Hook on High Chairs

We plan to travel a bit more in the coming year now that our boys have turned two, but I am finding the high chair situation a bit challenging. They aren't quite ready for just a plain booster seat with no tray, etc., but the portable high chair seats with trays tend to get really bulky when packing for two toddlers instead of just one. Has anyone had any luck with the hook on high chairs like the Regalo Easy Diner or the Chicco hook ons? Or pretty much any hook on chairs for that matter? These look like better options for us as they pack down to a smaller size and can be used no matter what chair situation you may have while traveling (the portable high chairs have straps that can be too short to hook around some chairs, etc.)

Thanks for the feedback in advance!

 

Oh, forgot one more question about these...for those who have used hook ons, what weight/age where your kids when you used them? My main concern is the weight limit for most hook ons appears to be 37 lbs. My boys are both around 31-32 pounds each and can get a little active during dinner time. I just want to make sure they are safe. Thanks!

 

My MIL had these at her home for our kids. Around 28 lbs. the edges of her wooden kitchen table started to bow from the weight. That is when we started having them just sit in chairs like everyone else.

 

We have the Chicco ones and I LOVE them, however I used it with Hannah yesterday (9 months and roughly 20lbs) and her "bouncing" at the table caused quite a few spilled cups

I would just try them in regular boosters, my boys were 2 when we first tried them and as long as we were there to keep reminding them that they could fall out and to sit still they did fine

 

I have the Inglesina kind and love love love them. I wish I had never bought regular highchairs I love these so much. I actually got rid of my highchairs after buying the hook-on seats. Granted I have a very sturdy table in my breakfast room - basically a three-inch chunk of wood covered with laminate and fixed to a sturdy, old booth-type table. Whether they work for you will entirely depend on the type of table or bar/countertop you have. And whether they work for you when you're traveling will depend on the same. I have found that you cannot count on being able to use them in restaurants and other places you aren't familiar with because you never know what kind of table situation you're going to run into. You cannot hook the chairs onto a glass table or a wobbly table.

I started using them a few months ago, when my girls were about 18 months old and weighed between 22 and 25 lbs. I've found the chairs to be extremely sturdy. I have no fears of the girls falling.

Definitely read the reviews on Amazon.com. I chose Inglesina over the other brands after doing that.

 

Honestly, I'd just use regular booster seats. They're already two, you won't be using them for that much longer. My two stopped using booster seats before they turned three and stopped using their high chairs when they were 18 months.

 

Ditto!
We switched to Stokke chairs (no trays) when my girls turned two and they did fine. We had also been putting them in regular chairs (just kneeling) at various friends' houses for at least a few months by that time. The Chicco seats are wonderful, but as PPs said, you can't count on having the right kind of table for them, especially with bigger kids. If you're worried about how they will behave in a booster seat, start getting them used to it now!

 

I would worry that the clip on chairs will be useless if you are somewhere that doesn't have a strong table (especially with two active boys at the upper end of the weight limit!). I don't really see much difference between hook-on chairs and boosters with straps. Either way they will be eating off the main table not off a tray. We've had a lot of success with this travel booster. The straps that go around the back and under the big chair are really long, I can't imagine there would be a chair they didn't fit round. They also have an inflatable cushion in the base of the seat which you can blow up or leave flat depending on the height of the chair and table, which is a nice flexibility to have. They fold relatively small.
I second Alden's suggestion that you start practicing booster seats at home now if you're concerned about how they'll do in them. They might just surprise you and do fine and, if they don't, you'll have time to teach them.

Another thing to consider might be renting high chairs at your destination for now (while they are only just two) and then, as they get older and more reliable at sitting well, moving to the boosters or just having them sit/kneel on a big chair.

 

Thanks to everyone for the advice! The problems with weight and movement were big concerns with the hook on chairs, so I decided to go with the regular portable high chair that can convert to a booster seat. Wish us luck going on an overnight trip with with two two-year olds!