The Bottom Line: The Baby Trend Breckenridge High Chair 8878T is a solid high chair that is loaded with a large number of innovative design features for a great price.
dwsillycat's Full Review: Baby Trend Breckenridge Highchair 8878
After more than a year searching and waiting for the perfect high chair for my infant son the Baby Trend Breckenridge High Chair 8878T finally came my way. I looked at every high chair model in the Madison, Wisconsin area, poured over manufacture websites, visited about a dozen online shopping sites, and of course read about a hundred opinions on various high chairs. After I felt I had a few finalists I gave the chairs a test run with my infant son in tow.
I ultimately chose the Baby Trend Breckenridge High Chair 8878T. Following are the many reasons why.
5pt HARNESS
My oldest son is a little Houdini and could squirm right out of a standard belt style strap no matter how tight it was. Although I was always right there while he was in his high chair it was not much fun constantly setting him back down into his high chair at dinner time. The 5pt strap should keep even the best escape artist safely seated.
SNAP IN DISHWASHER SAFE TRAY
The Baby Trend high chair has two trays, a conventional high chair tray and another that snaps onto it.
This means you can now sanitize the eating surface and will be able to clean one while using the other for play. I have no personal experience as of yet with stains setting into the tray (my son is just starting solids) but I have heard from others that stains are not a problem. Make sure you do not use an abrasive cleanser or a scouring pad to clean either tray. This will result in a scratched surface that will be difficult to clean.
The snap in tray has several different molded in dividers. There is a divider on the right that looks like it could be used for silverware and a smaller one on the left with a molded in cup holder in front of it. In the middle there is a larger area for eating. The bottom tray has a cup holder but otherwise uninterrupted.
CASTERS
Enables you to move chair around easily. Fortunately the casters lock.
FOUR POSITION RECLINING SEAT
A must if you plan to use this chair to feed an infant who is just starting solids. I find that the reclining seat also allows my son the ability to interact with the family during our meal time at eye level. He has really enjoyed this!!
SIX POSITION HEIGHT
I didn't feel this was a feature I would really use when I first bought this high chair but I have enjoyed being able to sit on the floor while feeding my son, feeding my son at a comfortable height while sitting in a chair, and as I mentioned in the reclining seat segment, raising the seat all of the way up for interaction at mealtimes.
The seat bottom at the lowest level is approximately 11" off of the floor (including the 2.5" casters) and then can be raised up every 2.5" until it reaches it's max height of 23.5".
3 POSITION, ONE HAND OPERATED TRAY
If you are using this high chair for an extended period of time you will appreciate the 3 positions this tray has to offer. The tray will grow with your child. This means less lap top spills for smaller babies and no more squished tummies for older tots.
As for one hand operation. In my case it takes one hand to pull the tray off and one hand to pull the lever. Maybe as time goes by it will loosen up a little. But I would rather it be a little hard to remove than a little too easy. As for your child kicking the tray off. You will not have to worry about this particular model (MFG MAY 2003) the lever is shielded from the back and sides and is only accessible from the front.
DEEPLY PADDED REVERSIBLE SEAT COVER
The pad to this chair is quite thick and my five month old son looks very comfortable sitting in it. It is also reversible which is a very good thing as the cover is cloth. You can only imagine what kinds of stains will threaten to set in.
Another benefit to a reversible cover is that you can get a totally different look without purchasing a whole new cover. This is also good to hear if you do not want ruffles on your high chair. The other side is ruffle free.
Of course the seat cover is machine washable. I used Scotch Guard on our cover for additional protection.
VINYL SEAT PAD
One of the biggest design features that convinced me to purchase the Baby Trend Breckenridge High Chair 8878T is the full size vinyl seat pad. Baby Trend does not boast about this feature in their product descriptions but should.
If you remove the cloth seat cover you will find a very simple, but easy to clean removable vinyl seat pad underneath. I usually remove the cloth cover at feedings and use the vinyl seat pad by itself. I save the cloth cover for playtime and to dress the chair up when not in use.
The back of the vinyl pad is attatched to the seat by two strips of what I call hook and loop (hook and loop looks just like Velcro but is not made by Velcro). I would be gentle about removing the vinyl pad from the strips as well as threading the harness straps through. I have read a complaint about small tears in the vinyl around the strap openings. I will probably use a mild vinyl protectant on the pad every month or so when my son starts eating more frequently to help maintain pliability.
BAR BETWEEN LEGS
This bar really helps keep baby from falling out from under the tray while you are trying to unstrap them.
FOLDS COMPACT
It really does. If you put the seat in an upright position, lower the seat to the lowest level, and then bring the legs together the seat will easily fit into the trunk of a small car (I have a Honda Civic Coupe)box and all. The seat folds up so compact that it comes already assembled except for the casters. When folded it will still stand upright on it's own. Folded dimensions are approximately 32.5"H x 21.5"W x 11.5" deep with the casters.
FOLD UP FOOTREST
The footrest folds up nearly flush with the seat bottom if you find that your child's legs are too long for it. This also aids in compact storage. The underside of the otherwise white footrest is navy blue to blend in with the seat cover.
SITTING ROOM
The seat is is approximately 14"W x 19"H x 10"D. Length from the seat bottom to the foot rest is nearly 6". Without the padded seat cover my four year old, who is 39" tall and weighs 35#, fits perfectly in this seat. He can lay his head back against the seat (it comes up to the base of his head), has a bit of room on each side of his shoulders, and is able to use both the tray and footrest. His legs are a wee bit long for the footrest, but not so much that his knees touch the bottom of the tray when using it. With the seat cover the middle of his head touches the top of the seat back and his his shoulders fit perfect between the seat sides.
DURABILITY
The legs of the Breckenridge High Chair 8878T are constructed of sturdy steel and will safely hold up to 40#. The high chair did not at all protest under the weight of my four year old. The Baby Trend Breckenridge High Chair 8878T remained solid and steady. I do not plan on allowing my four year old dine in this high chair as he has his own big boy chair but I wanted to test the size and strength of the chair.
AESTHETIC APPEAL
The Baby Trend Breckenridge High Chair 8878T takes up a limited amount of floor space as well as visual space. The color and overall design do not demand a lot of attention but is still quite attractive in appearance.
This chair has the Breckenridge pattern. One side has a large navy check pattern and what I called tailored pleats on the edges. Some call these ruffles but they are less frilly than your standard ruffle. The pleats are in a mini check. The other side is a navy dominated small check with a plain mini check edging.
The seat pad underneath is navy blue and is very utilitarian but I personally would rather have it that way than have to wipe food out of hundreds of small grooves.
The legs are an attractive brushed aluminum color with navy blue supports. The seat itself as well as the tray top is bright white. The underside of the tray is navy blue.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Even though I recommend the Baby Trend Breckenridge High Chair 8878T 100%, my suggestion is to do a little comparison shopping at your local baby super store before making your final decision even if you plan to make your purchase online. Take your baby or a friend's along with you to test a few out when you have narrowed it down. Try reclining the seat, adjusting the height, securing the harness, rolling it around the floor, remove the tray and put it back on. Does baby look comfortable, are the mechanisms easy to operate, are they a little too easy too operate. Try folding the chair up and carrying it a bit. Usually any R Us store is great about letting you get hands on with their products.
FINAL THOUGHTS
So far the Baby Trend Breckenridge High Chair 8878T has exceeded my every desire in a high chair. Even if this chair was the same price as the Prima Pappa or others in its class, I would have purchased the Baby Trend Breckenridge High Chair 8878T because of it's ease of use, ability to grow with your child, ease of cleaning, and overall durability. . The low price is a MAJOR added bonus!!!!
The Baby Trend Breckenridge High Chair 8878T, is only available at Babies R Us, Toys R Us, and Geoffrey stores. It is available online at http://www.babiesrus.com
Also check out the manufactures website @ http://www.babytrend.com and click on the high chair link.
At this time (7/2003)the Baby Trend Tahoe high chair is also available at R Us stores. The Tahoe pattern has a sage green check instead of the Breckenridge's navy blue and has a bear print across the seat back of the ruffled side of the seat cover.
Baby Trend Nambia High Chair The Nambia High Chair comes fully assembled - simply open the frame and snap on the wheels The chair features a 4 positio...More at BabyAge
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