To ask if toddler dining chairs are pointless?

[MarianneVos]

My DCs are too big for highchairs but too small for normal chairs. We have booster seats but they're still a little low.

I've seen that you can get toddler seats like this:
www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/agam-junior-chair-black-70253541/

But the seat height is 52cm. Normal adult chairs are 46-50cm high so AIBU to think these are just a pointless gimmick if they only add 2cm?

Or have people found them really useful? If so, to what age?

Gimmick.

We have a trip trap which my 5 yo still uses. It's been great, and was used as a high chair too.

I find them really good for my 2 and 5 year old. Since I got them my 5 year old is much more comfortable at the table, it's not just the extra height it's the bar which gives her somewhere to our her feet. We have the urban at grandparents and argam at home.

We have an IKEA junior chair and I think it's great. We've used it through two dc and youngest is now nearly 5 and it still fits much better than the normal chair (otherwise, he has to sit on his knees). It's also lower backed so great for brushing longer hair in too.

We used them from about 18m (with a strap initially), and they still use them at 3&5. They use normal chairs when out, but these are just perfect for them, make sitting and find crafts a lot easier etc.

I’ve got the IKEA urban chair and my son still uses it age 9. The extra height makes a difference. Worth it in my opinion

We use the stokke Tripp trapp with Ds 2.5. He hasn’t used high chair bar part since 18 months but he would be way too small to eat comfortably on normal chair. In restaurants he fidgets loads

Just buy or use a cushion.

Another fan of the trip trapp. Used from very small & still used as extra dining chairs.

no idea of the price comparison these days, but if I didn't have a trip trapp I'd have tried one of these.

2cm (IF your dining chairs are 50cm??) and the foot rail can make a big difference, but at the same time if they're happy on their knees then is there really an issue that needs sorting? (My 53 yo knees are weeping at what they can no longer do!!)

Mine loved them. Initially PILs bought one for my then 3yo, but her18m sister wouldn't et off it so the bought her one too.

Used until 5 or so. Thy were actually really useful when learning to write as the ere in the proper position at the table.

However... at m parents ouse w used one of the backless booster seats meant for older hidden in cars and it was sufficient. But the Junior chair was a lot more stable.

We have these - well the sort that were around 15ish years ago. DC are now teenagers and still prefer sitting on them (we have plenty of normal chairs they could use), whenever I say do they want to swap...

They are quite comfy for adults to sit on too - not for long periods of time but to perch on for specific things. Dc2 was a new baby when we bought them as we needed the high chair for him - I was really glad that we bought 2 at the same time as if we had waited for him to be old enough to need one, we would have ended up with 2 different styles as they changed their designs and I like that we have 2 that match. Might be worth considering!

So I'd definitely say they are worth it and not a fad 😁

Chicco Pocket Snack Booster Seat - Green amzn.eu/d/fjSf1UU

we still use this all the time (without the white tray). Depends on height of your chairs and table whether you need one, surely?

Should have mentioned my son turned 3 in August.

We have the ikea ingolf www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/ingolf-junior-chair-antique-stain-60353838/. It's gone through two boys with my youngest still using it at almost 10 (he's small for his age). It's made dining so much easier and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

We've got Tripp traps too and my now y7s and I use them as desk chairs. Expensive yes, but they will still be going strong by the time they go to uni!

Standard seat depth can be uncomfortable too, it's not just height.

I sit cross legged on chairs because dangling legs and the front of the seat digging in below the knee is blooming uncomfortable.

We used booster seats for years for the DCs. Our chairs would be in better nick if we'd used children's chairs (they're good, solid wood, but have worn on the surface) DS1 still uses a wobble cushion and has for some years to give him more comfort at the table.

We have the ikea ingolf chairs which are perfect for my 2, who are 4 and almost 6. I can see us using them for at least a couple more years.
you can usually get them off marketplace cheap and they last really well.

Floor cushion or a big book under a seat pad (put it in a plastic bag). No purchase is necessary.

we have tripp traps which my 9, 7 and 3 yr olds all use happily at different settings for their height. They don’t look like childish chairs and I often sit on them too. You can usually get them second hand at a good price as they are v expensive new.

Got something similar from ikea when my twins were little and they still use them aged 12.
I prefer to sit on them when I'm eating, too (if the children aren't, obvs) because I'm not very tall and the standard chairs seem a bit low now. The only problem for me is that the seat bit is a too small for my considerably large backside!!

The alternative would be a HandySitt (if they are still available and your chairs are compatible). We had one for our eldest when he was little and it worked well for us

I had one of the ikea ones and used it for years. They didn't move out of it until maybe year 1 or year 2. They can use a adult chair earlier but they will sit very low and make more of a mess at the table than if they are on a higher chair and have more control over the cutlery.

I have to add that I'm short and my DC are quite small too. If they are big, they'll probably grow out of it sooner.

For my first, I had one of those really expensive high chairs that turned into a toddler chair. He hated it.

All three of mine have wanted to come out of a high chair at about 14 months and have all just kneeled on one of the normal dining chairs to reach the table.

We had trip traps when they were little and had an ikea junior chair later which was like a small chair with long legs.

They were all good.
They allowed the kids to sit properly at the table, with the table at the right height. They are comfortable and more relaxed.

key to all of them though I would say is somewhere for their feet, so a bar at the right level, so their feet are not hanging.

All led to more relaxed eating.
When at other peoples' house, even on a cushion, they usually ended up with their feet tucked under on the knees, and not surprisingly quickly get tired.

the advantage over a booster chair is that most boosters have arm rests so that they won't tuck under the edge of most tables.