I made the mistake of getting rid of our highchair during our recent move- thinking my just turned 2 year old at the time was ready. She is now 2 and 3 months old and it has been a rough couple of months without the high chair. I have tried a booster seat at the regular table but she became very distracted whereas when she had her high chair she was able to devote all ofher focus to her meal and got to learn more table skills because she had the freedom to make a mess and learn how to feed herself. I need to get a highchair for her- but I want to be sure that it will accomodate a 2 year old for at least the next year. I want to be able to keep her in it with the tray on at least until she is 3. My concern is that many of the high chairs that do last through toddlerhood require that you remove the tray at a certain age. I want something that she can use now and that will last for a couple of years. It seems that it is mandatory to spend at least $100. So it needs to be worth it. Any help???
Check out the Euro High Chair from One Step Ahead. It's $100 and free shipping. I got this for my 4 year old when she was 2 and we love it. She still uses it. Although we never used a tray or straps - it does come with straps.
High chairs were short lived at our house, they took up a lot of space. So we used the space saver kind when my kids were about 1 yo. It starts as a high chair and straps to the chair. As baby gets older it can be used as a booster chair (with a seat belt). The belt comes off and it's a regular booster chair with no straps. I used one for my son until he was about 3. My daughter isn't quite two and I bought her the same kind. We bought the healthy care Dlx Booster from Target and it cost us $25. You can buy prettier ones for around $50. Works well for us and kept both of my kids at the table.
Did you try the booster with the tray? My son is 2 and 4 months and never really used the high chair. He liked the booster until he was about 2, and then wanted to sit in the big boy chair. He's never looked back. Doesn't even like boosters at restaurants.
Check out the high chairs at IKEA. Ours still fit our 2 year olds (although they are small for their age), are space saving, and less than $30 with the tray (sold seperately).
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30069724
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40076093
Yep, less than $30 and can be used with or without the tray. They also have a series of high "chairs" (no tray) that you can check out in the store. Maybe she can help pick one out.
I would definitely get one that converts for older kids, or just stick to the booster. She's growing and learning every day. If she constantly wants down, let her down, just remind her that if she wants food, she needs to sit in her chair. She'll learn to focus on her food. As she gets older, the messes get smaller. All my various kids over the years have gone to boosters around 2-3, and stayed until they were big enough to sit without it.
I know you are looking for a highchair, but this is about the age when they transition into the booster. It is important that they learn that they need to stay in the chair until mealtime is over. If they start throwing food on the floor (on purpose) or keep getting out of their chair, mealtime is over. This is a good skill for them to learn at home so that they know how to behave in a restaurant. Babies R Us had some boosters - soft and wipeable - I think called the Cooshie Booster that were nice.
I got my kids a booster seat that came with a tray (available at Walmart for around $20). My daughter is now 3 1/2 and still occasionallly uses the booster seat at the table. The other day, she randomly got the tray out and wanted to use it as well. She fit okay, but the tray is a little on the small side.
