About high chairs . . .

Granted, this is not something we need right away. In fact, we won't need a high chair until Lima Bean is old enough to eat solids, so at about 6 months. Still, we looked into which high chair to choose because I have a feeling I won't have time later. 

According to my Baby Bargains book, some 9,900 injuries each year can be attributed to high chairs. So we need a safe one! That means the nice-looking Eddie Bauer (rating: D) and funky-looking IKEA chairs (rating: C) are out. Eddie Bauer chair below:

Which ones are recommended? 

Our book recommends the Fisher-Price Health Cair (rating: A), followed by Chicco's Polly high chair (rating: B). As you can see, the Fisher-Price chair (below, top) is a bit... colorful. It's priced at $113 while Chicco's Polly chair (below, bottom) is $139.

So, decision done. We chose the Chicco's chair.

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UPDATE: Fisher-Price's Zen chair is also rated highly. While it's not sold at Buy Buy Baby (where we are registered), it is sold at Amazon. And check out how cute it is! Plus, it's about the same price ($144.99 with free shipping) as the Chicco chair ($139 + shipping)... 

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The book also gives high marks to Boon's Flair high chair (rating: A) but notes that this chair doesn't recline, a standard feature on most chairs, and the chest buckle isn't tight enough for smaller babies. It's priced at $219.

Another chair that gets high marks is the Stokke Tripp Trapp (rating: A-). This chair has a seat and footrest that adjust, so you can use it from 6 months to 8 years. But the baby rail ($69) and seat cushion ($45-55) are extra and it doesn't come with a tray either ($89). So, the quality is excellent, but this is probably better for an older baby. And it's expensive -- $249-299.

The Peg Prego Prima Pappa chair, below, is nice looking and stylish and recommended by Buy Buy Baby, but my book says the tray is too high and too far from the back of the seat, creating a "Grand Canyon between your baby and her food." 

The chair is also notorious for collecting food in every nook and cranny, making it hard to clean. Plus, it's priced at $219-264. What the book says: "If you like the looks of the Prego, save yourself $80+ and get the Chicco Polly instead -- same styling, just easier to use and clean." 

Like I said, we'll just go with the Chicco Polly. 

Of course, there is also the very stylish and modern-looking Bloom Fresco and Bloom Nano (rating: B). The Fresco (below, top) reclines while the Nano (below, bottom) doesn't. Parents seem to like them, according to my book. The Fresco costs $399 while the Nano is only $179. 

Another interesting high chair is from Svan of Sweden (rating: B+). The all-wood Svan (below, top) converts from a high chair to a chair for toddlers and then older kids. But it has no recline and the height must be adjusted with an Allen wrench. It costs $259 and cushions are $40 extra. Svan also makes a simple wood high chair, the Anka, (below, bottom) for $179.

So where does all this research get us? Back where we started. We're going with the Chicco Polly. Or the Fisher-Price Zen chair!