High Chair - An Indian Brand which makes it's mark: R for Rabbit
Finally it makes sense. Why most of us have just one child. Consumerism has ensured that babies are an expensive business and simply mind boggling! The choices available can confuse even the most systematic research oriented parent. Especially when you know that the baby will soon outgrow it or may just not take a liking to it. Add to it the contradicting opinions & beliefs thrown at you, seeked by you and observed. My mom never used a high chair to feed her 3 babies and all 3 of us are well and enjoy meals! And knowing my mom I don't think she ever tolerated any sort of mess so I doubt she practised baby led weaning.
The elders in the family were aghast when I offered a whole banana to my munchkin! I was insisted upon to feed him purée! So there I was a confused mommy pulled apart by wanting to try BLW and yet ensure the baby was being fed! Anyway, that is another story all together!
So there I was waiting for S to start sitting up on his own so I could get him the high chair! His own chair on which he would happily eat any and every thing I'd present to him! (Grand plans I had!) and that kickstarted my hunt for an ideal high chair. By default the hunt begun on Amazon and boy! I was honestly taken aback at the options- available-brands, colours, features, style & the damage on my pocket! It only made my decision harder Coz I was even more lost!
Almost all seemed similar! So how does one decide which to pick?! It was time to get down to some basics! I sat with my pen & paper & made a list of questions running through my mind to make things easy.
Q1-what purpose does the high chair fulfil?
A1- a comfortable & safe chair for the baby to sit on while I feed him, approximately 40 minutes thrice a day.
Q2-who will be using it more? And how?
A2- S & Me & other family members. S struggling to get out of it, preferring to sit underneath it. Me trying to be a cool mom & for me to stand or sit by the dining table to feed him.
Q3-where will I be using it most?
A3 - At home, by the dinning table or the terrace.
Q4-what potential difficulties will I or the baby face when using it?
A4- Call me crazy but the only major difficulty I can think of is cleaning it!!! stability of the chair being the other concern.
Q5-how long am I hoping to use this high chair?
A5- Hopefully until S is 3 or 4 years old or until he can sit on a chair table suited for him & self feed.
Q6-does it need to be trendy?
A6- Errmm...yes...no! Be practical! uff!
Q7-price?
A7- I will not spend more than Rs.5000/- on a high chair simply because I don't know if S will actually allow me to strap him into it & feed him and i do not want meal times to be intense Maa-Beta Drama!
So, there I was, with some clarity, I listed down my minimum requirement list as follows:
-No Cushion or Removable Cushion (Cushions manag to develop fugal growth because of left over food & the humidity)
-Round edges to ensure S doesnt hurt himself when he crawls underneath it or around
-5 Point Harness
-Stable widely spaced legs for better balance
-least number of crevices to prevent food collection & decay
-Wide food tray (I do a mix of traditional weaning & baby led)
-super ease of cleaning
-Leg Divider under the food tray to ensure S doesnt slip down
-multi utility
-Ease of assembly, dismantling & storage
Yes, I consciously kept away from listing down the frills! Its the same approach I adopt when buying new machinery for my factories- Keep it simple, add ons can always be added on later when the need arises. Stick to functionality!
Now most of the available high chair brands are imported and easily served all my questions. If you are to compare most available brands (imported & Indian) you will find them almost similar. Ultimately it comes down to pricing which starts from Rs.5000--Rs.1 Lac! Yes!!!!
Going by above parameters, I zeroed down on a relatively new on the block Indian brand called R for Rabbit. Primarily Coz I have a thing for all things Indian. Secondly the pricing was super affordable so even if S didn't take to it, it wouldn't hurt as much. Thirdly it fit the bill of functionality perfectly.
(Claim a 20% Discount on all R for Rabbit Products on their website. Use SPECIAL20)
I placed an order on the company website which was rather simple & quick like other eCommerce sites. Infact the company communications system is very prompt & efficient & they offer an option of COD also! perfect!
Assembling it was a matter of 10 minutes even with S being the man meddling in. (They have a super short simple video explaining the assembly). It's light weight (approx 3.5kgs) allows you to easily carry it with one hand while holding your munchkin in the other & drag it between rooms. Even sans the baby you can easily carry it to the bathroom for a wash down. I keep moving it between the dinning room, terrace, kitchen & the bathroom. The edges are extremely well rounded moulded finishing ensuring zero harm to baby. They feel soft. The legs are wide & have a rubberised wide capping ensuring stability & grip. The chair is fixed atop the table quickly with a very simple click. The 5 point safety harness is removable making it easy to scrub it & decently sturdy. What I truly loved about it was the simple design minus the fan fare which enables me to literally wash it down with a hand shower after each meal and yet it's all dried up and ready to be used for the next meal! This was of utmost importance to me! Even though i bought a cushioned high chair I don't use the cushion. As the cushion if washed once will take a day or two to dry off plus on my experience any foam cushions tends to develop fungal growth when there is food on it and it's a pain to clean. A big plus with this high chair is that it can be used 3 ways:
1. A mounted high chair
2. A chair with a food tray
3. Table & Chair
this multi utility makes it absolutely paisa vasool at Rs. 4950/- Perfect Value for Money.
The leg divider is also removable & easy to clean up.The food tray is wide, however I personally would have appreciated for it to be a little more wide but I wont complain.
It's height cannot be adjusted nor is the seat a reclining one. However I have not felt the need for these features. It does not have wheels however the rubberised caps allow it be dragged sans much noise.
So yes, in all, I'd say, R for Rabbit High Chair is a brilliantly designed in India, Manufactured in China, Shipped from Gujarat High Chair. It is functional to the T, its multi utility ensures its used either ways & is priced just right for a baby product. Indian brands are great & I love them!
So if you are a pragmatic parent not wanting to spend a bomb on a high chair, I'd highly recommend the R for Rabbit High Chair! Worth every ruppee!
P.S:
What I wish it would have:
-Hooks behind the chair to hang bibs ;)
PPS:
Claim a 20% Discount on all R for Rabbit Products on their website. Use SPECIAL20
