droolicious : high chair

Introducing the Astro High Chair

elizabeth leach — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:00:00 GMT

The new Astro High Chair from Valco is genius in its simplicity. With a unique folding system, the Astro High Chair folds up easily and completely flat, so it's perfect for small spaces. The shape is modern and sophisticated and the price tag is a brilliant $150.

With a deep, comfortable leatherette seat (that really looks like leather) and an adjustable, removable tray, the Astro High Chair has everything you need. I, personally, have wanted an all white high chair that didn't cost a ton, so this chair is perfect! Available in graphite, ivory, chocolate and aqua.

Visit Valco here. Purchase the Astro High Chair here for $149.99 and free shipping.

First Look: Mutsy Easygrow

Nicole Feliciano — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Sitting pretty in a new seating option from Mutsy.

You’ve got the cool stroller, the hip diaper bag and the trendy kiddie clothes. What are you doing with the clunky plastic highchair in your kitchen?

Mutsy has a new child seat called the Easygrow ($199.99) that works with contemporary interiors. The Easygrow is available in four modern colorways: dark gray, green, orange and white. This clean, sleek chair looks appropriate and weighs a mere 16 pounds.

On a practical note, the seat will work from about 6 months until your child hits the ‘tween years (about 100 lbs.). For tots, use the eating tray and bumper bar. When your baby grows, the Easygrow scoots right up to the table at mealtime. You’ll also appreciate that all materials are stain proof and washable. Bon Appetit!

Droolicious Shopping Guide: Peg Perego High Chairs

Nicole Feliciano — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:15:00 GMT

Peg Perego’s high chairs won’t guarantee a five-star dining experience, but they will speed along clean up and offer your tot a cozy launching pad for his peas.

Peg Perego hopes to take the battle out of feeding your kids. Three times a day you’ll try to get an assortment of fruits, vegetables, grains and protein into your baby’s belly. Sometimes your diner will be less than cooperative. Having the right seating can make a world of difference.

Peg Perego has a trio of dining options. The latest entry is the Tatamia ($350). In addition to being a trendy looking high chair, this souped up model does triple duty. The Tatamia quickly converts from high chair to recliner to swing (for more details, see Droolicious post).

And since babies come in all different shapes and sizes, Peg Perego has outfitted the seat with nine heights. Like all Peg products, this one is designed to be easy to maintain. The fabric is easy to wipe down as are all the plastic parts and durable wheels make it simple to maneuver in and out of the kitchen.

Pro: Even a newborn can use this seat thanks to the full recline option.
Cons: At 31 pounds and 34” wide, it is the bulkiest model.
Best For: Parents hoping to skip buying a swing and bouncy seat.

Prima Pappa Diner: Double tray model with fun, bubble print padded seat. ($222)

Pro: Cheery design livens up the kitchen.
Con: Mind the gap! Parents complain the tray isn’t close enough to baby allowing food to collect in baby’s lap.
Best For: Small spaces; the chair is a mere 22” wide and 19 lbs.

Prima Pappa Best: Adjustable footrest and backrest make this a deluxe dining chair. ($264.99)

Pro: Tray stores on chair's back legs to save counter space.
Con: Parents report pinching their fingers when folding up the seat.
Best For: Families looking for a full-feature chair.

First Look: Peg Perego Tatamia

Nicole Feliciano — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Coming in April of ’09, stylish meals on wheels from Peg Perego.

Not content to simply update their stroller line, the folks at Peg Perego are rethinking their approach to high chairs. The latest release, the Tatamia, is much more than a dining station. This is a multipurpose baby seat that will function for years. It’s billed as a comfortable infant recliner, a soothing baby swing and yes, it is also a high chair. It boasts nine different height positions making it useful from age 0 through preschool.

Like other Peg Perego designs, the Tatamia will be easy to clean. Space-crunched parents will love the relatively small frame and the spring-loaded easy-folding design. When dinner’s done, fold the Tatamia up in a compact package and reclaim your kitchen. How novel…a cheerio-free, adult-oriented evening.

The Tatamia is available in three colors: paloma (cream), cacao (chocolate) and white and is expected to ship in April ($350).

Ikea Introduces a New High Chair — And It Folds!

Heather Kuldell — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:30:00 GMT

To buy a high chair or not to buy a high chair: This question depends on a complex matrix of space, aesthetics, function and of course, price. Blargh, the price. Even basic high chairs can be shockingly expensive with rare exceptions like long-time Droolicious favorite, the Ikea Antilop High Chair. Now, Ikea has come out with the Spoling High Chair for only $39.99. The frame of the chair is made of powder-coated steel, and the seat is a removable, machine-washable polyester. There isn’t a tray, but the chair does fold up for easy storage. So the answer to the question? To buy.

Introducing Precious Planet by Fisher-Price

elizabeth leach — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Introducing Precious Planet, the new collection of baby gear from Fisher-Price. To celebrate this new collection, Fisher-Price donated $250,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Society for their work in preserving the animals and habitats that inspire the collection. See more images after the jump...

The Precious Planet Collection includes a cradle swing, take along swing, bouncer, high chair, Jumperoo, infant tub, step stool and training potty. Each one is colorful, imaginative and lots of fun.

Precious Planet Cradle Swing is $130, High Chair is $100 and the Take Along Swing is $70. Visit Fisher-Price to see the entire collection and to purchase.

Flair Highchair From Boon Now Available In Hot Pink

Chris Ford — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:30:00 GMT

My personal rule of baby furniture is - buy the furniture to match your decor, not the baby. But if you've got a hot pink kitchen, then the newest color in the Flair Highchair from Boon is perfect.

The Flair Highchair has already been one of our favorites for a while. It's a modern, pedestal high chair with an easy to use pneumatic lift. Besides the lift it has all of the standard stuff you'd want in an away-from-the-table high chair, with a fresh modern look to boot.

The Flair Highchair from Boon, available in Pink in February from Amazon.com. Check it out at BoonInc.com.

Tavo High Chair From Monte Design Is Small And Modern

Chris Ford — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:04:00 GMT

The Tavo High Chair from Monte Design is a product I missed at the ABC Kids Expo this year, and it's definitely a regret. The Tavo is a basic under-the-table high chair that looks great and doesn't look like it will take up a lot of space in your home.

The Tavo High chair seat is made of black or brown "bonded leather" which is (as I learned) a type of recycled leather. It also makes it a soft-seat (which is kind of unique) and easy to wipe down. The base is solid maple (an appropriate wood type for a product made in Canada) and is for kids who can sit unassisted - six months to four years.

The Tavo High Chair, available now for $345 from MonteDesign.com

7 Days of Feeding: This Could be the Best High Chair Ever

elizabeth leach — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:00:00 GMT

I think I should get a trophy for finding this high chair or maybe I'm the last to know, in which case a big DUH for me. In any case, I feel slightly giddy about the Euro II Highchair, which looks like a less expensive version of Stokke's Trip Trap, minus all the funky colors.

My main gripe with my high chair is all the grooves that food gets stuck in and I have to practically hose the thing down after every meal. The Euro II Highchair is so simple that it avoids the grooves. Your child can sit at the table with you or you can purchase the attachable tray for the more conventional high chair approach. This chair is sturdy enough for an adult to use, not that I can see why that would be important. The price is $99.95 and the tray is $29.95. Buy it at One Step Ahead and choose from cherry or natural wood.

I admit, I haven't tested the Euro II, but there are comments on One Step Ahead from people who have. There seems to be a few issues with strapping in an infant who is on the large size, which would have been mine, so that leaves me a little deflated. I would like to think that this is still a near perfect high chair. If not, One Step Ahead offers easy returns.

ABC Kids Expo 2008: Calla High Chair

Chris Ford — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:48:00 GMT

The Calla High Chair is kind of a puzzle for me, because while the shape of the chair really makes it stand out, even from all the other "modern" highchairs at ABC, it's still just a high chair. It's still just a piece of furniture with a very limited practical shelf-life that your kids are going to inevitably make very, very messy. But your kid has to sit somewhere and eat, right? More details after the jump.

The Calla highchair was designed by Yves Behar for Fleurville and has all of the normal high chair type stuff - a tray, a foot rest etc. It's also height-adjustable, raising all the way up to bar height (which is a nice feature). But what you're really purchasing is the look. It really was something to look at - I'm pretty sure there isn't a ninety degree angle on any part of it.. And although they didn't allow me to take a picture I still wanted to write about it.

The chair is a bright yellow and will undoubtedly stand out in your home, so it might be a hard fit with the rest of your decor. I suppose though that if you've got a room full of furniture already that the Calla would be at home in, then you probably aren't worrying about it standing out. And you probably aren't sweating the price either.

The Calla highchair will be available in the Spring of 2009 from Fleurville for a retail price of $580. Check it out at callachair.com.

ABC Kids Expo 2008: The Tri-Chair 3 In 1 High Chair

Chris Ford — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:30:00 GMT

Wondering what you're going to do with that high chair once your kid outgrows it? Well, apparently there's more than one way to skin that cat. The Tri-Chair is a brand new high chair / rocking horse / desk that doesn't require anything other than the initial assembly. Stand it upright and it's a basic "at-the-table" high chair (center in the picture above). Put it on it's side and it's a rocking horse (left). Then flip it over and it's a toddler desk (right).

It's made of 100% recycled wood fibers and powder coated for durability. I'm not sure how many parents out there were looking for something to do with their high chairs other than use them for letting their kids eat, but after checking it out I have to say it was pretty cool. And I can pretty much guarantee you've never seen anything like it.

The Tri-Chair retails for $159.00 and is available at Trichair.net.

ABC Kids Expo 2008: Dina Ultra-Slimline Folding Highchair From Bloom

Chris Ford — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:02:00 GMT

There were a lot of great products from children's furniture maker Bloom at ABC, but the first thing I'm going to write about is a band new nifty little folding highchair called "Dina."

As you can kind of see from the picture, the Dina highchair is a fully functional, full form high chair. It has a built-in tray so it isn't for sitting table-side, but the cool thing about it is that it folds up completely flat, to a form factor of about two inches wide. It folds even with the seat cover (sold separately).

The Dina High Chair is not quite available in stores now but will retail for around $300 for the chair and $40 for the pad. It's not up on their web site now, but you can still check out BloomBaby.com.

New Tripp Trapp Colors from Stokke

elizabeth leach — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:07:00 GMT

Introducing Tripp Trapp's new Trend Collection from Stokke. The Trend Collection comes in gray, yellow, pink, and green. (The classic collection comes in white, natural, cherry, walnut, black, red, and turquoise.) We've written about the highchair that grows with your child before. The Tripp Trapp chair gives the perfect support at every stage of a child's development starting at around six months until they can sit in the same chair as Mom and Dad.

What I like most about the chair is it’s easy to clean. Without all those little grooves everywhere you can easily wipe it down after the slop-fest. Some feel it's better to use the Tripp Trapp after they've outgrown the high chair or booster and I probably agree. (See Droolicious archive of that post here.) Without a doubt, the Tripp Trapp is a great looking chair and now there are even more colors to choose from. There are also eight new cushions available for the Tripp Trapp: denim blue, linen natural, tales green, tales pink, art stripes, beige stripes, dots brown, and dots black. Shop the Tripp Trapp's new collection at All Modern Baby for $299.99 and free shipping. Visit the Stokke website here.

Sassy Fascination Station is a Great Restaurant Toy

Chris Ford — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:59:00 GMT

Thinking back on the toys and things that got us through the first year of both of our kids, one of the top things was this little toy, the Sassy Fascination Station. It's just your average multi-colored rattle with one big difference. It has a suction cup on the bottom, making it (in my experience) the perfect restaurant toy.

Taking a baby to a restaurant can be a stressful experience, no matter if it's Chuck E. Cheese or your local French bistro. The cool thing about the fascination station is you can put your child in the high chair at the table, stick the toy to the table and let your kid have at it. it spins and rattles, but stays put on the table. It's not going to keep your baby's attention for the whole meal, but it is a good addition to your arsenal of distractions.

Buy the Fascination Station for $7.99 from Amazon.com

Booster Seats in Yummy Flavors like Mandarin, Apple and Raspberry

elizabeth leach — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:07:00 GMT

Grow Up! booster seats are the imac of booster seats (and yes I know imacs no longer come in these colors). Three “Life-Saver” colors – apple, raspberry, and mandarin - so cool and space-aged you won’t want to hide them when guests come over. (In fact, your friends without kids might even feel envious when they see them.) For $49 they are a lot less expensive than the stylish high-chairs on the market and if you’re space challenged they take up a lot less room. These booster seats are a far cry from the bland generic ones found in most stores. Purchase Grow Up! booster seats at www.moderntots.com. Suitable for kids up to four years old. Kids like them, too, by the way.

Tranformers! A Highchair Does Double Duty

SunnyChanel — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:21:00 GMT

We all need some extra elbow room. Traditional highchairs take up a ridiculous amount of floor space. And when the kid’s outgrown it, it either stays in the basement waiting for baby number two or is put out at your next garage sale for ten bucks. For those who want something that not only has a more manageable footprint but can mutli-task, let me introduce you to an innovative and seductively simple highchair -The Rinki. The Rinki highchair, hailing all the way from Finland, transforms from sturdy highchair to a simple stool. It comes in a variety of accent colors such as red, grey or white. Now that’s a chair that will never see the sales floor of my yard sale. $266

7 Days of High Chairs: It's Good to be the King

Lisa Mulcahy — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:28:00 GMT

We all think of our little ones as kings and queens (on their good days) well, maybe dictators and despots is a better depiction of reality. But is it pretentious to name a high chair after royalty? Perhaps. I’m going to let this one slide because it certainly is a departure from most of the modern high chairs I’ve seen.

Deserving of its noble name, the Henry IV high chair from Sibi, is a striking alternative to the expected. The swivel seat is made of laminated and varnished birch and the base is powder-coated steel. So, the price may not be right for everyone, at $1,170 from Zwello, but the company does claim that the chair is suitable for children ages 6 months to 15 years because of its ability to reconfigure into a high stylin’ child’s chair.

7 Days of High Chairs: Babylon

Erin Behan — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:10:00 GMT

Though recent high chair designs have started to move from plastic to posh, it's still not easy to find a chair that's a good mix of pleasing and practical. The Babylon high chair fills that balance nicely.

Made of baltic birch plywood, it has a seat height adjustable to eight positions (moving from coffee table-level to bar top-level) and has an optional infant tray. And its simple, straightforward design fits into most modern decor without drawing too much attention to itself. You can find the Babylon available in seven different colors (including pink!) for $198. To add the infant kit, it's $65, and cushions are $34.

Tripp Trapp: Not a High Chair but a Transition Chair

Chris Ford — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:01:00 GMT

If you're looking for the perfect high chair for your brand new I-just-started-eating-solid-foods son or daughter, then check out some of the other chairs we've written about. However if your child has outgrown that high chair and you're looking for something better than a booster, then the Tripp Trapp from Stokke might be the chair for you.

The Tripp Trapp from Stokke (or KinderZeat in Europe) is a clever design that allows the seat and foot rest to adjust as your child grows. I guess the theory is that if young legs aren't swinging about (as they would in a normal dinner chair) then your child will be less fidgety at the table. Better than that though is the way it looks. Reminiscent of the Rietveld Zig Zag chair, it's a chair you won't mind having to look at every day.

There are cushions you can buy, but I think they kind of ruin the look, not to mention they become one more thing to keep clean. There's even a plastic enclosure so an infant won't fall out, but I don't recommend that either, Leave the high chairs for the babies, and this chair for the big kids.

Oh, and one last thing. Having just purchased my second, I'm definitely not a fan of the new strap system they've implemented (you can find pictures on their web site) I prefer the old lap belt only. But as a chair for kids who have graduated to the family's table, it's still my favorite.

Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair is available in many colors for $229. Find a local dealer here.

Hilo High Chair

Meredith Broussard — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:22:00 GMT

This cool plastic-and-wood hybrid high chair converts from a counter-height high chair (the hi) to a table-height toddler chair (the lo). You just push a button and flip the chair over and lock it into place-- a very slick design. We also like that the HiLo means we won't have to buy a booster seat once Junior starts objecting to the high chair.

HiLo high chair, $395 at ModernTots

Svan Chair: A High Chair for the Entire Childhood

Chris Ford — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:15:00 GMT

One of the things that Jessica Alba got from Tyra last week is a high chair I think I've seen, but have never really checked out. The Svan Chair looks like it hits all the marks of good baby furniture: functional, convertible as your child grows, beautiful to look at and, considering how long you'll use it, reasonably priced.

Aside from looking good, the best feature of the Svan Chair is how it grows with your child. It starts out as a normal chair with a tray, then when the tray is removed and you can sit your child at the table without fear of having them fall out. Then the seat can be lowered as your child grows. Plus it has a foot rest, giving restless swinging legs a place to be. It's not the cheapest chair at $250, but considering how many years it will be at your kitchen table, it seems with it to me.

Svan High Chair, around $249.95 (find a retailer at SvanUSA.com).

Jessica Alba Baby Shower "Gifts"

Chris Ford — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:24:00 GMT

If you haven't heard yet (and if you haven't, then you really should be reading FameCrawler more often), Tyra Banks just threw Jessica Alba a baby shower on her television show (because really, if there's one person who needs free kids stuff, it's the Fantastic Four's Invisible Girl). Apparently the Tyra Show got together with MomLogic.com and came up with a bunch of new products that every new Hollywood mom must have. After the jump I'll list them (along with some of my own snarky comments).

The Cariboo Classic Bassinet ($359.95) & Cariboo Activity Gym ($159.95). A beautiful, expensive bassinet that she'll use for about six months and then get rid of.

Cariboo Puretec Blankets $99.95 - $159.95. A baby blanket for $159.95 doesn't even deserve a comment.

Lillebaby Euro Tote ($119.95). Baby in a bag! We've been talking about these for a while on Droolicious.

Svan High Chair ($249.95). Even at that price, it's hard to make a snide comment about a beautiful high chair. Even though if you so much as cut a piece of pizza on it you'll dramatically reduce the resale value. OK. It wasn't that hard.

Svan Scooter ($119.95). For the right age group (i.e. not Jessica's impending infant) this is a really cool product.

Svan Bouncer ($119.95) For a hundred and twenty dollars it better take care of the midnight feeding too.

Yo My Booties Baby Booties ($50). If you can't put your infant in Uggs, super-furry baby shoes are probably the next best thing.

Yo My Booties Zebra and Cheetah Sweaters ($85). Expensive, but these look pretty cool.

Yo My Booties Pom Pom Hat ($50). Isn't a baby hat for $50 the definition of conspicuous?

Valco Baby TriMode All Terrain Stroller ($425) with Infant Bassinet ($150). No comment. I'm a Bugaboo man myself.

Lautrec Toulouse Diaper Bag ($236), Mommy Chic Diaper Bag ($395) & Femme Chic Diaper Bag ($360). Any one of these would be way too much money, but three? If you're worried about your kid crapping on it, it's time to get a new diaper bag. And if you don't care about your kid crapping on a $395 diaper bag? More power to you.

Lil Safari Girl Pre-Walker and Lil Dino Boy Pre-Walker Shoes ($34.95). A new Robeez ~~competitor~~? [Reader Laura correctly points out, Robeez is also owned by Stride Rite, having a virtual baby shoe monopoly. -mdd] I'll have to check them out.

Sleep Sheep, Sleep Sheep on the Go, Lavender Lab, Baby Sheep Rattle ($6 - $24). Finally. A baby toy.

Bel Bambini Gift Basket ($500) and Gift Certificate ($1000). Oh. I guess there wasn't enough free crap. Now she can go pick out some more herself.

So there it is. And the grand total of all the free swag Jessica Alba is getting? About $4,861.50 by my calculations.

Check out more about it at Mom Logic.com (including a clip of the show).

Photo of the Tyra Show source: Pagesix

Droolworthy: Sdi Fantasia New Bambini High Chair

Mir — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:58:00 GMT

I haven't been able to find somewhere to purchase these in the US, but let me know if you do: Japanese company Sdi Fantasia makes a variety of modern children's furniture sporting clean lines in simple wood, and this New Bambini chair is the cream of the crop. It's a Tripp Trapp-esque high chair in that it will adjust to fit even the smallest of babies (with an optional baby insert) on up through adults, but get this -- flip it on its side, and it's also a rocking horse! Retail is around $254 USD. (The cool factor, of course, is priceless.)

Less is More: Artek Ben af Schulten 616 Birch High Chair

Mir — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 20:03:00 GMT

And by "less is more," I of course mean "less material costs more money." This Finnish-produced Artec high chair by designer Ben af Schulten is crafted of birch, birch veneers, and cocaine. At least, that's the only explanation I can come up with for why this baby retails over at FinnStyle for $1100. (Sure, it's only $1050 if you choose plain birch veneer rather than a painted color for the back, but once you top the $1000 point, you may as well go whole hog and opt for a color so that no one thinks you just swiped it from your local chain restaurant.)

First Look: Heinrich IV High Chair

Meredith Broussard — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:06:00 GMT

If the Tripp Trapp and the Eames chair had a baby, it might look like this hot new European throne that converts from a high chair to a booster to a barstool. The swivel seat is made of birch plywood, the base of powder-coated steel. An adapter lets you adjust the height as your little one grows. Comes with imitation leather cushions for seat and back, a table tray, and a strap; meets European safety standards.

The open design means there are fewer nooks and crannies where mushed-up banana and gummed-up Cheerios can hide. That alone is worth the price, as far as I'm concerned.

Historical note: the real Heinrich IV was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1084–1105. He was also the Duke of Bavaria (as Henry VIII, 1055–61) and king of Germany (after 1054). Wikipedia reports that Heinrich was "known for licentious behaviour in his early years, being described as careless and self-willed." Sounds like every toddler I've ever met.

Heinrich IV chair, £396.67 at Little Fashion Gallery, shipping in late October