To think she could have sat in a normal chair?

[Theskyitwasmaroon]

I drove to see a friend today, about 100 miles away. I took my DD who is 9 months, she eats solids now and at home sits up with us in a highchair.

We specifically got invited for lunch that my friend made.

My friend has a DD who is 3.5, they have a Tripp trapp so I didn’t take a highchair with me as I thought she could use their highchair.

However when it came to eating, my friend insisted her DD sit in the Tripp trapp? This meant my DD had to sit in her car seat on the floor. I had to then feed her lunch on my lap. Her DD asked to sit on the normal chairs and my friend insisted she must sit in the highchair (it was on the highchair setting still, the same setting we use for DD).

AIBU to think this is quite rude? It made my lunch uncomfortable as DD hates her car seat and likes to sit up. I felt a bit bad for excluding her. Surely one time sitting at a dining chair wouldn’t hurt?

Three and a half, still squished into a high chair?
Very odd.

Yes it did look odd to be honest!

I think it's weird that a 3.5 year old is still in the high chair setting on a trip trap. Mine has all the attachments off now and uses it as a normal chair.

However I think YABU for just assuming that your DD could use the chair especially when you could have just had her on your lap, she didn't need to be in the car seat.

She needed to sit in the car seat so I could eat lunch as there was nowhere else safe to put her down? They have a dog too so I didn’t want her just roaming around really.

Maybe get one of the folding booster seats to keep in your car boot, they are brilliant for when you go to restaurants, away for holidays etc

The Tripp Trapp needs to be adapted for newborns, babies, toddlers so I don't see how your 9 month old would have been able to sit in it without the attachments, and the foot rest has probably been lowered. Presumably your friend has put them away.

The Tripp Trapp is supposed to be usable up to 8 years, I have 2. One being used by my 2 year old and the other by my 7 year old. They can't really swap because we have them both configured differently.

I think eating with a baby in your lap is par for the course away from home. I don't think I'd assume I could use someone else's high chair.

She has got it adapted exactly the same way that we have ours. I just thought it was a bit rude that I had driven such a long way for my DD to be sat on the kitchen floor.

Why didn’t you say “can Elsie please use the high chair? I didn’t bring mine”
she probably thought you were weird for not bringing a high chair

the trip trap is specifically designed to be used for older children too.

Don't go back.

Do people really take a highchair with them when they go for lunch? It never crossed my mind. Presumably you don’t take the Tripp trapp when you take a 3 year old to a restaurant?

She has the chair set up with the plastic seat which is the same way we have ours for DD.

Sure the car seat is slanted backwards and not safe position for a baby to eat in? Your friend is a bit odd but I would have just sat my baby on my knee.

Sounds like it was still in the first high-chair setting though, not in any of the subsequent setups? Which is a bit bonkers at 3.5! If so, then a polite thing to do would be for her child to sit on a seat as they are physically able to presumably at that age so the actual baby could use the high chair. Stick a cushion under their bum if need be.

DD2 is 2 and we've had our Tripp Trap in one of the boosted chair settings for ages (although she does ask to sit in a 'baby seat' when we go in places for some reason!)

she probably thought you were weird for not bringing a high chair

I would think someone was quite bizarre if they arrived for a brief visit with a high chair.

That said, isn't learning to eat one-handed a key baby years skill?

Don't know why you assumed you didn't need to bring a highchair

3.5 in a highchair setting is bonkers. Yanbu.

I wouldn’t take a high chair to a friends house just for the day, I’d sit baby on lap and eat one handed / help them eat and hope that friend would offer to hold baby while ate

And I'd never expect a guest coming for an hour or so to bring a high chair with them! I'd make sure we could accommodate with what we had and if we couldn't I'd then suggest they bring something, but we've used all sorts when I had antenatal friends round: bumbo seats; high chairs, older kids sitting on a booster or cushion so the younger ones can use high chair, little sit-me-up chairs.

I didn’t feed her in the car seat I just put her in it so I could eat. I felt bad that she was then just sat on the floor!

Yes I could have eaten one-handed I just think if friend came to my house for lunch and a catch up I would have offered the highchair so she could comfortably eat lunch. It’s quite distracting eating one-handed with DD trying to grab off my plate etc!

these chairs aren’t high chairs. My son is 7 and still in one of these as they grow with you. They’re higher than a normal chair so he can access food easier.

I do think yabu op. There might be a reason for her to want her DD to use that chair , like to keep a routine I.e. should have probably asked first rather than assumed

Very odd of your friend, but why didn't you sit your DD on your lap?

We had a travel baby seat that unfolded out for ours when they were small. I'm surprised a 3.5 year old would be comfortable with the infant back seat setting on a Tripp Trapp, we got rid of that bit and the bar well before then. I still use the actual chair as an office chair (with a cushion to sit on).

I'd think someone was odd if they brought their own high chair 😅

I used to take a clip on one if we were staying over. For one meal, baby would be on lap. With a good friend and two kids, we would probably just end up doing an indoor picnic if the table wasn't working out.