My new high chair arrived last week and with 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, I have gotten to know it quite well. I love everything about it and considering it is also very handsome, I might just have a place for it in our bed.
In case you haven't read my last post, I had the opportunity to test drive a high chair so I could learn exactly what features were important to us and our lifestyle. Once we figured this out I began researching all the high chairs that met those new defined needs. Something I've learned is that there are three things you should consider investing in to make your life easier as a parent. Those things include: A car seat, a stroller and a high chair. Based on that, price wasn't a factor for us...it was a matter of finding good value for the price. We looked at some of the cheapest chairs on the market including the antilop chair at ikea, the safety first posh pod and the juice high chair by mamas & papas. We also looked at high end chairs including the kekaroo, the boon flare, the tripp trapp by stokke, babybjorn, and the phil & teds highpod. After countless hours of internet research and trying out chairs in the stores, we ended up purchasing the oxo tot sprout high chair!
If you recall, the biggest complaint I had about my old high chair was the cracks and crevices that collected old food and crumbs making cleaning a major hassle. To put it bluntly I said, "screw a vinyl seat cover...an easy clean high chair is all about being seamless" So, of course the oxo tot sprout high chair is in fact seamless! The chair has stain proof cushions on the seat and back for optimal comfort that easily remove for deep cleaning and stay in place with high quality stain proof velcro. The absolute best feature of this high chair is the pop out seat. There are levers on either side of the seat that you pull out and push down on and effortlessly the seat pops right out towards you. The intended purpose of this feature is for ease of adjustment when you slide the seat into a lower setting on the chair base as the child grows, eventually converting it to a youth chair that can be used at the dining room table without the tray. Sadly, oxo has overlooked this being one of the best cleaning features I have ever come across! Oxo, if you are listening... you MUST remake your product video to include this...it is brilliant. Basically, you take that light weight seat and walk over to your sink or garbage can and shake off the excess food and crumbs and wipe it down right there. No food on the floor to sweep up later and that is pretty much the only cleaning required other than the tray itself. Absolute genius!
My second favorite thing about the oxo tot sprout high chair is how well Chase fits in it! The seat back is at the perfect angle for comfortable eating and the tray sits just above the waist so he has full range of arm movement to eat comfortably. The tray is "u" shaped so he has a comfortable place to rest his elbows instead of having his arms dangle in the seat. The tray also slides in nice and deep so it fits snug against the belly, eliminating that black hole that sucks up all the dropped food.
Another feature I'd like to expand on is the tray. It is super light weight and easy to clean. The lip contains spills and when removed and placed on the counter, it lies flat so nothing falls off. I love that it has easy one hand access so I can slide out the tray while I have my little one in my arms and there is no need for me to bend over to retrieve a tray hanging off the back.
Other notable features include an adjustable foot rest, a machine washable and adjustable 5 point safety harness, a removable crotch bar attached to the seat base and easy assembly. Tools are not required for almost all of the adjustments when accommodating your growing child. The chair was designed to be the perfect height for most dining room tables and is light weight enough to easily pick up or slide around on the floor. It has such a small footprint, it takes up minimal space in the dining room. In case you didn't pick up on this the first time, this chair is very attractive... I don't even consider it baby gear...to me it's a piece of our furniture. This wasn't on my list of needs or wants for a high chair but it definitely came as a bonus. It comes in 4 modern colors and 2 wood finish options, plus you can purchase replacement cushions. This is a great option to ensure the chair matches your home decor should you move or decide to redecorate. We like the idea of swapping the green cushions for pink if a baby girl is in our future.
Although I did appreciate the wheels and the height adjustment features on my old chair, I realize like when buying a house, a car or a stroller...you can't get everything you want in one place and you have to decide what you are willing to sacrifice for the features you really want. It also doesn't have the option to fold but because it converts into a youth chair, i foresee us using it until we need to convert it back into a high chair for our next child in which case we can convert it back into the youth chair again, so we shouldn't ever have the need to fold and store it.
Although I'm sure I've made it quite obvious by now...I would 100% recommend this high chair should you find your needs comparable to mine. It is a thoughtful, clever and innovative design with the perfect blend of style, comfort and safety features. It came in minimal packaging and is BPA, phthalate free. I am now looking forward to much happier meal times for years to come with my growing family!
Labels: high chair, oxo, oxo tot, oxo tot sprout, review
