We've loved Stokke a long time and have had a much loved Tripp Trapp chair around the dinner table for a while now. We've always liked how comfortable it is, how great it looks and how it grows with the boys meaning that it'll be a feature for a long time yet.
What I hadn't realised was that whilst I was busy hatching a new baby, so were Stokke. Just as Sam was born, Stokke released their latest product, a new born set which attaches to their already well known Tripp Trapp chair. Knowing the quality of the brand, I had very high hopes of the new born set.
I was not disappointed. It looks great, it functions really well and I use it every single day.
Essentially the newborn set is an ergonomic chair, designed around the particular needs of a newborn, which allows the baby to be seated at the table with the rest of the family. The newborn seat can be detached from the chair and placed on the floor when it will rock gently. I have to admit that I very seldom take the set off the chair because I really like the fact that Sam is up at chair level. I love that he can sit at the table with us, it means he is involved in meal times, but I have free hands to resolve the mayhem caused by the other two boys. Instinctively he feels like an equal part of our family, it ensures meal times are family affairs and introduces him to the concept of sitting down for supper from an early age.
I also love the height of the chair when we are not at the table. It accompanies me to the kitchen where Sam gets the pleasure of observing my dancing skills and I feel more confident that because of the height of the chair he is less likely to have things dropped onto him. He is raised above the level of curious dog and kicked footballs which are a perennial hazard in our house. Being higher he is also less likely to be tripped over by the boys in the manic running games (bring on summer, I'm hanging out for longer days and sunnier weather!).
The set is solidly made with several safety features. I particularly liked the green/red button which tells you that you have fully attached the set to the seat. The attachments have also resisted the regular attention of the 4 year old who would love to be able to detach it if he could. The chair has a five point harness which keeps the baby snuggly fitted. To be fully safe, the chair needs to be fitted with longer gliders than it would normally use, not too much of a problem, but I know full well that we will have lost the original ones by the time comes for Sam to graduate to the high seat aspect of the chair.
From a practical point of view the covers on the set are machine washable (although I haven't yet tried to take them off), the plastic parts are wipedownable and Dave put the whole thing together (chair and newborn set) in 40 minutes, saying that the instructions were clear and easy to follow once he had found them in the book.
So overall, is it worth the £99 price tag (plus the additional £119 for the tripp trapp chair)? Personally I think so. The chair will last (and be used) until the baby is an adult. The newborn set can be used on the chair or the floor, but the ability to have the baby at the same height as the rest of the family really sets this product apart and comes highly recommended from this blogger.
This is a review post for which I received a Tripp Trapp New Born Set and a Tripp Trapp chair to review.