Go to IKEA!!!!! Get the Anitlop High Chair. Ours cost $39!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had the Steelcraft Messina before that, bought it for $200 and sold it within a month on ebay. Although it has plenty of padding and looks mighty comfy, is adjustable etc, it was a bugger to clean.
The IKEA ANTILOP is brilliant, wipes clean so easily and our DD loves it. Tray comes off if you want and legs come off (we have taken ours travelling before).
Im not sure on brands or anything but one thing i think is definately a MUST is to get one that can recline a little. We were given ours for DS originally and it doesnt recline. I started feeding him at 5 months and he didnt sit unaided until 5 1/2.. so was feeding him in his bouncer as sitting in the high chair he would wobble and fall sideways. So yeh do try and get one you can recline just that little bit so it makes it easier when you are feeding them at the beginning. Also one that goes up and down too is also good.
we have the prima pappa blah blah(sorry)
and i cant wait to get rid of it!!! it is soo hard to keep clean food goes in the creves's(sp?) it has fabric trim which after so much washis and wiping has gone a funny colour.
i would definatly say to get one of the ikea ones...
you dont need one with a tray if you can put it up to the table
Another Ikea Antilop Fan here.
I picked up an Antilop on Freecycle a couple of months ago and dearly wish that I had one from much earlier - the cleanability of the thing is fantastic!
We initially bought Polly Chicco. Don't get me wrong, there is alot to like with a more expensive chair the tilt is a good thing in the early days as is the extra cushioning and the foldability of the chair. Also the 2 layers of tray have been handy. And I also like the 5 point harness.
Getting the food out of the crevices in the chair cushioning and the straps in the Polly drove me insane!!!! I did not realise it until I did not have to do it anymore!
Good luck.
I have to agree that the Peg Perego Prima Papa (peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers! LOL) Is extremely hard to keep clean... however it has served my 2 younger kids well. It's been very safe, comfortable and versatile. I like that you can recline it backwards, shorten it so that you can spoonfeed while sitting on a picnic rug, and it has a double layered tray so that when the top one gets dirty you lift it off and there's a fresh one underneath that your child can use to play with a toy etc while you clean the top one at the sink. However the vinyl padded upholstery detriorated (after 5 years of use though) to the point that it's been thrown out. If you could buy a new one (padding) it would be great. The Papa was $120 on sale. As far as high chairs go (I've used quite a few different ones at child-care centres etc) it was pretty good bar the clean-a-bility factor. It has a 5 point harness system too which i think is very important.
I also have an old fashioned turned wood one that I have painted white. Picked up from hard rubbish. It's been great for my older child.
Another Ikea chair convert. I had a padded, reclining, all singing all dancing number with DD#1 and its horrible. Impossible to keep clean, fabric splits, stained etc. She has an ikea one at my folks' and its brilliant. DD#2 has an ikea one too. You can get inflatable cushions to put in as well if your little one needs a bit of support for a while.
I have a steelcraft one, not sure of the model name, but i hate it!! Its beige with polka dots that spell out steelcraft. Was $150 from Target on sale last year.. Like others have said, its really hard to clean, and is full of crevices and secret hiding spots for that unwanted piece of banana... eeew. But the main thing wrong with it is that the tray is so high up, that even my rather tall DD, who is now 15 months old, can barely see over the top... Major design flaw. I do like the two tray system, and its reclinable, and height adjustable, but the position of the tray is just really annoying.
I have Steelcraft hi-lo chair, we got it as a gift. I tend to use it more as a rocker/chair for bubs rather than a high chair for eating. I found the recline option fantastic for when they are little. I would use the chair so bubs could be with me in the kitchen and I would also use it to get bubs to sleep by pushing it back and forth.
For eating off, it is not that great, especially when they are little as the tray is too high. I do like the way the tray stows away at the back of the chair and the removable part is handy to.
We have the Childcare Atlanta XT highchair and although its a good chair DS used to like to salide down and be silly in it and I wished I would've gotten the Ikea one because they can't slide down in them!
We had a Steelcraft highchair (i dont remember the name of it) and it was pretty horrendous! Its currently folded up behind a door and has been since last year. I think we only used it for like 2-3 months before I was sick of it. The seat was enormous and Claire is tiny so she always flopped around in it and it didnt support her at all. We had to put cushions and stuff so she didnt slide out the bottom of it or fall out the side. We got the Ikea one and it was a million times better. There are no folds/crevices on the Ikea one so its alot of easier to clean, and she couldnt fall out the bottom or sides. With the Steelcraft one, it always took ages to clean because food would go into the foldy bits and it was just a PITA. I used to have to put it in the shower sometimes because I just couldnt be bothered to sit there and clean in all the little gaps. It also wasnt particularly stable and if Claire wiggled around the whole thing would rock. It almost tipped on a few occassions. The Ikea one, however, doesnt have a 5 point harness like the Steelcraft one, so when Claire had finished eating, she would stand up in it. The strap just goes around the waist, not over the shoulders. We dont use a highchair any more, Claire sits at her own little table on a little chair.
I've had both and I can definately recommend the IKEA ANTILOP, just so cheap too. I can't get over how easy it is to clean, my DD thinks it is so comfortable and she used to be in the padded one!!!
We have the Jane Activa (from BabyCo). It coverts into a table and chair for when he is older. It did very well on the Choice Safety ratings. On the down side it is hard to keep clean and after only a few months of use grew mould in the creases.
Karina - good idea about hosing the chair in the shower. The Activa is totally plastic so it won't rust!
We bought an Ikea one to keep at the ILs and can recommend it. We eat out often and they seem to be the chair of choice at many restaurants.
Yep, another "pop in the shower to clean" person here. It's basically the only option if you want it cleaned properly other than taking it outisde and hosing it down I guess.
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