prices are the lowest and highest listed on rominafurniture.com in November 2026 and change over time, so check each product page before you set a budget.

The crib: where to spend first

The crib is the piece your baby uses every day and the one most likely to stay in the room the longest, so it deserves the biggest share of the budget.

There are two kinds of Romina crib, and the choice is mostly about how long you want the crib to last:

• 5-in-1 convertible cribs ($1,725–$1,865) in eight collections. Each one grows through five stages: Standard Crib, Toddler Bed, Daybed, Full Size Bed with Footboard and Full Size Bed. The toddler rail and full-bed conversion kit are sold separately; the daybed needs nothing extra.
• Classic cribs ($1,440–$1,725) in four collections: New York, Uptown, Quadro and Cleopatra. They stop at the toddler bed and, depending on the model, the daybed. The Uptown Classic Crib and Quadro Classic Crib are described as 3-in-1. Classic cribs don't convert to a full bed.

Whichever you pick, check the basics on the product page. Every Romina crib has an adjustable mattress support with 3 height settings, so you can lower the mattress as your baby learns to sit and stand, and every one meets U.S. and CPSC requirements. More on how Romina tests for safety is on the Safe Baby Furniture page.

Not sure which number you need? Our guide to 5-in-1 vs 4-in-1 vs 3-in-1 convertible cribs walks through the stages and the cost of each path. If the room is small, start with cribs for small nurseries: the Quadro Convertible Crib is 53½" (1360 mm) wide, the narrowest Romina crib.

The crib mattress: small purchase, big decision

Any mattress used in a Romina crib must be at least 27¼ × 51⅝ inches and no more than 6 inches thick, which is the standard crib mattress size. A snug fit matters: there shouldn't be a gap between the mattress and the crib sides.

Romina sells one: the Kinder Mattress ($385). It's dual-sided for the infant through pre-K stage, uses GOLS Organic Certified coconut coir and GOTS certified organic fabrics, has zero fire retardants and no polyurethane, and was CPSC tested at Intertek Laboratories. If you buy elsewhere, check the size and thickness limits above. Our guide to what size mattress fits a convertible crib also covers the full-size mattress you'll buy later.

The dresser: your changing table, storage and future bedroom piece

A dresser is the second piece to get right, because it does two jobs in the baby years and keeps working long after. With a changing tray secured on top, it becomes the changing station; when diapers are done, the tray comes off and you have an ordinary bedroom dresser.

Single or double?

• Double dressers ($2,365–$2,920) have 6 or 7 large drawers and a wide top, so they hold the most and leave the most room for a changing tray. The Karisma Double Dresser ($2,365) is the lowest-priced Romina double.
• Single dressers ($1,640–$2,000) suit smaller nurseries. The Imperio Single Dresser, for example, has three large drawers and a top that can be used as a changing station.

For the changing station itself, Romina offers two trays: the standard Adjustable Changing Tray ($385, 38¼" × 20½") and the wider ACT60 ($425, 58¼" × 20½"). Both have raised sides and an attachment kit; always secure the tray to the dresser with the hardware supplied, and confirm your dresser's dimensions first. Our guide to using a nursery dresser as a changing table covers the setup step by step.

What to look for in any nursery dresser: solid construction, drawers that close softly and don't pull out, and anti-tip hardware. Romina dressers use English dovetail drawer boxes and soft-closing drawer glides built to last 73 years, and all Romina case goods come with a three-way wall-anchoring system.

A place to sit

You'll spend a lot of hours feeding, rocking and reading in the nursery, so a comfortable chair or glider is worth planning for even though Romina doesn't make one. Leave room for it when you plan the layout, ideally near a nightstand or a low surface for a lamp, a bottle and a burp cloth. The nightstands ($1,030–$1,180) are designed for exactly that spot: next to a rocking glider in the nursery, and next to the bed in the years after.

Nice-to-haves: tall chest, bookcase and hutch

These pieces earn their place in the room once you know how much storage you really need:

• Tall chest. The best storage-per-square-foot choice for small rooms. The Karisma Tall Chest has five large drawers and takes up little floor space. Tall chests run $2,055–$2,605.
• Bookcase. Low shelves for board books now, a full library later. Bookcases run $1,780–$2,155; the Quadro Bookcase adds a drawer for hiding toys and is listed as STURDY Act compliant.
• Hutch. A hutch ($1,505 in five collections) mounts onto the six-drawer dresser, desk or baby station with forged metal brackets and wall anchoring, adding shelf space without using floor space.

All of these are case goods, so anchor them to the wall from day one, and teach older children to open one drawer at a time.

What you can skip (or buy later)

The easiest way to protect the budget:

• A separate changing table. A dresser with a secured changing tray does the same job and stays useful for years.
• A toddler bed. Every Romina crib converts to a toddler bed with a crib-specific toddler rail ($260–$275), sold separately. There's no need to buy a second small bed.
• A big-kid bed, for now. If you choose a 5-in-1 crib, the full-size bed comes later via a conversion kit ($530), which includes the box spring: just add a standard full-size mattress. You don't have to buy it today.
• Bumpers, pillows and heavy bedding in the crib. Safe-sleep guidance is to keep the crib bare: a firm, well-fitting mattress and a fitted sheet.
• Every matching piece at once. You can add a tall chest, bookcase or nightstand later. Romina pieces come in 13 finishes, so later pieces can match the first ones.

Buying a set vs. buying piece by piece

If you already know you want a matching crib and dresser, a set is the simplest route. Romina's Quick-Ship sets pair a 5-in-1 convertible crib with a double dresser, have an estimated fulfillment time of 2–4 weeks, and run from $3,908 for the Karisma Nursery Set to $4,677 for the Uptown Crib to College Set, which adds the full-bed conversion kit.

The trade-off is finish choice. Sets intentionally come in a short list of each collection's most-bought finishes, while individual pieces are offered in all 13 finishes (see the finishes page). If you want a specific color, buy the pieces separately. Our guide to solid wood nursery furniture sets compares every set.

Sample nursery budgets

Three starting points at Romina's November 2026 listed prices (furniture only; shipping is calculated at checkout; confirm the tray fits your dresser):

The third plan costs more up front but already includes the full-size bed kit, so there's no bed to buy when your child outgrows the crib. To see how the cost spreads over the years, read is a luxury crib worth it.

Before you order: room, delivery and timing

1. Measure the room and the doorways. Plan for the crib, the dresser with the tray, the chair and walking space. If you'll convert the crib, plan for a full bed too: a standard full mattress is 54 × 75 inches.
2. Order early. Quick-Ship sets have an estimated fulfillment time of 2–4 weeks; check individual product pages for their timing.
3. Choose your delivery level. Standard delivery is threshold delivery: the carrier brings the furniture to the first dry, accessible point at your entrance. Optional White Glove delivery is a flat $345 and includes placement in the room, unpacking, light installation and packaging removal, subject to availability.
4. Plan for assembly and anchoring. Follow the assembly instructions and use the included wall-anchoring hardware on every dresser, chest, bookcase and nightstand.

FAQ

What furniture do I need for a nursery?

A crib with a well-fitting mattress, a dresser that can hold a changing tray, and a comfortable chair. A nightstand, tall chest, bookcase or hutch can be added later.

Do I need a changing table?

Not necessarily. A dresser with a changing tray secured on top works as a changing station. Romina's trays come with an attachment kit and are available in two widths.

How much does nursery furniture cost?

At Romina, a crib, dresser, changing tray and mattress start at about $3,850 based on November 2026 prices. Quick-Ship sets start at $3,908 for the crib and double dresser.

Should I buy a convertible crib or a classic crib?

Choose a 5-in-1 convertible crib if you want it to become a full-size bed later. Choose a Classic crib if you'll pass it to a younger sibling or plan to buy a separate bed.

Is all Romina nursery furniture solid wood?

Yes. Every collection is 100% solid wood, Made in Europe, with non-toxic water-based and organic oil finishes, and every crib and case good is Greenguard Gold certified.

What warranty comes with Romina nursery furniture?

3 years on cribs and 3 years on case goods. See the warranty page for details. Romina has never had a product recall.

Can I buy matching pieces later?

Yes. Individual pieces come in 13 finishes, so you can add a tall chest, nightstand or bookcase in the same finish later.

Related guides: Furniture That Grows With Your Child · Greenguard Gold Certified Nursery Furniture