Portable high chair for campground picnic table?

[NCGrandma]

My DIL asked me to research portable highchairs, and I told her that the popular one seems to be the Fisher-Price booster. We actually had one of those for DGD1 and it was great. However, they're going camping and she wasn't sure that it would work at a picnic table that has backless benches.

Any suggestions? My guess is that I'm going to encourage them to get both the Fisher-Price booster for most travel and some sort of hook-on one for the few places where that won't work. Wish I had a better idea because the hook-on ones make me really nervous.

[Blue Hydrangea]

Wish I had a better idea because the hook-on ones make me really nervous.

What about them makes you nervous? We love our hook-on-high chair, and it's super secure. The only times it hasn't worked well have been:
1) On those light plastic tables where the weight of the child cantilevered over the edge of the empty table could tip the table.
2) On one particular beautiful antique dining table where the apron under the top was wider than the space between the hooks and supports on the hook on chair, so we couldn't get it hooked on.

The only way it wouldn't be safe would be if someone placed a chair under the hook-on high chair. Baby would then have a surface to push against and stand up, thereby making the hook-on chair lose its "grip" on the table. But just hanging off the edge as designed, it's very sturdy. Ours has a weight limit of 30lbs though, so it wouldn't work if you're talking about a heavy toddler.

But I actually think it would be the prefect soloution for a wooden picnic table with benches. Baby is up at the perfect height to the table top, and it folds really flat for packing.

[NCGrandma]

What about them makes you nervous? We love our hook-on-high chair, and it's super secure. [...] Ours has a weight limit of 30lbs though, so it wouldn't work if you're talking about a heavy toddler.

But I actually think it would be the prefect soloution for a wooden picnic table with benches. Baby is up at the perfect height to the table top, and it folds really flat for packing.

Thanks! Guess I've read too many scary reviews about babies falling out of them and/or the installation not being secure. But my family are installation veterans so they should be able to handle it. It would be for my 12-month-old DGD2 who is at about 3rd percentile for weight, so it sounds like she'd get plenty of use from something like this.

I'm off to look at the Chicco caddy/travel seat/whatever in person -- maybe that will reassure me!

[Blue Hydrangea]

We have this one http://www.amazon.com/Regalo-Diner-P...-on+high+chair

It has locks that you pull up after you slide it on the table, installation takes a couple seconds, slide it on the table, pull up the locks, insert baby and buckle them in. Not sure how this particular one rates, but ours has been going strong for 3 years.

[candaceb]

Do you have an Ikea? A $20 antilop high chair wouldnt take up much more room in the car than the FP booster - the legs pop off easily. You could pull it up to the picnic table.

[teo]

We have the Inglesina Fast chair and it's great for uses like this. Packs down flat and fits in backpacks; attaches securely to picnic tables or any other sturdy tables; has a belt so baby isn't going anywhere. The Fast chair also attaches with a clamp, so even with something to push off of, it would be pretty challenging for a child to loosen it. When it's clamped down, it's rock solid. I love it!

[kaharris83]

We used the Chicco 360 when DS1 was younger and loved it. It would be great for a picnic table and has it's own tray. It also clamps on so there's no way for a child to slide it off the table.

[mrshalco]

Do you have an Ikea? A $20 antilop high chair wouldnt take up much more room in the car than the FP booster - the legs pop off easily. You could pull it up to the picnic table.

This is what we did when we needed a highchair for camping. We even had a clip on one but figured that if we had the room, the Antilop chair was better!

[NCGrandma]

Thanks for all the good ideas. I ended up ordering the Chicco model with the hippos on the clamps, and my DIL was impressed by how secure the clamps look compared to some she had seen. (She is also impressed by how much good info I get from the BBBers!)