Are highchairs necessary?

[Eilly]

We don't have a high chair for our 6 month old son. Some parents I've spoken to say they aren't necessary and that you can just feed them on your knee until they are old enough for a booster seat. At the moment we are feeding him in his bouncy chair but this can get a bit messy! Any advice on whether or not it is worth investing in a high chair welcome.

Another unrelated question. Can 6 month old babies have yoghurt? If so, what brands have any of you been feeding your babies?

Thanks.

[parkersmama]

I think that highchairs could classify as a luxury item because they aren't an actual necessity BUT they sure are nice to have! For one thing, they make a great "containment" place for baby to play, drink, and eat a little snack while you're working in the kitchen. Also, they are so much easier to clean than a bouncy seat or carseat since they are usually made of washable plastic. We have a Peg Perego Prima Pappa that we've used with two kids so far and it's still in terrific condition. We even used it when our toddlers were old enough to climb into it themselves and we just scooted it up to the table with no tray. After that we used a booster seat but also just scooted it up to the table and didn't use the tray (those trays are so small and don't contain spills and messy toddler stuff very well). So, I guess I'd say that getting a highchair is a good investment. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, there are some pretty good options in the lower prices. But, one of the things I like best about our chair was that it has wheels. My parents have one without wheels and I never knew how much those wheels meant to me until I had to use theirs for several days! LOL!

As for yogurt...I don't believe that I started giving yogurt until around 7 or 8 months. I used the store brand and bought full fat (not reduced or fat free). Also, I always used plain yogurt and just mixed it with the cereal or fruits instead of buying yogurt with fruit in it. We didn't give them the fruit included type until after 1 year since so many of them have berries and artificial colors that could cause allergies.

Denise
mom to:
Parker, 9/1/1997
Wesley, 3/9/2000
and #3 (a girl!) due 4/29/2003

[egoldber]

I agree with all of the above. Another good reason to have a high chair is if you have a dog. It is VERY helpful at keeping your baby's food up and out of the "doggie zone".

I also did not start yogurt until Sarah was around 7-8 months, and it was on my ped's recommendation.

HTH,

[4justice]

We had to skip on the high chair due to our finances at the time. Since I was exlusively breast feeding I wasnt too concerned with the high chair/feedings till about 7 or 8 months, but we did the bouncy chair thing too once in a while for the occasional freaking out of 'are we feeding him enough?!' We did go for the safety first fold up booster that attaches to your own chair. We still use it. Happy Feedings! By the way, I agree with the other post. Plain yogurt, organic, add your own fruit puree.

Maluhia

[Rachels]

I couldn't make it without a highchair or feeding seat of some sort. Also, babies developmentally need to kind of be able to get their hands in their food a bit, practice picking things up, etc. I would think that would be pretty hard if they were always on your lap.

As for yogurt, I gave it at 6 months with the ped's blessing. It's important to give full-fat yogurt rather than low-fat, and better to avoid sugar. We used Stonyfield Farm Cream on Top yogurt (organic-- I was more comfortable with that) and I stirred in a little fruit puree. Abigail LOVES yogurt.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[cara1]

The First Years Reclining Feeding Seat. My Mom thinks this is the best invention ever (second only to my Baby ala Cart). Enough said.

[caroliner]

For us, yes. We have a very active baby and there is no way she would sit on my lap and be fed. Her hands would be in everything. As for the yogurt, we started around 7 1/2 months and give her the Yo Baby Stonybrook farm organics. So far, just vanilla and banana... She loves it.