Booster Chair and High Chair (FP Healthy Care) - buy both?

[jay]

So yesterday I went to BRU and was taking a look at the HC Booster Chair and the HC High Chair. I'm thinking about buying both (partly because I can't decide which one to get). I like the high chair because it is another free standing chair, I can sit DS in when I'm cooking in the kitchen and the recline. However the Booster seems handy because we can take it to restaurants with us. The only question I have regarding the Booster is if it is pain to have to clean our dining room chair I put it on? I like the thought that we can "hose" off the high chair in the shower if needed. Does anyone have both? Is it justified? or is it just redundant?

I guess what I'm really mad about is that I should have bought the Svan chair I saw for 30% off last week and didn't. Now it is gone. Oh well, there is always the Stokke.

[BeachBaby]

We have just the booster. We bought a clear plastic chair protector to protect our DR chair. That worked really well until she started reaching behind her and rubbing her hands and the back of the chair. Now we just have a thin towel covering the chair and that works fine. We just throw the towel in the washer and its clean.

FWIW, I don't think I would get both. Most restaurants will have their own boosters or high chairs, so we've never brought ours out with us.

We went with the booster because we don't have extra space for a high chair, and our kitchen/DR is open so we can put her in the booster at the table and we can see her.

HTH!

[jay]

Hi! Thanks for your quick response. I actually have a Booster that I'm testing out in my kitchen right now. I'm worried that it maybe to small for DS. He is 22 pounds (5 months). And we are already at the middle setting and it is right on his stomach? Someone at BRU told me that there shouldn't be too much space between the stomach and tray to prevent food from dropping in? But the high chair seems so much more comfortable since it is roomier? I thought the booster might be nice to use when going to gramma's house too.

[BeachBaby]

Well, I'm not sure I can be much help on the size issue because our daughter is also 22 lbs, but she's 16 months! :D We also are using the middle tray setting. I do agree with the BRU person about keeping the tray close. Of course, there is room on either side, so food does make its way down.

My mom lives close by and she bought a $15 high chair at K-Mart to use at her house. At first, it just swallowed Simone up ... she looked so tiny in it. But she's growing into it now.

Its tough; I understand your dilemma. I was planning to get Simone a Stokke for xmas, but now I think we're going to try and keep her in the booster until she's ready to sit in a chair by herself. Of course, that's what I'm saying today! ;)

[wolverine2]

We have both, although it wasn't planned that way. We got the high chair first, and still use it the most because it's in our kitchen. We got the booster to use at my parent's summer cabin... planned on leaving it there, but ended up bringing it home in case we wanted to bring it when we travel. We never bring it just to go to a restaurant or anything. Our DS is big too... 25 lbs at a year, and it still seems to fit on the middle setting. In hind sight, I'm not sure I would have gotten the high chair, although it was nicer when he was littler. Now DS is into a chair phase, and the booster is actually on our living room floor as DS likes to carry it around and sit down and pretend to strap himself in! We'd like to ditch the high chair and get a kinderzeat type chair instead. I think we would have done fine with the booster only up till now.
Carrie

[jay]

Interesting. So do you think I should just stick with the Booster and then switch to the Kinderzeat? I think that is probably the wise thing to do - but for some unknown reason, I keep thinking I should get a high chair because
1. That is what most people do (and there must be a good reason for it).
2. Easier to clean (won't get other chairs dirty)
3. Yet another aparatus for DS to sit on in the kitchen
4. Will last longer than the booster?

When do you think you DS will outgrow the High chair? I'm curious because the Stokke website says that the chair is for 18months or older. I'm not sure the booster will last that long?

[bluestar2]

We have both the Healthy Care high chair and the FP booster which we use everyday (twins). The highchair was somewhat more useful when DC were very young like your DS since it could recline but it wasn't long before they were no longer content to sit in it and play while I cooked etc. Once they started crawling they wanted to be on eht move. They also walked early and are very active so they were less likely to want to sit still I think. It is probably a bit more comfortable and stable (but that would depend on your DR chairs). I like that the trays are bigger and can fit plates and a cup comfortably.

DC are now 22 months and average to tall size and can still fit in the booster just fine and I usually put it on the medium or largest setting. I like the booster because it was less expensive and theoretically I can take it when we travel though I have only done so a couple of times (too lazy to haul it or not enough space). I don't bring it to the restaurant (again, too lazy :)) At this age, I've also noticed they like the booster a bit better since it is more like the chairs we sit on and it can be pulled right up to the table more closely than the highchair.

Either one will be a milk and food mess so I don't think one is cleaner than the other except that the highchair's tray can probably catch more food since it is bigger. I have to clean the floors under both after every meal so it probably doesn't make that much of difference.If you have upholstered or very nice DR chairs I would defintely recommend covering them up with some kind of protector.

I guess the short answer is both are fine and should work so you may not need both. If I only had one DC I probably would have just gotten the booster. HTH!

[kijip]

We bought the HC high chair when Toby was 6 months old and moved to the HC booster once he was older- I am thinking about 18 months. I would tend to think that a young eater will be happier in the high chair than the booster but if your heart is set on a Stokke Kinderzeat in a little while, $$wise you could use the booster and then move to the Kinderzeat. We opted out of the Kinderzeat (could not justify the cost with my desire to save $$) and were fine using the booster till recently when we got a cheap IKEA wooden raised chair used ($6).

[sarahsthreads]

We have both. Originally, we'd only planned to get a high chair - mainly because we have two big dogs and wanted Carrie's food as far out of their reach as possible. We bought the booster because neither Grandma nor Great-Grandma (who feed us regularly) wanted to have to buy and store a high chair in their homes.

I do really like both. I prefer the high chair at home, although the booster has come in handy for visiting children. I started putting Carrie in it at two months, long before she could sit up, because it has a decent recline. It made family meals possible before she was actually eating with us because it has attached toys. If your DS is older, this may not be a factor.

As for the booster, until recently we always dragged it to restaurants, because my average-sized DD didn't fit well in the restaurant high chairs. And it's fantastic for travel. There's no way I would have put Carrie in a rest stop high chair and had her eat off the not-so-clean table - although now she's starting to be capable of having a plate in front of her and not immediately pull it to the floor so we're relaxing that rule. I've never really found it to be a pain to clean the chair the booster is sitting on.

Good luck with your decision!
Sarah :)

[momtogrant]

We have both. At first I thought we could get away with just the booster. But for daily use the HC high chair is great to have and it is a good place to keep DS contained when I need to work on something (give him a sippy of water and stacking cups or tupperware and he is happy for 20 minutes). The HC booster we use when traveling to relatives. It is easy to throw in the car and we are always visiting other people during a mealtime so it comes in handy. When we go to a restaurant I use their high chair with the fisher price plastic high chair cover. I dont think DS is as comfortable in the booster because after eating he wants to get out immediately. If space is not an issue I would get the high chair, and if you are traveling to other peoples house that dont have a high chair or booster then get both.
Nicole
DS 10 months

[murpheyblue]

We have both. We started with the HC which I loved. When DD started getting antsy inthe HC and wanting to sit in a regular chair we got the booster which I also love. Honestly, the booster is so inexpensive that I didn't fret about it a lot. We took the booster to restaraunts for a long time. While most places have boosters, boosters with trays are a rarity in my area and the tray was a godsend in keeping DD sitting during a majority of the meal. The booster was worth it for that use alone.

We currently use the Kettler knock-off of the Stokke kinderzeat. I think it's a good progression from the HC to booster to the kinderzeat.

[smokey26]

We just have the booster. LOVE it. Our baby's about 10 mos and on the small side. We plan to get the Stokke when she's around 18 months. The booster sits on a wooden chair with caned seats and the food was hard to clean out of the caning so I folded a splash mat to exactly cover the top of the chair so I can clean it easily. It's a Mimi Le Sardine one from Hanna Andersson but you could definitely use something less expensive. (I just already had it) The back of the chair - which she does grab with messy hands - I just wipe off the same way I would a Svan or Stokke.

FYI, my nephew visited in July and he brought his booster along. He was over 2 years old at the time - almost 2 1/2 I think. He's not huge for his age, though. He didn't use the tray - he ate his food off a plate on the table. Of course we still had to do cleanup on the floor around him afterward :)

HTH
Julie
mom to Madeleine 01/05

[jay]

Thanks for all the responses. I bought the Booster after the first couple of responses - and now am thinking about going back to BRU and getting the high chair too!!! ARRGGGHHH!! DS is so spoiled and he doesn't even know it yet! I haven't even started solids with DS either, just wanted something for him to sit in and "participate" while the grown ups are eating. I don't know why this decision is so hard - maybe I'll just buy two and not have to worry about it anymore.

[Oregonmother]

We bought the highchair first and then the booster at about 18 months when DS wanted to sit at the table like a big boy. I think both are worth it for different stages. If space is an issue I'd just buy the booster.