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Is a trip trap highchair worth the money?

79 replies

kentuckyfreudchicken · 13/03/2007 17:58

Need a new highchair, hate foul cossato aurora I had but swore would never spend ridiculous amount of money on a highchair again.
So is it worth it and any cheaper alternatives anyone can suggest?

OP posts:
snowleopard · 14/03/2007 10:19

Can I hijack this thread a bit to ask Tripp Trapp (etc.) users - what happens when your DC wants to get down from the chair (when used without the baby bar part)? DS is getting on for 2 and is resisting using his proper highchair, but a normal chair is too low for him and he falls off the sides too easily - and I like the look of the tripp trapp. But if I put him in a tripp trapp style chair, sitting higher up, I'm worried he'd just wriggle and fall off it all the time, or try to get down and fall. And at what age can they climb into it themelves? Also, when we had a look at one in John Lewis, the seat and footrest seemed to slide in and out of the slats too easily, so they never stayed in one place - what do you do about that?

throckenholt · 14/03/2007 10:21

to stop the sliding you tighten the screws !

They can pretty much climb on themselves by 2. Getting them to stay there is down to you. We used a harness/reins tied on the back of the seat for a while.

PrettyCandles · 14/03/2007 10:21

Snowleopard - get a simple booster from Mothercare or similar. It straps onto the ordinary chair and has raised sides so the child doesn't fall off easily but can get on and off by themselves. And it's vastly cheaper than a Triptrap!

YeahBut · 14/03/2007 10:26

Love ours and dd1 is still using hers at 7.5. Puts them at exactly the right height for the table. One of our better parenting buys!

suzycreamcheese · 14/03/2007 10:28

snowlepoard..we used a harness (about a fiver) til he was old enough to climb up and down safely..

Enid · 14/03/2007 10:29

I think it is odd to have what is basically a highchair at 8

MuminBrum · 14/03/2007 10:32

Well, Enid, I think it's a beautiful piece of design, and it works perfectly to allow my DS to sit comfortably at the table at exactly the right height. And Prettycandles, if you would rather have a perfectly hideous booster on one of your chairs, then you are absolutely welcome to go right ahead. So nerr to all of you Tripp Trapp naysayers.

YeahBut · 14/03/2007 10:33

It's not basically a highchair. It is a chair designed for children to sit at the best height for a standard dining table which also happens to have a kit allowing people to modify it for use with infants.

AitchYouBerk · 14/03/2007 10:35

agree with enid and cod, people always bang on about how the £140 tripp-trapp lasts for years, but you can get a long-legged chair in ikea for less than fifteen quid, giving you the same result for an outlay of £30. the tripp-trapp does look purty, i admit, but it's a lot of money. for the record i have never, ever tripped over the legs of the antilop and i have a tiny kitchen.

Enid · 14/03/2007 10:36

arent chairs designed to allow people to sit at tables at the right height? [bemused emoticon]

NotanOtter · 14/03/2007 10:38

i love the tripp trapp but then i have seen what its like to be without any baby paraphinalia and i did NOT like it!

NotanOtter · 14/03/2007 10:39

cling on to the baby stage for all you are worth

My 14 year old is still strapped in his

snowleopard · 14/03/2007 10:39

Thanks - will look at boosters. But I do also like the idea of a beautiful wooden thing with adjustable height...

Enid · 14/03/2007 10:41

snowleapord the handysitt is good if you wnt wooden

portable and useful

YeahBut · 14/03/2007 10:42

Standard chairs are designed to let the average sized adult sit (with both feet on the floor) at the optimum height.

AitchYouBerk · 14/03/2007 10:43

er, the long legged chairs at ikea have foot bars.

Enid · 14/03/2007 10:43

oh stick a cushion on

if you want to spend £140 then go right ahead, you'll justify it somehow. Little Algernon will probably give his spine just the right start in life.

prettybird · 14/03/2007 10:44

Love ours. OAnd ds loves it too as a standard seat which mean he can sit with his feet supported (lije we do as adults, withour feet on the floor - only his legs aren't long engouh yet, so he uses the extra triptrapp bit).

In fact his seat is so comfortabel, when he is not in the kitchen, we use it!

fondant4000 · 14/03/2007 10:48

Yes! def worth it. I ummed and ahhed and used cheap highchair till dd was 1 yr old. Just wih I'd bought it sooner - she's still using it at 4 yrs old. Bought another cheap from ebay (new, imported) for dd2 before she was born!

snowleopard · 14/03/2007 12:33

Enid!

Bagpuss30 · 14/03/2007 14:54

Agree with Enid about the Handysitt. We had one for dd (she was in an awful M&P contraption beforehand, which belonged to her brother) and it was really useful for the inbetween stage. My mum had the Ikea one for when we visited and that was really good too.

CODalmighty · 14/03/2007 14:55

i think stokee thigns are UGLY
who said they are nice?

Tutter · 14/03/2007 14:56

tis bloody marvellous

but beware tripp trapp toe

CODalmighty · 14/03/2007 14:56

its wank

Tutter · 14/03/2007 14:57

tis marvellous