The Most Brilliant Gift I Received at My Baby Shower (I’ll Never Forget It)

I may be a bit removed from the daily struggles of early motherhood — my kids are now 6 and 12 — but I remember every brilliant gift someone gave me at both of my baby showers. Adorable baby clothes are, well, adorable and always appreciated, and lovies and books are sweet gifts for babies to explore as they grow. But for me, the best gifts I received were the ones that were practical and road-tested, given to me with a knowing smile and the warm hug of someone who had been there before me. 

When I think back on those gifts, the Inglesina Fast Table Chair is at the top of the list. (In fact, I’m now the one giving it to friends when they’re having babies!) For nearly two years (for both kids, so a total of four years), it was a regular feature at our dinner table and any restaurant we visited as a family. So, it’s no surprise the Inglesina Fast Table Chair is also one of the parent-picked winners of the 2024 Cubby Nursery Awards! Here’s why I loved it.

There are a few musts when it comes to finding the right baby dining chair solution.

• It must be easy to use. At times, when my kids were small, it felt like I needed a phd to assemble all the seats, swings, gizmos, and accessories that tend to proliferate around the youngest humans. I wanted to find a high chair or booster seat that was simple to use, cutting any unnecessary frustration out of meal times.
  
• It should be stylish. I have to admit, I lean toward items that are aesthetically pleasing for both my daughters and myself. Some baby gadgets are going to go hard on the whole primary colors and friendly-looking hippos vibe, but what I wanted was a high chair or booster seat that looked good enough to display in my dining room 24/7.
  
• It’s got to be easy to clean. Meal times with babies and toddlers are basically just an exercise in waiting to see what’s going to need a good scrubbing. I had to have something that was easy to clean at home or on the go.
  
• Portability is a deal-sealing bonus. While I also used a traditional high chair at home, I wanted to find an option that could go with us to restaurants and to friends’ houses. While it’s true that restaurants usually have booster seats or high chairs available, some don’t, and others are kind of gross or bulky and in the way. I was looking for something sleek that we could use wherever we landed, whether it was a sit-down restaurant, a small sidewalk cafe, or a buddy’s house.
  
• And, of course, it has to be safe. Everything in my babies’ world had to be pretty thoroughly vetted for safety, and a booster seat or high chair is no exception.

The Booster Seat I Tested

• Name: Inglesina Fast Table Chair
• Current Price: $79 – $89

The Inglesina Fast Table Chair checked all of my boxes and looked good while doing it. I used this chair for my now 12 and 6 year old kids between the ages of 6 months and around 2 years old, and when they were done with it, it was still in good enough condition to pass on to a new family.

Here are a few things I really loved about the Inglesina Fast Table Chair:

• It was easy to use: My favorite thing about the was how easy it is to use. The simple design is made to latch onto tables with a range of thicknesses from 0.8″ to 3.35,” and everything is either padded or rubber-coated so I never had to worry about scratching someone’s table. I just slid the chair in place and used the vice-like grippers to hold the chair firmly in place. All told, setting it up took about a minute. 
  
• It was so great for restaurants: I also loved having this chair with us when we went to a cool, trendy restaurant that wasn’t exactly prepared for younger guests. I worked in restaurants for over a decade, and I know that not everyone loves seeing little kids stroll through the doors, but I believe that people will never learn how to be considerate diners unless they’re taught and modeled that behavior from a young age, so taking our kids with us to restaurants was a non-negotiable. The Fast Chair allowed us to fit seamlessly into just about any restaurant without having a clunky high chair for servers and guests to navigate.
  
• It was very stable: Before I ever used the Inglesina Fast Chair when my first child was just an infant, I wondered if it would really work — could she stay upright safely in this chair when it came time to eat? I was pleasantly surprised that this chair kept both kiddos snugly in place for mealtimes, making the experience less stressful and a little bit tidier.
  
• It was pretty easy to clean: And speaking of tidy, the Fast Chair was fairly easy to clean. Usually, a simple wipe down worked on the polyester fabric. About once a month (ok, quarterly), I would fully remove the cover from the chair and give it a nice handwashing, letting it air dry before putting it back in place.

True, the Inglesina Fast Chair was relatively easy to clean, especially for small spills that I was able to catch in the moment, but if I could make one change it would be to make it even easier, ie. I would opt for a cover that’s machine washable. I did have some issues with food spills getting trapped in the cracks of the chair, and that was harder to address with a wet cloth, which meant I needed to break down the chair and wash it by hand, leaving us chairless for at least a few hours while the fabric dried. And while I loved the solid black fabric of our Fast Chair, I wonder if a patterned fabric (which they didn’t have at the time) would help hide stains better.

Buy it: Inglesina Fast Table Chair, $79-$89 from Pottery Barn Kids

See all the 2024 Cubby Nursery Award winners here!

This post originally appeared on The Cubby. See it there: The Most Brilliant Gift I Received at My Baby Shower (I’ll Never Forget It)