Graco Neat Seat Reclining Adjustable: Lots of Features for Little Diners
Written: Apr 30 '02 (Updated May 02 '02)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Large tray, cloth cover, casters
Cons: Tray discoloration
The Bottom Line: This seat offers many features at an affordable price.
|
|
|
| tritter72's Full Review: Graco Neat Seat Reclining Adjustable |
High chairs are one of those baby items that seem to have a huge range of options, and a huge range of prices to match. When we went high chair shopping for our first son, I was literally faced with a wall of choices, complete with a variety of features, designs, and price tags. Since a high chair can potentially be a big-ticket item, I had done some preliminary research, and my mom had weighed in with her opinion ("Buy a wooden chair! I don't like plastic!") as well. Yet I was still open-minded and undecided when I arrived at the store.
When faced with that "wall-o-high-chairs," I realized that, just as in the world of cars, there were two extremes: the budget models and the luxury models. The budget high chairs are simple and can be purchased for less than $50, and the luxury models have many features and can retail for upwards of $150. Where did I fit in? Well, if you were to look in my driveway, you'd find something pretty middle-of-the-road, and that's what I went with in a high chair as well. Though the chair I purchased, the Graco Neat Seat Reclining Adjustable, Model 3656 (Graco currently makes 5 different models of this seat) does have some of the features of the more expensive chairs, it was mid-priced at $69.99. (Sorry, mom! The wooden chairs were out of our price range!). We've owned this chair for six months now, and overall we've been pleased.
What We Like
Easy Assembly--We owned several Graco products already and had found that generally they were good quality. Our only real disappointment had been in their instruction manuals, which have, in most cases, left a little to be desired. This one pleasantly surprised us, though, and was fairly simple to follow. Twelve pages, 44 diagrams, 45 minutes, and one Phillips head screwdriver later, my husband had assembled our high chair with only a few minor glitches. We happily placed it in the kitchen and even put the little guy, who wasn't even eating solid foods yet, in the seat for a practice run. So far, so good!
The Tray--The Neat Seat Reclining Adjustable comes with one tray, which is very large and wide. There is plenty of room on it for baby to play with...er, eat, his or her food. There are also two compartments on the tray, and one of them is perfect for holding a sippy cup (though not the trainer cup that has the two handles on the sides). We're still not sure what the other compartment is meant for, but my son likes to drop his food into it when he's had enough. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.
The Cover--I originally wanted a high chair that had a vinyl cover, and Graco does indeed make a model that meets that requirement. I was convinced that vinyl would be a breeze to clean and save me some time. I was also worried that a cloth cover would shrink, rendering it useless anyway. However, when I was doing my research I found many a complaint about those vinyl covers ripping and tearing. Therefore I reluctantly decided to go with a cloth cover, and I've been pleasantly surprised by its performance.
We chose a dark color, hoping that it would hide any yucky baby food stains. It has definitely done that, and my fears of shrinkage were unfounded. We simply wash it in cold water on the delicate cycle and let it drip dry overnight. The first time I did this, I was sure it wouldn't be dry by morning...but it most certainly was.
Graco also includes a vinyl cover to place underneath the cloth one, which functions as a pad for the seat. Because it is protected by the cloth one, this cover has held up well, and my son seems to be very comfortable in the seat.
Casters--Our model comes with wheels, and though I wasn't sure initially that they would be very handy, I am now glad to have them. Each of the four casters locks, so you can easily keep the chair in place. However, the wheels make this somewhat bulky chair easy to move around, especially now, when I seem to be cleaning my kitchen floor nightly (oh the knees on all of those baby clothes...I'd rather scrub the floor than his clothes!). After carrying a baby around, the last thing I need to do is carry a high chair around too, so I really like this feature. It also makes it easy for us to move the baby around during dinner if one of us needs a break and wants the other to take a turn at feeding our newest dinner companion.
Attractiveness--Graco high chairs are available in many different colors and patterns, so you're almost certain to find one that you like. We chose the "French Bear" design, which has a navy blue-checked cloth pad adorned with a yellow ruffle and a little yellow bear. The chair itself is beige.
Some Mixed Feelings
Shoulder Harness--Following the lead of today's safer car seats, Graco has equipped this seat with an adjustable shoulder harness-type safety belt and two different height choices for those straps. (It does not, however, have the chest lock that 5-point harnesses have.) Though it is effective at keeping our squirmy baby in place, it is also a bit of a hindrance at times. Because it keeps him so securely in place, it prevents him from sitting forward and taking a good look at his food. It also contributes to his losing some food between the small crack between the tray and his body. He can't see the "lost food" to recover it even if he wants to.
One-Hand Adjustable Tray--In order to accommodate your growing child, the tray can be used in any of 5 positions. In order to adjust it, you simply have to press in on the large button on the front and pull straight out. Graco touts this as "one-hand adjustable," and we've found that to be true sometimes. And there are other times when I've found it to be a pretty finicky little tray. I've had enough problems with it to merit my leaving it in the "out" position on a consistent basis when my son isn't in the chair so I can just pop him in the next time we use it.
Clean-Up--Though the cleaning process isn't atrocious, it isn't as easy as the plain and simple wooden high chair my mom was rooting for. There are lots of nooks and crannies to be cleaned, and somehow food always manages to get lodged beneath the vinyl cover. Taking everything off the first couple of times can be a little daunting (I even got out the instruction manual), but it all becomes familiar territory rather quickly.
Size--This is a large chair, and it definitely takes up more room than our normal kitchen chairs, which aren't small by any means. The size would definitely prohibit you from taking this chair on the road with you unless you have a large vehicle with removable seats. The size does, however, make for a very comfortable sitting space for your child.
Height Adjustment--By simply pulling straight up on the back of the high chair, the seat can be placed in any one of 5 positions. In all honesty, this feature has not been that useful for us. We've used it exactly one time, when my son started to eat some finger foods. We hadn't been using the tray up until that point, so when we attached it the chair's height had to be adjusted to fit the kitchen table.
Recline--Graco designed this chair with three different recline positions, adjustable simply by pulling up on a bar found on the back of the chair. This is another feature that we used just once. My son didn't start eating solid foods until he was six months old, so he sat up fairly well already. We initially put the chair in the middle position and moved it to the upright position when he was a completely confident sitter.
Only One Definite Drawback
The only thing about this chair that I am definitively disappointed in is the discoloration of the tray. My son is eating much more table food now, and of course he enjoys dumping his plate. These antics have caused a bit of an orangeish discoloration, about the same as you might find if you microwave a tomato-based food in a plastic container. It is not that pronounced, though, and I'm sure I notice it most since I'm the one who washes the tray.
Six Months Down, Lots More To Go!
Though we do have mixed feelings about the special features that this chair offers, for the most part it isn't really because the chair itself is lacking. It's more of a case of us just not really needing those "extras". Over the past six months this chair has performed well for us, and I feel confident that my son is safe and happy when seated in it. I would have no qualms about recommending it to a friend, especially if they thought that they would have a real need for the "extras" that come along with it.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
tritter72
|
|
Member: Tammi
Location: Pennsylvania
Reviews written: 100
Trusted by: 91 members
About Me:
Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present. (Unknown)
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.