phil&teds poppy

By Published On: September 5th, 2013

I just got the cutest highchair—it’s retro meets contemporary! It […]

Poppy_high_chairI just got the cutest highchair—it’s retro meets contemporary! It comes in three colors: cranberry, lime and bubblegum blue. We have the cranberry one, and so far it is really a winner in most every way. When our phil&teds poppy highchair came in the mail, I figured I would have to wrestle with putting it together, but I didn’t even look at the manual until after the fact. I had it put together in less than five minutes. It’s super easy to take apart as well, making it nice for times when I need to store it away. But the manual is super simple if you need it with lots of easy pictures for putting the chair together and instruction on how to maintain it. In fact, I did have a random question for the company and was glad to have the manual at my fingertips to get their digits. The company was so nice when I got them on the phone and made me feel even better about the seat.
It’s honestly been a fantastic little chair. It’s simple to clean—just soapy water. Nothing needs to be pulled off or unassembled. A simple wipe down is all that’s needed. Plus there are no grooves or crevices for food to find its way into, so I feel like I can get it really clean really quickly. If need be, you can put the tray in the dishwasher. The tray is a great size and snaps right in place—spanning 180 degrees from left to right to give our little guy lots of space. It’s at a good level for pulling it up to the table with us too. One thing I’m a little weary of is the legs—they splay out at deeper angles than I would like since I am every mindful of tripping over things, making the footprint a lot broader than the actual chair. This is also a good thing to know in case this will affect the space in your kitchen. However, if one pops the back legs off, which is super easy, you can store this in a narrow spot tucked away with the tray down beside it for the times when you need the extra space.
The five-point adjustable harness is a little different but not a deal breaker. There are two sets: one passive set around the waist and one over the shoulders. Both are easy to use—just slide your little person in, snap the passive set, and then he or she is secure while you snap the second set. The tray then slips right on.
The chair will hold up to 44 pounds so as soon as your baby can hold his/her head up, you can start enjoying it until he/she is around 3 years old or so. It does not swivel or recline. And I should add that the chair is under 9 pounds, so it’s not too heavy to lug around if you have to move it from room to room. Moving from house to house is probably not recommended. It’s certainly not impossible—it comes apart so easily that you really could—but I would not consider this chair made for travel.
PHILTEDS_POPPY2Something super groovy about this highchair is that it also converts into a little chair, or “my chair” as the company calls it. This is the only height adjustment the chair makes, but it’s a good one! The footrest, tray and midsection all come out pretty easily—the mid-section, where the tray pops in has a little part called a bung that replaces it so that it’s not a void. Replacing the midsection with the bung is the only time you’ll have to pull out a screwdriver and it takes all of two minutes. Once these changes are made you suddenly have a shorter chair for your special little person to enjoy until he/she is around age 5. A chair you can use for 5 years of your child’s life! How cool is that?
Last but not least, the chair itself seems pretty comfortable. It’s made of aerocore and looks very futuristic. The company brags that it’s hypo-allergenic, nontoxic and resistant to ultraviolet rays, but they do warn that the product can fade if left in the sun, which would be a shame with their bright, happy colors.
Price: $120
To buy: philandteds.com