Suggestions for Toddler Seat at Table

You've answered your own question--get her a booster seat to be attached to the chair. (Of ocurse, I remember the days of just putting a phone book in the chair.)

1 mom found this helpful

The cooshie seats ruined my chairs. It left a film of sticky crud all around it. I would not recomend them,

Great news for you about the baby, the big sisters will be pleased. The best thing for my children was to get a small table with chairs that fit them. Try this. Have lunch, snacks, etc. there after awhile they will want to sit at the big table.

I have a high chair/booster seat that I got from WalMart that just sits on a regular chair. It has straps to hold it down. It also has a tray but if you don't want to use it you don't have to. This chair can be used as an infant high chair, toddler chair, and can then be converted to just a booster seat. And it was actually cheaper than most high chairs. I wish I would have had it from the beginning. We did not have a lot of room in our former kitchen so this chair mounted high chair was perfect. The chair liner is all plastic and can be removed. In fact I never used it because i hate washing those things!

Hi M.-

Just a side note about the booster seats, I used one on a basic wooden kitchen chair and the finish on the chair was ruined where the booster seat rested. This might be common sense, but it escaped me at the time, place a towel or something underneath the booster seat to protect your chair if it is wood.

Good Luck,
K.

Yep we used the First Years (I think that's who made it) chair that strapped to the seat. It was also foldable so that you can take it to Grandma's or store it for a visiting friend that might need it. It also has an attachable tray to use if needed to feed him away from the table.

we bought a simple one from target for about $20. it is a basic plastic chair that you strap to your chair - remember to put some sort of protector underneath! they are easy to use and our daughter loved sitting in a big chair to eat with us. i would've just used that instead of the high chair - just roll a towel and tuck it around your child to keep them sitting up straight. cheaper and easier!

M.-- I have the Fisher Price booster seat, and I love it. The tray has a top that snaps in and out and is dishwasher-safe. I bought mine a couple of years ago, but if I were buying it today, I'd get the Rain Forest version that Kristen W. recommended. That version wasn't available when I got mine, but the toy tray that snaps in seems like a great idea, especially if you're bringing the booster to a restaurant or to your mom's and you want something to entertain your daughter while she's waiting. Here's the link again:
https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=28617...

We absolutely love the kinderseat - it is a bit on the pricey side, but well worththe investment - we are buying a second one as we are getting ready to transition daughter #2 to one also. You can find them on line with free shipping a lot of the time.

I think you have a lot of good suggestions on brands -- but I'd suggest taking iyour 2-year-old shopping with you to pick out either her new booster or her new tableware. And if you don't want to do that - then make a big deal for her of letting her 'help' you take it out of the box. If you can get her involved and interested in the seat, she'll be more likely to want to sit there through the meals.

I have this one in my registry, it got great reviews.

https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=28617...

we did the same thing at the same age for the same reason and i was surprised at how much happier he was! he got right in and loves it. i ended up buying a simple $12 one at babies r us and love it because it's just plastic, no cushions or anything to clean and keep up with. some days he even gets in way before it's time to eat and just waits. pretty funny stuff. i do set his place like ours, i found a vinyl placemat in the same color as our nice cloth ones, and i put out a napkin and fork just like ours, so he feels like a big boy. i've put a large rag under his chair to protect our kitchen chair because he does spill a lot, and i have had to be even more strict about taking away his milk or food if he gets illy with them because it goes all over the table. he still sits by me though, so one thing i'll be doing soon is moving his spot over by his dad so i can have the baby by me once he's ready to start eating with us.

I saw one at Target that transitions for three different stages. So you could use it for your second child too. http://www.target.com/Fisher-Price-Space-Saver-Highchair-...
That is the one I am thinking of

I have a 16 month old & we got her a wooden "booster" chair from Babies R Us. It is made by Eddie Bauer. It is great! It is attached to your dining chair & has a tray. You can also use it without the tray & push her up to the table. It has a removable cover/cushion. Take a look!
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265794

My son is 2, and we have been using a booster chair attached to one of our dining chairs for three months now. It works well and he enjoys being a big boy at the table with us. I think we got it at Target
I am also due in September.

It's time for your two year old to join you at the table mom. There are booster seats out there including one that folds up into a folding chair you can clamp onto the table.

My parents has purchased a bar stool with a back for us, and I loved it. It turned easy to get in and out of. I even used it with my childred and they loved it. You would need to by the one that is lower to the ground so that their legs go under the table. But if you found one that was higher that you liked just cut the legs to fit.
If you did not want to go to that expense use a child safety seat that just has the bottom piece, that also works great.
Now for even cheaper get large books cover them, they make great booster seats.
One more options take an old foam custom and cover it or buy a very thick dinning room chair custion.
Good Luck.

I have a 2 1/2yo daughter and I needed the highchair for one of our new twins when she was about 2. I wish I had 3 highchairs! Olivia, although she was strapped in to the booster seat, is busy exploring so she just doesn't eat as well as she used to. It seems like we are always arguing with her to EAT.
My advice: Leave her in the highchair until the new one needs it. The less freedom she has at the dinner table, the better she eats and the less trouble you'll have keeping her where she needs to be. Does your highchair have an adjustable height? If so, drop it to the lowest position and remove the tray so that she can have her "place" at the table. She had no problem giving up her highchair. She was happy to transition to the booster so that shouldn't be a worry when the new baby needs it.

Babies R Us sells a seat called "Cooshie" and it comes with a travel bag so you can take it to restaurants too. Its very cool and it comes in pink too!!! Target has one too but I think the name of it is Prince Lionheart - you can probably look online.
Hope that helps!!!
B.

Hi M.,

I totally agree with you on moving your daughter out of the high chair prior to the next child. Back when my kids transitioned from high chair to the 'big kid' table, I just used a phone book. I wrapped it so it couldn't open up, then put some foam on it. I used an old pillowcase and sewed it to fit. Worked pretty good for all my kids. :) Just a cheaper way to go in case you are short on cash.

I didn't bother with a toddler chair. I use a regular chair with arms, and put a small step stool I got at ikea so he sits a little taller. My son was over being in high chairs and seems to enjoy being in a big chair.

Walmart carries a real nice booster seat that we transitioned my granddaughter into with no problems. It is made similar to a little chair and has saftey straps to use until they can sit there safely ( madw Grannie feel better).

I think you're plan is a great idea. That way she will be used to her big girl chair. (wish I would have thought of that, I just kept my daughter in the high chair until I needed it for my son. She wasn't to thrilled with the plan)

Target has a $20 plastic booster that can be taken apart and placed in the dishwasher. Its adjustable and well worth the $20! Good luck with the new baby.

M. G

Hi M.,
i know they make a good one that straps to the dinning chair it's not very expencive and i'm sure your little one would love it .Try looking inTarget Walmart my grandaughter had 2 of them so we did'nt have to move them when she ate with me
good luck L.

My only advice is to get a booster seat with a short back that doesn't come all the way up past their head. I do my daughter's hair while she is eating breakfast and strapped into the chair and can't get away. She is so cute with her pigtails...there is no way I could get her hair done other wise.

{{{hugs}}}}

My 4yo still uses a $20 booster seat we bought at toys r us. It comes with straps to attach it to a chair. She really likes it. I would suggest a stool so your daughter can climb into her big girl chair all by herself. My daughter can climlb in herself but she is older.

You know, I never had a high chair. Yep, four boys and no high chair. Meals were never the disasters I hear so much about. Yes, sometimes we got messy, but not very much.

I nursed exclusively as long as my first one wanted. He refused bottles and pacifiers. He refused food as well until he was over a year.

Well, by that age we couldnt see buying a high chair. Instead we bought a booster seat with a lap belt, high arms and back. It was a multicolored one that we found at Toys R Us, or Toys for us, as he called it.

My second came when my first was two. This little one ate as soon as he was born and keep moving to the next step earlier than I was ready.

When the boys were being introduced to the table, we would put them on one lap. We would feed them and once they were no longer interested, we put them down and allowed them to play in the next room. At first we would spoon feed them, but it wouldnt be long before they wanted to feed themselves. At this point we would put them in a booster. This way we were all together and no one had to fight to keep him in the chair.

My second one used the multicolored seat and a friend gave us a low booster for our older son. Now I have different height chairs for each son so that they can be comfortable at the dinner table. We havent used a booster seat in over a year and our youngest is three.

The trick I think is make meals a relaxed family event. Take your cues from your kids, not from the market or the wisdom of the masses.

Oh, now that's a little preachy, sorry. Hope to help.

Love being a wife, mom, professional, and leader.
M.

I have used that type of chair on our dining chairs since my grandson visited at 8 months and he did fine for the week he was here. I just recently started using it on my 6 month old grandson and he does fine with a bit of padding. Both boys use regular high chairs at home.

We also have the Fisher Price booster seat (not the rainforest one). It's been great - we covered our main chair in plastic and it's kept all the gook off. The actual seat is easy to clean and you can use the trays or your table. We opted for the trays, since DS still smears food everywhere. Just a tip on this chair - if you go to Fisher Price, you can order "replacement trays" for super cheap. So you have the main tray and then as many inserts as you need - we have 4 (3 meals plus a snack) so I only have to do DS's dishes once a day!

We got my 18 month old this: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2908763 a month ago. Its GREAT! I love that she's sitting in the actual chair and not a seat that can move around. Its also very portable and we send it to grandparents. She loves sitting at the table with us. It comes in other colors, too.

When my older boys, 17 mos apart, were small, we found that having their own "Little Tikes" table worked well for them. They could seat themselves and reach well also. Eventually they learned to clear the table by themselves. We used the table for meals, snacks, coloring and other activities. We used it for years. Just a suggestion.

All of my 3 little ones used the "Cooshie" seat as well, and loved it. It has no belts or straps so they felt like big kids. I noticed one person stated that it left a film on her chairs. I haven't had that problem. However, I would recommend picking up the Cooshie after meals to wipe away anything that may have spilled and got underneath it. I ruined the varnish on one of my chairs because I didn't realize that water had been trapped underneathe it. Good luck!

Hi M.,

We used a little booster seat for my son so he could sit at the table. The only thing that I did not like about the booster seat is that his feet would dangle and then he would squirm. We ended up buying a Euro II seat from leaps and bounds. I love it and my son calls it his chair. It converts from a high chair to a booster chair to a study chair. The best thing it holds up to 150 pounds. It is a bit more expensive than a booster but I think it is worth the investment because you will get a lot of use over the years.
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

Good Luck to you and your newest addition!
J.

We used one that ties to a regular chair and the bottom of the seat turns over to adjust the height. You can find it at Walmart, etc. I forget the brand, but I see them all over. We were satisfied with it.