Do you need a high chair?

I have a friend who is about to be a first time mom and I tried to come up with some bits of wisdom on mommy products. Of the few I had to offer her one was my feelings on highchairs. To high chair or not to high chair, that is the question?

I’m thinking not to high chair. With Drew, we registered and received the Graco Contemporary High Chair Birkshire. We wanted that one because it was one of the few that had neutral colors plus it was given pretty good reviews.

We used it until Gabby was born in which time we registered and received the Fisher-Price Space Saver High Chair. We originally thought that Drew would transition to the booster, which he did, and Gabby would stay in the actual high chair. And although that happened for a short time, ultimately Drew moved up to the Cooshee Booster & Travel Bag and Gabby took over the Fisher-Price.

So this walk down high chair memory lane is my way of setting the stage for my feelings of not getting an actual high chair. Unless you live in a mansion with an enormous kitchen, and even then it’s unnecessary, a high chair just takes up space. And who wouldn’t love the opportunity to have one less piece of baby equipment lying around?!?

When you have an infant, they usually are in a bouncy seat or something. Once they transition to a “high chair,” there’s no reason they can’t be in a high chair that is attached to an existing chair. The only downside to transitioning the older child to the Cooshee booster is that they can’t be strapped in. The duck tape we have had to use to keep Drew in the seat is less than attractive but at least we don’t have to have an extra piece of furniture, i.e. free-standing high chair!