When to Transition from Highchair to Booster

I moved my oldest from the highchair to a booster seat at the table when I needed the highchair for my youngest. He was probably around 18 months old or so.

If he's happy in his high chair, leave him there. My oldest was in the high chair until he was 3 when we moved to our new house, we bought him a 'cushy booster'. My youngest was out of the high chair at 19 months because a small part broke off it and the back wouldn't stay up, otherwise he'd still be in it at 2 1/2.

We started transitioning our son from a high chair to a booster around 15 months but took it slowly. He's 18 months and now is out of the highchair completely.

I have two boys. The first I moved to a booster at the table when he was about 17 or 18 months. I honestly don't remember what my motivator was to move him... but he did fine in his highchair until then, and did fine at the table when I moved him.

My second boy is now 13 months, and I moved him to a booster at 12 months. He would not sit in his high chair, and could easily wriggle right out of the straps and kept standing up. And, because he was SO focused on standing up and trying to get out, he was hardly eating anything. So, I bought a booster with really good buckles and put him at the table and he does so much better. I think he just wanted to be like his brother and sit at the table with the rest of us.

I'd go with what works for your family. As long as he is sitting safely in his highchair, that might be best for you.

J.

SAHM to Charlie and Joey

My oldest daughter actually was in her highchair until she was 3yrs old, but she was small and we just pushed the highchair up to the table (took the tray off) and she ate dinner with us at the table.

We never used a "highchair" with my 2nd child and won't with our youngest. We have the The First Years:
4-Stage Feeding Seat. It was space saving as it attached to a kitchen chair and could be used from infant - preschool. You could take the tray off when the child got old enough to sit up to the table in just the seat and they were still straped in.

I don't know if they still make this one, but there are similar ones out there like it.

I personally like to keep them in a highchair as long as possible because they are more restrained and it's easier to clean up. It's alot easier for me to take a highchair tray over to the garbage or sink than to clean a huge mess off the kitchen table and the floor. And if they're at the table they have a tendancy to grab and flip over other people's plates and stuff. I wouldn't use a booster til like2-3 years old. When they're old enough to sit and not squirm around and fall off and get hurt. Besides highchairs are great for when your busy cooking you can put them in it, give them something to do or eat and they're safe.

My daughter is 6.5 and has her baby highchair pulled up to our kitchen table still. She doens't use the tray part though. She loves her chair it's a fancy oak wood high chair and it's just perfect height at the kitchen table and doesn't look babyish. It also works out perfect if I babysit or have a small child over I can use it and just have my daughter use a regular chair.

We moved our son to a booster seat at 12 months. He wanted nothing to do with the highchair, other than trying to tip it over.

We have Fisher Price booster with the attachable tray at about every place my daughter would be for mealtimes. She stopped wanting the tray when she was not at home oh maybe around 15 months. At home we stopped using it around 18 months. So we still have her in the booster part and just pull it up to the table. When she's playing, she will pull the tray onto her lap which I think is pretty funny. She also never really liked using the high chairs at restaurants, we would just take turns holding her or let her scoot around the booth. I just started getting the booster chairs at restaurants, with mixed success (she's 21 months now).

my daughter was about 1 1/2 when we moved her to the booster. she would stand up in the high chair if we werent looking and hated the straps. also, didnt use the booster for too long...has been sitting at the table with no booster chair for a while now.