bigskeptic's Full Review: Graco Doubletray Highchair
When we found I was pregnant with my first son, high chairs was very low on our priority list. Even when we were in the New Parent shopping frenzy, we decided to wait on a high chair. After all, it would be months before he’d be eating baby food. We had time.
Of course, after my son arrived, a high chair was not important. We were busy figuring out how we would ever resume some kind of normal life between diaper changes, feedings and sporadic sleeping.
Four months pass by, and I’m suddenly faced with the task of introducing our baby to “solids” (why cereal mush and strained carrots are called solids, I don’t know). Yikes! I need a high chair.
Lucky for us, my mother-in-laws co-workers, being the generous bunch they are, presented us with a large gift certificate to a major department store. We were set. We simply drove over and checked out the selection. Unfortunately, major department stores in our area don’t typically stock a lot of baby equipment. And of course we wanted something right off the showroom floor. After much deliberation, we went home with the Graco Double Tray High Chair.
Pros:
1) Very Easy to Clean. The second, large, tray is extremely easy to clean. Usually, a simple wiping will do. But even when I’ve - ACK!- forgotten overnight, scrubbing it off requires very little elbow grease. I love how easily the seat cushion is removed and replaced. This makes cleaning behind and underneath it, and cleaning the folds of the cushion itself, much easier.
2) 3 Reclining Positions. I can’t recall using this feature at all with my first child. With Number 2 (yes, we occasionally call him that. Just never-you-mind about the years of therapy in the future.), reclining became a must-have. Once my second-born could hold a bottle on his own, I would seat in the reclined position so that I was free to tend to my eldest’s needs or do dishes.
3) Lightweight. I like this because I’m always wanting to move the chair to wherever I need. Anyone experienced with holding a baby in one arm and trying to move equipment with another will appreciate this as well.
4) Inexpensive. For this type of high chair, the Graco Double Tray High Chair is low-end. I’ve seen other brands cost up to $300. In my opinion, they’d better come with a CD-player and moonroof for that price. But that’s just me.
Cons:
1) Doesn’t Fold Completely. When I think of a chair that “folds completely for storage”, I think of something that will either lie fairly flat. The legs fold easily just fine. But the chair on this thing is so big that it takes up too much space. And the weird thing is that the “seat” – where junior sits – really isn’t all that spacious. There’s just a lot of excess chair here.
2) Not the Sturdiest Chair in the World. My friend has a smaller Peg Perego model which seems much sturdier. My chair is so light that I don’t leave my 10 month old unattended for more than a second. He’s very wiggly and I’m convinced he could topple it. Whether or not he could we don’t know. But I don’t like that I worry about it. And while, I appreciate the lightweight feel, I’d sooner trade that feature in for safety.
3) Difficult to Recline. When we purchased this, we errantly assumed that reclining the high chair would be similar to reclining infant car seats. There is a hinged “lock” (a flimsy strip of slotted plastic) under the seat which has to be folded up to recline the chair. There is no mechanism behind or to the sides of the chair, so you have to reach under with one hand, hold the hinge aside, then use a free hand to recline the seat. I’m 5’8 and this task is difficult for me.
4) Hard to Adjust the Height. There are sliding levers on either sides of the chairs to adjust the height. You put your foot on the back floor stand to support the chair, then lift the levers and slide the chair up or down. For one reason or another, actually sliding the seat up is fine, but down takes some trouble. This is quite annoying when you’re trying to pack the chair up to take to Grandma’s house.
5) Useless Fun Snacking Tray. I don’t know what the point is to the Fun Snacking Tray which is basically a bar across the chair. I’ve never used it and don’t see why I would.
In summary, with my first born, I was satisfied with the Graco Double Tray High Chair. With my second child, I am not. My best advice when looking for a high chair is to investigate all the possibilities out there then prioritize according to anticipated use.
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