Highchair recommendations?

[Calluna]

I'm looking to spend $250 or less,
I want to be able to remove the tray with one hand,
I want one that's easy to clean - ie not too many gaps/ folds for food to get stuck in and
something DS will be comfortable in.

I'm thinking about getting the Babylove Bella Hi-Lo Chair but haven't been able to find any reviews online. So if you have/ had one...

What do you think?
Any pro's or cons?
Is it easy to clean?
Is it big/ strong enough to last him to a reasonable age (it says max weight is 15kgs)?


Thanks

[AliBaby]

I am not sure but I wish I just bought a $50 ikea one. I hate mine. Its all lovely and padded but its so hard to clean and so big and the straps have all discoloured from white to orangey when DD has had things like bolognaise and i cant get all the colouration out.

[mbear]

Havent tried the love n care...
HAve got the ikea one....i love it....but not for little ones. Whilst its easy to clean etc it just didnt look comfy for my 9month old. So i got a peg pegereo....ive had one before. Love them. He will sit in it for 30 mins while i potter around the kitchen. He would never have done that in the ikea one. ONly down side of any 'luxuirous' style high chair....the food bits. No matter how hard you clean, food bits will always get stuck in the crooks and crannies of the high chair.....

[~Kim~]

I've got 2. Got both for under $150.
I have the basic Ikea one which is fantastic for sitting them up at the table with everyone else. Easy to clean (I throw mine in the shower) and cheap. But, like mbear said, not great for tiny tots.

I also have the Fisherprice portable highchair. it has all the features of a big fancy HC without the legs and price tag. It is padded but easy to clean, has three recline posititions, the tray comes of and on with one hand and the back comes off so it can be a booster seat when they re too big.
I used it with both of mine and it's still fantastic. Was great to be able to carry them around the house when they are really little.
It's very stable. We usually use ours on the ground but it has 2 straps to secure to a chair.

I initally bought it because we lived in a townhouse but now we have a huge house and I still wouldn't get a regular chair even if I needed a new one. It stores so much easier as well.

[Little Chicken]

I have a love n care one, can't remember the model name, sorry about that. I love it, padded but very easy to clean (I have taken it outside on occasion to hose down). It reclines, height adjustable, and can remove the tray one handed. Plus the tray has an extra cover on it as well. Wouldn't swap it. Don't think it was very expensive.

[Calluna]

UPDATE (JIC anyones interested ): We ended up with the steelcraft messina. Which we got for about $150 I think.

Overall I like it, it has a couple of little things that annoy me- the tray can sometimes be hard to get on, it's not upright enough for DS to reach the tray properly (have fixed this by putting a cushion behind him) and sometimes the wheels dont turn properly. Aside from that I'm very happy with it. LOVE the basket underneath and the hooks on the back for the tray when it's not in use. It's easy enough to clean and looks well and truely big enough to last to a reasonable size.

[deletedit]

Late to the party, but ...

We have an Ikea one - $15ish. Everyone else we vist went off and bought either a new or second hand one for $100 or more, and the Ikea one blows all the other ones out of the water for ease of use and ease of cleaning. There's just so many weird folds and fiddly bits in every other seat that are absolute hell to clean, or your kid gets stuck on them, or you can't get them together, or ... or ... argh!!

[natwantsababy]

Hi, I have a fisher price one that you just strap onto a normal chair and its great! We can take it out to dinner etc and its so easy to store and move around. From memory it was only about $60.00 or so. I was at the baby markets yesterday and someone was selling one in really good condition for $25.00 so thats another option if you wanted to pick one up cheap. Good luck! xx

[Loula]

Not ready to get one here just yet but on my must list is one with a basket to keep all the bibs in!

[angelaartsstudent]

I had Palmer in an Ikea one from 6 months...$35 with tray. Love it and would never trade it.

[black_rose]

I have two fisher price portable ones too. We use them full time and also pack up and take them anywhere. The girls feel like they are at the table and it saves us room in our little eating area. We have a highchair but it's packed away. Dd2 has been in it from 6 months.

[ss_storm]

We ended up with the steelcraft messina.

That's the one we have too, I really like it! Now that I've gotten used to the tray I can get it on easily..however DF (who never uses it) couldn't get it on the other night. Of course I had a good giggle at him trying to get it on It's not that hard though.

Loula- the messina has a basket underneath. I've never used it but it's a pretty decent size/depth

[skybie]

we have the messina aswell. it was 175 at baby bunting, all DD's bibs and chuck rags are in the handy basket and i love that its on wheels! when lowered it fits perfectly under our table, and the double tray is perfected for lazy mummas, when the top one is dirty just take it off and wallah! nice clean tray, hheehehehe

[Loula]

Loula- the messina has a basket underneath. I've never used it but it's a pretty decent size/depth

Yep its the one im looking at!

[ss_storm]

and the double tray is perfected for lazy mummas, when the top one is dirty just take it off and wallah! nice clean tray, hheehehehe

Lol I do that all the time

The whole seat insert can go in the wash too, not that I have ever taken it off and washed it that way. But if it got really dirty then it would be quite handy.