As new parents, you learn by trial and error on what to buy and not buy. You make good purchases, and then you make not so good purchases (like 20x receiving blankets that we now use as bath towels).
Here are my tips for buying a GREAT high chair. As a "new" parent, what you are probably thinking about is price. What you may not be considering is how MESSY kids are. Yes, you have probably have seen commercials with kids with crap all over their face and high chair. But imagine being the one cleaning that up on a daily basis. With bigger messes. Right after you get home from a long day's work after also cooking dinner. Yep. That's what I thought you forgot about 🙂
1. No crevices where food can stick to. You need an easy wipe surface. Trust me, we've cleaned nasty crevices...it ain't pretty.
2. If you've got hardwoods where you are eating, make sure the rollers are nice. Ensure they are casters basically. Or else you'll have scratched hardwoods.
3. The padding should not be cloth. Soft plastic is best.
Not Recommended: Fisher-Price Rainforest Healthy Care High Chair
- Where Purchased: Amazon.com
- When Purchased: Late 2011
- Price at the time: $102
- My recommendation: Don't buy it.
1. Price. You get what you pay for. How does a plastic chair cost over $100? I have no idea. So, I figured I'd get mid-grade. That's why my first purchase was this one.
2. Attached toy. Seriously? What was I thinking. The first few times, we were not smart. We gave Ansley the toy to play with, and apple sauce went everywhere. Note: A high chair is used as a place to eat, not play. The toys are now sitting somewhere in the playroom (probably with apple sauce caked all over it).
3. Rollers. I thought the rollers on the chair were all the same on all high chairs. Not. The other review for the high chair we ended up getting is 10000 times better than this one ever thought of being.
4. Removable/washable cloth. If you are feeding your kid on a daily basis, which I hope that you will, you are NOT going to want to launder something like this every day. Thereby, get something plasticky you can wipe down.
5. Crevices. There are way too many cervices and joints where food gets stuck (and still is). Kind of sick.
Here are some personal photos of it. Again, let me remind you of how long it takes to clean up with this chair.
Highly Recommend: Boon Flair Pedestal Highchair with Pneumatic Lift, Coconut Seat/Tangerine Pad
- Where Purchased: Amazon.com
- When Purchased: Early 2013
- Price at the time: $185
- My recommendation: Buy it now!
1. Price. I know its double the money. But you know what else is expensive? Time. Time is money. The time you save with this thing while cleaning up after dinner is SO very worth it.
2. No toy. Great! It comes with TWO snap on trays. We don't use it though. Its just as easy cleaning the tray itself!
3. Rollers. These casters roll so smoothly against our hardwoods. Amazing!! No more scratches!
4. Removable soft plastic seating cushion. This is AMAZING. When we clean up, this thing is a breeze!!! You just wash it in the sink and let it dry. No laundering needed!
5. Crevices. This thing is SMOOTH. No crevices. So, you wipe down and you are good to go!
We took off the safety belts, don't judge. It was just easier that way - and less messy too!
In short, the Boon Flair may be a bit more expensive, but totally worth it when you use it daily. It saves so much time cleaning!!