On testBooster seats
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Handysitt |
Jane Move |
Jo Jo Maman Bebe Cushioned Booster
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About this test
If your child has reached weaning age and you're partial to a few holidays, meals out and weekends away, a highchair booster seat can be one helpful little purchase. Compact, simple and easy to use, booster seats make eating together as a family easier and more enjoyable as your tot can sit safely at the table without you having to perch them on your knee and juggle food!
Un-surprisingly they come in all shapes and sizes and our panel have spent the last couple of months putting six differing designs through their paces. Products range from fold down 'clip onto a chair' seats ('easy and great for home use if space is an issue') to fabric harnesses ('extremely compact - perfect for the plane') and soft, zip-down boosters ('good to keep at the grandparents').
The panel agreed that size and design were two of the most important things to consider and advise to 'think about where you'll be using it most and pick a style accordingly'. They also found that 'comfort is an essential ingredient for lots of happy mealtimes - especially if you want your child to stay in it for more than ten minutes'.
We tested for
- Ease of Use
- Fold mechanism
- Practicality
- Style
- Quality
- Value for money
Points to consider
Design : There are a multitude of travel highchairs on the market and deciding which design to go for can be painfully time-consuming! If it's merely for a few weekends at the grandparents, the Jo Jo Maman Bebe cushioned booster seat is ideal as it 'packs up small, yet provides a really comfy base for baby'. For home use, the Mothercare Deluxe folding booster seat is 'sturdy and well-built, meaning it will last the distance for daily use'
According to our panel, keen travellers should 'stick to the lightweight models' and opt for a flat-pack fabric design like the Totseat . This 'washable, squashable' highchair came up trumps on all criteria with our panel citing it as a 'do-no wrong chair harness that's amazingly versatile and easy to use'.
Size and child's age : Check the size of the chair in relation to your child's weight/age - some will last until they are big enough to sit in a standard seat whereas others are simply good go-betweens that you can resort to now and again when eating at home isn't on the cards. A good all-rounder for all age groups was the Handysitt 'a practical, take-anywhere seat that looks like part of the chair it's fitted too - it's perfect for tots from 12 months but also for the age 2-3 market'.
For recently weaned babies, our panel liked the Prince Lionheart bebePOD Plus ('a sturdier alternative to the Bumbo that accommodates your baby from just 3 months') and the Jane Move ('a light, compact chair that's surprisingly solid, perfect for wriggly babies'). However, if cash is an issue, our panel recommend 'sticking to a baby seat until your child is able to sit unaided as you'll end up having to buy two separate boosters in the long-run'.
Material :Let's face it, this seat is going to get bombarded with all manner of spills, stains and crumbs so as mundane as it sounds, it is a factor worth considering. The wipe clean seats like the bebePOD Plus , Mothercare Deluxe and Jane Move are 'far easier to keep nice as they offer simple, fuss-free cleaning on the go'.
Fabric seats like the Totseat are more time-consuming to keep clean as they need to be fully washed (though our panel did state that they 'came up as good as new after a few spins in the washing machine').
Ease of Use/ Practicality :
Surprisingly, our panel didn't have any gripes with the seats on test, citing all of them as 'easy to construct, attach to chairs and collapse again'. It is worth taking note of the dimensions however, especially if you have an unusually designed chair that you plan to use it on or its primary use is for holidays and eating out. Most booster seats will fit to standard chairs but others may be a tad trickier so find out how versatile they are first.
Awards - which products won
The Handysitt won the Best Buy award with our panel citing it as 'the sturdiest, most practical seat tested'. Best Value was awarded to the Totseat for its 'easy to use, versatile and stylish design at a really reasonable price'.
See how the other booster seats faired in the full test results
Where to next?
- Full test results
- Read the reviews:
Handysitt
Jane Move
Jo Jo Maman Bebe Cushioned Booster seat
Mothercare Deluxe Folding Booster seat
Prince Lionheart Bebepod Plus
Totseat
- Add a review and you could win a prize
- About our Product Tests
- Visit the babyworld shop
