9x9 is 108" in both directions. It has about the same floor area as an 8x10 (81 vs 80 sq ft), but the extra foot of width is what matters: a crib and a dresser facing each other leave a real walkway instead of a squeeze. Measure your own room wall to wall at floor height. Baseboards, radiators and closet trim often take a couple of inches.
Crib and dresser facing each other: 108" − 30" crib − 20" dresser = 58" of floor (we drew 56" after leaving a little space at each wall). You need 36" to open drawers and stand, so you have about 20" to spare. In an 8x10 the same layout leaves only about 46".
This is the layout a 9x9 is best at. The 6-drawer dresser doubles as the changing table and holds most of the baby's clothes, so the closet can take bulky things. Its 36" drawer zone still leaves about 20" of floor next to the crib.
The glider sits in the bottom-left corner. Its footrest pushes out roughly 15–20" toward the crib and stops just short of it. The door here is near the right corner and swings into open floor below the dresser. If your door is on the dresser wall instead, slide the dresser to the far end of that wall or swap it with the glider.
With the dresser right next to the crib, you can change a diaper and put the baby straight back down. It also keeps the right side free. The glider goes near the window with room to recline toward the middle, and the door swings open without hitting anything.
The window here sits a little right of center on the top wall, so the crib stays well away from it. If your window is closer to the crib's corner, flip the plan left to right.
Type in your room's real size, mark the door and window, and drag in the crib and dresser you're considering.
Try it with your room, free →| If your room has… | Try this |
|---|---|
| Door centered on a wall | The swing splits that wall. Put the crib on the opposite wall and the dresser on a side wall beside it, in an L. |
| A closet with swing or bifold doors | Keep the closet door's swing clear (bifold panels stick out about 12–18"). Sliding closet doors need no swing room. A 3-drawer dresser can also go inside a reach-in closet to free floor. |
| Windows on two walls (corner room) | Use the remaining solid wall for the crib. The dresser can sit under a window if the sill is higher than the dresser top and cords are out of reach. |
| A big convertible crib (57" or longer) | Both plans still fit. In Plan B: 57" + 4" + 36" = 97" of a 108" wall. |
| Not much room for a glider | Pick a wall-hugger recliner (it needs only a few inches behind it) or a compact glider around 28" wide, and skip the ottoman. |
| Twins or a toddler too | Two full-size cribs fit on opposite walls (108" − 60" = 48" between) but leave little room for a dresser. See twin nursery layouts. |
A foot narrower but longer? See the 8x10 nursery layout. A bit bigger? See 9x10 crib and dresser layouts, will a crib fit in a 10x10 and the 10x12 nursery layout. Awkward door or window? See how to lay out a nursery around the door and window.
Yes. 81 square feet fits a full-size crib, a dresser and a glider. A crib and a dresser facing each other leave about 56–58" between them, well over the 36" you need to open drawers.
Yes. A 55–62" dresser fits on a 108" wall, and facing the crib it still leaves about 58" of floor. That's the main advantage of a 9x9 over an 8x10.
On a solid wall with no window or door, so there's room for a dresser beside it or across from it. Keep it away from blinds and cords.
Yes. A corner works well. Leave 15–20" in front of it for a recliner's footrest, or choose a wall-hugger recliner that needs only a few inches behind it.