I loathe highchairs.... except perhaps this one. (Ikea Antilop High Chair)

Member Name: HonestBob

Product:	Ikea Antilop High Chair
Date:	18/01/09 (292 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap and cheerful

Disadvantages: Not great for younger babies that need a comfier angleable chair

I loathe highchairs. They are expensive, cumbersome, have short lives and harbour germs as they are so difficult to keep clean. However, they are also a necessity if I am to keep littlest HonestBob still in one place long enough to get some food into him.

Initially we fed littlest HonestBob in his bouncy chair and this was fine while he was spoon fed by one of us but not ideal for self-feeding as it did not sit upright, have a tray on which to place his dish or let him join in the social aspect of a meal. Hence we made our first purchase of a proper highchair for him. a big multi-position number from Toys R Us.

What a mistake that was! The chair had a larger footprint than a standard dining chair (it took up much more floor space), the tray was enormous, the harness difficult to adjust and the entire thing fiddly to take apart and clean.

After a year of using it we sold it at a carboot sale for £7. A huge loss of money, but I was glad to see the back of it.

Once shot of the highchair we tried using a raised toddler chair from Ikea. This was simply a smaller, taller version of an adult wooden chair. We used this for the older HonestBoblets from about the age of three so that they could sit comfortably at the dining table. It worked for them, but 18 month old littlest HonestBoblet had other plans, and was off the chair as often as he was on it. We tried adding a 'portable feeding chair' to his wooden chair (basically a piece of shaped fabric that ties around the chair and the child) but he wriggled free from this, and when we added a standard harness to the chair, this just got filthy and encrusted in weetabix, went through the wash and disappeared for ever (along with the hundreds of odd socks we acquire).

Eventually I gave up. We needed a highchair. Aaaaghh!

On previous outings to Ikea we had stopped off at the restaurant for breakfast (highly recommended and cheap!) and littlest HonestBob had used one of their antilop high chairs. A seriously utilitarian piece of kit. Plastic one piece moulded seat and four metal legs. No tray, across seat harness only. But always clean!

Ikea is five minutes up the road from my house. A place I avoid if possible, but nevertheless I hit the shop at around 10pm when I thought it would be quiet (it's open until midnight.... and never quiet!). I followed the yellow brick road, figuratively speaking, around the shop until I spotted a 'short cut' to the kiddies section where I found the antilop highchairs. Oooh, three colours, I always thought they only came in white!!

Area code in hand I trundled down to the warehouse and found my highchair. A red one (also available in a royal blue shade for Chelsea fans, but as littlest HonestBob is _ _ _ _ the red, this colour was perfect!). I also discovered that trays (all white) are available so bought one of these too. You never know, I might produce another little HonestBob in the future and a tray is more suitable for a younger baby.

Once home with my purchase, eldest son (15) put it together for me. The instructions are simple and all in pictorial form. First the safety belt is slotted through the seat base, then the legs are pushed into place. No tools are required as the legs have those little buttons that you depress and then click into holes in the seat. They're a little tough on your fingers, but not difficult to do.

The highchair has been in use for a fortnight now. It fits neatly beside our dining table and littlest HonestBob is able to reach his plate on the table so we have not attached the tray (it will be nice and clean for baby number 6!). No more escaping at mealtimes!

Advantages:
Cheap - the chair cost me £9.78 and the tray another £2.94
Easy to clean
Takes up the same amount of floorspace as a standard dining chair.
Fits neatly agains the dining table

Disadvantages:
Only comes with a lap belt
Does not fold away for storage
No footrest so little legs could get pin an needles from dangling if the seat is used for long periods at once.
The seat angle cannot be adjusted for ease of feeding younger babies or if the baby falls asleep whilst in it (seriously, this happens!)
It looks cheap (but then, it is cheap!)

Summary: Best for older toddlers, restaurants and Grandma's house.