High chairs with wheels?

[ajbiglan]

My wife and I looked at high chairs and had a preference for the Prima Papa and Chicco Mama (From the Baby Bargains book). However, the wheels on both of these models did not inspire confidence. In fact looking at any of the chairs with wheels it seems that even after locking the wheels, a child could move around enough or shift their weight enough to move the chair significantly (only the back two wheels lock on the chairs)
This might just be a concern and not much of a real issue, so I thought I would check with the "pros"

Thanks for any advice/help you can offer
-al

[egoldber]

My high chair (an older Peg model not currently available) has wheels and I have NEVER locked them. I use the wheels all the time and would find it inconvenient to lock them. I'm not sure why I would need to lock them. Now that DD is older, she can "scoot" the chair if she bounces hard enough in it, but if she's doing that, she's done eating and I take her out of the chair. A younger baby wouldn't be able to move the chair.

HTH,

[mamahill]

Ainsleigh is 9 1/2 months old, has been sitting in her chair since she was 5 months, and has never moved it. We have the Chicco and love it. Some people don't because the tray is a little farther from the baby, but it works out great for us and leaves room for the scoop on her baby bjorn bib. Like Beth, I have never locked my wheels. We roll Ainsleigh around the table and over to the sink all the time. Prior to purchasing a chair I thought that the wheels were nice, but not necessarily a must (we live in a small townhouse and my kitchen is pretty tiny). Since then, I have come to think it is one of the most important features. Hope this helps...

[etwahl]

Do you think that having wheels makes it "more" safe? I would think that say an older baby had the strength and was near something it could "push off of" the wheels would allow it to just roll a bit, whereas wouldn't there be more possibility of taking a tumble without wheels? I have no idea, it was just something I wondered about, which would seem to make wheels a good thing.

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[egoldber]

I think that wheels are a convenience factor more than anything else. Most high chairs are very sturdy and wouldn't fall over unless a large toddler kicked off (very unlikely). If you were using a high chairs with wheels near an open staircase (probably not a good idea in general), then locking wheels might be a safety factor.

HTH,

[megsmom]

I have one of the wiggliest toddlers I know (18 months now) and she's never been able to move herself around with the wheels. I have the Chicco and never lock the wheels. If your dd or ds is geting too rowdy and able to move the chair, I'd say the meal is long done and time to take him/her out. I love being able to wheel her and the accompanying mess over to the sink for clean up. I didn't know how much I would love the wheels till I had them. I am able to have her snack in the kitchen with me sometimes as I unload the dishes and then can just wheel the chair back to the eating area. Wheels are essential in the HC dept for us.

Jen
mom to Meghan
7/13/01

[ajbiglan]

Thanks for all of the replies! Glad to know that movement wasn't an issue. As a result I think we are going with the Perego Prima Pappa. We like the tray design better than the Chicco and if the wheels aren't an issue, then I don't see many downsides!

Thanks again for all the help!!
-al

ps - To the person who asked about wheels being a good thing to prevent tipping, I tried tipping all of the chairs and I can't imagine a child having enough strength to tip any of them.

[etwahl]

I think I'm still scarred by the Babee Tenda seminar we attended very early on. Yikes!!! This was before we ever did any research at all, and basically it was all scare tactics to buy their $450 feeding table which was the ugliest thing I've EVER seen. They had set up a high chair (no wheels) that looked like it was 'maybe' suitable for a doll, and showed how easily it tipped over.

On the bright side, it was that seminar that caused me to do my research, which is when I found the Baby Bargains book, so it had a happy ending after all!

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[mamahill]

aaah - one of my best friend's just got suckered into buying (I mean, she bought) this chair. They're on some installment plan. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud when she was telling me about the presentation and how easily chairs tipped over nowadays. She was extolling the virtues of the chair and said they were thinking about buying the crib too, and that there wasn't a price you could put on your child's safety (funny, the manufacturers can!). I took one look at the Babee Tenda and said, "Does it come with a matching helmet?" Sorry to get off on a tangent...

[etwahl]

Oh no! They really know how to sucker in the newly pregnant, not done your homework yet, parents. It's unbelievable. That's exactly how they made us feel -- you can't put a price on your child's safety. But I am VERY thankful we did our research after that, otherwise we probably would have bought one of those hideous tables also. Actually, funnily, Evan always refers to Babee Tenda. He says even though it was a total scam, he is so glad we went, because otherwise I never would have 'met' all of you! So definitely much good came out of it in our situation.

But your friend, the poor thing. I guess it's too late to cancel the order? And as for those cribs - you should tell her about the thread where the woman was complaining that the mattress is longer than all other mattresses, so you need to buy the sheets directly from them.

And while we're on it, you'd think they would at least be able to hire someone to work on their aesthetics considering how much they charge. When we first went to the seminar, we saw the feeding table in the corner, and we thought it was set up to demonstrate what an old, unsafe product looked like. I don't think they've changed that thing since they've been in business. Ahhh, babee tenda....the memories!

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[mamahill]

Thanks for the laugh! Unfortunately, my friend thinks she HAS done her homework (she did a search on the internet for peoples reviews and found many favorable ones -- but if I spent that much, I'd give it a favorable review too, so as not to appear like a sucker!). She doesn't want to cancel her order. Oh well, live and learn, eh? I told her that if she was going to spend that much money on something, to get a Teutonia Stroller, or better yet, the Bugaboo! She also said that the crib only came with the mattress in the lowest position? Something about how that was the safest position anyway, so that was all they offered? I said, "Wow, that's weird that all the OTHER crib manufacturers didn't know that..." But anyway, I'm just rambling. My poor friend. But I'm glad you went because the boards wouldn't be the same without you!

[etwahl]

Does she have the Baby Bargains book? That's true about their mattresses. They said that since we as parents don't know when to move the mattress down (e.g. what if we're a day late and then there's an accident) why risk it? So they just have the mattresses in the lowest position right from the get-go. Oh, their cribs are just as ugly, if not uglier than their feeding table. They try to tell you that a crib is a crib (looks wise) and that once you put the bedding on, it's all the same...but they cautioned about bedding and how unsafe it all is. Yes, they are quite a bunch those Babee Tendas. I can't imagine having that for a job. I won't even say what other sales company it reminded me of :)

PS: The guy actually got inside the crib and jumped up and down to show us just how "safe" their crib is. Uh, excuse me, but when is the last time you had a 200 pound baby sleeping in a crib?

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[Momof3Labs]

I never heard of Babee Tenda - now I wish that I could go to one of their seminars, just for the laughs! Do you think that they would kick me out for making fun of them??

Lori & Colin 9/28/02

[etwahl]

I don't know how we got on our mailing list -- they must have some agreement with some magazine or something you register with when you first get pregnant, because we got an invite in the mail. It was very misleading. It said we were invited to a Safety Seminar and that each person would get a $100 gift just for attending. At the bottom, in very small letters, it said it was hosted by Babee Tenda (which of course we had no idea what it was at the time). The "gift" turned out to be two pieces of paper -- one that was some "deal" on weekend trips, and the other was a photography coupon where this photographer comes to your home. We promptly deposited both into the garbage.

Funny thing is just a few weeks ago, we got another invite. I was wondering the same thing -- what if I went there and refuted everything they say. Wouldn't that throw a crick in their sales plan? They'd probably throw me out. They always host them in the cheesiest hotels and they don't provide anything - no water, nothing. It's pretty pathetic. If you want to check them out (just for fun) here's their site http://www.babeetenda.com/

They sell their feeding table as the be all of baby products (e.g. it can convert to a swing, a bathtub, an art table, desk, and MORE! what a deal!)

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!