At what age do they stop using a high chair?

[KBecks]

I'm figuring I will need an additional high chair for baby #2. Is that right?

[kijip]

Toby was out of his high chair and in a booster type thing around 18 or 19 months. So I think you could get away with getting a cheap booster for your older child and passing the big highchair onto your new baby. Especially since your new baby is not going to need to sit in it right away.

You could get a FP Healthy Care Booster for $24 or a raised chair from IKEA for less than $20.

[annasmom]

You should be fine with one highchair. My dc are 15 months apart, so by the time my ds needed the highchair my dd was almost 2 and ready for a booster. It worked out fine.

[o_mom]

Agreeing with PPs - ours are 19 mos apart - we switched #1 to booster around 22 mos, then #2 could use it at 6 mos.

[KBecks]

Excellent - that sounds a lot better than going for a 2nd full size FP high chair. Thanks!

[ErinMC]

I agree. DS was in a booster seat at 18 months. He'll still sit in a highchair at the grandparents' house, but at home he likes to sit up to the table with us.


Erin

Mom to Chase Feb. 04
... and another little guy coming in June :-)

[simba]

Hi! Reading this post made me decide to put away my Prima Pappa (until baby #2 is conceived and born, lol) and go with a booster seat. DS is 20 months, so he should be ready right? He already uses the high chair without the tray and sits with us at the table, but that way I can get rid of the bulky Prima Pappa and make some space in our tiny kitchen. Which booster seat do you all recommend? And do you tie it on top of a chair, correct? And why do many people prefer the kinderzeat instead of going the booster way? Thanks!

[o_mom]

We use the Cooshie Booster which is a soft foam booster seat. It does not have any straps or ties, it is non-slip on the bottom, so it stays in place. The hard plastic ones usually have straps to tie to the chair, and some have straps to keep the baby in.

The Kinderzeat is nice because it can be adjusted to fit the child and has a foot rest, so they aren't dangling down. With the Cooshie, DS puts his feet on the chair seat in front of it, but then we can't push the chair in all the way. If he lets them dangle, it gets tiring for him.

[redhookmom]

For me it was when I could not stand that big hunk of sticky plastic one more minute. ;) Both times I missed the mark by a couple of months. I think you can use until about age 2 mostly for a place to put your busy toddler for a few minutes to keep them entertained. Great for finger painting and such.

[KrisM]

Well, we never used a high chair, just a booster, so I would think you'd be fine moving to a booster. DS stopped using the tray on the booster at about 16 months and started sitting at the table then. Now, at 22 months, he prefers to sit on his knees on a regular chair.

[julieakc]

Another view:

DS just turned 2 and he is still in the highchair, and frankly I don't see him coming out of it anytime soon. Not that he's not capable of sitting on a booster, just that he is such a messy eater that I like him having his own space to contain his mess. And he's not complaining yet...so he's staying put.

[kozachka]

If your DS is happy in his high chair I'd wait with buying a booster or kiderzeat until you actually need it. DS was out of the highchair around the time he was 16-17 months old and would not even come close to it for couple months. We could not keep DS in his high seat for more than a couple of minutes even without a tray by the time he 20 months and he's been using regular chairs since much earlier than that. DS managed fine without a booster and knowing his personality I though it would be a waste, he is very determined to do everything the way we do. He even eats his soup with a big spoon. So my advice is to just wait for now. Your DS might change his preferences more than once as to where and how he wants to eat by the time your second DC needs a highchair.

[sdbc]

My daughter never used a highchair. She's just used a FP HC booster seat since she started on solids. I'm sure your older child can switch to a booster now, and just let the baby use the high chair.

Sue, mommy to Aurora (Rory) born 5/13/04