Mumsnet Talk

The Antilop has an inflatable cushion which helps to sort of 'wedge' my dd in at mealtimes. It's snug but not much room to wriggle out...

I have the same problem with the antilop and my DTs. I just stuff an old cushion behind them which sort of squashes them in (they can't wriggle their legs up to stand up and climb out). Originally started this when they were tiny and needed the extra support but kept doing it as it wedges them in. Bonus is they can't drop loads of food into their lap.

Have you tried tying knots in the straps (in the part that's out of the chair/hanging out of it) so you can make sure they fit tightly on your DD? My DD is also small and that's what I did with a massive restaurant high chair - worked a treat.

Oh happy memories, DD1 had to have walking reins, clipped to her high chair and to shopping trollies.

I used to get such dirty looks in Tescos for firmly clipping her in.

She was totally unsafe, otherwise, she once got out onto the till belt.

We never did find the bar code.

Fingers crossed the reins make breakfast a little easier

Just wanted to say thanks all for your advice. DH bought a pair of mothercare reins today which are now attached to the chair, ready for breakfast. She's been trying to climb out again today. She's watches me saying no, then slowly manages to get to her feet. It's like she's compelled to do it and can't help herself. She'd stand on the table if she could!

I think I just cut the "rein" part in half, fed it through the holes in the seat and tied underneath (DD2 aka escape artist is 4 now so was a little while ago!).

Although I think the others are right new reins (mine were 2nd hand) do come with straps for attaching to rings in prams etc so the cutting might not be necessary!

You can buy reins with straps for that purpose I recently purchased some in Mothercare.

I had some of those reins with loops. The loops had clips and could replace the reins. I fed the loops through the slots in the chair so the clips were in the seat. Then i took the back legs off the chair, threaded them through the loops and put the legs back on. then clipped harness to clips. Harness was then firmly attached, but could be removed to go in the washing machine. Failing that get reins and get imaginative with some cable ties to secure them to the chair.

As an aside, if you take off the straps and the legs, and the top rack of your dishwasher, the seat can go in the dishwasher!

Is it the plastic ikea chair? You may know this but you can tighten the straps at the back. They aren't great though. I used to use a bullfrog clip at the back to stop them coming loose again. That helped a bit but ds1 wasn't as intrepid as your dd by the sound of it.

Thanks Waffles. I think I know what you mean though I'm having visions of DH coming in from work tomorrow to find us eating dinner, with DD secured in the chair with sellotape wrapped round her loads of times!

The reins we got came with loops as well, to attach to things - you can sort of loop them through themselves and round a bar or whatever, and then clip them on to the harness. You could loop them through the top of the leg bar of the Ikea highchair. <feel like I am not explaining very well>...

Hi agirland2boys. In desperation, I tried her on her brother's booster seat at dinner tonight. It has a 3 point harness but she's quite little (1 this month) and just didn't look very secure. In fact, she looked like she might try and leap over a side so I took her back out.

Hi LoonyRationalist. How did you attach them? I'm thinking if I just make them quite loose then get them round the chair part so I can secure her between the chair and reins, iyswim. Would that work?

perhaps she just wants to sit at the table; could you get one of those booster seats that straps onto the chair? they usually come with 3-point harnesses.

I adapted a cheap pair of reins for this exact purpose.

It's neither. It just has a silly and unadjustable lap belt. She's quite small so it's bigger than she needs and that's why she slips out of it so easily. I'll look into a 5 point harness. She's started walking at 9.5 months so I'll be able to use it for that if it doesn't work with the highchair,

Is it a 3 or 5 point harness. We have 5point ones from mothercare. They can also be changed into reins for walking. Theres no escaping from them.

We've got the ikea one as we are blw and it's easy to keep clean but she's started climbing out, even with the useless strap done up.

Is there any other strap/harness I can get that will keep her in? She's so quick at it too. In the time it takes me to get my fork to my lips, she's already on her feet! Then I put her on the floor and she complains because she's still hungry!