Since becoming a mom of two this spring, I have been constantly on the lookout for products that can make my life easier. Our family enjoys eating out, traveling and visiting with friends. We would always need to borrow a restaurant high chair, rent one for the beach house, or hope our friends had an extra seat for our child (since we couldn’t drag our full size high chair with us everywhere). The ciao! Baby high chair is a great solution! It is lightweight, compact and easy to carry with us anywhere.
We recently enjoyed dinner on our neighbor’s deck. We had six children between us, so seating was challenging. I grabbed the ciao! Baby chair and set it up in seconds for our 5-month old. It has a cloth tray covered in plastic and a built in cup holder that fits a sippy cup perfectly.
Everyone was impressed with the quick setup and sturdiness of the chair. We also brought it to dine outside at a local burger shop and pulled it right up to the table at a hibachi restaurant. I personally enjoyed not having to drag a heavy chair across the restaurant and not worrying about the cleanliness of shared highchairs. At the end of the meal, the chair folds up and fits into the carrying case, much like a full-size camp chair, for easy transport back to the car.
In addition to dining out, this chair would be great to throw in the car for a vacation at the beach, camping, picnics and older siblings’ sporting events. The ciao! Baby high chair would also be a great option to store at home or a grandparent’s house for extra seating that doesn’t take up much space at all. This product would make a great, unique gift for baby showers or birthdays, as every family on-the-go with infants/toddlers would find a use for this high chair!
Pros:
- Portable: The chair is easy to take just about anywhere. It is extremely lightweight (8lbs) and fits easily in the provided carrying bag (with strap). It sets up/collapses in seconds and does not take up any more space than a restaurant-provided high chair.
- Sturdy: The manufacturer has made sure to add several features to this chair that make it sturdier than the typical camp chair. There are locking mechanisms on each side that snap into place when unfolding and keep the chair legs securely in place. There are also leg holes and a lap belt that keep the child safely in place.
- Age Range: The high chair can be put to use once your child can sit unassisted and continue until they are well into the toddler years. The manufacturer recommends use up to 3 years of age.
Cons:
- Tray: The tray is a bit flimsy. Easy to grab/non-messy snacks work just fine but a full plate of food tends to slide toward the child and eventually end up on their lap.
- Cleaning: The tray portion is not removable to clean. Unfortunately, liquids and crumbs seemed to gather underneath the plastic cover on the tray and I could not figure out a way to remove them.
- Height: The high chair is a bit short. We found that the chair, when pulled up to most tables, was noticeably shorter. While it did not matter for our baby as she is not eating full meals with us yet, I could see this becoming an issue when she gets bigger and is eating more.
ciao! Baby – The Portable High Chair
Manufactured by The Jamberly Group
www.theportablehighchair.com
$67.99 (College chairs $99.99)
Durability: 3
Ease of Use: 5
Comfort: 3
I would purchase this for my child: Yes
I would purchase this as a gift: Yes
Overall rating: 4
Meet The Reviewer!
Christy Petrak is a Systems Engineer currently taking a leave of absence to raise her two children, Thomas (3) and Eliza (5 months). She enjoys spending time with her family, swimming and baking/decorating cupcakes.
