Up until now, Cutter has been sitting in a Bumbo seat to eat his meals. Yes, it is pink. We borrowed it from gracious friends of ours who have a little girl just about a year older than Cutter. The other day I noticed that he had learned if he pushed hard enough with one of his feet – he could push himself out of the seat (even with the tray in place). This was the moment I had been waiting for; the graduation from the Bumbo simultaneous with the transition to the highchair.
My quest for the perfect highchair began when I was about 13 weeks pregnant. For some reason, both the highchair and the stroller were the two items I searched for with the greatest zeal and determination. I was tickled pink (or rather, blue I suppose) to be able to search for both of these items and it brought me enormous joy to search for them both. Crazy, I know, but I attribute it to my OCD-like tendencies which beg for utter perfection at all costs. I had formulated an exact picture in my mind of what I wanted and those mental images just would not erase themselves. It took about four months, but I finally found what I had envisioned – a beautiful wooden highchair listed on Craigslist for a mere $5! The woman even delivered the highchair to me because she was so thrilled that another family would be getting use out of their family heirloom.
Before
I did not have to do much to the highchair once we had it in our possession. It was sturdy and structurally sound and just needed a few additions to make it safe for Cutter to use as an infant.
Cutter is a little small for his age, and I wanted to ensure that he wasn’t going to smash his head on the back of the highchair. I sewed a pad for the bottom as well as the back, and added some matching ribbon to keep them in place. I’ll admit it’s a bit feminine, but in truth I get to look at it all day and I wanted to glean some gratification from the fabric choice. I had pink and green Lilly fabric, but I refrained from such an obvious demonstration of girly influence. I had Steve affix a nylon cord from the tray to the seat so that he couldn’t slide through underneath, and that completed the highchair transformation.
After
Today was the first time he used the highchair and I was delighted. He looked the part and I was decidedly smitten to know that something I had spent so much time envisioning had come to fruition. The best part is that the seat will grow with him and we will be able to eventually pull it up to the table sans tray when he is a toddler and is able to eat with us. I fear those days will be just around the corner at the rate this baby of mine is growing. Until then I will enjoy his smiles and delectable cheeks as much as I can.
Cutter's first meal in his highchair
4 comments:
Love the new highchair pad! Excellent work!
lauren the chair and its modifications are perfect! you are inspiring me for the future!
We have a very similar highchair...when you made your pad did you use special padding?? I need to get on making a pad for ours! E is still sitting in his bumbo even though he can push himself out of his!
@Trendy Family - you can totally make this :) I used newspaper as a template for size, and then used low-loft batting from Jo-ann's. I bought the twin size b/c I knew I could use the remainder of the batting for other projects. I just doubled it up (in fact I wish I had even put a few more layers in) and sized it, sewed it, and voila! Highchair pad for the mister. If you have any other questions feel free to ask :)E is adorable!
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