Most restaurants will do their best to accommodate growing children by keeping things like coloring books, a kids menu, and high chairs in storage. But if you arrive at a restaurant, having made the reservation weeks ago, meeting friends who changed their schedule to be there, only to find the venue is out of high chairs for the evening or simply doesn't have them, you could be stuck holding your child on your lap for the entire meal. Any parent who has done this knows it's impossible to enjoy a meal like this. The child is constantly trying to crawl out of their lap, or grab things on the table they shouldn't, or spilling somebody's wine. If you need a more compelling reason to travel with your own high chair in tow, consider that the ones the restaurant keeps on hand could carry more bacteria than a public toilet seat. Think of your own child's eating habits. They likely spill things, drool, spit out their food, and possibly even soil themselves in their chair. Busy restaurant staff may have time to give a high chair a quick wipe town before the next customer needs it, but that's all.
Also consider the fact that children, and small infants, in particular, like to lick everything. Ironically, researchers suggest this type of behavior might be good for a baby at home and can even prevent the development of certain chronic diseases. But in a public place, it can be very dangerous. Finally, there is the issue that restaurants that carry high chairs tend to carry one generic model, and all in one size. But children and babies do not come all in one size. There is a good chance your baby will not fit comfortably in the restaurant's high chair, and will either be too low at the table, lurking under your eye line where you cannot keep an eye on them, or too high, which can be dangerous. Since babies and young children are constantly growing, parents need a portable high chair that grows with them. This is especially true for those buying a portable high chair for summer travel since this is when children actually grow the fastest. Fortunately, many models have both adjustable heights, and several reclining positions, to comfortably grow with a child from infancy through their high chair years.
Make sure your model easily attaches to either most chairs or tables and doesn't require much assembly. Young children aren't exactly notorious for their calm demeanor at the dinner table, especially those who eat some of the ingredients in common kids menus that cause hyperactivity. To avoid wrangling your child all night, look for a portable high chair with a harness that will keep them in their seat. Another way to make sure one's child behaves well is to keep them entertained, which is why many portable high chairs come with attached toys and games. These can be especially helpful for those times when the restaurant is out of coloring books. One more characteristic that children are not famous for is cleanliness. By the end of a meal, a portable high chair might be covered in crayon markings, spilled juice and chunks of food. Make sure your model is easy to wipe down. If it has a seat pad, make sure that is machine washable. Rather than letting the high chair be one more thing you need to carry, let it carry things for you and get one with a large storage area.
Just because you're a parent of a young child doesn't mean your favorite restaurants should be off limits. Simply follow some guidelines to make dining out with your child relatively hassle free. When it comes to seating, choose a table in a corner and put your children against the walls, so they don't have much room to throw food at the neighboring patrons. Think about how busy the restaurant might be, too. Look for one where you know you can order food quickly, and that it will arrive fast. The longer a child has to wait for their food, the more likely they are to get into mischief. Some studies suggest a child's attention span is directly connected to how distracted their parent is, so engage your little one at the dinner table, rather than chat on your cell phone or read from your tablet. As a parent of a young child, you've probably learned to stop expecting a quiet dinner. Since your child is already going to be loud, choose a noisy restaurant. That way, you won't feel that your kid's singing picture book, or new-found love of screaming, is disturbing the other patrons.
On that note, if you're planning a long meal, keep your child busy with something like a puzzle or game.Highchair and Booster Seat Reviews To tray, or not to tray? That is the question, at least when it comes to finding the best high chair. With a tray, you can scoot the high chair anywhere you want in your kitchen or dining room, and in a lot of cases, you can stick the tray in the dishwasher after a meal. Sans tray, baby pulls right up to the table with you, part of the family meal from his or her first foods. Need a second (or third, or eighteenth) opinion? Ask a friend to weigh in). What you'll want, no matter what: to be able to wipe the whole thing clean with a sponge. Poke around for crevasses; your baby will definitely find a way to get some smashed blueberries in there. Don't see what you're looking for? Last updated: 22 July 2016 A portable high chair can make travelling with a baby or infant just that little bit easier. See our high chair buying guide for what to look for when choosing one, and how we test to see how we get our results.
Our test covers boosters and harnesses that attach to a dining chair, clip-on seats that attach to a table, and floor seats for young babies. Our review will tell you which seats and harnesses are: safest for your baby easy to use (for newly tested models) have the features to suit your needs. Our rigorous test looks at key safety requirements such as choking and entrapment hazards, sharp points, strength, structural integrity, security of the harness, and security of attachment to the chair or table. Our interactive comparison tool lists the seats' features and specifications to help you make the right choice. Our Recommended list will tell you quickly which portable high chairs we rated the best. enter value/s in increments of 1 between 32 and 153 This test score is for members only. Join now to unlock our expert results. Ease of use score Passed key safety requirements Dimensions when folded (cm) Ease of use score Rainforest™ Healthy Care™ Booster Seat
Read Reviews ()Write a Review Geckos, monkeys and other rainforest friends keep baby busy with lots of action, and the toy tray snaps right off the feeding tray when it’s time to eat. When baby’s done eating, you can sanitize the feeding tray right in the dishwasher.The seat is easy to clean too, with no crevices to trap crumbs. The seat has a three-point harness to safely hold your child in the seat, and adjustable front and rear straps to securely attach it to virtually any chair. As your child grows, you’ll appreciate the adjustable harness, three seat heights, and the removable seat back. Please note: the feeding tray is not microwave safe.Better for Baby Fewer germs—sanitize feeding tray in dishwasher.Removable seat back & height adjustment make seat the right size for baby as baby grows.Better for MomSeat is easy to clean, with no crevices to trap crumbs.Folds compactly for storage and easy portability.Rainforest toy keeps baby occupied during meal preparation (or at restaurants).