HAPPY MEALS (Safety 1st Fold Up Booster Seat)

Member Name: wardenblw431

Product:	Safety 1st Fold Up Booster Seat
Date:	11/12/04 (1684 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to transport, packs up easily for storage, Easy to clean

Disadvantages: none

Taking my children out for a meal in a restaurant has never been a problem, not until a couple of months ago anyway. On the rare occasion I get a weekend off from cooking my husband will whisk us all out to a nice country pub for Sunday lunch as a treat and this is always something I look forward to.

One Sunday a couple of months ago though, we all ventured off for a day out and decided to stop off somewhere on the way home and finally we came to a nice inviting pub. The car park didn’t look particularly busy so this gave us the early impression that finding a table for us all wouldn’t be too difficult.

As we entered the pub, we were immediately ushered to a vacant table by a waiting member of staff and with that she turned on her heel and attended to another starving family. As my husband and daughter took a seat each, I scanned the room for a highchair as I could see a couple of young children sitting in them. I couldn’t find one, so decided to collar the waitress as she sashayed past our table. She had a quick glance around the lounge and I could see her counting in her head before she turned round and said there weren’t any available – they only had 3 and these were all taken. My husband decided then to just use our buggy, which was locked in the car.

I thought this would be fine for Craig, but it was a nightmare. We hadn’t fed him this way since he was a young baby and I should have known that I’d have a fight on my hands. Craig aged 21 months likes to eat without help, but with him sitting in his buggy this just was not possible. For a start the little tray on the front of his buggy wasn’t big enough to hold his plate and with me holding it, I had to get Barry to cut my food up as I only had one free hand. I tried feeding Craig myself, but all he did was scream so what started out as a lovely meal, quickly turned into a nightmare.

It was this occasion that prompted me to buy my own highchair that we could take out with us should we be faced with another situation such as that. It was only by chance that I heard about the Safety First Fold Up Booster Seat. I had taken Craig to nursery and I got chatting to one of the other mums there when I was there collecting him. She was carrying something under her arm and I was intrigued so I had to ask what it was. It turned out that she had had a similar experience a few months before and she wasn’t going to go through that again – much like myself. She told me that it was the best thing she’d done. Ok, granted there aren’t many occasions when you find yourself without a high chair, but I have been to a few places where the highchairs available have seen better days, and don’t look safe enough to seat a teddy bear let alone a child. My mind had been made up at that moment so I decided to hit the town on my way home to buy my own booster seat.

The booster itself is portable which means that you can take it anywhere you wish. It folds up easily so that you can keep it in the boot of the car and you wouldn’t even know it’s there as it takes up very little room. It is ideal for babies aged 6 months to 3 years as there are 2 height settings allowing the seat to grow with your child.

Using the seat is simplicity in itself. You basically unfold the booster seat, sit it on a normal dining chair and attach it with the safety straps. The straps are the same, as you would see on a pushchair with the push in clips. These can be adjusted if not long enough or too long when fitted to the chair. Once secure, your child is placed in the seat and again fastened in with more safety straps. There is a removable tray which is simply clicked into place is very handy as your child can eat off this if the table you are sitting at is a bit of a squeeze, otherwise you can remove the tray and pull your child closer to the table so that they feel more included.

The booster seat is designed for children in mind, it is very sturdy being made from strong, durable plastic, and brightly coloured – red, yellow, green and blue. It is very easy to wipe clean and can even be placed in the dishwasher if you wish. I do this regularly as I find the steam acts as a sterilizer and gets rid of any stubborn marks effortlessly – those Bolognese stains I hate with a passion come of effortlessly and the seat comes out looking as good as new.

The booster seat is great for kids as there are no sharp edges or corners to worry about – they are smooth and rounded so any knocks won’t cause injury giving you peace of mind.

We have found this booster particularly useful when holidaying in our caravan. Space is limited anyway, but when taking young children away you find yourself having to leave half of your equipment at home as there is just nowhere to keep it. Eating in the caravan was a joy – not! Hubby would spend most of the time moaning about Craig rubbing is sticky hands all over the upholstery, as he would have to be wedged on the sofa while eating. With the booster seat, though he would happily sit at the table along with the rest of us and there were no more mucky hand marks on the furniture.

Also these booster seats are fantastic for taking abroad on holiday. You can pack them safely away in your suitcase as it’s compact enough to pack and when you want to eat you can easily transport it away from your hotel room to the restaurant. This saves having to pre-book a high chair at your hotel, that is if your hotel has this facility of course. Otherwise you will have to rely on what highchairs they have available abroad and some places aren’t so safety conscience as us Brits.

Going on day trips isn’t a problem either, whenever we went out for the day, we no longer had to fret about going somewhere with highchairs as we took our booster seat along with us. This wasn’t as bad as it sounds – my husband wasn’t forced to carry it around with him all day as we simply slipped the straps over the handlebars of the buggy and let it hang down at the back. As it was virtually weightless, there was no worries of the buggy tipping backwards either so we almost forgot it was there.

Admittedly, we did get a few funny looks whenever we entered a pub, but I think they were more looks of “isn’t that a good idea” rather “than look at that stupid thing” There was no more wrestling with chairs around the table trying to make room for a huge highchair, while everyone looks on flabbergasted while you bang and crash at your own table, meanwhile your normally angelic children have turned into monsters and run riot around the restaurant.

All in all, I have nothing but praise for this booster seat. It is perfect for transporting from house to house, for example when I go to work a couple of days a week, my mum always looks after Craig. While my mum does have a few bits and pieces at her house, such as toys, potty and travel cot, she doesn’t have a high chair and it was too much hassle for me having to take my one over ever other day. The booster seat has been a godsend and since buying it I wonder now how I ever managed without it.

I bought the Safety First Fold Up Booster Seat from Argos for just under £25, but I know that it is available in other shops selling baby goods for about the same price. But if you want to spend less, then chances are you could probably pick one of these up from a boot sale or even Ebay for much less. In fact one of my neighbours found one for about £3 and it was almost new and still in the box.

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