By Olivia DeLong, former senior health editor at BabyCenter and What to Expect.
When my daughter was a baby, after I got through that initial “I’m scared to go out in public with a baby” phase (don’t worry, it took a while), we began venturing out and about more. We went out to restaurants, traveled to grandparents’ houses, and by the time she was one, I was taking her on a plane alone.
I’m certainly not saying traveling or dining out with a baby is easy, but my husband and I both wanted to expose her to lots of different environments early on.
Cue the baby gear. When you’re leaving home, it truly feels like you have so. much. gear. And honestly? You do. But once our daughter started eating actual food, it became clear to us that we would also need something to put her in that was portable, to join us in our travels. That’s where our hook-on high chair came in. Ours came everywhere with us.
And news flash: ours is still kicking six years later. I gave it to my brother and sister-in-law for my nephew, and he absolutely loves it.
When to use a hook-on high chair:
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We always kept it in the car for restaurants: Most kid-friendly restaurants have some sort of high chair or contraption to put your little one in, but there’s one very popular neighborhood Mexican restaurant here that doesn’t. It’s a kid-friendly restaurant but doesn’t have any high chair options? Honestly, that just goes to show you never know when you’re going to need a place to keep your little one busy or eating while you are (gasp!) enjoying your meal. If you’re heading for a meal out, it doesn’t hurt to throw in the trunk in case you need it. BTW, those places that do have high chairs are usually not the cleanest place to put your kids. With your own chair you know where it has been and what has fallen into it.
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We packed it for road trips: If we were taking a road trip, like to my parent’s house about five hours away, we always had our hook-on high chair packed up to use while we were there. Although I love that my mom saved my own wooden high chair (um, that thing is nearly 40 years old, and who knows if it’s even safe anymore), it was nice to have a new, safe high chair that we could pop onto the counter. That way, our daughter could color, eat, or just play while we were making dinner or enjoying a glass of wine.
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We brought it to friends’ houses: In those early stages, we had a lot of play dates with friends and their kiddos who were the same age as our daughter. Most families don’t have room for multiple high chairs beyond what they need for their own children, so we always packed our hook-on high chair just in case we were going to do meal time at a friend’s house. Our friends didn’t feel stressed about finding a spot for her to eat, and we always felt prepared. Having its own tray was really useful, too, so I didn’t have to worry about her dirtying or staining their counters.
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It was a good option for our own home’s counter: We did have a regular high chair at home by our kitchen table, but while I was cooking meals or cleaning up, I always placed our daughter in the hook-on high chair at our kitchen counter top so I could keep a closer eye on her. If you have limited space in your apartment or home, you can also just use a hook-on version as your main high chair, no problem. Ours had an adjustable footrest so we got great use out of it as she grew.
There are lots of great hook-on high chair options out there, but if I were to buy one right now, it would definitely be the Lalo Hook-On High Chair. It’s easy to clean, comes with the footrest (genius!) and the silicone tray.
If you’re thinking about biting the bullet for a hook-on, go for it. I promise you won’t regret it, and you might even enjoy a meal out for once.
About the writer:
Olivia DeLong is the former senior health editor at BabyCenter and What to Expect. She’s been an editor, writer, and content strategist for over 15 years, holding staff positions at WomansDay.com and Sharecare prior to her role at pregnancy and parenting brands. After a traumatic fertility journey, she’s now a mom to her 6-year-old miracle girl, and lives with her family in Atlanta, Georgia. She loves digging into parenting, women’s health, and wellness trends with experts, and believes that speaking up about just about anything is so important for moms to feel seen.
