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I was shocked to discover how few restaurants actually have high chairs. Not just upscale spots, but “family-friendly” places with kids’ menus and crayons. Eating out with our six-month-old quickly became stressful. She’d scream in the stroller or thrash in our laps, so dining out started to feel like more trouble than it was worth.
The obvious solution was a travel high chair. And according to friends, coworkers, and basically every mom I knew, there was only one to get: the Inglesina Fast Table Chair. The $90 clip-on seat was supposed to be easy to set up, easy to carry, and something we’d use everywhere.
We didn’t.
The biggest issue was how often we couldn’t use it. Glass tables, thick lips, pedestal bases, tablecloths, suddenly half the places we went were off-limits. And when it did work, I never fully trusted it, which is not a great feeling mid-meal. The clamps either felt too tight on the table or not secure enough for a wiggly baby. My daughter also hated it, which didn’t help. With no footrest to stabilize her, she was constantly squirming and uncomfortable. And despite being marketed as “travel-friendly,” it was still bulky. Fine for the trunk, not ideal for a carry-on.
It took a family trip for me to realize what I actually needed. A friend pulled out the Hiccapop OmniBoost, basically a mini camping chair for babies, in the best way, popped it open, and strapped it onto a dining chair in under a minute. It was secure, stable, and didn’t depend on the table at all. It straps directly onto a standard chair and has a wide, sturdy base that keeps it in place, even with a wiggly toddler.
That night, the difference was obvious. My daughter sat awkwardly in a rental high chair, while my friend’s daughter was pulled right up to the table. Feeding her was easier, cleanup was easier, and there was no oversized tray to deal with. I ordered one before we even went to bed.
Four years later, we still use it all the time. It comes to the beach, the park, restaurants, or anywhere we need a reliable place to sit. It folds into a compact bag and fits easily in a stroller basket. The tray is removable and dishwasher-safe, which makes cleanup much easier than dealing with a full high chair setup. We even bought a second one for Grandma’s house, and together they still cost less than the one Inglesina chair now sitting unused in my basement.
Your baby needs a place to sit, but it doesn’t need to be complicated. If I could go back, I’d skip the clip-on chair, grab the Hiccapop OmniBoost, and put that extra $50 toward a much-needed glass of wine at our next family dinner.
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