The post yesterday about designer high chairs in restaurants got us thinking. Good design means the union of form and function, with neither one having to compromise too much for the other. We think the standard commercial high chair you see in many restaurants is a great example of good, modern design.
It's anything but fancy, but it does sport clean lines, is sturdy, practical, easy to clean, and comes in a variety of finishes. You could even paint it yourself to suit your needs. Best of all, unlike many design-y things, it's affordable at about $40. Anyone own one of these?
Image: Janie Lee
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I totally agree -- except they are about 5 inches too short! My 9 month old has bonked her head on the restaurant table several times.
I considered buying one before she was born, and I'm glad I didn't for this reason. We ended up with the Ikea Gulliver high chair. It is bent wood, pretty classic looking, and also about $40, IIRC.
That is exactly what I was going to say - too short!
But my first complaint is that in our neck of the woods, the family-friendly places are not clean. Compound that table-chair gap with a curious baby and a DISGUSTING underside of a table and we eat at home. Period.
We found this design impractical for the first year plus (too low, too big) so we ended up with an IKEA Antilop which we love.
A couple of months ago we decided to revisit the restaurant chair with our 2 1/2 year old in anticipation of needing the other for our 5 month old; also I felt like we were kind of stuffing him into the Antilop. We probably could have moved him sooner but we liked having the option of the tray to help contain messes.
For us, the restaurant high chair is a great alternative to a booster seat for about the same money and we still have four chairs at the table for adults when we have guests. Also, we have the dark wood which matches our mahogany table almost perfectly and I love how the high chair is invisible at the table when it is not in use.
Where can you buy that restaurant high chair?
We have one and love it. We've been using it since about 7 months old. It's the perfect height for our dining table (and while it does depend on the restaurant table, I haven't usually had height be an issue while out). It's high enough for our son to eat comfortably at the table with us, but low enough that it tucks under the table when not in use.
We got it on Amazon for $35.
We have one, and I love it, especially because I picked it up at a yard sale for $5 and then gave it a lovely apple green paint job. Infinitely cheaper than the Stokke Trip Trapp or similar chairs and just as nice to look at (actually I like its cleaner lines more).
The power of this chair increased ten fold when I watched a woman magically flip it over and place her car seat in the other (bottom) end at the table. Brilliant and stable.
We had two of these bought online from Target, although they seemed like a great idea not having a high chair tray was a VERY big issue for us. They would be great from about 2 on but at the one year old stage kids really need that tray close to their bodies to not have EVERY outfit ruined! We ended up finding two Eddie Bower wood chairs with trays at garage sales and I stained them a dark color to match.
Yes, veganmomma, us too! We scored a restaurant high chair with a tray at our neighbor's garage sale for $8 and it has served us well. Solid wood, and we haven't had any problems with the height, it fits perfectly under our table so baby can eat with the rest of us. Plus, when toddlers start climbing all over it, it is stable AND bombproof.
i bought one of these high chairs off of craigslist for $30, ordered new straps and sewed a nice little cushion for it. i've used it every day since my 13-month-old was 7 months old. it is the perfect height for our table. i also scored a kinderzeat off craigslist but i can't seem to find a baby rail for it so i'm saving it for when my son is old enough for just the 3-point harness. overall the restaurant-style high chair serves us very well!
We have the Anka high chair which is similar to a resturant chair but has a tray and an adjustable footrest. The price tage, however, is not similar.