High Chairs? Update post 54

[ktgrok]

For my other kids I had big monstrosity highchairs from fischer price or Graco or whatever. With those plastic like cushions that either didn't come out or weren't machine washable. 

 

I'm a slob, my kids are worse, they got gross. And were big. And yes, you could fold them but never did because you would have been folding and unfolding all the time. I often put them in a higchair while I cooked dinner, folded laundry, etc. A lot. 

 

I bought an Ikea one with the last kid, but didn't get the tray, towards the end of his toddlerhood. I thought that I could put it right by the table, and not need the tray, and that would save space, etc. Except he could then push against the table with his feet and try to topple himself over. Oops. 

 

So, for this kid, I still want minimalistic. I want safe (I have climbers/escape artists). I want EASY TO CLEAN. I mean, safety comes first, but easy to clean is nearly tied with that. Either on wheels or better yet, light enough to move around from room to room as needed. We have the kitchen table area, the dining room table that is in the living area, and then sometimes I put them out in another room if need be..although that's less of an issue. The wheels just get full of dog hair anyway, so light is good, or easy to carry, or whatever. Not giant fisher price one that the wheels broke on and is awkward to carry and then folds while you are doing it, if you know what I mean. 

 

Should I just get the Ikea one again, but with the tray? Or something else?

Edited October 13, 2016 by ktgrok

[JustEm]

My mil had the Ikea one with the tray for when her grandkids visit and it is great aside from the fact for me it is still too big. We use one that attaches to the table and love it. We put down essentially a large plastic place mat on the table then attached it because people told me it got real messy around where the arms are attached to the table. Some people even said it permanently stained the table. With the placemat food never touches the table so can't get stuck under the arms.

[ktgrok]

My mil had the Ikea one with the tray for when her grandkids visit and it is great aside from the fact for me it is still too big. We use one that attaches to the table and love it. We put down essentially a large plastic place mat on the table then attached it because people told me it got real messy around where the arms are attached to the table. Some people even said it permanently stained the table. With the placemat food never touches the table so can't get stuck under the arms.

 

I was wondering about those. How fast/easy is it to move, if you want to move it to another table?

[Hilltopmom]

IKEA with tray. I wish I had just gotten that this past time.

I still have a huge fisher price rainforest one in my kitchen, just take the pads off. Huge. Ugly, but sturdy.

 

I looked at new ones but they were not great & were pricey.

 

You could also go with a strap on one, but those kinda suck too & ruin your chairs.

 

I hate but love high chairs. My youngest has started climbing not just up onto his, but now out of it, so it's going away soon! He won't just sit there & play or snack while I cook.

[Hilltopmom]

Those attach to table ones though, must have a weight limit? Just for infants?

 

I like my toddlers still in a high chair for meals like soup or spaghetti, kwim?

[Spryte]

We had the monstrosity with our first. Never again. After that, we used the kind that attaches to the table (washable cover, too), and later moved to the wooden type that's adjustable, I can't recall the name, but it goes up to like 200 lbs. The kind that's great in K, because their feet touch the bottom while learning to write. We are still using that chair, and it's loved. We had a tray for it, and eventually just pulled it up to the table.

[wapiti]

Never had a high chair for six kids - instead, we used the Fisher Price four-stage feeding seats.  I just looked at Amazon and now there are like 15 different versions though - there used to be only one LOL.  A solid chair that is not prone to tipping would be necessary, of course.

 

ETA, ours could tilt back for younger babies.  They were about 30 bucks at Target - looking at the Target website, I'm still not sure which one they'd be, probably the space-saving high chair though that's funkier-looking and more expensive.  Why does everything have to be over-complicated...

 

ah, it was just like this First Years one, though that is discontinued  :glare:

Edited October 12, 2016 by wapiti

[carriede]

We've had a space saver chair from day 1. You strap it to a regular chair to reach the table, but it also works fine by itself on the floor. It's also easy to put in the shower and spray down when needed

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_1_7?k=space+saver+high+chair&sprefix=space+s

[Rachel]

I used a booster type seat that strapped to a chair. It had a tray but with the tray off a child could be pushed right up to the table to eat with the family. The seat pad was easy to remove and washable. I don't remember the brand First "something". It was about $30 and went through three kids before we sold it.

 

ETA Here's a link to the updated version: https://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Diner-Reclining-Feeding-Seat/dp/B00DQQNSLI/ref=dp_ob_title_baby

Edited October 12, 2016 by Rach

[Spryte]

Those attach to table ones though, must have a weight limit? Just for infants?

 

I like my toddlers still in a high chair for meals like soup or spaghetti, kwim?

Ours went to 37 lbs.

[kbutton]

We have a WONDERFUl Peg Perrego high chair that was given to us, and it just did not work for us. It was more trouble than help.

 

This is what was finally the most helpful: https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Healthy-Deluxe-Booster-Green/dp/B0000DEW8N?th=1  

 

It's portable, you can spray it down as others said. I am not sure I can articulate the myriad reasons it was so much better (it's been too long), but it just was. I would never buy a high chair again. 

[Rachel]

We've had a space saver chair from day 1. You strap it to a regular chair to reach the table, but it also works fine by itself on the floor. It's also easy to put in the shower and spray down when needed

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_1_7?k=space+saver+high+chair&sprefix=space+s

The one we used was very similar to this one.

[JustEm]

I was wondering about those. How fast/easy is it to move, if you want to move it to another table?

Pretty fast. I just have to press 2 buttons to release the clamps. Then you just have to reclamp it.

[Bambam]

We had a Peg Perego high chair. It could fold up and you could also lower the seat (which I never used because we never had a use for it). Fairly easy to clean. Lightweight.

But, I probably shouldn't have picked out the white leather one. What was I thinking? I should have just tie-dyed it and all would have been good.

Edited October 12, 2016 by Bambam

[AnnE-girl]

We've only used the Fisher Price ones that strap to a regular chair. They can be used as a booster at the table when they are older. You can't technically put the whole seat in the dishwasher, but I did yesterday as part of our great hand, foot, and mouth house sanitizing. It came out great, even the straps that baby boy likes to chew on with other food in his mouth. Kids are gross. I do put a towel on our wooden chair under the baby seat because it will damage the wood a bit without it.

[JustEm]

Those attach to table ones though, must have a weight limit? Just for infants?

 

I like my toddlers still in a high chair for meals like soup or spaghetti, kwim?

Ours went to 37 pounds.

[redsquirrel]

We have had very little space with both our kids...and we are slobs, lol.  With both we used a type of baby seat that turned into a booster.  So, when they were quite young, I could just put the entire seat, with a tray on the table.  When they got bigger, the seat strapped to a chair and had a tray. When I needed them in the chair but with me in the kitchen I just picked up the chair, with the baby seat on it, and put it in the kitchen. No more trouble than picking up a high chair.  When the kid got even bigger, I took the tray off and just pushed the chair with booster up to the table. 

 

We used it for about 4-5 years with both kids, so we got a lot of use out of it.  Every now and then we would un-buckle it from the chair, take the chair out back and hose it off, lol. 

 

One of the best things I got for our slobby selves was a cheap plastic mat that went under the chair and collected all the grossness that fell on the floor. I bought one for that purpose, but I have a friend with twins (now in high school) and they used plastic shower liners on the dining room floor.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Another vote for the seat that straps to a chair.  Just make sure it's a sturdy chair with a wide base (for safety).  The one I used for my 11yo isn't available, but it was similar to this one:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CSAWJPO/ref=s9_zgift_hd_bw_bBHqTr_g75_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-11&pf_rd_r=PRFQ8FWF49NEP720V599&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=10894c22-729e-50a3-aec1-32ea19785bbe&pf_rd_i=166793011&th=1

 

 

 I liked the hard plastic, wipeable surfaces on mine, but food did get down in the cracks.  I'd have to take it apart periodically to get the sticky goo out, but I could just wash the parts in hot, soapy water.  When they got bigger, I stopped using the tray, and just slid them up to the table.  Worked great!

 

There are many different models available nowadays.  I can't compare because I've only used the one type.   

[Ailaena]

I wanted a Tripp Trapp https://www.amazon.com/Stokke-Tripp-Trapp-Chair-Natural/dp/B001D1A4IS

 

But I'm cheap and couldn't find a used one cheap enough so I spent $20 on a clip-on

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IOGIM9S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1476297067&sr=8-1&keywords=inglesina+fast+table+chair&pi=SX200_QL40

This one has a hard seat for kid to sit in instead of kind of hanging there in fabric. Plus, I just throw it in the wash once in a while and all clean!

[ktgrok]

 

 

One of the best things I got for our slobby selves was a cheap plastic mat that went under the chair and collected all the grossness that fell on the floor. I bought one for that purpose, but I have a friend with twins (now in high school) and they used plastic shower liners on the dining room floor.

 

Thankfully I have dogs for that purpose, lol. 

[Chelli]

Another vote for the one that straps to the chair.

 

After having a humongous high chair with my oldest which I hated using because it was so big and difficult to clean with all the pads, I moved on to the strap on high chair/booster seat ones and love them. So easy to use, clean, and portable (because you just move the chair), I put a hand towel under the seat to protect the chair.

[AnnE-girl]

Thankfully I have dogs for that purpose, lol.

Baby Boy has started throwing food on the floor for the dog when he's finished eating. The dog has learned to camp out under his chair during meals.

[Spryte]

I wanted a Tripp Trapp https://www.amazon.com/Stokke-Tripp-Trapp-Chair-Natural/dp/B001D1A4IS

 

But I'm cheap and couldn't find a used one cheap enough so I spent $20 on a clip-on

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IOGIM9S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1476297067&sr=8-1&keywords=inglesina+fast+table+chair&pi=SX200_QL40

This one has a hard seat for kid to sit in instead of kind of hanging there in fabric. Plus, I just throw it in the wash once in a while and all clean!

That's it! That's the one we have. Now that the attachments that make it a high chair are off, it's just a chair here. DD (5) uses it for her schoolwork (the bottom footrest is adjustable, too so her feet are always flat on a surface), various kids use it throughout the day, and I find that it's my favorite perch when visiting with friends in our breakfast nook - easy to jump up and get more coffee, help visiting kids, etc. I love that chair! I wish we'd gotten one with our first kid, but we didn't know about them.

[LifeLovePassion]

We loved our Fisher Price space saver. It was great with our pub height table to have baby at the same level as us.

[Lanny]

DD just turned 16 so the details are missing from my memory...  When my wife was pregnant, I bought the Consumer Reports book about buying things for babies.  From that, I decided on a Highchair model, I think it was made by Graco, but am not positive who the manufacturer was. It was incredibly stable. Almost impossible for it to tip over.  We went up to Orlando during May 2000 and we bought one of those highchairs (and other things) at Baby's R Us or Toys R Us or somewhere.  It served DD well and then my wife gave it to someone in her family.     I would make child safety my #1 and only priority, w hen selecting things for your new baby.  GL 

[MeaganS]

I have used clip-on ones. They work. I don't like that they are fabric. In fact, I hate that. My mom had one of the first ones back in the day and it was vinyl and wiped clean easily. The one I have you have to take the fabric cover off and wash in the washing machine, which wouldn't be a big deal except it is a pain to get the fabric cover off. Why they are all fabric instead of plastic-coated is beyond me. 

 

I do love that they take up very little space. I hate clutter in my kitchen, so that helps, And baby is more part of the family when she's at the table with us. I also transition away from high chairs as soon as possible (and booster seats for that matter). We inherited the kitchen table dh had as a kid when his parents upgraded. They had built a long bench for one side of the table that was taller than a standard chair just for kids so there was no need for booster seats. It is awesome.

 

I had both this one and this one. Either was fine although the former was better, imo.

[mamiof5]

Never had the huge bulky ones. Used for all of them the Fisher Price one that attaches to any chair. Easy to clean, has a tray, and is not bulky :-P

[ktgrok]

Definitely considering now the one that attaches to a chair. heck, my parents may have one! They had two at one point, since my sister and I had our last two a few weeks apart. She's had her tubes tied so no worry about that now. 

 

My only concern is I don't know that my chairs are sturdy enough, but I'd think so. Regular wooden Ikea chair. hmm. 

 

 

[monstermama]

Another vote for the Stokke Tripp Trapp.  It's expensive, but they can continue to use it for years (and yeah, I do occasionally use it, too!)  Super easy to clean!  I wouldn't say it's lightweight, but I move it between the kitchen and dining room all the time.

[mamiof5]

Definitely considering now the one that attaches to a chair. heck, my parents may have one! They had two at one point, since my sister and I had our last two a few weeks apart. She's had her tubes tied so no worry about that now.

 

My only concern is I don't know that my chairs are sturdy enough, but I'd think so. Regular wooden Ikea chair. hmm.

Our chairs are not very fancy either, just wood chairs.

 

My only advice (and this REALLY depends on the kid), put it far enough from the table so they can't kick and push themselves back. My 2 yr old LOVES doing that. I just make sure he's far from the table. He sits next toe, is still part of family meal, but don't give him the chance to fall and crack his head on the tile.

 

Also, if removing it for anything (travel, cleaning etc), make sure it's strapped to chair properly before using it. Once yrs ago my brother in law sat his dd on it, but he didn't strap it before. She fell down, chair and all. Nothing happened, it was more a scare...

 

Anyway, not trying to scare you. I have truly loved ours (used same type for 4 kids). I think all highchairs regardless of design have certain safety issues, so I wanted to share our very rare, occasional downs with this type of chair :)

[MotherGoose]

My dad gave me a restaurant wooden. High chair he found and refurbished. Worked great, except dear baby is determined to gnaw on the wooden table like a beaver! Ended up with a 25 year old Grace from my parents attic that doesn't fold, but it also has minimal upholstery and a small footprint.

Graco

Edited October 12, 2016 by MotherGoose

[AnnE-girl]

Definitely considering now the one that attaches to a chair. heck, my parents may have one! They had two at one point, since my sister and I had our last two a few weeks apart. She's had her tubes tied so no worry about that now.

 

My only concern is I don't know that my chairs are sturdy enough, but I'd think so. Regular wooden Ikea chair. hmm.

If it's a really light ikea chair, it might be easy to tip it. We have DH's old really cheap ikea set from his pre-marriage apartment, and then two-year-old ds did tip dd by pulling on the side of the chair while I stepped away from the table for a minute. She was fine, but we switched the seat to a heavier chair with a slightly wider base.

[redsquirrel]

I just remembered, that we were given a cute one that sort of clipped onto the table, but we couldn't use it. It only worked with particular types of tables. Mine has a beam of wood running underneath that kept it from latching on at all. So, before you commit to a clip on one, look under your table to see if it is even an option. 

[Elizabeth 2]

I've used both the strap to chair kind and the Ikea ones. I liked both, but usually used the IKEA ones (had 2 until DS were 3 and 5) and the strap one for on the go. I loved that they could be pushed up to the table, set down the hall for timeout, and set in the bath room for haircuts.  I used the strap one at the laundromat, grandparents, weekly worship, and even the doctor's office.  

 

And one thought about tipping at the table.  DS1 did it.  DS2 never did.  So it may not be an issue with the latest LO. 

 

DS1 did eventually learn.  

Edited October 12, 2016 by Elizabeth 2

[Storygirl]

I also vote for the booster that attaches to a chair. We used a regular high chair as well, but I preferred the booster. But be sure to either use a chair that you don't mind ruining or take the booster off the chair regularly (as in every day) to make sure that no food has adhered to the chair. Our chairs definitely looked abused by the time we were done with the boosters after a few years.

[wathe]

1) Ikea one with tray.  We had these at each set of grandparents.  Sturdy, easy to clean, and the legs pop out easily for compact storage.  The price on these is unbeatable.

 

2) Stoke Tripp-Trapp for home.  Spendy +++++, but fantastic.  We were fortunate enough to be gifted with one for each kid.   At 7 and 8 years old they still use them for eating and for school work.  I anticipate they will be used right up until the kids are adult sized.  They are engineered to glide (instead of tip) if kiddo pushes self away from the table.  Easy to clean and beautiful too.

 

 

Edited October 13, 2016 by wathe

[jewellsmommy]

I got this one because I keep my nephew twice a week. I really like it.

 

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FFJ27ZC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

I have it in blue though.

 

ETA: this is the current model:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B008VUN0EY?th=1

Edited October 13, 2016 by jewellsmommy

[ktgrok]

ugh. So....there is the fact that I have sensory issues, and project them onto others. So I'm looking and thinking how uncomfortable it is to have legs dangling. So I look at the ones like the Tripp Trapp with the adjustable foot rest. Then I see they have to be 6 months at least for those. I use it before then not for feeding but for hanging out with the family. Then I look at others that are very minimalist, but worry my crazy kids will tip it over. Then I look at the ones you strap to a chair and think about having to strap/unstrap, etc, or if my chairs are sturdy enough, etc etc. 

 

Blergh. 

 

 

[Donna]

I used a booster seat attached to a chair for all my kids. I recommend them to all the families I work with. 

[TechWife]

I always wanted a restaurant high chair that pulls under the table.

[monstermama]

ugh. So....there is the fact that I have sensory issues, and project them onto others. So I'm looking and thinking how uncomfortable it is to have legs dangling. So I look at the ones like the Tripp Trapp with the adjustable foot rest. Then I see they have to be 6 months at least for those. I use it before then not for feeding but for hanging out with the family. Then I look at others that are very minimalist, but worry my crazy kids will tip it over. Then I look at the ones you strap to a chair and think about having to strap/unstrap, etc, or if my chairs are sturdy enough, etc etc. 

 

Blergh. 

 

I wonder why it says 6 months.  I used mine with both kids as soon as they could sit up.  Before that, I used a rock n' play.

[Janeway]

I have the space saver one and it is awful. I am throwing away when done, not even donating.

[Janeway]

The space saving one is very sturdy and safe. But it is a cleaning nightmare.

[kitten18]

My kids are 13 and 11 (in a couple weeks) and still sit in their Tripp Trapp chairs everyday. I actually prefer sitting in their chairs too. 😜

[mamakelly]

I had one of those clip on the table seats. They were great for little babies but terrible as the babies get bigger and make a mess with food. Then my dining room table was covered in food, so gross. With my last baby I had that seat that lips to a chair, I bought the one with the biggest tray, I hate little trays. I had this one

 

http://m.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=83864896

Edited October 13, 2016 by mamakelly

[school17777]

I had the kind that clips to the table or counter. I loved it because it didn't take up any extra room in the room at all and it was easy to take with us when we went places. I had a specific placemat that I used when she got older that was easy to wash off in the sink so the table or counter didn't get covered with food.

 

This is the one I bought because the front arms that go under the table aren't long so it fits most tables and counters. http://www.target.com/p/inglesina-fast-table-hook-on-high-chair-black/-/A-15764682?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=&adgroup=&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=t&location=1025426&gclid=CMnc_NP61s8CFZdbhgodNToJdg&gclsrc=aw.ds

[heartlikealion]

I don't know anything about IKEA products. But I will say, I've learned the hard way, I do NOT like it when trays include a piece for the crotch under the tray. It is better imo when the seat itself has a plastic piece to prevent the child from slipping out. The model we got has this bulky crotch piece (ok I don't know what to call it lol) as well as left and right chunky plastic pieces that together form an m for the child to stick their legs through. When you push the tray to the snuggest position you feel like the tray is in a good place maybe, but are you shoving the darn tray into their diaper, ugh.

 

We got a light weight high chair that folds (https://www.amazon.com/Graco-3W00WSK-Slim-Snacker-Whisk/dp/B00PTL13LA/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1476338039&sr=8-2&keywords=Graco+space+saver), but dd is a climber so I get stuck folding it up after each meal and moving it aside or feeding her at the coffee table with her little stool (she's almost 2 now). Also, when it is folded it becomes top heavy and can tip if you don't deliberately leave the legs apart a little or store it say against a wall and piece of furniture. Oh and not all the straps want to come out so I have a permanently stained lap belt. The upper straps do come out (it makes a 5 pt harness). I thought a 5pt harness sounded cool for safety but in reality she just would drool, chew, fiddle or spill food on the upper straps.

 

So basically, I've decided I'm unhappy with ours for a number of reasons, but if it didn't fold it might be a bigger nightmare as the non folding ones tend to have legs that stick out and trip you lol. Good luck, I know it's a pain to pick out something.

[LucyStoner]

Another vote for the Stokke Tripp Trapp. It's expensive, but they can continue to use it for years (and yeah, I do occasionally use it, too!) Super easy to clean! I wouldn't say it's lightweight, but I move it between the kitchen and dining room all the time.

This is what we did for our younger son. Worked great. He used it until very recently and he's about to turn eight. Loved that it matched our table and was unobtrusive, tucked into the table like a regular dining chair. Also, if I decide to bother with selling it, used ones sell on Craigslist for about 1/2 of what we paid. You could look for a used one or just buy new and know you can resell it later.

[ktgrok]

Hmm...may look on craigslist now, and see if I can find anything between now and say, next year this time. i have lots of time till I need the highchair. How much space does the Tripp Trapp take up? How heavy is it to move from room to room?

[Jaybee]

I just googled "restaurant style high chair" and got some nice looking results for very reasonable prices. Of course, the baby has to be able to sit up, and there is no tray. For our twins, we used the plastic type that fits on a chair. They were perfect--a tray to start with, then boosters at the table for later. The seat was adjustable for higher or lower. They were also easy to transport when traveling. 

 

ETA:  Hey, look at this: https://www.overstock.com/Baby/Badger-Basket-Embassy-Wooden-High-Chair-in-Natural/4612937/product.html?refccid=E4OGRRHVI5BIFMCC26ZULNTCYE&searchidx=17  Kind of a crossover type and not near as expensive.

Edited October 13, 2016 by Jaybee