Carter's Animal Parade Classic Comfort Reclining Wood Highchair

With a 6-month-old at home who was ready to venture into the world of solids, I knew the time had come to acquire a highchair. Fortunately, timing was on our side, and we were given the opportunity to try out the nice-looking Carter’s Classic Comfort Reclining Wood Highchair in Animal Parade.
Assembly of the chair was a simple matter, taking about 15 minutes, and all tools, hardware, and instructions required were included and properly labeled. While some of the locations of the screws make for a tight fit, there’s very little risk of improperly assembling the highchair. Each piece is individually marked and indicates which other part it connects with. This, coupled with the clear, step-by-step instructions, will let you have your highchair together before you know it.
Once put together, it was time to take the highchair for a test drive. The large, removable tray fits in any of four positions to make room for your growing child. It also features a removable, dishwasher safe insert for the tray, while the chair itself has another, smaller, nonremovable tray attached to it. The highchair comes with an easy to adjust and snap five-point harness and the nonremovable tray, which includes a divider that fits between the legs, provides an extra feeling of security that your little one isn’t going anywhere. A foot rest is provided for the comfort of taller children as well. The back of the chair has three reclined positions, which I found quite handy, in addition to the upright position.
The chair has very few nooks and crannies, which makes cleaning it as simple as wiping it down with a damp cloth and mild soap or giving it a once over with a baby wipe for a quick clean. The pad that comes with the seat is made of vinyl and supposed to be just as easy to clean. It, however, never managed to stay in place, constantly sliding down and bunching up under my little diner when I tried to put him in. The solution, I found, was to simply remove it all together and pick up a highchair cover.
This is not a chair you’d want for traveling, as it doesn’t fold, have wheels, or easily come apart to store. It is, however, aesthetically quite pleasing, the dark wood (it also comes in white) giving it a semi-formal look that you won’t mind having at your table, even if it is adorned with animal prints on the padding. This, combined with its sturdy construction, even with its reclining feature, makes the chair certainly worth its price point as an investment for your child, so much so that even my mother bought the same one to use during visits at Grandma’s house.
Price: $140
To buy: diapers.com