BABY HIGH CHAIR SHOPPING BASICS

• Holding your baby without mishap during meals
• Allow baby the opportunity to observe you and chat you with while the kitchen is cleaned
• Provide your baby with a handy baby-sized table for a few toys for play

Whether it's your traditional wooden baby high chair or one of ultra-modern Svan or Fleurville Calla high chairs, if you have a small child to feed, this is a real household necessity!

The Calla kind of makes me feel as though I'm sticking the baby in the mouth of a trumpet for mealtime! I can guarantee you will have vivid memories of baby's first chair with this brand. If Andy Warhol were still around I'd swear that he designed this streamlined seat. If the Svan's design took you out of your baby gear comfort zone, you'd better strap on your seatbelt for this one cause it's going to be a bumpy ride! If you took away the tray and footrest, you honestly would not be able to guess WHAT this thing was supposed to be! The trends seem to be moving away from the classic wooden baby high chairs toward spaceage styles, so plan your surrounding decorations accordingly! Who would have ever thought that there would be an aquarium high chair on the market. Fisher Price has done a fabulous job of combining teaching tools with basic function in the world of baby products.

The baby high chair tray may not keep all baby’s food off the floor, but it does slow the process a tiny bit. Nursery furniture and baby high chair styles are subject to trends just like any piece of baby furniture.





There are some features that a well made highchair must have and you should take the time to look for. The rest is up to your taste in nursery themes or baby décor and as always you must adhere to the best safety guidelines.

Read reviews and compare prices online, Epinions is a good place for free consumer input. Visit the discount stores that advertise wholesale prices and sales. Take baby along and try a few on for size. Many baby high chairs have a very snug fit for less food spillage opportunities. The highchair of your dreams may not be comfortable enough for your baby to enjoy (HA HA ) sitting in it! The high chair is not just for dining as we know. It's really handy to hook on a baby toy and let baby play while we tend to a few cleanup chores.

THE CONSTRUCTION:
Most of the baby high chairs found in the discount stores consist of a plastic tray, seating area, footrest and safety belts mounted on hollow metal tubing. Take some time to inspect the baby chair hardware. Quality baby chair hardware will make or break a high chair! Replacement hardware and other replacement parts for your baby's high chair may be available from the manufacturer, but why buy expensive replacement parts and hardware if you don't have to!

HIGH CHAIR TRENDS

You may have an old wooden baby high chair that was a family heirloom and that is certainly a treasure. Antique baby cribs and other vintage pieces of baby furniture such as high chairs, are interesting, full of history and so pretty to look at, but some may be lacking in valuable safety features. Personally, I’d save the antiques for the kids to put their baby dolls in.

Baby high chairs made of wood in carved, ornate styles and of simple Amish fashion are available. There are some current wooden high chairs that have a less contemporary feel but are up to standard safety codes. Most are a combination of wood and plastic construction. The plastic tray is for easy cleanup. Trapped food within baby's reach is not exactly healthy after all.

One example of this type of high chair is the Eddie Bauer by Cosco Eddie Bauer High Chair in natural wood. This chair has a very simple wooden design with a beige seat cushion or pad.

The foot rest and the back have the Eddie Bauer logo. This chair is easily found at many quality discount baby centers such as

With no height adjustment, wheels or folding options this chair reminds me of a restaurant high chair. This may be a plus as there are not many places for your baby boy or baby girl to stick what they don’t eat. Easy cleaning may rate way above folding in your book! Otherwise, this would not be a wise choice for someone needing a portable baby high chair.

Smart moms know that the wrong high chair pad and baby food just don't mix. When the pad gets dirty, the whole chair looks worn out and dirty, so easy clean pads are very important. If the baby high chair pads get so dirty and are beyond cleaning, high chair replacement pads like the Fireside Comforts High Chair Pad with Ruffled Edges are the only way to go!

CHECK IT OUT!

• The tray should be designed for single handed release and to contain spills. Some models provide two trays: one is designed deeper and larger for feeding and the other smaller for having a snack or just sitting and playing. Personally, I don’t need more stuff to store and one large tray suits me fine. The small one would not go in my dishwasher any easier than the larger one so what’s the point.

• Does the baby high chair have a 5 point safety harness? Does the fastener appear sturdy and easy to use? Do all safety belts appear to be sufficient to restrain your little doll at his or her most resistant moment?

• Does the chair have a safety post attached to the high chair seat in between the legs to keep baby from squirming out of the chair by going underneath the tray? A one year old baby can play Houdini and wiggle right out of that chair without a crotch post. Most new models have this feature. If you are looking at a used chair and find that it does not have a post of this nature, I would look further. The post is not meant to replace safety belts but is an essential part of the safety features.

• Does the chair come with multiple seat height adjustments? There’s no way to tell in the store which height will work best for you and baby and you may need some flexibility.

• Does the baby high chair have casters or wheels? If you need a portable high chair be sure the wheels are locking and that they roll smoothly.

• Will you need to store the high chair? Try folding your chair and pick it up to see how well it will function under these circumstances. Does the locking mechanism activate the minute you unfold the chair and stay locked? Folding isn't necessary, but it's pretty nice if you are living in a small space with all the other baby gear that you have to have.

• Does the seat pad cover appear to be well sewn , soft enough for baby and easy to clean? The high chair pad and baby will spend a lot of time together so remember those ruffles may be stylish, but they will not be easy to clean. Get a nice pattern on your seat cover, palm trees, pink bunnies, teddy bears…it really doesn’t matter it’s to camouflage the splatter!

• Is the basic footprint of the baby high chair one you can deal with in your space or area?

• Run your hands over and under all parts of the chair. Are you satisfied there are no dangerously sharp edges, cracks, crevices or working parts big enough for a baby’s tiny finger to get stuck in? Are all connections, nuts and bolts really attached so that your little doll can’t work them loose? Is there anything you can see that might present a choking hazard?

WHAT DO YOU GET FOR THE MONEY?

THE BUDGET MODELS under $100
As all high chairs have to adhere to current safety standard this chair will perform well on a basic level. One area where this chair may fall short is the lack of flexibility. There may be no height, folding or reclining option. If you have any of those special needs a chair in this price range may not meet them. If the seat pad is not vinyl, will you be able to remove and wash it? Even so, if the cover is not made of a soft vinyl it will be more difficult to keep clean. Are you comfortable with the sturdiness and feel of the chair?

Not that inexpensive baby items present danger as they all must adhere to safety codes, please pay close attention to recalls. If Grandma has a baby high chair, know what brand and model it is so that you can watch for a recall on it as well.

Even widely sold brands can have recalls such as the wildly popular Playskool 1-2-3 baby high chair that had a problem with its restraint bar some time ago. You can read the recall for this high chair at most any consumer alert website.

THE MID-RANGE from $100 to $150
In this range, you will find more of the flexibility of height, ease of use and portability that we spoke of earlier. Still give it the Celebrity Mom once over to be sure that the price increase means added quality

LUXURY SUPER CHAIRS $150 and UP!!
The dream collection of the designer set. Unique European or Euro design or heavy wooden chairs with thick cushy seat padding in custom fabrics and extra seat covers. Folding and adjusting these chairs SHOULD be a breeze! Try them out and be certain that it IS!

The Svan High Chair Reviews have been stellar thus far. The Svan has been reported to be adjustable for the period of infancy through adolescence. Break the total cost down year by year and that's cheap for cutting edge design! The Svan High Chair comes in three finishes - cherry stain, natural (a pickled look),and a whitewashed finish. The cushions come in five colors including red!

Most luxury status chairs tend to have a larger footprint that is good for stability, but this feature may not work well in small areas. The above mentioned Svan High Chair does not seem to have this problem but you should check to be sure. Some models will morph into a swing or a toddler table, but before you pay the extra bucks be sure this is a possibility for you.

The conversion factor brings us to the current minimalist offering, The Nest, by Mozzee. The unique feature of this baby high chair would be that it's convertible from a baby feeding chair to a toddler seat that will serve your child until about age six! If this ultra modern plastic design suits your dining room decor this may a piece worth consideration. While this will not be the most portable piece of furniture in your pad with its large circular base, it may well be one of the most stable.

UNIQUE BABY GEAR, NURSERY THEMES and BABY ROOM DECORATING IDEAS