Pros: Double feeding tray is convenient for quick feeding.
Cons: The highchair could be too bulky and tricky to use for some.
The Bottom Line: Overall the extra bells and whistles are not impressive but it’s a good solid and safe choice for parents looking for a decent highchair.
During the early months of a baby’s life a mother spends time cuddling their child as they provide nutrition either through breast-feeding or formula. However as your child develops it’s soon time to get a highchair for feeding. My sibling owns the Double Tray Graco Infant-To-Youth Highchair which comes with 2 trays, reclines and adjust to 6 different heights.
The highchair is blue and white. It comes with a cloth covering that’s blue and royal gold. Under this is the blue padded cushion. The chair is almost 100% plastic complete with a sturdy crossbrace tube, seat belt, and foot rest. My sibling received this chair as a gift owning it for almost two years.
I’m currently staying with my sibling and his expectant wife for the Holidays attempting to bond with my 22-month-old nephew Christian. Part of the bonding process means this his Uncle (mwaa) assist with meal preparation, feeding and cleaning. During the last week I’ve become intrinsically involved with the Double Tray Graco Infant-To-Youth Highchair. I’ve become a little more involved in the cleaning up process than I would have liked, but I delightfully roll up my sleeves.
Highchairs have changed dramatically over the last 20 years, my old wooden highchair, which sits in the basement of my fathers home is an old relic compared to this chair. The Double Tray Graco Infant-To-Youth Highchair initially presented to be a bit of a challenge for me.
Personally, I found the chair bulky and tricky to use. (I tip my hat to all the Mom’s who quickly assemble and disassemble highchairs) However, part of the bonding process with little Christian is to get him in his highchair without delay when he is hungry since the repercussions could affect our budding Uncle and Nephew relationship.
My first bonding challenge is to secure him in the highchair. The Double Tray Graco Infant-To-Youth Highchair comes with a 5-point harness to prevent your child from falling. However Christian does not like it and becomes agitated when strapped in. Despite the Graco’s strong recommendation to use the 5-Point Harness I found the adjustable straps cumbersome and confining.
Currently Christian eats without the harness I can usually get the seatbelt over his lap without to much of a fuss however he’s never left alone and is always under constant adult supervision when in the highchair. Still and all, when a 22-month-old toddler attempts to get in and out of a highchair and express their independence, this can make for an extremely hazardous situation.
According to my sister-in-law once he started walking he was a real independent eager beaver, always looking to scale new heights. Christian continues to experience an explosion of physical activity and now wants to climb Mount Graco the Highchair. When it’s time to eat Christian quickly darts toward the Highchair and if left alone would probably climb in it.
The highchair is extremely sturdy and the white plastic base sits level on the floor, however despite the sturdy base and the crossbrace the entire highchair easily slides on wet floors. For example, the kitchen floor is made up of tile and when wet it gets very slippery. I cleaned up after my nephew finished eating and accidentally put too much cleaner on the floor not allowing the floor ample drying time.
The chair slid across the floor like a bowling ball rolling down a greased lane, fortunately my nephew was not in the chair. If your floor gets slippery real easy, I would recommend purchasing four small rubber skid proof adhesive pads for the bottom base of the highchair which will prevent it from sliding depending on the type of floor you have. Our highchair is now in the corner of the kitchen where it can’t slide or move.
Although cleaning the highchair can be easy when only wiping it, taking it apart is difficult and tedious. Trying to remove and put back the padding for cleaning was a struggle. First the cover has to be taken off, then the plastic blue pad has to be removed.
Not to mention this chair has a double feeding tray which is inserted by sturdy plastic tabs into the slots at the front of the chair. The small latched first feeding tray is difficult to separate and is designed to stay attached to the chair.
The first feeding tray makes it difficult to slide Christian in and out of the chair when he is wearing shoes. I needed assistance placing him in the chair when he’s wearing shoes. The first feeding tray is laborious to separate, and it does come off easily. Pushing down on these slots and getting the first tray unhooked off of the latches is like pulling teeth.
I’m glad the top white feeding tray comes off easily by pulling out the side handles, which are under the tray. Although there is a push on front button to remove the top white tray, grabbing the tray by the sides feels a little more secure allowing me to protect Christian when removing or adjusting the tray. Plus I can balance any remaining food that’s on the tray so it does not fall on the floor.
I have not adjusted the height of the chair, however when I watched my brother place his foot at the base of the rear legs and pull the handles at the rear and press the red latches adjusting the height, I thought this task appeared awkward.
There are six conceivable height settings that allow the highchair the ability to accommodate various sizes but adjusting them is a lot of work. The highchair also has the ability to recline by flipping a red lock under the seat, however I have not used it leaving the chair secure in it’s upright position.
We currently leave the highchair up after Christian is fed. Although it can fold, the kitchen is small and if you attempt to lay the highchair on the floor; per the manufactures recommendation and press in the tabs on both legs; we would have to move the kitchen table, which makes folding it another labor intensive bonding burden. In addition to the size of the chair and the difficulty folding it, I don’t think it’s ideal for families who travel a lot.
Despite the highchairs bulkiness, and it’s confining 5-point harness, it fairly sturdy and secure. Plus the first small tray is attached to the leg divider adding an additional safety feature. My nephew has used this highchair for almost two years and amazingly shows very little signs of wear and tear.
This highchair also has a toy mounting system however since the mounting toys did not come in the original box they were not ordered. Plus Christian usually eats within 20 minutes and, wants to get down immediately after eating leaving little time for him to stay in his chair and play.
I'm not real impressed with the chair because it's a little work for me, overall it's a decent durable and safe highchair. If you would like any additional information about this highchair or any additional Graco products please check out their website (http://www.gracobaby.com)
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