Baby Trend

[Chris]

Hi all-
I've read all that I can find on this message board about the Baby Trend High Chair, and am just wondering if anybody has any newer comments to add about this high chair (seems like most of the people who had posted comments had just bought the chair). From what I saw, the feedback about this chair was positive. I am specifically wondering if this chair has the T-bar/under the tray bar I've seen referenced, and how easy the chair is to clean? And what do peoples' comments mean about being able to hang the tray on the seat-is this about being able to hang the tray on the back when it's folded(yes, I'm about to be a new mom so there is much to learn)?

Any comments or suggestions about this chair would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[luvbeinmama]

I really haven't used this one much since I bought it, because DS moved out of it almost right after I got it (was replacing old, nasty, yucky HC), and DD isn't here yet. It has a vertical bar that goes between the legs under the tray. The cloth cover is washable (albeit air dry instead of machine dry), and is easily removable to brush off crumbs & stuff into the sink! The tray hangs on 2 pegs on the back legs, so it will hang there whether it's folded or not. After having a vinyl seat on my old hand-me-down HC, I opted for the cloth so I could wash it in the washing machine. The vinyl just got way to yucky for me, and it's hard to get into the crevices. Of course, that is personal preference. I also prefer bibs that are just terrycloth so I can wash it in the sink, let it dry between feedings, and toss it in the laundry when I do it. Guess I'm just not a vinyl fan!

[egoldber]

FYI, I wash my vinyl bibs all the time. Just don't put them in the dryer!!! :)

[justinsmom]

I don't know much about the baby trend high chair but I can offer you this, be sure to put some thought into the chair you select. You will be spending a lot of time using it, cleaning it and moving it around.
I ended up going with the Peg Perego (Prima Papa, white).A lot to spend on a chair but well worth every penny. It has two trays, a t-bar and a basket under the chair which I absolutely love. I use that to store bibs and little toys. Having the two trays has been so nice because if the mess gets out of control in the middle of the feeding all you have to do is remove the top tray and volia and clean tray. The tray just flips up for storage, but it also removes easily for a good cleaning. The seat it's self is also easy to clean. I just grab a sponge and wipe it up.
Good luck-

Mom to Justin, almost 11 months

[Jackie]

I have had this chair for about a year now. The main problems I am having are:

1) the tray is kicked off easily by my DS. No, he is not a super baby! I have been emailing Baby Trend since May. At that time they said that they are puting new trays on the high chairs with guards on them to prevent such a thing. They told me that they would send me one when they were available. Well, after months of requesting it, I just received the new tray around the beginning of October. We tried it and my DS kicked the tray off the first time he used it. The guard is too small and does not cup over the handle like the Peg's do.

2) The shoulder straps fall off of his shoulders.

Additionally, the fabric cover comes clean nicely, but it does pill and it also takes the whole day to dry unless you hang it in front of a fan. The opening mechanism works pretty good. The height adjustments are good and the recline was nice. The tray positions close to the baby so less food drops down (unless, of course, he kicks the tray off). The wheels roll the chair around with ease and also lock if needed. I wish the tray did not fall off so easily when stored on the back legs when folded (the tray hangs on pegs located on the two back legs).

By the way, it does have a t-bar attached to the base, not the tray(Grrrreaaat feature for trying to seat/unseat an upset baby!!!!)

The chair itself is not too bad to clean. The only things I don't like are that food goes down the hole where the t-bar attaches and you have to lift the fabric cover and clean under it after each meal.
Also, being that it is a very cottony soft fabric, it is very hard to wipe off any liquid food that gets on it.

I agree with Justinsmom above, put a lot of thought into the chair you purchase.

Jackie

[Chris]

Thanks to all for the responses on the Baby Trend Chair. Has anybody tried using velcro staps or something to keep the tray on the chair when Baby is seated? I'm not sure exactly how the tray attaches to the chair, so I don't know if using straps is a feasible alternative-just wondering.

Thanks again.
Chris

[Hannaheser]

BTW, I'm also trying to decide on HCs (due w/ #1 12/2). I called Baby Trend to ask about whether they may be coming out w/ a vinyl cover for those of us that fear the cloth mess. The customer service person I spoke with said that she'd heard vinyl *might* happen as an option, but they wouldn't know till the 2003 line was released, in late January. Depending, I may just hold off buying until I see what happens, since our Peanut will only only be 2 mos, and not using a HC yet anyway.

That's discouraging news about the tray though!!!!! (still being kick-off-able)

[juliasdad]

I'm surprised people are still talking about the tray kick-off problem. Baby Trend has quietly fixed this on the new models (the blue ones at our local BrU store has the fix, the tan models don't).

Feel for the latch lever under the tray. On the fixed models, there is a wedge-shaped block molded into the underside of the tray which makes it impossible for a child's foot to engage the lever. On the older models, the tray is just completely flat behind the latch.

We don't own a high chair yet, but to me, this one is a clear winner. It's virtually a copy of the Chicco, with some better execution, at almost half the price. I'm still looking for a Zooper to see in person before making a decision.

-dan

[Jackie]

Dan

The tray still is easily kicked off with the new design. Baby Trend sent me a new tray and the first day we used it, my 17 month old son kicked it off. The new "wedge" does not cup over the handle like the Prima Pappa does, therefore, if the baby puts his foot between the wedge and the handle, which is easy cause there is a lot of space there, he can kick the tray right off.

Baby Trend has not fixed the problem yet!

BTW, they now sell the beige one at Toys R Us with the tray modification.

[juliasdad]

OK, Thanks for the info, Jackie! I assumed that the wedge would fix most of the problems.

I'm guessing that if the child starts with the wedge tray, they'll have much less of a chance of discovering that the tray can be kicked off. Maybe your son was able to kick off the new one because he already knew how to do it?

Or not. I can see I'll have so modifying to do if we get one of these!

-dan