Peg Pèrego Siesta highchair

Caprese salad? Yes, please. Valpolicella? Here’s my wine glass. Mark Ruffalo? Deal. What do they have in common? They’re all amazing and they’re all Italian. Now, I can add the Peg Perego Siesta highchair to that list! The chair reclines, raises up, lowers down, rolls around, stands in place and cleans up easily. I think it even scrambles eggs, but I’ll have to look at the manual again.
They had me at “recline.” First of all, who doesn’t like to eat and take naps? If there was an adult version of this chair, it would be a best seller around Thanksgiving. (Recliners don’t count—you cannot roll them from room to room.) I’m about 97% sure “siesta” is Italian for “awesome.”
The Siesta came mostly assembled and set up was not complicated. The seat itself has five reclining positions and adjusts easily with one hand. The seat cushion is attractive, nicely padded and looks well made. While the cushion is removable, I usually just wipe it clean right along with the tray and haven’t needed to remove it yet for cleaning. Speaking of the tray, it is removable and dishwasher safe. And when your baby eats at the table, the tray can be stored on the legs of the highchair.
As for looks, we didn’t need anything fancy. We also didn’t want a highchair with a busy design full of characters. I mean, we know there’s a baby in the seat, but all of her things do not have to have small woodland creatures and rainbows. We do, however, love the bold colors (we chose orange) and the clean design.
Not only is this highchair attractive and comfortable, but it also has plenty of useful features. We needed a seat that could easily move from the kitchen counter to the dining room table (and realistically…next to the sofa in the den). The wheels on the chair lock automatically but all you have to do is press two buttons and steer when you want to move it. The seat has nine height settings so it’s easy to feed your baby standing in the kitchen or sitting at the table. The footrest even has three positions. All of these adjustments are great because the seat will last through toddlerhood.
Other features I like are the rubber storage net on the back of the highchair. This is where we put her bibs and the occasional toy. It’s a nice addition and it keeps us from having to leave to get a fresh bib. Since I feed her mainly in the kitchen, the chair is stored there. It folds quite compactly when the seat back and tray table are in their upright position (that’s airplane talk) and the wheels are tucked in. Once folded, it stands by itself. I would say our kitchen is of average size and the folded chair is easy to store out of the way.
So, are there any drawbacks? It may take a few tries to get the wheels aligned for self-standing storage. Also, the price. It’s not the least expensive kid on the block but it will be the only chair you need for a few years.
This highchair is well-built, easy to use and has everything you need with a few extras thrown in. I would definitely recommend it. It offers much more than we were looking for but it turns out it’s exactly what we needed. The Siesta saved us from bringing home another highchair, using it and then wishing it had more features. I tip my hat to the moms (I’ll just assume) who designed this chair.
Price: $300
To buy: Amazon.com