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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

high chairs

22 replies

neilsmum · 13/01/2007 17:38

Going to start weaning ds soon. will need to buy a high chair at some point. just wondering how long does a child need a high chair for and whether it is actually better to buy one of those expensive ones because the advertisement says unlike regular high chairs they will not become obsolete after2 years?any advice from experienced mums will be appreciated.

OP posts:

Twinklemegan · 13/01/2007 17:41

I'm not very experienced I'm afraid, but we had three main considerations. Foldability as we've not much space, removeable washable straps and cost. We got ours from Mothercare for about £40 and it's very good. Does everything we need it to. We decided that if DS needs his own special chair when he's 2+ years we'd look into it then. We'll probably end up using a booster seat after the highchair anyway.

MrsBadger · 13/01/2007 17:46

if you're short of space maybe consider something like this that will fit on one of your own dining chairs hence takes up no floor space.

If you do decide you want a Tripp-Trapp style one, have a look in Tchibo as they sometimes do one (thus ) for much much less.

mamijacacalys · 13/01/2007 18:43

There was a thrad on here a while ago about how manky high-chairs get, and lots of people recommended one at Ikea for £15 because it was basic plastic but v easy to clean.

Would agree that cleanability is important!

DetentionGrrrl · 13/01/2007 20:16

and i can't recommend anti-bacterial wipes enough- you can just grab a couple and wipe down the tray, seat etc quickly.

satine · 13/01/2007 20:23

I do love my Tripp Trapp and it lasts them right up until their teens - and because they sit up at the table, the chair doesn't get as disgusting as the ones with trays and plastic padded seats. Just don't bother putting the seat pad under their bottom on - it's a pain to remove for washing.
It is expensive but it's a testament to how long they last that you hardly ever see second hand ones for sale. I have even left mine outside overnight in the rain on more than one occasion () to no ill effect!

auntymandy · 13/01/2007 20:24

my last baby I got one that fastens to a chair. can be used on floor too.

MissGolightly · 13/01/2007 20:27

I have two, a tripp trapp for the living room, which looks nice and will last Ds until the age of, ooo, 25 or thereabouts, and an £11 IKEA one for the kitchen that is super-light and can be carried around and collapsed for trips to grandparents etc.

The tripp trapp is easier to clean and more comfortable, DS rocks back and forth in the IKEA one and whacks his head on the plastic so I have to resort to stuffing a cushion down behind him to keep him pushed forward. However you can't argue with an £11 price tag.

Also depends how well your baby sits up - neither the tripp trapp nor the ikea one can be used until the child can sit upright unassisted, whereas some other types can be put into an almost reclining position and can be used from much earlier on.

laundrylover · 13/01/2007 20:54

If you're doing BLW definately get the Ikea one and a plastic mat for the floor. At £15 you can get a more adaptable one at a later date or go straight to a booster on a chair when they are ready to eat at the table.
I found the Ikea one fine for my small 6 month old as was having to boost my old Argos one wuth a cushion - didn't go well with ready brek!!!

littleducks · 13/01/2007 22:07

my main highchair atm is this booster as i wanted a tray as im blw-ing and it travels to mil etc. easy peasy also goes in dishwasher (didnt convince dh to buy me the dishwasher) but i have tchibo one in the loft not on sale atm but i found one left over in windsor tchibo just before xmas, for when she is eating at the table not off tray.

chipo · 13/01/2007 23:57

My dd got this one for xmas from my bil and it is great, easy clean and very adjustable.
she is just starting to sit up alone and with padded seat cushion which I later bought she has plenty of support. Similar to tripp trapp but a bit cheaper. Hers was bought from this website and arrived in 2 days, really good service. Highly recommended.

suzycreamcheese · 14/01/2007 00:17

another vote for tripp trapp here, excellent simple and elegant...

Original poster

neilsmum · 14/01/2007 08:05

Thanks for all the replies. The baby dan one looks good. really drooling over the tripp trapp with me being style conscious and all that, but dh protesting as it does not have a tay.Is that a major problem?

OP posts:

Original poster

neilsmum · 14/01/2007 08:05

sorry, tray not tay!

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littleducks · 14/01/2007 09:01

Depends on when and how your planning on weaning your baby, if your weaning at six months and are going to offer lots of finger food i would recommend it, as i did blw and really struggled without a tray when out and about. Also a tray is great for keeping oit contained when they spill all their water!

However if you were weaning earlier and using purees, i suppose that as you are feeding babe a tray wouldnt be so essential and when you did get round to using finger foods they would have long enough arms to reach the table.

mawbroon · 14/01/2007 09:54

I would second the comments about needing a tray, and I would also make sure that the tray is quite deep and not flat. I would also suggest that a removable tray is far easier to clean than one that's permenantly fixed on.

MissGolightly · 14/01/2007 14:45

I don't have a tray and manage to do plenty of finger foods without - I just put down loads of newspaper on the floor and push DS right up against the table so he can't drop too much into his lap. Things do go around the side but we are happy to eat off the floor .

But you can get trays to fit Tripp Trapps, they are occasionally available on Ebay. I don't think they are made by Stokke (who don't recommend trays as part of their philosophy about family eating) but they say that they are specifically designed to fit the Tripp Trapp. I can't see any for sale at the moment but keep an eye out.

PinkTulips · 14/01/2007 14:48

i have one of those wooden ones that turns into a table and cair and they're fabulous... got it for about 30 quid when dd was 3 months and it was used by her as either a highchair, lowchair or table and chair til ds needed it and it;s now a highchair again.

very easy to clean too

MissGolightly · 14/01/2007 14:49

Oops - just found the trays on ebay! I was searching "tray tripp trapp" and they are actually listed under "tray stokke".

Here is a link , but if it's expired by the time you come to view it, just put "tray stokke" in the ebay search facility and you'll get half a dozen.

However they don't have a rim, so questionable as to whether they are any better than just a large table.

satine · 14/01/2007 18:21

I never missed a tray - just pushed the chair up to the table. In fact less went on the floor, as babies soon learn to chuck everything over the side of the tray!

glamourbadger · 14/01/2007 18:50

I can't recommend the IKEA highchairs enough. My babies were small and couldn't sit when we started weaning but the chairs supported them really well. I tried them in Mothercare chairs and the harness pinned them back in the seat like little rag dolls! They were also lost in the Tripp Trapps.

The chairs are moulded plastic so easy to clean - I take mine outside and hose it off or you could put it under the shower. The legs come off easily so we often take ours to friends. If you take off the tray the baby can sit right up at the table - like a Tripp Trapp but about £150 cheaper!

The only negative is they have quite a large footprint and not foldable so only worth considering if you have the space to have the chair sitting up all the time.

Original poster

neilsmum · 14/01/2007 19:04

Thanks for all the replies.So many options out there...its confusing. but will check out the ikea website.

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smittenkitten · 14/01/2007 19:54

i have the stokke trip trapp which is v stylish and should last for ever but a bit of a faff to assemble and adjust. my mum went to other end of scale and got ikea one for her house and he's just as happy in that. only thing is it's too high for him to sit at the table, which is what I love about the trip trapp.

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