highchair question

[Tea Lady]

Hi,

Just wanting to see if anyone has any pearls of wisdom regarding good and bad things about highchairs. I need to get one soon but don't want to waste my $ on something that isn't up to scratch. If you have any tips I'd be glad to hear them.

Thanks

Lucy

[drewid]

Hi :)

We bought a high-low chair. Its great, adjustable height and adjustable backrest for bub. Its very convenient for feeding him at a level where you can sit down also - feeding bub while standing up and leaning over gives me the biggest backache! So its handy to be able to sit down while feeding him. Also, the tray is completely removable, so while he is still being fed from my hand, we can keep the tray off, but when he starts feeding himself, he can use the tray.

Its also handy to use the tray so bub can sit up and play with toys on there. It was especially handy before he could sit comfortably on his own on the floor, cos the chair supported him.

We love it :)

[draught]

We have a childcare highchair that is fine, and a Peg Perego Prima Pappa that is on loan from a friend as we have two chlildren in high chairs at the moment. The Prima Pappa is better than the childcare - the tray goes on and off really easily, especially when compared to the childcare one which needs lubricating every couple of weeks.

My main tip is to look for one with the centre bar between their legs - it helps keep them in the chair when they are wiggling around - the 5 point harness is great but the bar makes a big difference. I personally don't care too much about the reclining seat etc as I have never needed to use that function. I like a removable tray as it is much easier for cleaning etc. We once hired one that had the tray that lifted up over babies head to put baby in and out and our daughter's arm got jammed in the side when the tray came down - we both cried a lot so I will always stay away from them.

[xkwzit]

Hi
We bought a little chair that straps to an ordinary chair, doesn't take up much space and you pack it to go on holidays. They are also fairly cheap (about $50), so we bought one for us and one for the grandparents. The feature that I love the most is that one of ours has a tray table that splits in half and you can put it in the dishwasher - so when it gets too feral to wipe down in it goes :) ! Both only have a 3 point harness, but I've never missed the shoulder straps.

We borrowed a friend's high chair at first, but it was always at the wrong height (even though its adjustable, we couldn't make it high enough). Never had any complaints about the portable high chairs though.

Cheers

[nemosmum]

We bought an ikea high chair $39 called The Antelope, I like it coz its soooo easy to clean theres no chair pads to get food caught in (I've used those ones before and no matter how much you clean them they still end up smelly). It also has easy to remove steel legs which is great for when you need to go visiting family and friends (just pack it in the boot). The tray is also removable and its a good height, but best of all its very affordable and most importantly very durable :D

[Rainbowbrite]

We got a peek-a-boo Hi/Low chair and its great. A bit pricey (we paid $150) but it has 8 different heights and I thnk 4 recline positions for bub if their heads not real strong yet. I find it great to put MJ in when i'm cooking or cleaning cause I can drag her around with me :D

[Chickadee]

We have a Chicco highchair, older model bought second hand. I've used both the adjustable seat height and the reclining - reclining when DD wanted her bottle while we were still at the table. It has a 5 point harness but I've used a friends with a center bar and would go for the centre bar next time instead. Tray comes in and out easily, one-handed even.

My only complaint is that although the seat is adjustable up and down, the height of the tray compared to the seat is not adjustable and always seems too high. When DD was little I thought it was just because, well, she was little, lol. But at 21 months the tray is still nearly at her armpits height. It's ok if she's eatting off a plate but too high when I give her a normal bowl. I almost need to use a booster seat IN the highchair!

[jessica]

We have a babylove hi and lo chair - its great! definetly find a chair with the centre bar - far more practical than a 5pt harness - it keeps baby in snug and prevents them trying to slide out the bottom!! Also don't get one with cloth lined seat - even if it says you can just throw it in the washing machine!! do you want to do this everyday?? plastic backed seats although not as 'pretty' just need a wipedown with a wet cloth!

Although the tray isnt height adjustable we just kept it off for the first few months - much easier, as she could be barely see over it! Now thats she's older its back on (very easy to take off and on!) and she eats her finger food straight off it.

Although expensive it was worth every penny!!

[ThomasMum]

We are using Peg Perego Prima Pappa for Thomas. I can't find the better words to describe it, but its fantastic! Like any other products from this brand, it built to be safe, comfortable and practical and most importantly they comply to Australian standards

It features:

Backrest reclines in four positions
Tray is adjustable in two positions
Prima Pappa has 7 different height positions
When closed, it is very compact and free-standing
Dinner Tray: The hygienic double tray only for eating
Brakes on the rear wheels/4 casters to move it easily
The padded sack is ideal for babies aged 3-4 months and older
Five-point harness
Double upholstery: washable and removable slipcover outside, with padded PVC inside

What more could you want?

Thomas absolutely loves it! I know its rather pricey (around $AUD 300?), but for us its worth every penny!

Good Luck and Happy Deciding! :D

[melzy]

We bought a highchair that's seat extends to 4 different positions, goes low to the floor (about 4 positions) and has brakes and wheels and to be quite honest it was good but I would have never bought it if I could test it for a few months. The reclining positions etc were good and you could push bubs from one room to the other and even let it have a nap in there but the tray was the most annoying part. There was just way too much gap between the tray and bubs, even my daughter was 2, and food just went down onto clothes and the floor. We then bought a booster seat with a tray on it for about $50 from kmart and it's brilliant. It straps onto a normal chair. Save your money but each to their own. Happy decision making.

[emmicoa]

I bought an Infa Ultima high chair for my son, brand new 6 months ago. Its one of those ones that has adjustable height, adjustable back, five point safety harness and removable tray. Very safe - So I thought.

Last week I had finished feeding my 1 yo son his dinner and stood up to get his medicine. I turned around and the strap between his legs was broken and he was hanging by his throat and armpits. His throat was were the clip is, so if I hadn't been there....

What had happened was that the middle of the plastic adjuster (looks like a square with a line through it) had broken, causing the strap to come out, while the clip remained done up.

I just want to remind everyone to never ever leave your child in their high chair when you are not in the room, even for a second. My son did not make a sound at all. If I had not been there he would probably have been strangled to death.

[Tea Lady]

Just wanted to say thanks for the advice. I've gone the cheap option (as usual!) and bought an Ikea Antilop on the weekend - it's great. Would you believe that they had sold out of trays though? Wouldn't you think they would have the same number of trays as chairs? I don't get it - and I'm reeeeally looking forward to driving there again to get it. It will cost more for the petrol than the highchair tray!