Portable High Chair Which is Ideal for Travel
Mobile Highchair or Booster Seats for Toddlers Eating Out
Sep 20, 2009
Eating out with toddlers is quite challenging for many reasons just one of which is the difficulty of securing a clean, safe highchair. There are a wide variety of light-weight, portable booster seats and highchairs each offering different advantages to the family.
Inflatable Booster Seats for Toddler & Pre-school Dining
These seats are for children aged 1 to just over 3 approximately. They attach to most ordinary dining chairs with simple straps. When in use they are like big bouncy cushions with straps around the waist but not over the shoulders. Nevertheless a child should be quite secure as the straps are very snug to the body making it difficult for even the most active, climbing toddler to wriggle out.
They may include a self inflating valve and it is easy to push the air out and pack them away after use. These seats are very light weight and fold up to a small package which makes them most suitable when not travelling by car and if seats are required for more than one child. These really can fit in a large handbag or in the basket of most strollers.
Down sides to these seats:
- some users have reported that the food stains on the fabric are impossible to remove;
- no tray attached, a toddler may have to be pushed up to the table for self feeding with risk of pushing away and toppling the whole chair
Examples of these seats include: The First Years 'On the Go', and Disney Winney The Pooh 'On the Go'. They retail for approximately £23 or $19 in the U.S.
Hard Plastic Toddler Booster Seats
These sit on normal dining chairs and usually come with optional plastic tray. They are easy to wipe clean and a child can sit away from the main table to eat or play. Many people report using these at home in place of a standard highchair. They easily fold away into the car and are light weight but are not for carrying long distances because they are bulky.
A toddler may appear to be more secure in these hard seats as compared to the inflatable seats because of the hard plastic sides to the chair, however, there is little to suggest one would be safer than an alternative design.
Disadvantages of these seats:
- they are heavier and bulkier than the inflatable seats;
- some models only "boost" by about 1" above the height of the chair.
Some models include: Mamas and Papas Apple Booster Seat; Chicco Mr Party; and Disney Princess Swing Tray. They retails for around £30 and from $20.
What to Look for When Choosing a Portable Highchair for Baby or Toddler
As these seats are placed on normal dining chairs one should consider the height at which the child will be sitting if the child is expected to sit up to the table. A one year old child may require a boost of about 5" (12cm) in order to reach the dining table.
Most of the cheaper hard plastic chairs are only 1" or 2" high, this may not be a problem as the child will use the tray. The self inflating seats listed inflate to about 3". Some of the seats have adjustable heights, such as Apple Booster Seat.
Best Mobile Travel Highchair or Booster Seat for Young Children
It would not be possible to recommend one best solution to the dilemma of which transportable highchair to buy because of the different situations in which they might be useful.
For younger children the plastic tray seems most practical, the inflatable chairs, however, as a small lightweight package are more portable, especially if many seats are required or the family are not travelling by private car.
Sources: various online stores
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