There's that in-between stage when your child is too big (or feels too old) for a highchair, but is not quite ready (or tall enough) to use a full-size chair. Enter the booster chair. Here are ten options for boosting your child up to the table to join in family meal fun.
FIRST ROW
• 1 Keekaroo Cafe Booster ($60)
• 2 Grow Up! by Musty ($50)
• 3 Prince Lionheart BoosterPod ($50, also see their $20 soft booster)
• 4 HandySitt ($150)
• 5 Cooshee Booster Hybak ($45)
SECOND ROW
• 6 Healthy Care Deluxe by Fisher Price ($24)
• 7 Kaboost chair booster ($38)
• 8 Yellow Pages Booster Seat ($20)
• 9 Natural Wood Booster Seat ($22)
• 10 Up n' Down Booster Chair by mOmma ($55, available April 2010)
Do you love a booster chair you don't see here? Let us know in the comments. Did you skip the booster - what did you do or use instead?
Remember, the links are just one example of where you can purchase these items. Like Mama said, you better shop around!
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we skipped the booster! but these are cool!
The Kaboost looks cool- would love to get more feedback on that one.
http://thesweetest3.com/
We're using the Fisher-Price one featured above and are pleased with it. It's super easy to set up, clean, and take with us when visiting family!
The Kaboost looks awesome! I'm about to go buy one!
Love the yellow pages booster seat!
I found a Cooshee booster on Craigslist and love it. Comfortable, easy to clean, non-slip, and easy to move from kitchen to dining room table.
LOL at the yellow pages booster seat because we use the real deal for our daughter.
We got the cheapest one at our local Target; I think it was $12. I think for the type and length of use, it doesn't need to have a lot of features or fanciness, so simple and inexpensive has been okay for us!
We have the old version of Cooshee -- it's super comfy and nice, not to mention easy to clean.
We use an old hand-me-down Fisher Price Healthy Care in lieu of a highchair. LOVE it. It's on my list of top 5 most-recommendable baby products. It's long lasting (will turn into a booster later - no need to purchase separate high chair and booster seat) and travels like a dream: the seat-back folds down to become the handle, and the tray has a cover to keep it clean in transit. VERY excited to see they have come out with this more decor-friendly red colour.
Yep! We live in a small apartment and rather than feel overwhelmed by a high chair we use the Fisher Price Healthy Care. It is great, easy to clean and we can take it with us when we visit people or go to cafes etc! It is not the best looking thing in the world but it is cheap and SUPER PRACTICAL!
We have the yellow pages on and it is great. Not only is it small but it is a quirky decoration too. We love it.
One word...Ikea.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90124510
They have a few great chairs for toddlers/kids with extra tall legs so they are at the perfect height for a table. We have one and will last us for years and years. I never liked the look of most booster seats, they are bulky and would never fit our dining chairs anyway. Our 4 year old has used the chair since she was 2.5 years old and will use it for many years to come. She is rather tiny and still fitted in her Ikea highchair but as she was gaining independence I wanted her to be able to get up and down from the table herself so we upgraded to the junior chair.
The Cam Smarty chair folds down SUPER compact... and is very roomy and height adjustable, LOVE it... I can carry it around like a small laptop!
Got it in red at Dear Born Baby in Toronto. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UloaOFOESk
We have a kaboost and love it. It's great for a kid that doesn't need to be strapped into a chair, but still needs extra height to reach the table.
We've been using the Fisher Price seat seen in the second row for over 2 years now and have no complaints.
Ditto for the Fisher Price...we got it for the decent look, price and ability to save us from buying a high chair. ALSO, a friend tells me that it is possible to stick the entire chair (trays off of course) in the dishwasher periodically for deep cleaning. Love it!
We've just bought the Phil and Teds 'me too'. Love it! Super light weight and great for travelling too.
http://www.philandteds.com/upload/index.php/feed/60
Great post - I'm on the lookout for a booster (or junior chair?) that my tall (and fiercely independent) 2 year old can safely get into and out of by himself. He's refused to use his Fisher Price seat for a while, and is happily (if precariously) climbing on and off the regular chair on his own, but he's still too short to eat comfortably that way. I worry that most of these boosters would slide off if he tried to get on by himself - and that he wouldn't be able to get into the Ikea Junior chair mentioned above on his own since it's so tall. Anyone have any ideas for us?
roseired, my daughter is a tiny little thing and learnt very quickly to get on the Ikea junior chair. She was 2.5 years old when we got it. We would just get her to wait for us to help her down and as she is a very good listener we never had a problem with her jumping down herself before she was able to do it on her own.
Like so many other elements of parenting, it depends on the child and what will work for them.
Great tip on putting the whole Fisher Price chair in the dishwasher - I'm doing that tonight with mine!
The Keekaroo Cafe Booster looks just like the ones at 'Neato Burrito' (restaurant) and my daughter loves those, so I'm planning on getting her one for her 1st birthday, she's so over the high chair.