Highchairs

T
here’s a huge variety of highchairs on the market and a wide number of suppliers. How do you choose what to stock and what will your customers be looking for?

Price is always a big factor in deciding what to buy, so it is probably a good idea to stock some simple folding highchairs. There are a number around that will retail at under £30. These are also good purchases for grandparents where storage is a particular issue. So in this category the watchwords are price and how flat do they fold when stored.

Moving up the price bands are a number of folding highchairs, the higher price reflecting a few extra features. So what features are worth pointing out?

Removable tray – it’s so much easier to take the tray to the sink for cleaning, especially if it can be done one-handed!
More than one tray position – small babies need the tray nearer to them than larger babies
Padded seats – although virtually every highchair has a padded seat some have more and more luxurious styling in the seat.
Stands when folded – it’s amazing that many, fairly bulky chairs don’t stand when folded and Mums often only find this out when they have taken it home. And it’s a feature that is not often mentioned on supplier websites, but for many Mums, it’s essential!

Further up the price ladder, are the highchairs that convert into a low chair. This is always a popular selling point though some can be very bulky as a low chair and less convenient than mums think they’ll be! Where they are of use is to bring baby down to a better level in the early days of weaning when Mum is in charge of the spoon!

A seat that reclines is very useful as many babies fall asleep over their dinner! Being able to leave them in the chair and grab a few minutes peace and quiet is better than having to disturb them by lifting them out.

A footrest is something that you don’t always appreciate unless you’ve had a chair with something that give tiny feet some support. Sitting with your legs dangling is uncomfortable (try it sometime!) as your body tends to slide round and down. Mind you, to work properly, the height of the footrest must be adjustable as babies vary in height – and few highchairs have this feature!

Looking through reviews on highchairs, one point crops up time and time again – the highchair must be easy to clean. Until the thing is caked in baby mush, it’s not always easy to see where the food might congregate, but it’s worth pointing out removable trays, and those that have a smooth shape to the rim. Large trays that surround baby mean less muck gets down the side of the chair. Cushions that come off and have few or no places to catch crumbs are always a good idea.

The pricier chairs often have some storage underneath – good for keeping toys, bibs etc. Double trays are also useful – there’s another tray to play on while Mum washes the first.

Then there is the styling. Mums will always choose one they like so a variety of styles and colours is essential, not just primary versus pastel, plain versus patterned, but also wood in its various colours.

Finally, when out and about, many families need an alternative to the ‘proper’ highchair. There are several booster seats which fit onto a dining chair, including a couple of tie on ones which when not in use can slip into a handbag. These seats are not always known about and could benefit from an extra bit of selling!
Suppliers

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