We own 2 of these regular non-rainforest high chairs, plus 1 with the rainforest toys for Grandma's house. It's love! But your probably don't need the rainforest version.
We have limited space, so one of these is our permanent kitchen high chair, strapped securely onto one of our dining room chairs. It adjusts to 3 heights based on the chair's height from the table and the baby's size, and the tray comes with 3 pieces which are dishwasher safe (tray, divided tray insert, and a cover). The tray can also be put into 3 different distances from your baby's tummy depending on his clothing and size.
The tray is very easy to get on and off in a hurry. This is good for when your child inevitably gags or chokes and you need to get to him in a hurry. Also, unlike other high chairs that we've used, he can't remove the tray himself. Some other styles of high chair have a pull latch on the front of the tray--which has the big design flaw of releasing when it's easily kicked!
This folds into a nice, trunk-friendly bundle for carrying around in your car for visiting relatives, etc. The back of the seat has a handle for your hand, or you can use the under-chair strap as a shoulder strap for carrying. I also prefer to take it into restaurants to have the tray available instead of pushing a high chair up to a table. The snap-in tray cover keeps the food tray clean no matter what else is bouncing around in your trunk.
Now we have a second basic one which permanently lives in the car until our next baby comes along, then we will have both our kids in these at the dining room table.
When the baby becomes a toddler, you can stop using the tray and use it as a regular booster chair with the adjustable height for any chair/table height combo.
We bought the rainforest version when we flew out to Grandma's house to keep there. It is super cute, but there is a VERY NARROW window of time in which your baby will be a) big enough to play with it and b) small enough to be interested in this instead of food. The toy insert is snap-in and easily removable. But, it does not get any more compact, which really increases the amount of space it takes up (if that's a concern for you). You can theoretically remove the toys from the "jungle" to conserve space, but they snap in very securely so it's a pain. So, when we traveled with Grandma and Grandpa to the beach, etc, the rainforest part stayed behind. Plus, our baby at 1 year old was too old to be interested in it for very long. He just wanted to eat and then get down and crawl/walk around instead of hanging out and playing with the toys. I hoped it would buy us some time at the table, but not at this age! Maybe for a younger baby.
I got this when my daughter started having solids at 6 months old and she still uses it at 2 1/2 years. I did have to pad the chair with blankets when she was 6 months old to keep her from slumping. At 2 1/2, she is 29 lbs and 34 inches and sits comfortably in it. I can see her using it for a lot longer as a booster chair as well. It is definitely not small as one reviewer mentioned. Of course, all that depends on each child. It is very well made and has been with us on many trips, both domestic and international. My daughter has several allergies so this chair goes everywhere with us. The toy insert keeps younger babies occupied and is cute. The only problem I found with the toy insert was the paper stickers that started peeling off with continued use and washing.
pros: well made, good quality
grows with baby (adjustable table and height and chair back can be removed)
easy to clean (just wipe chair with clorox wipes, table can be put in dishwasher or easily hand washed)
easy to use while holding baby in one hand
light and easy to travel with
fits on most chairs
toy insert keeps baby busy
cons: paper stickers peel off with continued washing
straps tend to get gunky, especially if you have a very messy baby (think chicken puree everywhere)...not a huge problem though since you can just take out the straps and wash them. I let them sit in a cup of vinegar for a while before rinsing them out, takes care of both stains and smells!
Update: My daughter, who is now 4, still fits comfortably in her booster seat and enjoys sitting at the dining table with us. The height is just right for her to eat at the dining table(she is 33 lbs and 40 inches!). This seat truly grows with your child!
Buy Fisher-Price Rainforest Healthy Care Booster Seat Now
I bought this seat because we have two other items from this this line (the gym mat and the jumperoo). It looks cute and the toys also made it more appealing to me. The downside was that it is frustrating to operate. The tray snaps into three places depending on the size of your baby. It is not easy to adjust the tray or remove it if you are holding your baby. Locking it into place also is not as easy. Although it has three adjustable height positions, even on the highest, I felt it was too short for my daughter. The toys are nice but for smaller babies. Mine is 8 months and she has limited interest in them. I would opt for something a lot more user-friendly.
Read Best Reviews of Fisher-Price Rainforest Healthy Care Booster Seat Here
The baby is seven and a half months old now. We've had this seat since she was about six months old.
I agree with most of the other positive reviews. Sturdy, Easy to clean, tray comes on and off easily enough for adult, but not for a baby to remove herself!. Safety strap to keep her from falling out, and secures well to a kitchen chair.
One person said that the rainforest insert on the tray was not necessary, but I disagree. She spends a long time playing with it. We put it on before she eats, and after food is cleaned up, and it extends the time that she sits happily at the table with us.
The only thing I wish is that we could buy some of the other inserts separately, to change them up every now and again!
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August, 2012: Just want to add that she is STILL using this!!!
Now, at 21 months old she can take the tray on and off herself, as well as buckle herself in, and unbuckke. She insists on doing both herself, by the way.
Mostly she no longer uses the insert, but occasionally she wants it. It fact, we are using the tray itself less and less, and just pushing her up to the table; it works terrifically as a booster seat!
I still use the tray when she is coloring, or doing anything that I'd rather not have accidently mark the table.
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My son is 6 months old and he can sit tall if propped up with pillows. So, I thought he may be ready for a booster seat. This is a good product, but my kid keeps titling toward either sides and is uncomfortable in it. I tried putting some towels to cushion the sides of the seat so that he can sit up. It helped only for a little while. He loves to play with the toys, but he is not comfortable in the chair. I will wait and see if he enjoys the seat with time.
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I steam a lot of foods but also make single-serving pasta for my kids at times. I like this because it is dual purpose, collapses, does not leach chemicals into the food, and is eco-friendly all around. I have two!
