What features to look for in buying a high chair?

[lkmiscnet]

Just wondering what features might be nice to have for a high chair that I would not have thought of looking for when researching one...

Advice?

[tzs]

easy wipe-ability....portability....not too bulky....extra trays...

we love the ikea one. it's cheap, not too ugly, all plastic, and i've taken it apart and brought it when we've stayed overnight at other people's houses. you can buy all the trays you need for like $5 each.

[gracemamma]

for me the materials were very important because even minute amounts of BPA & phalates can dammage our little ones (just read slow death by rubber duck- yikes!) particularly for earting surfaces, this is important to me.
we got the stokke trip trappe with baby set & safe plastic play tray and LOVE it. It works as as booster later and up to adult seat and is helpful both keeping baby occupied with toys on playtray or whenm eating or baby can eat at table too. they come up on craigslist too.

Definately get a tray that has a lip to keep liquids and food on it.
good luck figuring it out!

[Nicole730]

Our only requirement was wooden. We ended up with the Graco one we could buy at a local store. We've been happy with it so far. We don't use the plastic tray that sets on the wooden one.

[Llyra]

We went for one as non-gimmicky as possible. The more "features" they have, it seemed like, the more cracks and crevices there were that could get all kinds of lovely bits of old food stuck in them. So I'd say the top priority would be that it be as easy as possible to clean. Ours was a plain wooden one with a detachable plastic tray, with no fancy anything, and it worked well for us. I don't know the brand-- it was secondhand and had no label or anything on it.

[YayJennie]

How easy it is to clean. Seriously, I wish I had thought about how many times a day I would have to wipe a high chair down before I bought one. The first we bought was a fancy peg perino (or whatever that brand is) that reclined and folded up and seemed great, but was a complete hassle to clean and the straps got SO dirty (and did not come off the chair to clean). I ended up selling it because it was too much for me. Traded it in for a nice, sturdy, plain wooden chair. Not only is it much nicer looking, a quick wipe down and it's clean. Hands down the most important feature in any high chair.

[lkmiscnet]

Yikes! I never thought of BPA being in the plastic of the high chair. I only associated that with bottles and toys...

I thought most manufacturers were voluntarily taking it out of baby products, though I have heard that Fischer Price is a bit evasive if you call their customer service number. Maybe that has changed...

[linchi]

We ended up getting a wooden one with a removable tray from Amazon. It is also evolves into a booster chair (up to 35 kilos, I think)!
It's currently sitting in our guest bedroom in a box till baby is old enough to use it. I wish I could tell you more about features to look for, sorry!

[jammomma]

Easy to clean, stable and easy to move around. For us the Boon Flair highchair has been awesome! Seriously, it's one of the best purchases we made and worth every penny.

It's BPA, pthalate and PVC free. We got ours in the orange/white.It's super sturdy and has a wide heavy base on wheels, but it can be locked into place.

http://www.booninc.com/products/Flair

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

Originally Posted by tzs

easy wipe-ability....portability....not too bulky....extra trays...

we love the ikea one. it's cheap, not too ugly, all plastic, and i've taken it apart and brought it when we've stayed overnight at other people's houses. you can buy all the trays you need for like $5 each.

This is the one we have too (the Antelop). We HAD an evenflo beast at first with DD, and hated the bulk, the mess etc. The Antelop is easy to clean, brings the baby right up to the table, and is comfortable. The BPA thing hadn't occured to me, but I'm not particularly worried about BPA/phlates in a high chair - my child isn't going to be licking it. You can get a pad for the back to give a baby more comfort - I suspect a blanket works as well.

We also have a Stokke Tripp Trapp that DD uses (talk about both ends of the cost spectrum). It's a great chair and I wouldn't hesitate to use it with a baby - the harness is very sturdy. We may consider buying a second one once DS is older.

[MsVyky]

The cloth part (if applicable) needs to be machine washable. That was my only requirement, LOL.

My mum bought DD a Fisher Price Ocean Wonders high chair and we love it to pieces. Th's got little chew toys that buckle onto the tray (easy on and off), the tray has a liner that comes off and fits in the dishwasher, and the padding is all machine washable. Plus it has 7 different height settings and can recline as well.

Downside is that it's "fold" function is pathetic. It doesn't really get any less wide when it's folded.

[Knitting Mama]

I wanted a wooden high chair so that it would look nice in our dining room/kitchen and one that had removable, washable cushions for easy cleaning. We ended up with a Graco and it does look pretty! As an added bonus it has a plastic tray that fits over the wooden one for easier cleanup. Cecilia's not old enough to be in it yet, so I can't speak to its actual functionality.