Wood high chair recs?

[lizscribe]

Hi there. I'm looking for a high chair for my 4 month old son, who's just starting to sit up when propped but who will be starting solid food soon. He's big for his age (I'm expecting he'll weigh in at about 18 lbs at his checkup on Friday).

I've been looking at high chairs but many of the plastic ones seem like monstrosities. I like the looks of some of the wooden ones available in the $75 to $150 range, including the Graco classic wood high chair and the Safety First Vineland wood high chair. But some of the user reviews on the Graco one suggest there is a bar on the seat that make the seat tight on bigger babies. Also, my babysitter says I may not want a high chair that doesn't recline; the wood ones all seem to have straight backs. Also, it seems like their cloth seats may not be as useful as a vinyl one that would wipe down more easily.

Does anyone have any experience with these models or others? Should I reconsider my tendency to lean toward the wooden chairs? I looked at BRU yesterday and the only plastic-y ones I might be able to tolerate are the Chicco ones. (Thought I would like the Graco line but they were really ugly.)

(Also: I see all the rave reviews here for the tripp trapp but this will be a gift from my mother and the cost of that is definitely out of her price range.)

Any advice appreciated. Thanks! :)

[nemawei]

Hi ~ I don't have a recommendation for a chair to get, but I have a recommendation for one NOT to get ...

We have a Chicco high chair from BRU. We don't like it at all. DD is 15 months old and we are in the market for a new one since the buckle has broken and is now like a dagger instead of a safety device. (And it broke while routinely clicking it into place)

I disliked the chair after our first use. The straps are similiar to car seat straps .. with all the ridges. DDs first food was banana. I swear we are still getting the banana out of the ridges in the straps.

Here's the exact chair we have:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2628955

Since DD is already 15 months, I'm going to go with a booster or a regular wooden one like you see at restaurants.

Good luck in your search.

[Kindra178]

We love our Svan. Although the pad is cloth, it washes beautifully. We, too, had the Chicco Polly - food gets everywhere, in literally every tiny crevice - it's almost impossible to get out. So it's easy to wipe off the vinyl pad, but there is food everywhere else too. I don't really understand the need for a reclining one, unless you are putting a young baby in it. With the Svan, there are not many places for food to hide, and it comes with a plastic tray. We got our Svan when our oldest was about 15 months, and we bought a second one when we had the twins. It is pricey, but we except to recoup some costs when we sell them.

[Hawkeyewife]

We have the wooden hugh chair that Ikea makes. I think it was less than $50 and we plan to use it for our next baby due this fall. There is a blow-up plastic insert you can buy for the seat (about $4). We love it! It is compact and easy to clean. We have had two Prima Pappa high chairs (for #1 and #2) and this one is far better and cheaper.