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Weaning

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

Original poster

What is so good about the tripp trapp highchairs that everybody goes on about?

107 replies

chloemegjess · 11/05/2008 22:02

Hello, I am wondering why people actually like these? I look after a little girl who has one and HATE feeding her in it. I seriously couldn't think of a worse high chair. It drives me mad! Give me a plastic tray one anyday!

OP posts:
Dragonbutter · 12/05/2008 14:44

We have two tripptrapp chairs.
DS1 is 3.5 and loves it. He's more comfortable at the table now and it improved his eating.
DS2 is 1 year old, he climbed right out of the top of his and onto the table where i found him on all fours eating his brothers dinner.
Does anybody know if i need to buy the tripptrapp harness or will any harness to the job?

Caz10 · 12/05/2008 15:10

fab thanks aitch, now i need to explain to DH why we must go to Ikea again!

quint · 12/05/2008 15:16

I can understand to a point when people say that they like their children to explore with their food and be able to make a mess so have a highchair with a tray, however we have a rather nice table that i prefer not to have food smudged into so I bought a clear plastic mat for the table (John Lewis haberdashers department - on the roll so you can get it as long as you need).

Before DD2 could sit unaided I used the bumbo for weaning (also very good and would highly recommend - wished I'd had one dfor DD1) then when she could sit up we moved onto the tripp trapp with the baby set and cushion so was lovely and comfy.

If you don;t like the tripp trapp thats fine, no one is forcing you to have one. Maybe they're like marmite, you love em or hate em.

tarantula · 12/05/2008 15:17

Dd got one for her first Xmas (she was 11 mnths) and still uses it at 4 and I certainly cant see her out growing it any time soon. She even insists on having it ourside when we eat otu as its much more comfortable than an ordinary chair where she has to kneel up or reach up high. They also look good and are very comfy to sit on for adults. Great for posture. Cant see us getting rid even when shes much older and sitting on ordinary chairs.

JackieNo · 12/05/2008 15:23

Dragonbutter - if you mean for the tripptrapp, you certainly used to be able to use any harness with it - ours (admittedly it's 8 yrs old, so model may have changed) has 2 d-rings at the sides - just clip any harness onto them. We used ones that my mum had saved from when I was a child.

auntyspan · 12/05/2008 15:31

I got a tripptrapp because we were so short of space in our kitchen. The tripptrapp fits underneath our kitchen table, just like another chair rather than a massive plastic one taking up half the kitchen.

And DD loves it. Yes it has D-rings and I have attached a pair of reins to it for DD (who is 2.3 and wriggles like a madwoman) I hope she's still using it in a couple of years

Sunshinemummy · 12/05/2008 15:35

I love my Tripp Trapp and DS loves his. We've just bought one for DC2 who is due in August. We also got a fab mat from Blooming Marvellous which sticks to the table and has a catcher bit to it and we used that all the time when weaning. They look fab as well.

Dragonbutter · 12/05/2008 15:51

Oh dear. I don't seem to have any d-rings on mine! Have the designs changed so i have to buy a tripptrapp harness?

JackieNo · 12/05/2008 15:54

Dragonbutter - it might be worth checking they've not got pushed back in between the backrest and the side bars - ours come out of the lower of the 2 backrest slots, iyswim, but the bit of material or whatever it is they're fixed to is quite flexible.

JackieNo · 12/05/2008 15:59

Just looking at the Stokke harness and it says it includes D rings, so maybe the more recent ones don't have D rings already there. But I have a feeling we had a cheapy set of reins from somewhere like ToysRUs that had a separate bit that you could loop round things, so you could use that (not sure that makes sense - it had 2 little clips, with loops attached, so you could loop just those bits round something, then clip the main harness onto it).

Dragonbutter · 12/05/2008 16:12

ok thanks. will need to do something to restrain my little Tensing Norgay.

mistlethrush · 12/05/2008 16:25

We got our trip trapp about 2.8yrs ago - and it had D rings to fit when you put it together - so if you haven't got them, find a local stockist near you and ask them for some...

Re tipping over - its only realy the problem of feet on the table pushing backwards - not too bad a problem if you have a hard floor, except dc dissapperars from the table backwards and can't reach food. However, if you've got carpet, this could potentially cause it to tip over. HOWEVER, whenever ds did this when we were eating, I simply looped my foot over the bottom rail of the chair near ground level - finding that it didn't budge soon stopped ds trying to push it backwards!

Ds was weaned in it - and I found it really good as I was able to get close to him without a tray in the way which made it easier to help and mop up when appropriate (Ds became very adept at scraping up dribbles from his chin or cheeks at an early age!)(he wanted to eat it all ). He has a mat at the table for ease of wiping.

Now at 3.1, still really happy that this was bought for him by doting gps - keep chaning the levels to make it fit him and make him comfortable - and he is never as good in 'normal' chairs, even with a booster. Also great for art, craft, cooking etc.

FioFio · 12/05/2008 16:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

2point4kids · 12/05/2008 16:50

Have got one for DS1 and will be buying a 2nd one for DS2 when the time comes. Love it.

It works well as a highchair for the weaning stage (just as well as a plastic big highchair) but where it is worth the extra money is as a toddler seat to enable them to sit at the table and also to keep your house free from enormous plastic monstrosities!! They look just like a normal chair up against the dining table.. fab

2point4kids · 12/05/2008 16:51

Also, mine didnt come with D rings either, but I bought a harness/reins from Mothercare and got little attachments in with the harness to clip it ontp the chair!

NappiesGalore · 12/05/2008 16:55

dunno really.
i have 3 (3 kids=3 chairs)
i ordered one green, one blue and one orange, then mixed up the parts in making them so theyre multi coloured (kind of issey miyake colours i like to think ) (actually, is it miyake im thinking of? maybe not...)
and they look nice.

but nothing all that special imo.

id be just as happy with these tbh

ho hum.

quint · 12/05/2008 21:51

But with the Ikea chair there's no footstool so their feet would be left dangling. Also I'd have though quite dangerous as they wouldn't safely be able to climb on and off as DD2 (19m) does quite safely.

AitchTwoCiao · 12/05/2008 22:20

there is a footstool on the child's chair, actually. that's just an adult barstool nappies has linked to, the dreadful old lush.

AitchTwoCiao · 12/05/2008 22:22

well, a foot bar, not a footstool obv. dd could climb onto it no problem when she moved out of her antilop chair. neither has ever toppled over.

quint · 12/05/2008 23:18

I guess I'll never convince you Aitch and you'll never convince me! Thats what makes mumsnet so interesting!

NappiesGalore · 13/05/2008 08:43

oi - do you mind??

i know its a barstool. and legs would be dangling its true. i just dont much care about that. my legs dangled much of my childhood and im alright jack . mine are prolific climbers too. trust me, i could put a mountain range at the table and theyd climb it !

NappiesGalore · 13/05/2008 08:44

and agam is perpetually out of stock. have you noticed that? i wanted agams. [pout]

AitchTwoCiao · 13/05/2008 09:38

i don't need convincing, i like the tripp-trapp as i've said plenty of times on this thread. just not enough to buy one at that price when ikea can sort all your needs out for well under £50.

and a rather LOVELY mner got me the last aram in stock in her branch and sent it up to me. wasn't that nice?

Dragonbutter · 13/05/2008 09:44

DS2 is still climbing out and onto the table. it's getting irritating now as I can't turn my back on him for a second.
Do i really need to spend £20 on a tripptrapp harness or will I be able to attach a cheap one?

Sanguine · 13/05/2008 10:26

I'd try attaching a cheap one, dragonbutter. You may find you get the fixings with the harness. Otherwise, you may have to be imaginative

I can see what y'all are saying about tripp trapps. But I fear they are just one more thing on the big list of "must haves" that we don't have! We just bought the one that was at the NCT sale, along with a supply of clothes for the next six months and some nice toys.

A couple of things though. Regarding space - our plastic one folds up, unlike a tripp trapp, so we can stow it easily when we need to. Regarding the sitting at the table issue, the tray on ours is removable, and it pulls up to our table very nicely. Obviously when DS gets a bit bigger, we'll have to move to a booster seat arrangement, but I'm sure that will be fine too.