The best $20 I've ever spent.

When Wells was born, we didn't buy a highchair because I'd heard you didn't need one til they were like 6 months old and then we were going to move when he was about 5 months old and so I figured I'd worry about that later. We just used the bumbo when he started solid food at 4 months. 

I ordered this antilop high chair from Ikea in February 2019 when we moved to Pittsburgh. I had gotten used to ordering online, having lived in Colorado and Wyoming, so it never occurred to me that I could've driven 30 minutes to Ikea and picked it up. 

Wells' first birthday

Fun surprise for me: when it arrived, it didn't have the legs with it. I couldn't figure out what I was missing or if I was going crazy, but then I ended up packing up 7 month old Wells, half a highchair, and driving to Ikea anyway. This was my second time ever in an Ikea so I had to negotiate how to find the returns/exchanges location. If you're wondering, I 100% went on a weekday morning. 

When I told them it was missing legs, they said that happens all the time and grabbed me four legs from a backroom. 

Chair. 

I *love* that they say you can take it apart to take along to restaurants. It's not THAT convenient. They didn't have this tray 5 years ago. I'd get that today if I were buying it again, along with a foot rest. I know the foot rest is important for traction while chewing and all. However, it would also give them more traction to climb out. Sutton has become an expert at trying to climb out of this high chair. 

We used this highchair all during our time in Pittsburgh and then we packed it into storage and moved it to Kansas. It does have a really wide footprint so it took up a lot of space in our tiny Pittsburgh kitchen. Wells was 23 months at that point and he just started sitting at the counter in Kanas and we never used the highchair. It came with us to Missouri and lived in the barn for a bit. When Sutton was probably 6 months old, I dug it out and cleaned it up and it's been in our kitchen ever since. 

Since she is over two now, I would like to pack it away again. I mean, you can only look at a piece of Ikea plastic for so long if it's not super useful and she prefers the counter. She, most days, actually refuses to sit in it.  But once in awhile, she wants in it.  As soon as I tried to take the legs off this weekend, she started trying to climb in. She also can't climb up a bar stool yet on her own.

It's my personal opinion that you don't need a fancy highchair and when I see moms buying the $$$ ones, I cringe. This looks *just* as nice as a Stokke or Tripp Trapp, you know? It's also a million times easier to clean and you won't be (as) sad to pack it away because it wasn't a huge investment. Packing up baby gear you feel you didn't get your money's worth from is a terrible feeling. 

However, I'll warn you: you will be watching Youtube videos on how to remove the tray, probably more than once. (also, white plastic stains easily: I've used bleach spray and then soaked in clean water to rinse and it always looks brand new)

Sutton's first birthday.

(I don't exactly endorse not using the straps, but we often didn't use the straps if we were right there. But you don't come to this blog for professional advice :)