Travel highchairs: full test results

Fisher Price Babygear

Healthy Care Booster Seat

Price: £30

Score:

What you get: A portable, folding booster
with three heights and removable, dishwasher safe tray plus tray
cover to keep baby’s feeding surface clean until ready for use.
Folds to a compact shape with shoulder carry strap. Secures to adult
chair with two security belts and has a three point lap safety belt.
Converts from a portable high-chair to toddler booster.

Stockists: Available in the UK from end of August’04. Tel.
01628 500303

Consumer editor’s verdict: This is an all singing, all dancing booster which adapts with your child’s needs – quite bulky but well thought through with a good range of added features

Parents’ comments:

Very robust construction which sits very solidly on the chair – with no wobble worries at all

The seat can be adjusted to sit at three different heights which is really useful especially if you are using it at a variety of different tables

The tray is a good size and with a cover so even if you have had
the seat in the back of a grubby boot on your journey, the tray
itself is still clean and hygienic when you come to use it.

The seat itself is moulded and that helped keep my daughter sitting
solidly in place – it has deep sides and even when she got fidgety
there was absolutely no chance she could fall out.
Quite bulky even when collapsed

Mothercare

Deluxe fold up booster seat

Price: £22

Score:

What you get: A portable booster seat which
collapses in on itself for storage with a two position, removeable
tray and two seat height positions. Secures to adult chair with
two security belts and has a five point adjustable harness.

Stockists: www.mothercare.com
Tel. 08453 30 40 30

Consumer editor’s verdict: A chunky, robust
seat with a wide base for good stability. Quite a bulky item but
will stow away.

Parents’ comments:

My daughter seemed safe and at home in this right from the start
- the back, relatively high sides and tray surrounded her well and
it was just as if she was in her normal high chair.

The five point harness is excellent – especially in the early days
of transferring to a booster seat – some others I have used have
really worried me because my son didn’t seem very secure in them
- this one didn’t give me any nervous moments.

This does adapt as your child grows but my four year old felt it
was babyish – he said he didn’t want to sit in a high chair and
even without the tray it still had something of the baby’s seat
feel.

This booster is almost as big and substantial as a no frills high
chair (without the legs!). The removable tray is a very good size
and the whole thing is really just as serviceable as a normal high
chair. This has obvious advantages but also means it is a significant
item to have around the house.

Safety 1st

Price: £19.99

Score:

What you get: A portable booster seat which
secures with two straps and converts from a highchair style to a
simple booster. Includes safety belt and tray

Stockists: www.babiesrus.co.uk
Tel 0845 786 9778

Parents’ comments:

This is very robust and feels safe when your child sits in it even
at a relatively young age – we used two as alternatives to high
chairs for our twins and it was lovely to have them sitting up at
the table with us even from a very young age.

Adjusts for use on a chair or on the floor, converts from highchair
to simple booster – and all parts are very easy to clean – we just
stick in the shower and hose it down!

Quite bulky but it folds up neatly and is very light to carry -
we have used them all over the place – including camping!

Did take a little while to master the securing system but was secure
once you did – we used a bit of non slip matting under it to make
it extra wobble-free

The tray was very stiff to remove – there is a knack to getting
it off and mastering it can be a bit stressful when your son is
crying to get out!

East Coast Nursery Products

Kids Kit Hi-Seat

Price: £19.99

Score:

What you get: A portable booster seat which
folds to a compact brief case shape with carry handle. Includes
optional, removable tray. Secures to adult chair with two security
belts and has an adjustable safety belt for the child.

Stockists: www.index.co.uk
or www.eastcoastnursery.co.uk
Tel. 01692 406841

Consumer editor’s verdict: A basic but functional
and compact booster with a good level of versatility for use in
a variety of situations.

Parents’ comments:

Very compact when stowed away which is great if you are not using
it all the time – also the securing clips are quick and easy to
undo so it’s easy to swop between using this and reverting to the
adult use of the chair

Can be used with or without the tray but the tray is quite basic
and a bit of a food trap – although pretty easy to dismantle and
clean

This kind of evolves with your child I used it with all the bits
in tact because my son is still little but we will be able to take
off the back, the support sides and tray and just use it as a basic
booster base up at the table once he is bigger. I did think it was
more secure with the back in place through because then you have
two securing points to anchor it to the chair – without the back
you only have one and have to be sure it is very tight so it doesn’t
slip about.

A bit hard and plasticky, nothing in the way of comfort features

Cheeky Rascal’s HandySitt

Price: £50

Score:

What you get: A portable baby and toddler seat
which secures to either a round or square backed chair (30-45cms
high chair backs) with extendible securing arms and securing strap.
Includes a 3-point harness. Optional padded cushion available for
£13, wipe clean cushion, £8. Travel carry bag available
for £20. Available in beech wood with either black/blue/red
arms; cherry wood with black arms; or mahogany wood with black arms.

Stockists: www.cheekyrascals.co.uk
Tel. 0870 8732 600

Consumer editor’s verdict: This is a nice looking,
well-finished product which a far more subtle and stylish than most
but is expensive and not as versatile as many.

Parents’ comments:

A really good quality product which fits in beautifully with your
furniture rather than standing out as a major multi-colour baby
item like most do.

Pretty simple to secure easily with the adjustable arms which just
hook over the back of the chair

Folds flat and compact when not in use
No tray but the sloped sides mean a chair fitted with one of these
will still tuck into the table neatly which is really good.

Not that big – my 16month old fitted it fine but I think by 2 years
she’ll out grow it and pricey.

Blooming Marvellous

Handbag Highchair

Price: £12.99

Score:

What you get: A cloth seat which the child
fits into and then secures firmly with adjustable Velcro fastenings
to any chair. Machine washable

Stockists: tel: www.bloomingmarvellous.co.uk
tel. 0870 751 8944

Consumer editor’s verdict: This isn’t a booster
seat in the true sense because it doesn’t lift the child up towards
table height but it is a cheap and effective way of quickly and
easily converting a standard adult chair for use by a young child.

Parents’ comments:

Because this is just cloth it is very easy to carry around – fits
easily in your bag – and can be used on most chairs wherever you
find yourself.

This price is excellent and has to make it a best buy for bargain
hunters

The seat fits securely around the baby’s body and has prevented
my son sliding off every chair we have tried it on – out at friends
or in a restaurant – without the hassle of a harness.

No extras – no tray or support sides

Doesn’t give the child any extra height – they sit safe and securely
on the chair but the height is not adjustable so sometimes they
can be a bit too low to the table.

Babies R Us

Price: £9.99

Score:

What you get: A two level booster seat with
slip resistant grips and single securing strap

Stockists: www.babiesrus.co.uk
tel. 0845 786 9778

Consumer editor’s verdict: This is the most
basic and simple style of booster seat – it has limited flexibility
and no frills but is very well priced. If you have an older child
and want a booster for occasional use this will do the job but for
a longer term use it is probably worth paying a little more.

Parents’ comments:

Extremely simple to use – you’d have to be a complete idiot not
to be able to use this properly from the moment it comes out the
box!

Very simple to adjust the seat height – just invert the seat and
secure

No fuss but no features – so quite basic

Quite bulky and doesn’t collapse to store and you can’t tuck your
chairs in with this in place so it has to be taken off every time.
The chunkiness also makes it hard to tuck the child in right up
to the table, especially in the highest position – so they end up
sitting on the very edge of it or spilling food down themselves!

No waist belt or harness so nothing to really secure a fidgety child
- my two year old is pretty good at the table but I wouldn’t put
a much younger or wriggly child on this at all.