I've been using the Options 5 high chair for almost 1-1/2 years with my twins with mostly good results. I love how the tray can be removed with one hand and it cleans up easily - for tougher stains a little diluted bleach works fine.

The reclining feature was great for younger babies for feeding and/or hanging out in the kitchen in a safe place. Once the babies were old enough to sit up on their own, the chairs have been upright with no problems. There is still plenty of room for the children to grow.

The seat belt can be removed and thrown into the washing machine (in a lingerie bag) with some laundry soap or color-safe bleach. The washed seat belts looks as good as new. The seat belt can be a little difficult to remove from the seat without some elbow grease to push the buckle through the hole in the back of the chair.

Initially, the chairs are complicated and time-consuming to assemble. Once assembled, we did not experience any problems with the safety or stability of the high chairs even when one children leans very far to reach the other high chair. Before we installed the recall replacement kit, a visiting 2-year-old tried to climb into the high chair when it was reclining and it fell to the floor probably due to the weight of a toddler.

After 1-1/2 years, I have noticed there is a small tear in the vinyl seats where the seat belts come through. This wouldn't be a major problem except food and liquid that collect in the seat of the chair seep into the hole and the padding has become mildewed. I will be ordering two new vinyl pads because they haven't come clean when I sprayed first bleach and then fabric scent remover inside the padding.

One of my children is very squirmy and figured out how to draw one of her legs up into the chair, then stand up inside the seat belt. She had one leg over the side of the high chair one day... I tightened the seat belt in a homespun way by inserting a plastic stacking cup into the loop of the seat belt that hangs out the back of the high chair. This way the seat belt is pulled tight against the chair and then when I push the tray up to the chest, she has been secure ever since. She was able to get out of the stroller, too, but a 5-point harness has kept her secure. A 5-point harness on this high chair would be an excellent safety improvement. Once a child is squirmy and is wearing a large bib, the shoulder straps would be covered up and wouldn't get very dirty.

The seat belt was awkward to maneuver at first but we learned to lay out the straps before the child is placed into the high chair which has made the operation very easy. Also, we figured out that the tray will stand up on its own if you extend the t-bar before putting the tray down on the floor. The fact that the whole tray removes makes it easy to take off with food on it to take to the sink for easy washing. And even though the tray isn't advertised as one-hand removal (I don't think), it is easy to squeeze the button on one side and tip the tray so it comes off by only using one hand.

Yes, food gets on and under the pads but the padding is easy to lift up and wash under. Just undo the front two tabs on the padding and the bottom of the seat is completely reachable.

I cannot imagine taking this high chair anywhere because it is big and bulky. There are much more compact booster chairs with trays that would be more practical for traveling or visiting or restaurants. I'm also worried that the booster chair option on this high chair will not work for us because we have a 4 inch skirt under our table that will require us to lower the chair so low to get under the table that the child's chin may not come up to the tabletop! We'll have to decide whether to get new high chairs/booster chairs or a new table when the time comes.

All in all, a practical work horse for our family

Recommended: Yes