which highchair to get?

[paigepea]

dd is almost 6 months so we're in the market for a high chair.

which do you have? do you like it? why/why not? would you recommend it?

i've heard good things about the FP healthy care high chair, but i don't like it's looks :( -- BB doesn't like the PP chair, but i think it is better looking :).

any advice would be appreciated.

thanks!

paige.

[DCmommy]

we have the FP healthy care chair for Sean and i have to say we love it -- the integrated toys are great and he'll happily chew on them while we eat, and the removable dishwashable tray is amazing. but it is very busy and baby-ish looking, and that's really a personal decision.

what i can tell you is that we had a chicco mamma for Patrick (what BB was recommending at the time) and we HATED it, which is why we now have the FP. food was always getting stuck in the nooks and crannies and i could never get it clean enough but my #1 aggravation was that the passive restraint (that little crotch bumper that keeps them from sliding out) was on the TRAY and NOT THE CHAIR. not only did that make things complicated when trying to put DS in the chair when the tray wasn't attached, but trying to wash and dry the thing was a nightmare b/c it wouldn't fit in our sink or our drying rack with the huge passive restraint on the bottom. there were also lots of grooves on the tray that i couldn't get completely clean. it was so aggravating. so my advice would be that whatever chair you do get, make sure that it doesn't have too many crevices for food to get stuck in, but most importantly that the passive restraint is NOT ON THE TRAY.

HTH! Good luck!

Megan
Patrick (1/03) and Sean (8/05)

[fredsmom]

We have been very happy with our FP healthy care highchair. Being able to have 3 trays that go in the dishwasher is great, especially when you get to the finger food stage. Have you looked at all the styles?

Kathleen

[Maromy]

We used the Fisher Price Healthy Care highchair also. We were very happy with ours.

Good luck!

Amy

[xmasbabycomin]

Another vote for FP health care. I got
the stripped down version with one
tray and bought extra trays on their
website. I used my own toys and saved
money.

[sdbc]

We used the FP booster seat and we never regretted not having a high chair at all.

Sue, mommy to Aurora (Rory) born 5/13/04

[dules]

We had this one too, from Target. It had a navy seat with a single butterfly and some dots, no ruffles or other "loud" decoration. I don't regret having had it, BUT if I had it to do all over again I'd probably save space and just get a booster (FP or First Years) that comes with a tray. We had one for restaurants, then started using it at home, then moved the tray away and had her start sitting at the table.

Best,
Mary

P.S. I took my DD with me when looking at high chairs. I had my heart set on the PP and grandma ready to buy it for us...but the tray came up to DD's chin at 6 months - it was faaaar too bit for her, but the FP was a perfect fit.

[Lmoor]

Someone gave us a PP chair. Thank goodness we didn't pay for it - it really sucked. The tray really is far away from the baby, so food was everywhere, and you always had to wash the fabric. Plus, the tray came up high on DD. Then we went to the Chicco Hippo Hook on chair. We liked that a lot b/c DD could be at the table with us, and she loved it too. But that got tiresome b/c you have to wash it a lot too. We finally went to the FP Booster, and we love it. When she was younger, we were able to use the trays which can snug up to the baby. Now, the trays are off, and she sits at the table. Next time around we'll probably stick to the Booster and the Chicco exclusively. While we have a big kitchen, it is really nice not having that high chair in the way. Good luck!

[holliam]

Honestly, if I were buying a highchair today, I would wait a little longer and get the redesigned Kinderzeat that will finally allow you to use it with infants as young as 6 months.

Holli

[DebbieJ]

Another thumbs down on the Chicco Mamma. Should have trusted my instincts and bought the FP, but I let DH choose cuz MIL was paying.

The best chair is the one that fits your child. Take your little one with you and test all the chairs in the store.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[squimp]

We didn't get a high chair for the ugly factor ;). The PP chair may look a little better, but after seeing it in a store, it is lacking in some function (baby is too far from tray and can't be adjusted).

Another option is to use a booster seat that works from the infant stage (e.g. the First years adjustable feeding seat). This will run you $30. Then save your money for a Kinderzeat or equivalent. Kinderzeats can be used from age 18 months to adulthood. They cost a little more than the PP but will last until your children are grown.

[Sangiovese]

I had one of the full-service high chairs with all of the bells and whistles, but I just bought the Ikea high chair. It is $19 for the chair and $5 for the tray. My DD is 16 months, so she doesn't need the recline. My neighbor bought it, too, for her 6 month old and uses it with an air filled pad that is sold separately (I don't know the price).

It is so EASY TO CLEAN! The other one always had food under the pad, in the pad, and it was hard to clean. This one is just hard plastic, like a booster seat. And you don't have to remove the tray to take the baby out, so I don't have a gi-normous tray sitting on my counter. And the tray is smaller, so it is easier to clean. It probably fits in the sink, but since I never take it off, I haven't put it in the sink.

I also like that it is small, streamlined, and simple. I'm not always tripping over it or moving it to reach around it. (How big is my kitchen, anyway?

I went with the Ikea high chair over the booster because it doesn't take over a chair. And the Ikea high chair is about the same price as a booster. The tray could be far away from the baby, esp. for smaller babies, but since you feed younger babies (vs. feeding themselves) it may not be a big deal. Also, I haven't been able to get and keep the seat strap as tight as I like. I haven't had the seat very long, so I might call Ikea and ask about that.

I know that it looks bare bones, and you think that your baby needs all of the padding, bells and whistles, etc., but it is really all you need. If you are feeding your baby before he/she can sit up, you can always use the bouncy seat.

Here it is...

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=12&catalogId=10103&langId=-1&topcategoryId=15567&parentCats=15567*15659*15667&categoryId=15667&cattype=sub

Enjoy!

[g-mama]

Just wanted to echo everyone's complaints about the PP. It looks great, but it has been sitting in my basement for 2 years now, so who really cares how it looks down there, LOL?!

The tray - at its closest setting - is several inches away from the child's body so everything ends up on their lap. And the tray was still up to my ds' neck at age 1. Not a very comfy eating position.


~Kristen

Paolo 11-00
Benjamin 8-03
Marco 12-05

[pittsburghgirl]

Hated the PP (ours was borrowed, it took me 2 hours to get it clean enough to return.)

After we had to return the PP, DS still needed a highchair. Got the Ikea one the PP mentioned, LOVED IT!!! It lasted until we got the Kinderzeat (we got ours at age 2 - DS wasn't ready before to eat w/o a tray, we eat in our dining room.) We didn't need the recline for him by that time and the Ikea chair, although not a looker, isn't that bad either. And it was so easy to clean it has been one of my best baby purchases.

Marilee
mommy to James
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040120/1/1/1/-5/.png

[shburks]

We have a Peg Perego and actually really like it. Seems no one else does. We have never had a problem with food stuck in the cracks--maybe ds isn't very messy? Our seat is vinyl and it's super easy to clean. The straps all come off and can be thrown in the washer. DS has never really had any problems reaching the tray. I suppose it might be a few inches from his body, but we use bibs with a pocket so anything dropped just lands in there anyway! :)

I would totally buy it again. The rest of the highchairs we looked at either didn't have a good recline (necessity for early feeding IMO), had ruffles (helloo....what are those for?) or had fabric seats. Just my two cents!

Susan

[writermama]

I have a FP Healthy Care Deluxe (casters on the wheels and no ruffles on the fabric in that year's model). I loved the 3 trays and the dishwasher safe aspect, and that it was easy to clean. I didn't love the looks, but since I found mine on clearance at Target for $17.00 so I can't complain. And yes, that's not a typo, it was $17. My best baby bargain to date.

On the other hand, I have friends with a small kitchen and twins who used 2 First Years adjustable feeding seats instead of high chairs, and they loved them -- didn't take over the kitchen, cost a lot less (important when you have to buy 2 of everything) and they could always take them along when they traveled.

And on another hand, I now have a Kinderzeat and I love that. If I had it to do over again and I didn't find my FP bargain, I might try to wait for the new Kinderzeat since I'd end up wanting one later on anyway.

If I have a point, it's that there's probably more than just one solution out there that could work for you. Good luck making the choice!

[Ohio_Mom]

I have to echo the others on the PP chair. I had that one with my first baby, and that chair was AWFUL! The tray was so far away from her, even at over a year old, that food was always on her lap. It was also impossible to clean, and the straps ended up looking disgusting, even after scrubbing them repeatedly. I sold it on ebay and bought a Kinderzeat when she was 15 months old, and it's been the BEST thing ever! After dealing with all the headaches of the PP, the KZ was a dream come true.

My parents have the FP healthy care chair at their house for my kids to use, and it's a great high chair. The tray has plenty of different settings so that you can get it right where it needs to be to fit your child, and the toys that attach to the trays are GREAT to keep the child occupied while you cook/eat/whatever. The fact that the trays fit in the dishwasher is also a huge plus.

Now with baby #2, we have just bought a FP healthy care booster seat that straps onto a regular kitchen chair and skipped the big high chair altogether. MIL has this booster to use at her house, and it's great. We're just going to use this at first, and then when he's a little older move him to a KZ like we did with my daughter.

[clc053103]

I can only guess that the newer PP are different than the older models- as the tray on my PP rocker comes right up to my DS (9 mo old)! Also, it is not too high for him, but he is a big boy. I've used it since DS was 2 months with no issue thanks to the nice recline- He's so comfy in it that he likes to sit in it to watch Elmo!

My MIL has a FP Healthy care and I like it- but when she comes over she always drools over the PP- just thinks it's a more luxurious chair.

Just my 2 cents! I do agree since you are buying for a 6 mo old, take DD for a test seating!

[GaPeachInCA]

>The straps all come off and can be thrown in the washer.

How do I take the straps off? I cannot figure it out!

Our PP highchair has served us well, although the straps are looking quite bad these days! Once we figure out how to get them off, I'm sure we can get it looking better in no time.

[megs4413]

we have an envision (the cheapest because when i was registering I didn't particularly care for any of them) and I HATE IT! DD has used several other seats at grandma's and friends houses and I have to say overall the Healthy care was the best of the full size seats. I am going to purchase a booster in the near future, though because it's just easier to clean and store and you can take it with you to restaurants so DC doesn't have to sit in the nasty highchair there!

[lvales]

Nobody has mentioned this yet but I have the BabyTrend Trend highchair in Palm Tree - it has a ruffle, but a very small one, and the pad is reversible so the ruffle won't show.

This chair has been great, the only thing I don't like is that the trays are too large to fit in my dishwasher. Everything else has been great.

My in-laws have two highchairs - a fisher price and one other (I have twin nephews that visit) and DD has been able to kick the tray off of both of them. The Trend has a piece that hides the tray latch, so she can't reach it with her feet.

[jacksmom0902]

We had a Peg Perego and then a Graco highchair with my first son. I sold both of those when #2 came and purchased the FP Space Saver. I like that it "blends" into my kitchen and fits well in our chairs. It's easy to clean, reclines and is height adjustable. It's been a great purchase for us. Good luck with your decision!

[ardie514]

Anyone know when the new Kinderzeat is coming out? I looked on the Stokke website but couldn't find any information. At what age will you be able to start using it? Thanks.