26Jun2010
High jinks in the high chair
From about 8 months our baby began protesting about being in the high chair in a big way. She lifted up her legs as she was being lowered in and it would be a real wrestle to sit her down and strap her in safely- not a good way to start supper. It seemed weird, as our other children would sit in the same chair quite happily for ages.
It suddenly occurred to me that maybe putting her at the table with us would get a better response. I used our old plastic travel high chair booster seat and it worked a treat. She now shouts for the others when it’s meal time and jumps up enthusiastically to climb into the chair.
I think it’s part of growing up and wanting to feel part of family life at the table, rather than in a separate zone, especially in the usual chaos and laughter/squabbles of family meal times at our house!
We stayed with friend’s recently who had a brilliant Mothercare travel seat made of soft padded vinyl with a lovely front pouch to stop the baby from leaning too far forward. Something to consider if your budget won’t stretch to a Tripp Trapp or equivalent. I personally would advise against the funky fabric high chairs which slip over the back of seats unless you are happy to wash them in the machine after each use or until your baby/toddler develops perfect table manners! Check out the MM&Me market place and you might be lucky enough to pick up a bargain travel high chair that can be taken on holidays and weekends/days away too – also, hugely handy when friends with little ones pop by.
