Things I Love: Boon Flair High Chair*
By Glinda
We jokingly refer to it as the “barber chair” but there really is a lot to like about the Boon Flair high chair
I had spent much too much time deciding on a high chair for the Munchkinette, and I almost bought a Stokke Tripp Trapp until I saw this. Yeah, the chair now comes with plastic extenders that supposedly make the whole falling-backward-so-they-can-crack-their-head-open thing not happen, but if I am going to be spending almost four hundred dollars on a high chair (paying extra for the infant adapter AND the cloth cushion AND for a tray) I decided that I should NEVER have to think even for a nanosecond that my daughter could push the chair back from the table like that. Her chubby little legs are surprisingly strong, and she likes kicking as much as David Beckham, and with almost as much accuracy. As my kitchen table has quite a significant drop down portion beneath the table top proper, the Tripp Trapp was just not an option for me, no matter how “cool” it may look.
The Boon Flair is a single piece of molded plastic that rests on a pneumatic lift, thus giving it that old-timey barber chair vibe. But, it is insanely easy to clean, has a removable tray with two plastic liners, all of which fit in the dishwasher. As any parent who has had to clean off dried baby food knows, ease of cleaning is huge. It also has very cool casters on the bottom which make it a breeze to move around the kitchen, which my daughter loves since there is quite a bit of distance between the table and the kitchen sink, where she enjoys watching me do the dishes. I actually don’t enjoy doing the dishes, but it makes it less of a chore when I can interact with her. The Flair has a five-point harness for keeping the squirmers in their place, and the removable tray means that I can still push her up to the table when she gets older. And obviously, the pneumatic lift makes it ridiculously easy to adjust up or down.
The only drawback I can see is that for small kitchens, the bottom of the chair where the casters are placed might take up a bit too much room. It doesn’t have any reclining features or huge plastic-y cushions, which might be a minus for some but which I view as a plus. It isn’t a chair for napping, and the plastic cushions just make the child sticky and whiny in the warmer months. Not to mention they are a pain to clean.
Other than that, having dealt with a more traditional high chair with my first child, I’m actually looking forward to feeding times with the Flair!
*I was given no compensation for this review. Money spent on this product was my own hard-earned cash.
April 27th, 2010 at 6:54 am
The main reason we opted for the Tripp Trapp was that it would grow with Paloma (and then become an awesome desk chair for me – ooh, did I just say that?).
I did see that video in advance of getting the Tripp Trapp, but found from reading the manual/talking to folks that babies shouldn’t be able to do that if the chair height is positioned correctly. And, for sure, the Tripp Trapp just won’t work with some tables for that reason – there’s just no way to position it correctly.
I totally see where you’re coming from, though, with regard to safety. I threw out a crib because it might have been part of a recall – it was a gift, and the gifter couldn’t find the receipt, etc. I think I felt comfortable with the Tripp Trapp because a good many of my relatives in Europe have used them with their kids without incident.
April 27th, 2010 at 8:05 am
I really WANTED to buy the Tripp Trapp, but I just couldn’t. Totally personal decision on my part, just because I’m paranoid, and I think our kitchen table lends itself to being pushed up against. She already does it now when she’s sitting on someone’s lap.
April 27th, 2010 at 8:48 am
We just got a standard Graco collapsable. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper, tucks away in a corner, is easily portable, and if she kicks away from the table the worst she’ll do is roll back a bit.
May 11th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
I love the boon flair. The way it rolls is my favorite part. I roll my daughter all over the house while she is eating her breakfast and I am getting ready for work. She loves it, and it is so convenient for me.