As infants grow into toddlers, they start to grow out of their car seats, cribs, highchairs, and other furniture. One of the ways that parents can reduce the cost is purchasing furniture that can transition with their little one as they grow.
For highchairs, the Graco Floor2Table 7-in-1 Highchair is an excellent choice. With seven stages and the ability to seat two kids, it will last for the first several years of your little one’s life.
In this review, we’ll take a look at its safety features, how well it functions as a highchair, booster, and seat, how easily it can be cleaned, and more.
The 7 Stages
- Infant Floor Seat- This is designed to keep your little one close to the ground. It provides the support they need to sit upright and has a small tray.
- Full-Size Highchair- Simply move the infant floor seat to the raised highchair when they are ready. It also has stain-resistant and machine-washable fabrics.
- Infant Booster- Once your little one is ready to eat at the table, remove the infant booster and use it with your dining room chairs.
- Toddler Booster- This is also for use with dining room chairs. It is perfect for when your little one starts to grow out of their infant seat.
- Youth Stool- The youth stool allows the high chair to be used without the infant seat. This makes it the perfect height for preschool and kindergarten-age kids.
- Table and Chair- This is designed for big kids. It is perfect for practicing writing, coloring, or doing homework.
- Two-Child Seating- As your family grows, so does the highchair. A younger child can use the infant seat while the older child uses the toddler seat or youth stool.
Each of the seven stages has its own use. Not only does it grow with your child, but it can also grow with your family once your little one ages if you decide to give them a younger sibling. As it is designed durable, it will last for years to come!
A really similar Graco 7-mode model made our list of the top high chairs.
Safety
Proper seating has a lot to do with choosing a seat that is the right size for your little one. In addition to having plenty of options for finding the right size, harnesses keep your little one secured to the chair. A 3-point harness works with the lower-backed infant seat. Once your infant transitions to the high chair, it can be used with the included 5-point harness until they are tall enough to sit without it.
Additionally, when the infant seat and toddler booster are set directly on the chair, it has additional security straps for the back and the underneath of the chair. These tighten easily. This means even if you have a little one that likes to wobble or gets excited at meal time, you don’t have to worry about them knocking the highchair to the floor.
Washability
One of the messiest things that children do is eat. Even though it makes a mess, self-feeding is beneficial for many reasons. It encourages independence and improves fine motor skills. When your little one is done eating, though, you will need to clean.
The tray insert is dishwasher safe, which means an easy clean-up. The foam back of the chair wipes clean easily and the plastic wipes down as well. Even the straps are easy to clean, which is a definite plus because these can get gunked up over time.
Comfort
In addition to keeping your little one safe, it will help them remain comfortable while eating. This means they can focus on the food instead of wiggling around. Unlike most traditional highchairs, this has a recline function that adjusts to three separate positions.
Also unlike some other models, the wipe clean material is made of a soft foam-like material that wipes clean like plastic, without sacrificing comfort.
Functionality
Even though family dinner is an important way to connect with your family, everyone’s schedules do not always line up. Older siblings have homework and after-school activities, parents have to work, and not every night can be family dinner night.
Fortunately, the Floor2Table easily travels around your home. In highchair mode, front wheels make adjusting and repositioning the chair easy.
It is also easy to transition between the different modes. There is no complicated process once your child is ready and you can easily transfer the infant booster seat from the floor to the table in seconds. Additionally, the inclusion of two trays (a snack-size and a full-size) is perfect regardless of where your little one is sitting.
This is also a great choice for parents on the go. Since the boosters are not attached to the chair, you can easily bring along seats for your toddler or infant when visiting relatives. The chair also folds up when not in use.
However, it is still quite bulky when folded. It might not be a great choice for small apartments or areas without any storage space for this reason. Unless you are using the chair for two kids at once, you will not need all the pieces.
Another downside is the removal of the tray. Even though it is designed to open with the push of a button (and only using a single hand), the tray can get stuck. This is problematic if the tray (or your toddler) is covered in food at the time.
Safe Feeding Practices
All the safety features in the world cannot defend against choking and other risks that babies face as they begin exploring foods for the first time. Before you set your little one down for their first meal, here are a few things you should know.
- Your baby should be able to sit up on their own before offering them solid foods. If your little one cannot sit up, they are at risk for choking. Generally, it is recommended parents start introducing foods no earlier than six months old. Begin with purees and baby cereal.
- Never leave your child alone while they are eating. Whether they are an infant or a toddler, children have small airways and are susceptible to choking. This can happen in seconds. Additionally, children who are choking are sometimes silent, so you cannot rely on your ability to hear them on a baby monitor or from the next room over.
- You should never force your child to eat. While it is important to encourage them to try new foods, forcing your little one to eat can be damaging in the future. It teaches them not to listen to their body, whether they dislike something or are full. There are many long-term problems associated with forcing your child to eat, including eating disorders, an inability to notice hunger and satiety cues, self-esteem problems, and obesity.
- When you do introduce finger foods to your little one, be sure they are age appropriate. Finger foods are recommended at around 9 months of age, once your little one is making chewing movements with their mouth and seems ready. Some good choices are easy-to-dissolve biscuits and snacks, as well as soft foods like cooked carrots and cut bananas.
- After your child is a year, you can also give them cottage cheese, small scrambled eggs, O-shaped cereal, cooked vegetables, bites of yogurt, and more. Be sure that all foods are small enough your little one will not choke if they swallow them. Most pediatricians have a list of foods and how to prepare them for little throats and fingers. For example, you should always cut grapes in quarters before giving them to your little one until they have developed teeth.
- You should introduce foods more than once. If your baby does not like something, do not force them to eat it. Instead, wait a few weeks and try again. Research shows that children generally try new foods three times before they decide if they like it or not. By varying the foods your little one tries, you expand their taste buds. This can be helpful for preventing your kid from being a picky eater later on. (It’s not full-proof thoughmy oldest is an incredibly picky eater and he had plenty of variety as a baby!)
- Vary the foods your little one gets in their diet. Eating a variety of dairy products, proteins, fruits, vegetables, and grains ensure your little one is getting a wide spectrum of nutrition. Keep in mind that before age 1, most children still receive a great deal of nutrition from being breastfed or formula fed. Do not stress if they are not interested in table foods yetthey are getting their nutrition in other ways.
Pros
- Seven stages to grow with your little one (and your family)
- Comes with dishwasher safe snack-size and full-size tray
- Easy to clean, including the straps
- Recline function and soft foam on the back makes the highchair comfortable
- Wheels and ability to break it down makes it easy to move aroundaround the home or when visiting relatives
Cons
- The tray is hard to remove
- Can be bulky, especially since all the pieces are not always in use
Closing Recommendations
As you can see from this Graco Floor2Table 7-in-1 highchair review, this seat is an excellent investment when you don’t want to worry about upgrading your baby’s highchair in the future. It provides the support they need as an infant, works well for toddlers who are ready for a little less support, and is incredibly easy to clean. As an added benefit, it seats two children once you are ready to grow your family. With a durable build, it is a great investment for the next several years of your little one’s life.
