I don't ask a lot of you. You go to other blogs and comment, but mostly you just lurk on mine, and I think that's just fine. I don't want you to feel like you have to tell me my kid is cute or that I'm doing a good job or that I rock because I can multitask so well. Sure, it's nice when you do, but I don't lay awake at night hoping for more. I don't want to impose.
But this is serious. I need help. Actual help.
I'm having a huge high chair dilemma. When we were expecting darling C. and preparing for the onslaught of baby gear, we were mere babes in the wood. We knew not what was coming. We bought most of what they told us to buy, haven't used half of it and had to make crazed runs to Target at 10 at night to buy the other stuff no one told us we'd really really need. Babies 'R Us (that damned backward R makes me insane) frightened the living hell out of us, and were it not for my lovely sister to guide me through I might have had Clementine right there in aisle 3 while still wringing my hands over buying just the right car seat or baby monitor. Since we couldn't even decide on what crib to buy (and thus chose the cheapest ever because who cares about a crib anyway?), we decided we wouldn't even try to tackle high chairs until feeding was upon us for fear of a.) picking the wrong one b.) losing our home to large plastic items and c.) our total fucking insanity at having to buy yet another item with giraffes, elephants, Winnie the Pooh, little blocks or other such nonsense.
But now feeding is upon us. And while I initially thought I could just spoon feed her in the Bumbo, the reading I've been doing lately makes me want to give her actual food to play around with and it would be nice to put her in a high chair and give her an ice cube or banana while we scarf a pizza at the same time instead of in shifts. I thought this would be easy peasy--just go to the ole Target and pick out the least offensive contraption and move on. We would only have to bear it a little while before relegating it to the basement and buying one of those cool toddler chairs, right? But when I got to the Target I HATED all of them. I don't know why, but I became fixated. A high chair is not like a crib or a changing table, a piece of furniture tucked away in a bedroom I don't spend that much time awake in. A high chair sits in the most used places in the house, and I will have to see it every single god damned day. Can I really handle one more brightly colored piece of crap?
When I went home and began to check online for other options, a whole new world opened up to me--a world where style and function meet, where high chairs look like decorative elements AND fun places to chow. A world that involves Greek mythology and wood instead of Elmo and plastic. I found my dream high chair, and I can't stop thinking about it. Why haven't I bought it? Because it's expensive. Not the $600 egg chair expensive, but it ain't no $99 one either.
This is where you come in, Internet. How much is too much to spend on a high chair? I have been agonizing for a week, and we need to get Clementine some food fast. I fear if I don't make a decision soon she will either live on breast milk until she can pull up a chair to the table or will begin to eat off the floor like a savage. I keep trying to talk myself into the cheaper models, but each time I put the $99 Graco standard in my online shopping cart, I go take a quick peek at my dream chair and can't go through with it.
My friends are split pretty evenly. Karen, Debby and Lisa think for the most part that it is silly to spend so much money on something I will use for such a short time. I think I could sway Lisa, but Karen is horrified and Debby reminded me that I could buy cool things for Clementine and myself with the money I save by not going all out on a high chair. A high chair. Am I really this ridiculous that I'm expending this much energy on something she will probably trash? My sister K.C. and friend Laura, on the other hand, think this is something that I'll have to live with every day and should love with all my being. K.C. pointed out that I cheap out at some points (seriously, my crib was almost free, and ditto on the changing table), so why not splurge when it means something? I was extravagant with my swing, but I use it every single day and have never regretted it for a minute. We won't go hungry or have trouble paying the mortgage if I buy it, but it's not as if I have a spare wad of cash hanging around after all my debts are paid.
So I appeal to you, Internet. What are your thoughts? What is your experience? Should I buy what I love or just go with what's cheap? Should I find middle ground between loathsome plastic cheapness and beautiful wooden goodness? How central to my life will the high chair be? Don't just tell me what I want to hear. Besides, how can you know what I want to hear when I don't know that? Give it to me straight. But don't be mean. I know I'm frivolous and whiny, that I could use that money to support a charity or justice, that I should just shut up and pick one already. But I need help. Which one? Huh?
14 comments:
Badhummus knows nothing about these things, but he has an opinion anyway.
Since you've mentioned potential future second child, divide cost by two.
After that, e-bay. Voila! You turn a profit.
Think of it as an investment in your future.
Do you have a counter that you eat at? My best friend has a terrific, very stylish nylon-and-aluminum (or some kind of metal) chair that just clamps onto their kitchen counter, so the baby ends up hanging out, suspended beside the counter, which thus becomes his high chair "tray." It works really well and is tres stylish. They never take it off the counter. They just pop him in when it's time for him to eat. And it's right there in the kitchen, so they can do other stuff, too, while he's in the seat. I can find out about it for you, if you want.
Find something in between. Don't go with what you hate, but don't spend a fortune, either. Save the $$!
I don't have kids, so I can't speak from any experience of high chairs, but my general philosphy is that if you really care about something (and you obviously do if you are agonizing about it this much) and you've done the won't-break-the-bank check (which you have) you should get something that makes you happy. As you said, you will see it every day (unlike some new outfits). Like the swing, you probably won't regret it. What does Nate think?
I bought a $400 stroller once, for many of the same reasons you're considering buying an expensive high chair - I'd use it so much, I wanted it to be cool, baby #2 would make it more cost effective,etc. The very first time I put my own darling Sam in it, he had explosive diarrhea that stained the fabric. Then, I went over pothole that through the wheels out of whack forever. I learned my lesson.
I bought a $400 stroller once, for many of the same reasons you're considering buying an expensive high chair - I'd use it so much, I wanted it to be cool, baby #2 would make it more cost effective,etc. The very first time I put my own darling Sam in it, he had explosive diarrhea that stained the fabric. Then, I went over pothole that through the wheels out of whack forever. I learned my lesson.
Just an opinion of a person with 2 (one mid-range with lots of features and one cheap with nothing fancy, for when I have an extra kid in the house part time). There are some features that I really could use on the second chair. Also you do get what you pay for in quality. I love my daughter dearly, but I was willing to pass up on the Cadillac/Porsche/Ferrari lol of chairs even though she's in it for 3 meals a day for the past 18 months.
Wheels - love the wheels for moving the chair out of the way when not in use - bad part of the wheels, I have hardwood and my daughter loves taking the chair for a walk LOL (still moves with the wheels locked on the hardwood)
Multiple positioning options (mid-range) - love it - I can have her tray high enough to clear the table and she can sit with us and when she's a bit bigger I can lower the chair enough so she can sit at the table without her tray.
One handed tray release - nice feature - you can hold the baby while you remove the tray to get the baby in.
Padding - more comfortable the seat the more willing they are to sit still for feeding.
An added feature on the better chair - a thin tray on the main tray - much easier to clean and if the top one gets really messy I can just take it off and she can continue her meal on the main tray.
So I don't think you need to go all out on a chair, just look for features you really like and think will be good for your household. Also check the manufacturer's sites and see what kinds of recalls they have on their items - if they seem to have a lot... well I'm sure you know.
Just buy the damn thing and send it back if it doesn't meet and exceed your expectations.
I have to agree with the poster who said to choose a high chair based on features and comfort level rather than aesthetics.
We bought a Graco chair that had a soft, padded fabric cover. Not the hippest chair in the book, but my daughter will sit in it for the duration of a meal, which frequently tops an hour. Babies eat very slowly, so she's going to be camped in that chair for a long time.
My parents have a beautiful antique wooden high chair, but my daughter, who is a year old, hated sitting on it for more than ten minutes at a time. Hard surfaces (especially the hard back) get too uncomfortable, I think.
I'm totally with you on hating all the plastic crap, but a high chair is the one plastic piece that I'm glad I purchased. The tray is easy to clean, and the seat adjusts to many positions and heights. The versatility is great. I use the chair for fingerpainting, so the washable cover is pretty awesome.
I once bought a $500 stroller and it was well worth the money. I agree with the one who said to buy it and send it back if you do't like it.
A lurker's opinion--
Don't buy what you despise (and really, who DOESN'T despise Elmo and Pooh by now) but a couple hundred is a lot of money for someone who will want to sit in the big-girl chair, at the big people table, soon.
Find the happy medium.
I say go for it! I can't imagine a plastic piece of crap amongst the godzilla lamp, antique doorknobs, and mermaid painting. Even though it may be a short time you do have to look at it every day. If you love it, later on you can use it for a plant stand in the corner or something. That is what my parents did with our old wooden highchair - in fact they still do. And, it is available to use when they boys visit. As my friend Trish says, "We all deserve nice things."
http://www.barebabies.com/highchairs2.html
Per Perego Prima Pappa - mine lasted thru 2 kids and still looked good - folded up to sit quietly - they come and all colors.
They are 150 - 170 price range. Loved mine.
I say screw the stand alone high chair and opt for a booster seat that will fit in your existing dining room chair or bar stool.
There are many that transition from infant to toddler and it is easy to take with you out of town when you head to some place that more than likely not have a high chair.
There is also the Stokke kinderzeat that goes from high chair to regular chair...
feast your eyes on this link...
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/547946/ref=br_bx_c_1_0/002-6406781-7556804
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