Nursery dressers are the perfect pieces of furniture to keep your baby’s clothes stored and organized. What’s more, they can keep holding your little one’s clothes well into their childhood, so it’s worth choosing a quality piece that can last for years to come.
Our home and family advisor, Richard Bartlett chose our best nursery dressers based on his personal experience and extensive research. Ultimately, the Storkcraft Crescent 6 Drawer Chest emerged as the best overall based on its durability, storage capacity, and affordability.
If you’re still in the process of choosing your baby gear, you might want to also check out the top strollers for all-terrain use.
Our Expert’s Top 5 Nursery Dressers
Here are the top picks from our home and family expert. Compare the ratings and key features of the different models.
| Editor’s Picks | Brand | Rating | Meets ASTM Standards | Changing Table | Number of Drawers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Overall | Storkcraft Crescent 6 Drawer Chest | 6 | |||
| Best Budget | Dream On Me Liberty Collection 3 Drawer Changing Table | 3 | |||
| Easiest to Assemble | Delta Children Emerson 6 Drawer Dresser | 6 | |||
| Best with Changing Table | Storkcraft Avalon 6 Drawer Double Dresser | 6 | |||
| Best for Small Spaces | Delta Children Universal 3 Drawer Dresser | 3 |
*Ratings are on a scale of 1 to 5 and based on reviews, feedback, and opinions of actual customers
In This Article
Who Should Buy a Nursery Dresser
- Expectant parents or parents of new babies – If you’ve just had a baby or are expecting one, a dresser is an important piece of furniture to kit out a nursery with.
- Anyone who needs more storage for babies’ or children’s clothes – Even if you already have some storage for your baby or child’s clothes, you might be in the position where you need more. Despite their small size, babies’ clothes, and other essentials like burp cloths and receiving blankets, can take up a lot of space.
- People who want matching nursery furniture – Many big brands in the world of nursery furniture sell matching dressers, cribs, and other pieces.
Who Should Not Buy a Nursery Dresser
- Those who already have ample built-in storage – If there’s already enough storage built into your baby’s room, you might not need a dresser at all.
- People without much floor space – Dressers are low and wide and therefore take up more floor space than taller, narrower chests of drawers.
Research Tips (from a Home & Family Expert)
When it comes to picking out the best nursery dressers and other pieces of nursery furniture, one of the key areas is simply doing your research. Consider what you need from a dresser and be sure to pick one that works for you and your baby. If you have friends or family members who have recently had babies, you can ask their opinions on what’s good and what’s best avoided.
- Number of drawers – Check the number of drawers a dresser has and think about how much storage you require. That said, the number of the drawers isn’t the only factor, the size of them also matters. For instance, a dresser with three large drawers could have a bigger capacity than one with six smaller drawers.
- Dimensions – Take a look at the overall dimensions and measure your space to make sure it will fit. Some dressers can dwarf a small room but too-small dressers won’t fit everything you need them to.
- Durability – A solid dresser could last from the newborn stage well through childhood, so it pays to look for a dresser that’s durable and well made.
- Finish – You can usually choose from a number of finishes, with both natural wood and painted options. You might want to match the dresser to your baby’s crib or to other nursery furniture.
- Changing table – Some dressers have tops with raised sides and are designed to be used as changing tables, resulting in one less piece of furniture you have to buy for your nursery.
How Much Do They Cost?
Between $150 and $500
Nursery dressers cost roughly between $150 and $500. On the lower end of the spectrum, you’ll find smaller dressers and those made from engineered wood, while the most expensive are usually made from solid wood.
Our Methodology: Why Trust Safe Smart Family
I started out by finding more than 20 of the most popular dressers. Armed with this list, I created a comparison chart examining a range of factors, including value for money, storage capacity, material quality, durability, and ease of assembly. This let me clearly see how the top dressers compare and rank them fairly. This kind of unbiased and data-driven research is why you can trust our recommendations. – Richard Bartlett
The Best Nursery Dresser: Full Reviews
The Storkcraft Crescent 6 Drawer Chest has the perfect blend of style, durability, and affordability, which is why it’s at the top of our list. Sure, it might not be made from solid wood, but it looks great with a sleek white finish and is sturdy enough for everyday use. It has six spacious drawers, giving you plenty of room to store everything your baby needs.
It’s built to ASTM safety standards, so you can be sure that it’s a safe piece of furniture for your little one’s room. It’s a popular choice for a reason, so if you aren’t worried about having the most high-end dresser, it’s an excellent piece.
- PU coated for easy cleaning
- Attractive design
- Easy to match with other furniture
- Assembly takes a while
- Drawers can be hard to fully close
If you’re short on space, the Dream On Me Liberty Collection 3 Drawer Changing Table is an excellent choice as it combines a nursery dresser with a changing table. The dresser is sturdy and made from pine, while the rails and removable changing pad transform the top into a changing table. Although it isn’t the cheapest dresser in our top five, it offers exceptional value for money.
You can choose from nine finishes, including French white, steel gray, and natural pine, so there’s something to suit most rooms. It has three drawers that offer a decent amount of storage space.
- Changing table top
- Safety rails and strap
- Meets ASTM standards
- The hardware could be more durable
- Some reports of receiving damaged pieces
If you’re sick of putting together flat pack nursery furniture with inscrutable instructions, the Delta Children Emerson 6 Drawer Dresser will prove to be refreshing. While you do have to assemble it yourself, the instructions are extremely detailed and there are no tools required. Since it’s so quick and easy to assemble, you’ll soon be finished and ready to move on to more important things.
It doesn’t have a changing top but it is compatible with one that can be purchased separately. It comes in gray and white and it meets ASTM safety standards.
- Spacious with six drawers
- Made from sustainable New Zealand pine
- Traditional wooden knobs and pearl beading
- The paint smells slightly at first
- Drawers can occasionally stick
Raised on three sides, the Storkcraft Avalon 6 Drawer Double Dresser makes a great changing table as well as a nursery dresser. It’s worth nothing, however, that there’s no rail on the front side and no safety straps, so it isn’t a changing table where you can leave your baby unattended once they can roll over independently.
It has six drawers, so there’s plenty of storage for your baby’s clothing. You can choose from three finishes: black, white and espresso. The traditional design is perfect for people who don’t want anything too contemporary.
- Tested to ASTM safety standards
- Solid construction
- Excellent storage capacity
- Assembly instructions are unclear in places
- Heavy and potentially difficult to move alone
The Delta Children Universal 3 Drawer Dresser is a great choice for small nurseries or anyone who doesn’t have huge storage requirements. With three large drawers, it can still hold plenty of clothes and other baby essentials, like sheets and blankets. The frame is solid wood, so it feels sturdy, while the other parts are made from a wood composite.
It has a classic yet not overly traditional style that would look great in most nurseries. You can choose from three finishes: white, gray, and espresso cherry.
- Feels sturdy
- Simple to assemble
- Easy to color match with other Delta Children products
- Smells for a few days until it airs out
- Drawers could be smoother to open
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a dresser for the nursery?
Can you just put a changing pad on top of a dresser?
What’s the difference between a baby dresser and a regular dresser?
What should you look for in nursery furniture?
Article Sources
Safe Smart Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
- Pampers. When do babies start rolling over? Pampers.co.uk. Updated July 2, 2020. Accessed July 27, 2022.
- Simply Nursery. 6 Tips for choosing a dresser for your baby’s nursery. Simplynursery.com. Published May 9, 2022. Accessed July 27, 2022.
- Young K. Baby product safety standards: who regulates what? Pregnantchicken.com. Accessed July 27, 2022.
- Federal Register. Safety standard for baby changing products. Federalregister.gov. Published June 26, 2018. Accessed July 27, 2022.
Home and family advisor for Safe Smart Family with more than a decade writing about home and family lifestyle topics and expertise in home product reviews
