High chairs are independent chairs that stand on their own legs on the floor, while booster seats are short seats that need to be positioned on top of a chair at the time of dining or traveling. Some baby high chairs are adjustable in height.
Your barely stable baby was eating their first solid food moments ago when you strapped them into their first high chair. Others must switch from a high chair much sooner, while some children happily use a high chair into preschool. A car seat may be a good option for toddlers who want to sit at the table with the rest of the family, but who aren’t tall or balanced enough to use regular chairs.
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How to Choose a Travel High Chair
Options for setup
You can set up different types of travel high chairs in different ways. The best choice for you depends a great deal on how you will utilize it. Below are three common designs:
Booster Chair
It is common for booster high chairs to attach themselves to standard chairs with clips. It is important to use a booster chair in conjunction with a sturdy chair to ensure safety.
A booster seat may include a tray that slides over the front of the seat, just like a standard high chair, or you may push it right up to the table without a tray if that is the configuration that you need. They’re usually a bit bulky, so they don’t work well in restaurants, but they work well for visitors in friends’ and family’s homes.
Clip-On Chair
A “lobster chair” is sometimes called a super-compact chair that comes with clamps that can be adjusted to fit any tabletop type. It’s good for use in restaurants, at counters, or high tables, and is portable and ideal for travel.
Families with toddlers should avoid using these seats because many of them are designed for babies.
Floor Chair
In addition to their trays and seating on the floor, these chairs don’t have to be pushed up to tables. They could be small or around the size of a high chair but Breaks down easily for travel. As there are so many different variations of floor chairs, they can be used for a variety of purposes, but they’re particularly useful for situations outdoors where a travel seat can’t be attached to a table or chair.
Safety
In purchasing a travel high chair, safety is the most important factor to consider. When it comes to a booster, you should make sure it has a strap that keeps it attached to the chair as well as a level bottom so that it stays in place when your child starts wiggling around. If your child uses a clip-on chair, ensure the clamps are high quality to ensure they won’t loosen.
As your child’s seat will be supporting their weight, make sure it is strong and secure. To ensure that your kid stays seated in the high chair, it should have some kind of harness. In order to prevent injury, children should not be able to crawl out of chairs. Parents must also note that babies should NEVER be left unattended or placed in a high chair unattended.
Portability
Travel high chairs are designed to be easily portable. Your chair may have to fold compactly for easy storage or travel, depending on how you intend to use it. It is important, however, that it is lightweight for you to carry (most likely with a baby and a diaper bag in tow).
Types of Travel High Chair
The travel high chair market today comprises three different types. Among these are the traditional booster seat, hook-on chair, and traditional high chair.
These are a few more details about each of them:
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Child booster seats
When it comes to portable travel high chairs, I usually opt for booster seats.
Why?
Since these high chairs can literally be mounted onto any chair on the market, they are among the easiest to use.
Further, some travel booster seats come with extendable legs, so they can be independent of chairs as well.
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Travel Chairs with hooks
They can be easily collapsed and are relatively small, which makes hook-on chairs excellent for small spaces. The bags are typically provided with them, so you can easily take them along.
The rubber handles of hook-on chairs make it easy to secure them to a tabletop. When your baby is sitting in the chair, he or she will feel comfortable and relaxed.
For a travel chair, hook-on chairs are a great option, but only for babies between 6 months and 37 pounds. Unfortunately, this limits their use for most travelers.
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Conventional travel high chair
Traditionally, a high chair is a free-standing seat for a baby, which sits independently of a tabletop or an adult chair. Typically, the legs of those chairs can be adjusted so that they sit just at the right height to suit any table.
If you’re looking for a high chair that will grow with your child, a freestanding travel chair is a great option. There is usually a harness on these chairs that can be adjusted to keep your baby secure regardless of their age.
A booster seat or hook-on chair is smaller in size and weighs less than a traditional high chair. While they are collapsible, some come with a carry bag too, depending on the company.
FAQs
What is the ease of use of a travel high chair?
Find the perfect travel high chair that fits your style of travel or is suitable for the destination you will be visiting.
It is of course the booster seat that is the easiest portable high chair to use when on the go. Typically, the back support of this type of high chair is integrated into the chair.
Even though a traditional high chair may be more difficult to transport than a booster seat (due to its size), it may be a better choice if you wish to use it for extended periods of time.
What is the best way to clean a portable high chair?
Traveling with our children, we always try to find high chairs that are easy to clean. Our favorite this time around is the booster chair for travel with babies.
They are usually made of easy-to-clean fabrics and typically do not have many crevices where food scraps can get trapped.
Although we tend to buy the best travel high chair for our children, its practicality should always outweigh its aesthetics. Simple is always the best!
If you opt for a more luxurious baby travel high chair, then look for one that can be removed easily and is machine washable.
Therefore, even if something is difficult to wipe, it will be properly cleaned.
Is it safe to use the baby travel high chair?
Finding the safest travel high chair seat is of course the most important consideration when choosing your choice.
Before purchasing the best high chair for your baby, you must consider the harness and the stable design.
Some booster travel chairs and travel chairs are equipped with 3 point harnesses, while others may have 5 point harnesses. Pay attention to that as well.
Travel chairs with hooks on the back are my least favorite. I always feel better putting my baby in a booster seat or a high chair instead, even though these have been extensively tested and are very safe when installed correctly.
After sitting in a back breaking office chair for hours every day at his job, William Burch got the idea to start the Recliners Hunt website. William is focused on ergonomic chair design – as it is more important than ever today since we are spending more and more time sitting at our computers.
