Choosing the right items for your baby can be difficult. There’s so many different brands and options available out there and when you’re a first time parent, it can definitely be a really overwhelming experience. When I was pregnant with Nate, any time my husband and I would go to stores like Babies R Us or Walmart, I would feel slightly panicked over how many brand name baby items there were. Which ones were the best? Which were the safest? Does price dictate better quality? Should it cost me an arm and a leg for a stroller? Does a baby really need an exersaucer with all the bells and whistles? Or do babies prefer quiet, more subdued toys? Am I the only first time mom stressing over stuff like this? The flash backs alone are enough to give me an anxiety attack. I felt like I had ZERO CLUE about what to buy for a baby and I was so surprised at just how much everything cost. It seemed as though once something was marketed solely for a baby, the price could be jacked up by 100% and of course people will still buy whatever it was because it’s for the baby and the baby obviously NEEDS it. As excited as I was about becoming a first time mom, there were definitely days that I felt like I was drowning in a sea of ‘baby essentials’ and I didn’t know where to even begin to look for a life saver.

By the time Kurt and I were ready to choose a high chair, I was done. I was tired of Googling brands and reviews and reading every. single. comment to try to form my own educated opinion, I was tired of second guessing my choices, and I was most certainly tired of hearing “Oh, well I choose this one because…” because it was obviously a different brand from what I had chosen so of course, I must not have done even research. I remember the day we went to pick out the high chair; it was the last remaining large item we needed and we waited almost until the very end before picking one out. Babies R Us was having one of their baby week blow out sales, you know where everything is marked down so ridiculously that the store is jammed packed with expectant and new parents and you can’t really test anything out or ask questions because the staff are swamped… yeah, one of those blow out sales. So we entered the store and I immediately wasn’t sure what style or brand I wanted. I had seen a few online during my endless hours of research but still wasn’t 100% sold. We wandered around the high chairs, touching them, trying to get a feel for one over another, and asking each other what we thought. Neither of us seemed to gravitate to a certain brand but we did gravitate to pricing. Now, I’m going to be honest here, just because one brand is like 200$+ over another, does not mean it’s 200$+ safer or more dependable; price doesn’t always dictate quality! I was blown away by just how expensive some brands were priced at; even with the baby sale discount, they were still above and beyond what we had expected to pay.

We finally settled on the Bentwood High Chair by Summer. We liked the modern look of the wooden frame and it was stained in a similar colour to the dining table and chairs set we had in our kitchen at the time. The seat padding was even a nice shade of green that would compliment some of the bright artwork and frames we had on our kitchen walls. It seemed like the perfect match for us and the best part was the price which was well within our budget. For three years this high chair has served us well. Heck, up until a few weeks ago, Nate still would eat his meals in it but since we’ve started introducing solids to Eli, I have found myself thinking it might be time for a change. For one, the chair itself is seeming a little unsteady lately. Even with the screws and bolts tightened as much as they can be, it still seems to wobble a bit and that is definitely concerning to me. Another issue I’ve been having is that the removable table top no longer glides in as smoothly as it once did. Obviously, this is just due to prolonged use but it does still bother me from time to time and I worry about Eli’s fingers accidentally getting caught when I have to occasionally force the table on. And lastly, the style of chair doesn’t fold up for easy storage meaning it’s always out in the open, and now the green seat padding stands out like a sore thumb in our new house which has red kitchen accents and teal blue living room colours.

As much as I’ve loved this high chair, I have found myself eyeing different brands and styles when we’re out and about and wondering if maybe it’s time to purchase something new. One of the main reasons I’ve been so hesitant to purchase a new high chair is because I really don’t want to go through the same stress I did just over three years ago; spending hours upon hours reading up on reviews, only to then stress out thinking that I made the wrong decision. No thank you! That’s why I was so pleased to discover this site called Reviews.com. It is literally a site chalk FULL of reviews on all sorts of different products; from what’s the best acne treatment to what’s the best cat food to everything in between, this site has it all! I was extremely impressed with their in-depth reviews on the best high chairs on the market right now which you can find here. I found the entire review very helpful and was pleasantly surprised that they not only took functionality into account but also which was the most cost effective. The chairs were also sorted into subcategories such as Best Overall, Best for Growing Families, Best Stylish Upgrade, and Best Budget Pick. This site has provided me with a lot more information on what to look for when choosing a high chair and it has definitely helped to lessen my stress over purchasing a new one for the newest member of our growing family because of course, Family Meal Time is one of the most important times for us!

*Please note I was not compensated in any way by Reviews.com. I was contacted and asked if I would acknowledge their research and reviews on my page. After thoroughly reading through their high chair review link they sent me as well as posts on car seats and other baby related products, I felt comfortable enough with the information they provided to publish it in a blog post. All opinions expressed are in fact my own.*