Conference moira::parenting_v3

    We use a seat called the Dolly Gro and Go seat.  It straps onto a
    regular chair, but also has its own removable tray.  So you can use
    the tray if you want to, or you can take it off and use as a booster
    seat.  It's also handy for taking to restaurants that don't have high
    chairs.
    
    BTW, our highchair also has a removable tray, so we sometimes just
    wheel Marc up to the regular table.

    My daugther age 21 mths has also reached the stage she she wants to sit
    at the table. I just purchased a 2-stage Century booster at Sears for
    $9.99. There's a deeper seating groove on one side that's perfect for
    her
    height. She has been sitting in her chair like a big adult and is able
    to reach her bowl. So far so good. Hope this helps!!
    
    -clotelle

    We also have the Century booster seat.  Steven (19mos)
    loves to sit with us, the deeper groove is perfect for him.
    
    However, we still use the high chair for times that he's 
    not "dining" with us and those rare nights when we don't
    have the patience to let him have the freedom of being
    right at the table, grabbing for things.  8-)
    
    He is starting to prefer to sit in the booster seat though,
    (gee I wonder why)..and we've been considering putting the
    high chair away.
    
    I imagine the timing varies from child to child, but when
    is the average age that a child stops using the high chair?
    
    Linda

    Oh, I forgot to mention we still have the high chair until we see how
    interested/adjusted Monique is with the booster seat. 
    
    -clotelle

    For David, we bought whatever was on sale at Bradlee's that week. 
    I think it was $6.99.  It was probably Fisher-Price, though I
    can't say I paid any attention to the brand. 
    
    --bonnie

    We bought the Fisher-Price (as with Bonnie, it happened to be the one
    on sale when Cory was ready for it).  I really like the fact that it
    has a strap that fastens it to the chair.  I noticed that some booster
    seats don't have one.
    
    Cory (20 months) has been using it for about 3 months now.  We decided
    it was time to put the high chair away when he figured out how to
    wiggle out of the safety strap and decided to take a walk on the 
    tray 8-).
    
    
    - Terry

    What we did with our son at first was took the tray off the high chair
    and just put him at the table in the high chair he was able to reach
    everything in site and he was still strapped in so I did not have to
    worry about him being able to slide right out.
    
    Della

    HI,
    
    One suggestion I would have to say would be don't buy the Graco
    adjustable booster seat.  I bought it.  I really don't like it because
    I feel that it is dangerous.  I have a two year old & when she sits in
    the booster seat & moves forward the seat falls down.  This booster
    seat is blue & white & you adjust the level you want it.
    
    
    Tiki

    
    We bought a "high" chair at an unfinshed furniture store.  Its a nice
    looking wooden chair, but it is high so the child can sit right at the
    table, and it has a back and curves around to the sides also.  It also
    has a little step, so the child can get up in it, and have a place to
    rest their feet once in it.  We stained it the same as our other
    chairs, and it looks really nice at our kitchen table, as it kindof
    mathes all our other chairs.  This has really worked out well for us.
    I think the cost was about $35.00 (it is solid wood)
    
    

    
    
     We have the GRACO booster seat/step stool...  The seat straps onto the 
     kitchen chair and is very secure.  It has two sides, one deeper than 
     the other.  It also has a cover that can be used as a third level of 
     booster, or if you put it on the seat itself, it becomes a step stool.
     Christopher is 20mos and has been using a booster for a few months.
     Occasionally I regret letting him use the booster, because for me it 
     produces much more of a mess than was ever possible with the
     highchair.  We are happy with the GRACO. Our sitter uses the
     Fisher-Price booster and he does well in that, also.
    
    		Laura

    Cosco makes a booster with a seat that can be put at one of three
    levels. It's sturdy and cheap and fits in any regular chair. It
    doesn't strap on, but it does have rubber feet on the bottom that
    keep it from slipping around. We've been using it for well over a
    year and found it ideal.
    
    Lucy

    We used El Cheapo booster seat for a while .... till it fell off, child
    and all, one too many times.  I think half the problem is the type of
    chairs we have.
    
    Anyway, I'd recommend taking the tray off of the high chair and slide
    that up to the table for a while.  It's the right 'size' for the child,
    and won't take up a chair in your kitchen.  Plus, it's still easier to
    clean up then a chair/booster seat mess.
    
    

    re: .12
    
    A good suggestion if your kid isn't frantic to be sitting on the
    "grown-up" chairs...
    
    You also bring up a good point, which is that the kind of chairs
    you have make a big difference to what kind of seat will work. 
    Keep it in mind when you shop.
    
    --bonnie

    Re: using the highchair
    
    Unfortunately, the arms on our FisherPrice highchair do not allow it
    to slide under our table...:^(
    
    Thanks for the recommendations so far. Please keep them coming!
    
    Freddie

    Turns out ours is actually the "Little Tike" brand.  Just a plain
    molded plastic seat, deep enough to keep David from sliding out
    of, that sits very securely on our flat lightly padded kitchen
    chairs.
    
    --bonnie

    
    This note comes at just the right time for us.  Courtenay (15 months)
    refuses to sit in her high chair and is transistioning into the young
    toddler room this month.  Once there she will no longer be using a 
    high chair (she usually eats breakfast with them now).  Our Fisher
    Price high chair won't allow for sliding under anything.  So we will
    definately need a booster seat.  Keep those suggestions coming....
    
    rose marie  

    In our case, Ryan stopped wanting to sit in a high chair pretty
    early.... 13-14 months at the most. Nor did he seem inclined to sit for
    long on a booster seat, so he often ate many meals standing, with the
    plate on a kitchen chair. At least it kept him at the table!
    

    We have found an excellent alternative to the Sassy Seat for travelling
    with Baby to restaurants and Grandma's.  
    
    Here's another vote for the Dolly Go N'Grow seat with tray.  We got it
    for $25 at Bradlees.  It has an adjustable back and seat, straps onto a
    dining chair, is easy to clean, and appears indestructable. 
    
    It also gives us a second high chair/booster seat when another baby
    comes to visit.
    
    Laura
    
    

	I believe what we have is the Graco Booster seat.  It can be 
adjusted for several heights depending on which side you use and whether
or not you use the extra "shelf".  It attaches to the seat with a strap.
We've found it to be very stable.  Katie loves it.  She's been using it 
since she was around 20 months, I guess.  (And she's in 10th percentile for 
height so I guess most kids could reach with this seat by then.)

Tracey

    I wanted to mention one other option, there is a booster seat/step
    stool combination.  It sells for something like 10 or12 dollars at Toys
    R Us, I considered it simply with the idea of not having to store a
    stool in our tiny bathroom, (I've got this "thing" about dual use
    furniture).  So what did I do, I bought a yellow Sesamie Street booster
    seat, can't remember who makes it, but it has a strap to secure it, and
    a Little Tykes stool for the bathroom.
    
    I occationally use the step stool myself, it's tough being short! and
    the booster fits well on both the captain chair in the kitchen and as
    well on the chairs on the deck when we eat out.  We also have
    discovered for eating on the deck is to take the overstuffed cushions
    from the lawn furniture chairs and fold them over.  It elevates him
    high enough to reach the table without taking the booster seat outside.
    
    One more point I do have to make it a point each night to remove the
    booster seat and clean all the dropped food and milk, what a mess!
    
    Lyn

    Gina has refused to sit in her high chair, or our sassy type seat for
    the last few weeks.  We have a booster seat that we got at a yard sale,
    but the seat doesn't strap on to the chair.  It also doesn't allow us
    to strap her in.  
    
    We're concerned about a few things.  We eat at a countertop, so she is
    quite far from the floor.  She tends to push against the counter so the
    chair goes backwards.  (Of course, we rush over to her and stop the
    activity...)  We are worried about the booster seat moving on the
    chair.  The chair is very flat, but it has a cloth seat so the rubber
    feet have nothing to grab on to.  
    
    Anyway, is there a booster seat that we can use to strap her in, and
    also staps on to the chair?
    
    Thanks,
    
    judy

    Judy,
    
    Is there anyway that you could strap the booster seat to the chair with
    a belt??  Or rope?  
    
    Having had a booster seat fall off, kid and all, I know you're concern!
    How about having her kneel on the chair to eat?
    

    re .21 and .22, it has just occured to me that you can purchase the
    webbing and buckles in any good quality fabric store, in the section
    that sells belt fabrics.  Consider making the straps yourself?  I have.
    
    Some of the buckles don't even require sewing, and are adjustable.  Use
    one going under the seat to secure the booster and one over the seat
    the secure the child.
    
    Lyn

    I'll have to try these suggestions.
    
    Of course, just as we started to look for this stuff, Gina decided
    maybe the high chair is okay after all.
    
    But we'll get prepared for the next high chair refusal.
    
    Thanks,
    
    judy 

Just FYI: We never did have to use a booster chair with Evan except
occasionally at restaurants (and then used the ones the restaurant supplied).
He preferred to kneel on the chair. 

     Carol