Portable Hook On Seats

[jd11365]

After reading Marisa's post in the Bitching Section about restaurants with no highchairs, I'm looking into getting one of these... Beth mentioned the Me Too seat...any other suggestions? Are they safe...stupid question if Beth uses one... :-)

[sugarsnappea]

We have the Graco Tot- lock chair and I am pleased with it. It is safe, if you attach it correctly to the right kind of table. You can only use this chair on table with completely flat bottoms. :)

[emmiem]

I had the Chicco Hook on seat and it is now in the consignment store. It was useless. You can not use it on pedestal tables. Most restaurants have pedestal tables. It was a bear to clean. It was washable but hang dry. That was ok but a real pain to take off and on.
Emmie

[MinnieMouse]

We have the First Years Booster seat (the one that doesn't recline) and it was awesome. I decided early on that I did NOT want a hook on chair since it doesn't work in all instances. The FY seat was awesome, we literally just kept it in the trunk of the car and took it in w/ us whenever we went to a restaurant or a friend's/family member's house. Dd used it from about 6mo (when she outgrew her infant car seat) until about 15 or 18mo.

I highly recommend it...and it's MUCH less expensive than a hook on seat.

HTH

Christine

[egoldber]

Well, I have two portable seats. The Me Too seat and the Safety First Fold Up booster. Honestly, I like them both for different reasons. We leave the Me Too seat in the car since it doesn't take up any room and it is wonderful for travel. It folds up so small it easily fits in most diaper bags. It is fairly expensive, but I have seen it for as low as $35. It is VERY sturdy and well designed. It does not work on all table, but no portable chair does. I have used it on pedestal tables as long as the table was sturdy enough. You need to use your own judgment.

The Safety First seat I used at playgroup, when visiting others houses and when she refused to use the high chair anymore after about 18 months. But it also does not fit on all chairs. I have never seen a child who would not actually fit in this chair. People are often concerned about the lack of clearance between the tray and the chair but I have never seen a baby that didn't fit. Personally, I prefer the way this chairs folds to the way that the FY seat does, but I know lots of people with the FY seat that are very happy with it.

HTH,

[sbirmantaz]

We have the Inglesina Hook On chair and it is great. We've used it a lot and it is very convenient to use. It folds compactly and you can remove the seat to wash it in the machine (big plus). It has always been very sturdy and safe attaching to a table. It is better in a restaurant because it sits at the right height for dd at the table and she can't wiggle her way out of the belt like she can on some highchairs.

[houseof3boys]

We got the Me Too seat as a gift but that is the one I would have gotten anyway after reading about them. Clearly I am no expert as Ryan is a tiny thing like Jamie so we haven't used it out IRL. It says 6 months on the packaging but we have it on our bar counter right now just for kicks and I put him in it for a few minutes at a time so he can get used to it.

LOL at "stupid question if Beth uses one"!

[Marisa6826]

I ended up getting the First Years On the Go seat. It's kind of an inflatable booster seat (no, you don't blow it up yourself - it self inflates with a one way valve system). It doesn't have a tray (it secures the baby the same way the Kick and Play does), but you can then push the chair right up to the table.

I thought about getting a hook on type, but I don't like the fact that you are then dependent upon the integrity of the (sometimes crappy) tables at restaurants.

This way, I know that as long as the chair is somewhat sturdy, Sophie can sit at table level. I also got a pack of those Table Toppers so that she doesn't gnaw on the edge of the table and she will have a clean surface to bang on.

It folds up to the size of a looseleaf notebook, weighs under 2 lbs, is washable and for $20 you can't beat it!

-m

[egoldber]

Have you tried Sopie in it yet? I bought this and returned it. The seat is very low and I found it didn't give DD enough height to sit well at the tabe. That was my experience anyway.

HTH,

[Marisa6826]

She does sit low, but considering that we a) don't regularly frequent restaurants where they might not have highchairs, and b) it was only $20 it won't be a big deal.

I honestly don't expect to use it that often and considering that I have a Camry (read: not a lot of trunk space once you add in the stroller), I think it will work as my emergency backup.

I also like the fact that it's small enough to fit in the dinky Peg Perego stroller basket ;)

-m