Looking for a Highchair

I can tell you what kind NOT to get. My mom bought me a new wooden one and I was so excited, at first. It was a great chair, except that the tray was an over the head kind. You could not completely remove the tray so when it was time to get the baby out, you either had to clear the tray first then lift up or just lift the baby straight out. There are so many great chairs, good luck!

we love our ikea highchair! Cheap, sturdy, easy to move and not one of those baby vegas things with too many bells and whistles! Check it out on their website - the white plastic one. Tray sold separately.
L.

I have 4 children all different ages. The one things is you do not always have to spend a ton of money to get a great highchair. I made the mistake of buying one that was really expensive and had many problems then for the 3rd child got a less expensive one and loved it. Good Luck!!

Hi L.: We went through much deliberation trying to figure out which highchair to get. We ended up with the wood Eddie Bauer primarily because I didn't think I would need all the bells and whistles on the bulky plastic ones. And while I like it alright, I would not recommend it. My parents bought an inexpensive plastic one at a garage sale that we use at their house and it is great. So, what makes it better than the EB? (1) Ability to adjust the chair height. That way as the child gets taller/bigger you can drop it and push him/her up to the table rather than having to also buy a booster seat (and use a dining chair). (2)A one-piece, very simply designed removable tray (unlike the EB which is very hard to clean as a result). Make sure that once the tray is out, it can be pushed up to a dining table (e.g., arms go under table. (3) Washable/Wipeable seat cushion. (4) Not a lot of nooks and crannies in the chair design - you'll be trying to dig stuff out...really a pain. Here are a couple of things I didn't want/need/like: (1) A back adjustment feature; upright was always just fine for meals. (2) Toys on the highchair - I was not trying to teach my daughter to play while eating. Hope that helps as you narrow your choices. Definitely look at Craigslist for options if you don't want to pay retail.

We splurged and got the Babee Tenda feeding table. It is expensive but we love it. Our daughter could never get out of it and once she stopped needing it as a high chair, we converted it to a little table (comes with a chair). Now we are about to use it again for a new son.

www.babeetenda.com

I agree with Kelly R - we also splurged on a Babee Tenda Feeding Table(and the crib, too) . My daughter has tried and tried to escape it during meals, to no avail. It doesn't tip over, either. Super safe, sturdy, and diverse - we plan on passing it on to the next generation. I can't remember how much it costs, but it was worth every cent we paid!
You can't order it online, but you can call your local rep at 1-800-622-4189

Our chair has hooks on the back legs to hang the tray from when not in use. It's been super helpful! It had a tray insert that is dishwasher safe, but it doesn't fit in our dishwasher! We just don't use it and wipe off the big tray. It is by BabyTrend and we bought it for my oldest about 4 yrs ago. I always thought plastic cushions would've been good, but ours we throw into the wash when it's bad, so I don't know which is better... Good luck!

Look at a bunch of them on the internet and decide which features are important to you.

If you get toy attachments, it provides a place for baby to safely play while you cook dinner, but do you really want to clean snack goo out of all those little holes and cracks?

Do you need height adjustments? Will you ever get rid of the tray and push the chair up to the table? Do you ever feed in the living room while sitting on the couch?

Do you need the highchair to have wheels?

Be sure to get one with a wide stable base that will not tip over when baby climbs up on it.

I recommend you get a tray with a dishwasher safe liner so you are not constantly hand washing the big bulky tray.

Decide what type of seat material would work best for you. Cloth is more comfortable for baby, but harder to wash. Plastic wipes clean easily, but will still stain with colored frosting and tomato sauces.

Do you need a highchair to fold up easily, or to store flat? Or will it always be set up?

Do you have an overly active baby that will need shoulder straps?

Will you keep baby in the highchair until age 2-3? Or will you want to switch to a booster seat around 18 months or so?

Would you prefer a stand alone highchair? or would you prefer a chair top one that sits in your existing chairs?

Be sure to pay attention to weight limits if you have a bigger baby.

I think that the Stokke Highchair is the best. The child can sit at the table, it is not bulky, and it will grow with your child. The only downside is that you must wait until your baby is around 9 months or so. We have two Stokke chairs and got the one for our youngest when she was around 8 months old. Be sure to get the "Trib Trab". Good luck!

When you dicede which one is for you, come to the Pass It On sale this weekend and see if it's there! This is a children's consignment sale this weekend only at the Hillsboro Armory. We already have lots of highchairs and will be getting more today. The sale opens Friday at 9 am. Go to the website for more info and directions. www.passitonsales.com This is an awesome sale!!!

I HATE our highchair. We have one that has a vinyl, cushioned liner that you can take out and wash. The bad part is that the liner doesn't go up very far on the sides (that's where the tray slides back and forth) so all of my son's food falls down there. I'm digging out slimy junk all the time. I plan to find some velcro, to secure it to the highchair a little better, but I'm not sure that would hold up in the washing machine very well. Long story short, think about where the food will be dropping. I wish we got a non-cushioned chair, it may not be as cozy, but it will be more sanitary.

It really depends on how much space you have or want the chair to take up. Some friends of mine went for the portable type that strap to a regular chair, but now their dinning room chair is trashed and the whole thing took up just as much space as a highchair, plus no extra chair if you did have company. I love our Fisher Price Healthy Care high chair. It has rollers, folds slightly, reclines, has adjustable height, and washable vinyl padded seat. The tray comes with an inner tray that can go into the dishwasher. This is great if you don't get the inner tray washed, you still have a tray to use. It is currently in use by our second child, and I still love it. Oh, and it was rated as "Best" in our baby bargains book (5th edition). Hope this helps.

Depending on whether you like washing clothes etc... I would not recommend getting one the cloth covered highchairs. My kids wiped their hands on the cloth cover constantly. They dropped so much food in the seat and then would smash it into the cloth seat. It was a mess and a hassle to remove and wash, plus there was a sticky back to the seat cover that also got ruined from the in and out.
I would recommend a wooden or plastic highchair that can just be wiped down.