After being submerged in the trenches of stay-at-home, small-child parenthood for the past two and a half years, I know baby gear. I have a good handle on what’s good, what’s not, what you need, and what is just superfluous junk. There are definitely many unnecessary products out there, but there are also some very basic pieces that no home with small children should be without. Let’s talk about high chairs.

I will admit that when I dragged my husband to the Babies R Us to register for our impending arrival I was not sure how to go about choosing the things we needed. Sure, I had read a few paragraphs of the Consumer Reports Best Baby Products book, but it was a boring read at best and it really frustrated me that they often recommended items that were well above our targeted price range. Rather than go by the book we did what many first-time parents do: we flew by the seat of our pants. We decided to figure out our big pieces first, starting with our high chair.

Why We Chose It:

We knew that our high chair was the most visible piece of baby furniture we would purchase for our child, as it was slated to take up residence in our kitchen or dining room where our guests, family, and friends gather. It was also one of the most-used pieces of baby gear we would likely obtain, with three meals per day eaten at home, plus snack times and moments when we’d need our little ones to be contained. Keeping those two things in mind, we really tried to get one that we could live with for the long term. While high chair styles range from pink plastic princess monstrosities to $4,000 designer showpieces, we chose the Eddie Bauer Wooden High Chair based on three factors: Stability, Design, and Budget.

I will admit that the biggest and most important factor we considered when we chose the Eddie Bauer Wooden High Chair was aesthetics, which isn’t always the best set of criteria, but it worked out well for us in the end. At first sight we liked the classic wooden structure and I thought it would blend well with the interior style of our house, where we have hardwood floors and unstained, natural Hickory cabinetry. Available in two colors, natural and cherry, and with classically sleek, wood-slatted styling, the chair can easily fit into almost any decor.

Second on our list of importance was cost. While we were registering for a baby shower, our practicality won out and we didn’t want our friends or loved ones to break the bank buying us a chair that would be used for only a few years. Already having ruled out less expensive plastic models, we liked the price point of the Eddie Bauer chair: $119.99 Not too much money, but not so inexpensive that it was likely to be a piece of junk.

Last on our list was stability. We were expecting a boy (who would be roughly 6 months at arrival, via adoption), and we had heard that boys tend to be rougher on furniture so we knew we wanted a chair that could withstand climbing, ramming of small trucks, banging of toys, and of course all of the messes that three meals a day entail. This chair is a workhorse. Now that we have two children, our son loves to climb the side to get a peek at his sister as she eats, and once in awhile we have caught our daughter sitting backwards, with her behind on the tray so she can look out of the window behind her seat. The chair has never tipped over despite their rough (and not recommended) use of it.

Other Aspects We Enjoy:

The Eddie Bauer High Chair comes with a built-in small tray that is perfect for a Cheerios appetizer while the table is being set for dinner. A large tray snaps easily into place over the small tray and I have no problem snapping it into place with one hand, leaving my other hand free to hold the baby. The large tray can be positioned in four different places, depending on how close or far away from your child you would like it to be. There is also a plastic tray liner that fits into the top of the large tray, which goes easily into my standard sized dishwasher each evening.

The entire chair is made of solid wood, no particle board or fiberboard, making the chair solid and sturdy. The bottoms of the legs have rubber feet that keep the chair from slipping around on the floor, and have the added benefit of keeping the chair from scratching our hardwood. There is a shelf under the seat of the high chair where one could store bibs, washcloths, or other supplies; because of our two epicurious dogs we have never been able to take advantage of the shelf, but our kids do have fun hiding their toys there.

The chair cushion is made of fabric (perhaps cotton?) and is safe for machine wash and dry. We used it a lot when our kids were very small, but opted to take it off for easier cleanup once they began to eat more table food. It goes through the laundry nicely, without losing shape or bunching up, and is easily put back on the chair with the use of hook and loop (Velcro type) tape.

This chair wins my personal award for being easy to clean. I have worked in daycare centers with all types of plastic and other wooden chairs and I simply find this one very easy to wipe down. There aren’t many nooks and crannies where food can hide, and with a simple warm wet washcloth I am able to maintain the cleanliness of the high chair without too much elbow grease. On the rare occasions when I felt the mess was out of control, I took the chair outside to my deck and hosed it off. The finish of the chair held up to my medium pressure hose and the wood dried without warping.

The Bothersome Bits:

Even the best products have their drawbacks and I would be lying if I told you there was nothing I would change about the chair. I personally find the straps difficult to adjust for length. It is nearly impossible to do with the child already seated in the chair and it frustrates me every time I have to do it. The good part of this is my kids cannot adjust the belt length themselves, as they can on other straps, so when I buckle them in I know they are going to stay put. I also find it a pain to remove the buckles and straps for washing. Because I clean the chair up after each meal I don’t have to do this very often, but when I do need to remove them it requires a screwdriver which is obviously not ideal.

The same solid construction that makes the chair sturdy also makes it very heavy. I have no problem moving it around, but I have had light-weight friends comment on its heft.

The chair does not fold down, and it does take up a decent amount of real estate in our dining area. It can fit in the corner when not in use, but if you are concerned about saving space this chair may not be for you. Likewise, Eddie Bauer Wooden High Chair does not recline and is not suitable for newborns. If you are looking for a newborn appropriate high chair, this is not it.

Lastly, like many high chairs currently available in today’s market, this one has trays that are light in color and will stain if covered in marinara sauce or other richly colored food, especially if they are not promptly washed. I found that certain brands of pasta sauce stained worse than others, but I was able to remove all stains by making a paste of baking soda and water, applying it to the stain and allowing it to sit for ten minutes before scrubbing it off. If the plastic tray liner was used for a potentially staining meal and then run through the dishwasher it did not stain.

Do I Recommend It?

Absolutely! My kids are both now at an age when they could easily be moved to a booster seat, but the high chair remains in our dining area. I use it for their haircuts, clipping their nails, and other times when I need them to be elevated and contained. We also recently removed the plastic, built-in small tray from the chair (simple to do by backing out four screws with a screwdriver), which allows us to pull it directly up to the dinner table for meals. After nearly three years of heavy daily use, pawing by dogs, and getting bumped around by rambunctious children, the chair is still sturdy, looks good, and seems as though it could last for another ten years. I recommend this chair to all of my expectant friends and to you, too.

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