I have made some unbelievably moronic choices when it comes to baby gear. This was definately not one of them!
I had originally wanted to just go with an infant to toddler feeding station set up, but then I saw and purchased a Peg Pergeo Prima Pappa out of the PennySaver. Oooooh, Peg Perego... Had to have it...
I hated hated hated HATED that chair. It was huge. The tray was too high. It had a zillion and one little nooks and crannies to get food into. I ended up shoving it back and forth between the kitchen and the laundry room for months. Once my baby really got into eating solids (which he didn't do until 7 months) I fed him in his bouncy, on the floor. I just didn't want to deal with cleaning that high chair. Even once he got to be a better (neater) eater, the space issues drove me bananas.
I sold it at a loss and bought the Fisher Price booster seat instead.
I love love love LOVE this little chair.
First of all, it goes on our dining room chair so it takes up no additional space. My baby fits in it very comfortably it is just his size. I can put Cheerios on the tray for him and he can pick them up and eat them (although it does seem he drops and sits in them about half the time, too...) No nooks and crannies so clean up is easy. We can easily pack it up and take it to a resturaunt and he is so happy to sit in his little seat, smack the tray, play with his toys, eat his Cheerios we are able to eat out in public again. I never thought I would be a germophobic parent but I do appreciate being able to take our own seat along from a cleanliness aspect, too. This chair is inexpensive enough that if you are lazy, or just like to be prepared, you could even buy two and always keep one in the trunk of your car for going out.
I don't really see the point in having the tray insert the tray is so easy to wipe down but, who knows. Maybe it will come in handy some time.
I do have some concerns about this chair really suiting a child from infant to toddler. It does not recline, as some of the other boosters do. However, in my experience, my child really was not ready to eat until he was able to sit up right. I think that a lot of people force solids onto children too soon, partly in hopes of getting their kid to sleep through the night sooner, partly out of deference to grandparents. You can always feed your baby in his bouncy, if he needs a reclining feeding seat.
It does seem a little small to fit a toddler into, but once the tray is removed and it is used as just a booster seat, it will probably be fine. I really like that your child can get so close to the table using this little seat.
Thumbs up, way way up, for this little seat. I plan to buy two more as baby gifts for my brother and cousin who are expecting babies in October (not with each other).
--Update--
I had twins last year and we needed a second booster. I wanted to get the same one and we went to TRU to get one but they only had the yellow and orange one. I did notice it didn't have the extra tray, but I also noticed it cost less. Since the extra tray was kind of useless anyway, I didn't mind much. So we got the yellow and orange one and took it home and then I realized the height doesn't adjust like it does for the green and blue one. Arg, I thought. Then I thought, does it really matter?? The yellow and orange one is at the same height as the blue and green one when it is in the 2nd/middle position. So I just put the blue/green one in the second position, set the chairs up next to each other, and let the girls eat. Works just fine. I was a little miffed at the cutting out of features but it's nice that the price is lower and really these features aren't needed. I'd assumed the blue/green one was d/c'ed when I only saw the yellow but I guess that's not the case. So blue and green, or yellow and orange they're both good.
I originally bought the "Swing Tray Portable Booster Seat" because it was cheaper and I thought that it would be just as good. Well, it fell apart. I got this one and have been very please. It's is like a travel version of the Healthy Care Highchair.
There is a removeable feeding tray that can be put in the dishwasher. It has a cup holder and snaps right on to the main (blue) tray.
There are three different height settings. This is great for traveling because different tables can be different heights.
The back of the car and the trays are removeable, turning the seat into a booster for older and/or larger children.
The seat is all one piece and there are no seams or crevices for food to get stuck in. It also makes the seat very easy to clean.
The seat has a three-point seatbelt that adjusts, so it can accomodate a growing baby and toddler.
The booster folds up and even has a shoulder strap to make it easier to travel with. There is a lid that snaps onto the feeding tray. It is also dishwasher safe. I like the cover you can put on the tray, just so you know it's not getting dirty.
There are straps on both sides and on the back of the seat. This makes it much easier to fit onto a variety of chairs. This is great especially when eating out.
Buy Fisher-Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat Now
2013 UPDATE: I changed my 1 star review to 5 stars. Hopefully this will be more helpful to people. I'm not going to edit any of my original review below. It seems like they've sorted out the issue with the similar types of seats. The awesome, adjustable version is the Healthy Care DELUXE! We loved it. As I'm typing this, this review appears under the listing for the Deluxe, and all the versions shown in the pictured options are height adjustable and show the snap-in tray and tray cover. This wasn't the case previously, so just check the options before you buy!
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Amazon should not be sharing the reviews for the old blue booster with the new yellow & orange one. The blue one gets 5 stars from me; it was perfect. We had to replace it so I bought the new yellow one.
The yellow one DOES NOT ADJUST up or down for height. My son's legs no longer fit under our table because we can't adjust it down far enough like we could with the blue one.
In addition, the yellow one comes with only the main one-piece white tray. The blue booster comes with a main blue tray, a white snap-in tray with a molded cup space, and a green tray cover. It's perfect for travel. The yellow and orange booster DOES NOT have these extra pieces.
I'm totally irritated that I was led to believe that this was the same booster, simply with a different color scheme.
2009 UPDATE: As of mid-2009, the names seem to be sorted out. The booster called "Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster Seat" (currently still in yellow), is a stripped down, non-adjustable model. It really has no advantages other than price, maybe (depends on the day!). It's not more portable even though it's smaller. The better seat, with adjustability, extra trays, etc. is now called the Fisher Price Healthy Care DELUXE Booster Seat, and appears to come in two colors at the moment. The Deluxe gets 5 stars!
Read Best Reviews of Fisher-Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat Here
We love this Booster Seat. It's reasonably priced and has every feature that parents in the real world demand.
The good:
1) It travels well, as it can be completely folded in and it's straps used to carry it over a shoulder like a pack.
2) It can be set at 3 different heights for different tables and for your growing toddler.
3) It straps on securely and most importantly QUICKLY!
4) All straps adjust, both to the chair and to your child.
5) It doesn't have any cloth or nasty nooks that are hard to clean... Just a quick wipedown is all that's usually necessary.
6) Has a detachable tray with a food tray that comes with a cover. So you can play with playdough for 5 minutes before dinner on the main tray, and then break out your covered dinner when you are ready! Very convenient and sturdy.
7) Solid construction. Our VERY strong 2 year old can't get out of it or break parts off.
8) The straps will come off (with a little work) so they can be tossed in a washer
9) The food tray is dishwasher safe
10) It will grow with you as a booster seat even if you don't use it as a stand alone "high" chair.
I can't think of anything bad about it and that's saying something in the parenting world. Buy it and never look back. In fact, we just put in an order for our second one so we can leave one in the car so we are never without. It's simply fantastic. Our little one has started requesting this seat instead of his (soon to be retired) high chair. He loves eating dinner at the same table with his Mom and Dad.
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I bought this because, after two children and two big highchairs, I realized that I rarely used the highchair anyway, so what was the point of having this huge thing taking up half the space in my kitchen? I almost bought the fisher price healthy care high chair, when I saw this at the store. I figured that if I didnt like it, I could always use it for trips to grandmas house. Well, I LOVE it!! It stays on our chair VERY securely, the dishwasher safe tray(s) are great, and I can fold down the seat so that you dont even see it under the table! I put both trays on the bottom rack of my dishwasher with no problems (our water doesnt get to a burning point like some though). It is soooo easy to wipe up after she eats. I also got one of those temperpedic pillow things and cut it down so that it fits on the seat and then made a cover for it out of PUL (water proof but soft). She didnt really seem uncomfortable but I like my babies comfy! I dont think I will even buy a new high chair when the next one comes! I would recommend this to anyone. Oh and my 4 year old DS fits in it perfectly too!
I ordered these to take on a trip. They are convenient and allow for feeding directly from the pouch. My son is 6 months old and large for his age. I found them to be wider than the infant feeding spoons. He still was able to eat from them, but I could tell he found it more cumbersome. These would probably work well for an older child, but I'm not sure an older child would need them since they could just suck the food right out of the pouch.
