High Chairs have come a long way since
the simple wooden stools built for small children in bygone days.
Now you can choose from a wide variety of styles and materials, with
a wide array of innovative features to make feeding a baby and
cleaning up afterward easier in every way. This high chair buying
advice will hopefully fill you in on the options available so you can
make the best decision for your own baby.
Any high chair needs to be easy to
clean. Wipe clean vinyl is good for this purpose, but often plastic
chairs with vinyl pads have little nooks and crannies where food can
lodge. Look for a tray that is easy to remove and easy to adjust
when attached. The tray should be styled so that you can wash it in
the sink, and shouldn't have cracks and nooks where food can collect.
The clips that attach it to the chair need to be safe and childproof
so the baby does not get easily pinched (and you don't either!)
Wooden high chairs can be wiped off,
but if they are allowed to stay wet very much it is likely to damage
the finish. The nicest thing about a wooden high chair is that it
looks appropriate with your nice dining room furniture. The shiny
plastic chair with Winnie the Pooh or Elmo smiling from the back
looks a little out of place when dining with guests. Wooden high
chairs are available in traditional designs as well as one piece
stools similar to the ones used in fast food restaurants.
Older high chairs can be found
inexpensively at second hand stores. Some of the oldest ones are
made from metal and fold up for easy storage. The tray may be made
of stainless steel or plastic. The seat and back are probably padded
and covered with print vinyl in a child-friendly pattern. Chances
are, if the chair has been through the mill, the plastic will be
torn. It is not that hard to replace, and many department stores
carry vinyl fabric similar to tablecloth or upholstery material.
The downside of the older chairs is
that they are outdated and may lack a safety strap. The upside is
that when they are cleaned, reupholstered, and possibly painted, they
make a cute vintage-style kitchen accessory. Another upside is that
these chairs tend to be smaller than modern chairs and fold up thin
so they fit in a small storage area.
Classic high chairs now retail for $90
and up. One of the least expensive brands, which is widely
available, is Graco. Their "Meal Time" model features a
seat that resembles a car seat complete with five-point harness
system to keep the child in the chair. The tray features a removable
liner that can go into the dishwasher. A common complaint about this
chair is that it is hard to place larger children in the seat, so it
is more geared to children under one year old.
Larger chairs, on the other hand, might
work well with larger kids, but the little ones fit so far back that
they tend to drop food into their laps while eating. This is why an
adjustable tray is so important. Some of the chairs that are deeply
padded also put the child in a reclining position. This might be all
right when the baby is just beginning to eat, but once they are
sitting up well, it might prove less comfortable than a more upright
chair. Look for adjustment options so you can tailor the chair to
the child's needs.
If you want to spend several hundred on
a futuristic design, you can do it, and have a decorator accent of
which you can be proud. The Svan of Sweden high chair combines the
best of Scandinavian design features in bent birch wood, and retails
for about $250. A removable tray liner comes with it for easy
cleaning at the sink.
Many parents opt for a portable high
chair option. For about $40, you can get a seat that attaches to the
edge of the table. These chairs are useful for traveling because you
can remove them from the table and take them with you. Some of these
chairs are made of fabric that can be removed and thrown into the
washing machine for cleaning. This can be a pro or a con, depending
on your lifestyle.
Another downside of these chairs is
that all the baby's food mess winds up on the table since there is no
tray to remove and clean separately. Consider using one of these
chairs when you want to include the little one in a family coloring
or art project.
These chairs tend to be comfortable,
and children like being part of the conversation at the family table.
Chicco makes a model that is well reviewed. If you opt for a
portable high chair as described above, which are sometimes called
"travel high chairs," look for one that has a very secure
framework for attaching to the table. It should also be easy to
remove from the table. If you have a table or counter that has a
"lip" the hook-on type chairs might not work.
A booster seat is another option that
takes up less space than a full sized high chair. A good one will
attach to the dining chair so the baby is secure. Whatever choice
you make, look for safety, ease of cleaning, and good looks. Then
baby and you will both be happy.
