When did your DC stop using a high chair and who initiated it?

[SoCalMommy]

DD is 2 years 8 months and she still enjoys her high chair. She requested a booster seat in a restaurant once, but much prefers the high chair both at home and when we are out. While its nice to have her "contained" I am wondering if I should transition her to a big chair (or booster) at home? We don't want to buy another high chair since budget is an issue right now and we have a small house so space is also an issue. have read about boosters like Cooshee and that looks cool but our dining chairs are upholstered and therefore do not have a flat seat. Not sure if they would work on them?

Should I just wait until she shows more interest? She does seem to resist change right now so I am hesitant to rock the boat, but on the other hand I am slightly concerned that she shows no interest. What did you experience with your DC?

[kaharris83]

He stopped sitting in a high chair around 2.5 when out but he's never been a booster kid. He just went right to sitting in the chair. Sometimes he sits in his knees if he can't reach the table. If there's a really big space I can sometimes convince him to use the booster. He self initiated the change. We have a Tripp Trapp and booster at the table at home and he will only sit in a regular chair now. He doesn't like either.

[georgiegirl]

DS ended up switching to a trip trap right around before he turned 2. (DD was using one and he wanted to sit in a real chair like her. That chair was actually a gift when he was born, but DD used it instead and DS just used her old regular high chair, but we liked the trip trap so much we bought another one,)

[wellyes]

We still use ours at 3, most of the time. I tried to get rid of it and that upset DS so I kept it. No harm. I am having him sit on a regular chair for snacks to help transition.

I don't think there is any harm in continuing to use it well into the 3s.

[mikala]

Highchairs are like cribs IMO. Keep the kid in both until he or she escapes or protests loudly. If it isn't broken I wouldn't try to fix it. You won't be hauling a high chair away to college someday :p

Ds1 gave up the high chair around 18 months and I wish he had gone much much longer. We eventually switched to the keekaroo.

If you really want to make a change you might try pushing the chair up to the table without a tray for meals.

[elektra]

I think we stopped using highchairs in restaurants at about 2yo. Both my kids are still in their tripp trapps at home though! Not strapped in or anything but they prefer using those seats so they can be up a little higher than a chair. Our kitchen table chairs are kind of tippy too.

[lyt202]

Around 3yo we stopped using the high chairs regularly at restaurants. Sometimes if we going to a dinner at a nicer place where we know the meal will take awhile (usually with the grandparents) we will put him in a high chair for containment purposes. We still use the tripp trapp at home but took the straps off long ago.

[Green22]

We got the trip trap when dd was 2 to try and transition her into a more big kid chair when we had ds. We painted the old high chair as for babies and she needed to sit in her new chair. She did for about 3 months, but she never liked it and now insists on sitting only on her "box" which is a costco goldfish box. I would like to get a softer, nicer booster. I might try and transition ds to the trip trap (even though it is pink) because I think it is easier to have then in those type of chairs longer than more traditional child seats. If only for the amount of room they take up!

But I agree with a pp- they are like cribs. If it isn't broke . . .

[BabyBearsMom]

We switched DD1 to the king lion heart booster when she was 2.5. I needed the high chair for DD2 so it was time to move her. She actually just switched to sitting on a regular chair, but my kids are super tall.

[philyre]

We have the Ikea gulliver high chairs that push up to the table. We took the anti-submarining portion off it when DS was 2 (when he started trying to climb into it himself), so now it's just a taller chair that DS can get into and out of by himself, and he's still using it at 4. He sometimes eats finger foods sitting at a grown-up chair, but for real meals he has much better control over utensils if he is sitting at the right height relative to the table top. We're going to keep the high chair in rotation until he's tall enough that he can have a natural hand/arm position sitting in a grown-up chair.