Svan Youth Chair

As part of my research into this purchase, I looked on-line for photographs of babies actually sitting in various types of high chairs. I found that babies in plastic high chairs looked awkward and overwhelmed by the chair, like they had been placed into a holding device. Babies in Svan chairs look like they are sitting naturally at the table with their parents. I wanted my baby to play on a wood surface and sit on a real chair at mealtimes, so he would feel more like a part of the family. At first I felt a little foolish spending the extra money on the Svan, but it has been more than worth it. First of all, the Svan chair is very small. It fits anywhere and does not overwhelm the room. We dont have much space in our dining room or kitchen, so this feature has been fantastic. Second, the Svan converts from a high-chair to a toddler chair and even an adult chair, so that your child will always have his own little place to sit. At first, I didnt think this feature was a big selling point: I figured, when my son got bigger, we could just give him a booster in a regular chair. But with the Svan, your child can climb into the chair by himself, by stepping on the footrest. Thats a big deal, both for the child who wants to be a big kid and for the parent who is busy serving dinner! I also like the fact that the seat and footrest will always be the appropriate size for the child, instead of having his legs dangling from an adult chair. Because this chair is ergonomically correct and because it looks so fancy, I worried that it would be uncomfortable or cheap feeling, sort of like Ikea furniture. In fact, it seems MORE comfortable, because it is the proper scale. And babies LIKE to sit up straight and look around. It is true, you cant use this chair for floppy younger babies who cant yet sit up on their own (as you can with the plastic, reclining chairs). But the American Academy of Pediatrics doesnt recommend feeding solids until 6 months, and sitting up is considered one of the main signals of readiness for solids. If you still need to feed solids before your baby is sitting, you can prop him in his car seat or on your lap. They start sitting up so fast, youll forget all about the reclining position! And, as one of my mom-friends pointed out, you dont want them TOO comfortable in the high chair, or you'll end up spending 2 hours at the dinner table. Third, the Svan chair is easy to clean. It doesnt have a big bucket seat full of crevices to accumulate crumbs. Obviously, any high chair is going to get messy, but the open design of this chair makes it easy to wipe down. Fourth, the cushion is made of quality fabric, not crinkly, sticky vinyl. It is easy to detach and throw in the washer, but I have not had to so far because the dried-on food comes right off with a damp rag. The only real disadvantage with this chair, in my opinion, is the tray design. It is very small, so theres not a lot of room for playing. The baby can throw food over the side more easily than with a traditional tray. There is a nice lip around the outer edge to catch spills, but none on the inner edge, so food can slide into the babys lap. And the tray is attached to the chair by means of the crotch-bar, so it is a little wobbly. None of these problems is a deal-breaker, but I do notice them.