In Pursuit of a High Chair

Sometimes we have a hard time time finding products that both meet our aesthetic requirements and fall within our budgetary parameters. Like the time it took us five years to find a couch. For approximately the last fifteen months, we have been following this familiar pattern looking for a rocking chair and a high chair: research obsessively online, react violently to the offensive product designs, find a great high-priced alternative and argue repeatedly about whether we can afford it, decide vintage is the way to go, visit antique stores and garage sales flakily, check Craigslist once in a while, scour the internet some more, and so on.

However, our high chair needs have recently become dire, as little V is now eating pears, rice cereal, plums, peaches, and sweet potatoes. And her thighs are too big for the Bumbo seat.

How bad can a high chair be, you ask?

Approximately this bad:

Or, oh, this bad:

I'm not trying hard to find ugly high chairs, either -- these are recommended by Consumer Reports.

As is this one:

Just when I thought that every high chair in existence looked like a Barcalounger or an over-engineered athletic shoe, or cost $300 (we still would like to own you, Stokke Tripp Trapp), we finally went to Ikea and got this gorgeous white plastic model for $19.99:

I think she likes it

It's simple, it's easy to clean, and it holds the baby safely while she eats. The tray is a little hard to take on and off, but, again, it cost $19.99. Bring on the mashed peas!

While at Ikea, we also found a non-offensive rocking chair (not a glider!) for a reasonable price. And we dined on delicious meatballs and marzipan in the cafeteria. Thank you, Sweden, for allowing us to purchase your genius output.