Complete that Sesame Street Look with an Elmo High Chair
Summary: Everybody loves Elmo - especially babies.  Find out how to get just the right Elmo high chair for the little one in your life!

Elmo from Sesame Street has become one of the most familiar and beloved of all television personalities over the last couple of decades.  Special toys and products like the Tickle-Me Elmo doll and the new Spinmaster Elmo Giggle and Shake chair have made the little red fellow a fixture in most homes with toddlers or babies.  Add to that the prevalence of Sesame Street themed bedding and accessories, and it seems only natural to get an Elmo high chair to complete the look.

A few years back, Kolcraft made a swing printed with Elmo and the Sesame Street gang.  This swing, if you can find one second-hand, can be locked in position and used as a feeding table.  It has a tray in front of the baby's seat.  It is a nice product to go along with all the other incarnations of Elmo you are likely to have around the house. 

The seat of the Kolcraft Elmo swing/high chair can be adjusted to two different heights.  The higher one is perfect for feeding a small baby.  The lower one works for larger babies when they want to swing.  And by the way, a safe infant swing is one of the most useful things you can get for your baby.  Sometimes nothing will soothe a little one except for some time in the swing.  It's rhythmic movement lulls a baby so that he forgets all about being upset.

And if the swing is printed with Elmo, it is just that much better.  Tuck a little Elmo doll in the swing with the baby, or hang a picture of the little red muppet at the side of the crib to stimulate the babies visual development while she relaxes in the swing.

Sometimes, it can be hard to find exactly what you want when decorating for a baby.  Kolcraft no longer makes the Elmo swing that can be used like a high chair.  People who have had them have enjoyed using them, however, so if you can find one in good shape, it will probably be worth the investment.

If you can't find an Elmo high chair ready made, perhaps you can find fabric printed with pictures of Elmo and other Sesame Street characters.  Create a cover for the high chair you have, using this fabric.  There are patterns available for covering high chairs.  

Spectrix is one company that makes Sesame Street fabric for crafting baby items.  They make a perfect print for high chairs.  It is yellow in the background and features Elmo with lunch boxes and fruit.  Make a matching bib or two for baby, or maybe a little smock.  Spectrix Sesame Street fabrics are 100% cotton, 45 inches wide, and retail for $9.49 USD per yard.  Look for these fabrics anywhere you would buy fabric for quilting.

Actually, if you have an extra Elmo crib sheet, curtain, or printed quilt, it would probably provide enough fabric to create a tie-on high chair pad for the seat and back of whatever high chair you are using.  Simply cut rectangles of the fabric, and sandwich a piece of thick quilt batting in between.  Add ties to attach it to the high chair.  Or you can concoct a slip-cover type of arrangement.  

A large Elmo embroidered patch appliqué is another idea for creating an Elmo-inspired high chair for your Sesame Street decor.  Make or buy a high chair slip cover and sew the Elmo patch onto the back portion, facing the front.  Baby will get to laugh and talk with Elmo every time you put her into the high chair for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Check craft supply companies online for patch appliqués of Elmo and other favorite cartoon characters.

An Elmo T-shirt could be the inspiration for a make-shift hand-crafted Sesame Street high chair.  Simply stretch the T-shirt over the back of the high chair, tuck the sleeves to the inside, and tighten up on the back with lacing and grommets, Velcro closures, or even just big safety pins.  Be sure to keep the pins to the inside so your baby can't accidentally undo one and get scratched on it.

If you are buying new baby furniture, an Elmo theme will be enhanced with a solid shiny red chair.  You can also try a classic wooden chair with a Sesame Street seat pad.  Restaurant style wooden high chairs are widely available now, and can be decorated with a liner/cover in an Elmo print.

The ideas presented above would certainly work for any other Sesame Street character, such as Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, Grover or Oscar the Grouch.  Or you might be personalizing your baby decor with Baby Micky or Baby Minnie Mouse.  On the other hand, you may choose a non-character theme, such as horses, kittens, or football.  Whatever you choose, these ideas could help you turn your high chair into a coordinated part of your juvenile decorating scheme.

Always look for safety and ease of cleaning when purchasing any high chair, new or second-hand.  Safety features to look for include locks on the wheels if it has them and smooth surfaces without sharp edges.  Look for washable fabrics that remove easily for washing in the washing machine, as well as smooth vinyl surfaces that wipe clean easily.