Few things turn a design-conscious parent-to-be's stomach more than the idea of having to get some fugly rocking chair. Still, you've heard it before, but let me say it again from this side of parenthood: you want a rocking chair. You'll want one so bad, it almost won't matter if it looks like you bought it off a trailer porch in some Appalachian holler.

One classic modern solution--the Eames shell rocker, formally known as the Eames RAR Rocker--has a historical connection to new babies. The original manufacturer, Herman Miller, used to give one to employees on the birth of their child.

Here's a quick look at the options for buying one:

To collectors, an original fiberglass armchair, with its original wireframe/wood rocker base is the most desirable--and most expensive option. They can run from $700 on Ebay to $1200-1500 in a vintage furniture store, depending on the condition, color, year, and the presence of original stamps and labels or repairs. If you're a design purist, this is probably your best bet, even if it's not the most practical option.

A more user-friendly and slightly cheaper route is to buy a vintage shell with a new, reproduction rocker base. The trick here is getting a well-made base, as close to original specs as possible. There are definitely some cheap-ass, thin-gauge wire bases out there, and you don't want them.

The third option is the modern manufactured rocker. A few years ago, the LA-based Modernica bought the original Eames shell molds from Herman Miller. But since they didn't buy the rights to the name, their Arm Shell Rockers are technically "Eames-style." That detail aside, the Modernica rockers come in a broader array of colors and are a pretty reasonable $349 or so. They're also available at Modern Seed.

From daddytypes.com