phil&teds highpod highchair

Written by: Ginny June 23 2010

Pin It

You might think it would be challenging to make baby stuff seem cool ... unless you've come across phil&teds. The New Zealand-based company sports an irreverent image and supplies fun-loving parents with sleek baby goods minus the cartoons and pastels offered elsewhere.

The highpod highchair is a great example of the phil&teds style: sleek modern lines, bold appearance and lots of consideration for convenience and safety. I've tried out lots of highchairs, and adjustability (the highpod’s greatest strength) is one of the big things I look for. I love that this chair can recline to three settings—the leaned back position is great for a sleepy newborn who probably isn't using the chair for feedings yet. The footrest also adjusts to swing out of the way for a new baby. The removable food tray angle adjusts to match the seat position, and the chair height can be adjusted to five levels. The 5-point padded harness has two heights to choose from, and the straps can be very easily adjusted with a twist and slide: No rethreading necessary! In fact, all of the adjustments are simple to make.

This seat is also very easy to clean with no cracks or crevices to hide food bits. The "aerocore" material is thin but cushioning, hypoallergenic, odor resistant and waterproof. Wipe it clean and you're good to go (so much easier than fabric cushions)! And if the aerocore seat gets really yucky, the whole liner can go right into the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning.

The food tray comes with an extra tray cover, and it's dishwasher safe. The tray is narrow but sufficient for a little baby. For an older, self-feeding baby, I would definitely recommend purchasing the wider food tray accessory.

What would I change about the highpod? Very little. It would be nice to have wheels on the base, although I do like that it’s nice and sturdy as it is. And while the seat fits my 1-year-old nephew very nicely, it is too narrow to contain my almost-3-year-old’s shoulders. (Of course, many parents already have their kiddos in boosters by that age.)

Price for highpod: $300

Price for snack attack food tray accessory: $30
To buy: philandteds.com