high chairs

[Pixie dust]

Morning
As some of you know from next month I have new babies starting and it has been a while since I have had babies here (3 years) most of my baby stuff is stored away including my one high chair. I am looking at maybe getting a second high chair as some days I will have 2 x 1 year olds at lunch time. When I last had babies we would eat in the kitchen up the family table but when Covid struck I changed our routine and the children eat in the playroom at a children's table which works really well. Do you all use traditional high chairs as I have been looking at the low level feeding chairs but they are expensive.

Also any must have baby toys anyone recommends ? I know I need to get some more hardback baby books as I only have a couple now. I am thinking about putting a treasure basket together with household objects Do you find they get used?

I think I will have to have a bit of a change around in the playroom as the youngest is 3 years at the moment so. we have a lot of loose parts out which are easily accessible

[Maza]

Without a doubt the toy most played with here for my young one year olds is the stacking cups. I got them for 30p from a jumble trail but I think they were originally from IKEA and aren't expensive. They are plastic - I find that the very little ones sometimes hurt themselves on heavy wooden things.

I got a brown cardboard postbox for a couple of pounds from The Works (about 20cm high) and it is played with every day. They particularly like posting those little round wooden grapat disks that we got in one of the Wanderlust boxes. If they can't manage the 'slit' then they just post objects in the square 'hole' at the back of it. They love curtain rings and napkin rings to post or to put on a mug tree. They love posting pom poms or matchsticks in empty plastic bottles - obviously this one needs total supervision because of the mouthing.

Definitely get more board books - start looking in charity shops now. I also like bath books or fabric books. I find hey are brilliant for keeping them entertained in the highchair or pushchair while you are serving up or getting coats on etc. If they drop them from a height, as they do, then these don't hurt any little toes or dogs who might be walking past.

Think about which toys you don't mind getting chewed or mouthed. Maybe look for some teething toys in charity shops.

Definitely give treasure baskets a go. It seems odd, but one of the most popular ones I put together was with packets of crisps. I read about it somewhere and I had a little one who loved crinkly things. He loved this treasure basket. Sometimes I would put in lots of little bags, or a huge party sized bag.

If you watch 'The Baby Club' on cbeebies there are lots of lovely ideas on there for play with everyday objects, or quick ways of making a toy. It's a lovely, short, show and we've copied quite a few of their ideas.

I have an Asda highchair which is very much like the plastic white ikea one which is popular with childminders. You can take off the legs to make it a low chair. It was about £22 if I remember correctly.

[Pixie dust]

Thanks for your reply Maza ......I am planning a little visit to the charity shop this weekend!

[Mouse]

I've only got one high chair at the moment. Once the children are able to sit well enough, I put them at the small table in a child's camping chair (or any small chair with arms). If they're still a bit small, I put a cushion on highchair insert in the chair.

This is the highchair I've got and it's the one I've been happiest with over the years. I nearly always have it at the low level.

5-in-1 Multi Use Baby Kiwi High Chair | Low Chair | Booster Seat | 6m – www.littlehelper.co.uk


As for toys, definitely get a treasure basket. I think they say you should put something like 12 objects in a basket, but I've got a huge basket with loads in! I look for all sorts of random things to go in it, although there's very little plastic in there. One of the strangest things I've got in it is a wooden pan handle! It's about 5 inches long, has a whole through the middle where it would be screwed onto the pan and it's beautifully shaped. It cost me 20p form TKMaxx and the children love it

[loocyloo]

I don't have a high chair per se, just a couple of booster seats that have trays and strap to normal chairs. Although my latest babe at 12 mths decided there was NO WAY they would sit in booster seat, and wanted to sit on a child's chair at little table with the other children!

I have a treasure basket with lots of weird and wonderful things in it! Favourites are currently a plastic scrubbing sponge, a set of old keys and a glass ( diamond looking ) tea light holder! Mine love a mug tree with bangles and curtain rings on it and an old tissue box stuffed with scarves, ribbons and scraps of fabric. The tissue box gets ripped, and I just use a another one! Or pringles tube with hole cut in lid! ( also good for posting lolly sticks, milk bottle tops or pompoms )

Enjoy xx