Customer Reviews

Chicco Travel Seat Explorer

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We were having our "second" child, and had NO CLUE of what kind of chair to get since our daughters chair was HORRIBLE!.

Well, it turns out we were expecting twins (funny, many "owners" have twins) and we knew that we couldn't be cleaning two highchairs daily, especially since the one chair we had for our daughter was hard enough!

The wonderful features!

* A removable cloth seat. Its also dark which has proven useful for hiding stains

* A 3 point harness, or as some call it, a lap belt. This belt is attached to removable seat, not to the metal frame

* Two hippos that clamp to the top of your table. They are rubber, so they protect tables from scratches, keep the chair in place, and are pretty adorable. They also make it safe for small fingers! With other chairs our boys were able to reach underneath the grips and pinch their hands! OUCH!

* The chair folds into a carrying bag. This has proven convenient on many occasions, and we found it pretty easy to fold.

* Its lightweight, and fits nearly EVERY table!

* It can hold up to 37 lbs, that's A LOT of child for a small chair!

Our opinions

* The chair is so easy to clean. We are able to wipe it with a damp rag after meal time, and it dries in seconds. Its also machine washable, and drier safe! There's also NO nooks or crannies. No matter WHAT reviews say about highchairs, there ARE nooks and crannies in ALL of them!

* The cover is hard to take off, but that's a good thing considering you wouldnt want it to be too easy to remove!

* The chairs really do attach well to any table, and they are easy to remove and place on securely. For the people saying that you cannot eat at a table with one leg in the center, we found this untrue. We were able to either (1) Place the boys opposite of one another, to balance out the table (or if you only have one child, place something heavy on the other end!) (2) place a chair, with a booster seat (given out by the restaurants) under the seats to hold them up, or (3) request a booth and place them inside the booth, which also supports them well.

* Folding isn't something I would want to do after every meal, but its not as hard, for us, as everyone else describes it. It may take 3-5 minutes to fold a chair, but its certainly do-able! And once folded they are very flat, and very easy to travel with!

* The seat is quite spacious, but this is a good thing! A child around the age of 2.5 could probably still sit in the hippos, my daughter is 3 and can fit, but won't sit in a "baby chair", that's why I say 2.5! I also love that even though the seat area is large, our 13th percentile twins are able to feel secure!

* The harness is easy to adjust, and I feel keeps them from sliding out! There's nothing for them to use to push out of the seat, and there's really no way a baby/toddler could do this in under 3 minutes, which I feel is a long time to leave your child alone!

* There is no tray. This is very annoying, but we find that the suction cup mats are good enough to protect our tables. And the large gap between baby and the table is also fine. We keep those large/long plastic bibs with the pockets on the boys, so they dont really get messy. Wiping up a mat, and the floor is a lot more negotiable than dissembling a highchair for deep cleaning!

* I would DEFIANTLY say do not use the hippos until your baby can sit up properly, which for our boys was around 5.5 months old.

* The travel bags have proven to be excellent! We have managed to fit both chairs into one bag, which makes hauling them around that much easier! If you only have one, than this assures you that you wont need a diaper bag while going out to a restaurant! I also love that they included it, even if it "didn't work".

All in all the hippos are fantastic chairs. The boys, now 7 months, are eating at the table with us, and enjoying meal time. We also spend more time with the kids, than scrubbing and cursing over highchairs... A highly recommended product

When I found out I was expecting twins, my daughter was under a year old! When the babies were born, she was 13 months old, obviously still in a highchair.

I just couldn't clutter my kitchen with highchairs, its not anywhere near small, but I am not sure if ANYONE could truly handle three of them. I figured I would just use booster seats, but my daughter hated the *Three* different models that we bought for her. As a last resort we tried purchasing this hippo hook on, and she loved it!

She eats in perfectly now at 20 months old, and since it holds up to 35 lbs this isn't a problem. It brings her RIGHT up to the table, which she LOVES. Its also very comfortable and secure. I had always known it was on tightly, but I worried that my daughter may feel awkward, as if she was dangling off the table... but I doubt this thought ever crossed her mind! The chair is simple to wipe up with a damp washcloth, and I usually get all the gunk out that way. I have owned this chair for almost a year, and I see no reason to wash mine, especially since taking the cover off is such a production! The harness keeps her inside, and not once has she fallen out, or managed to escape, although for a few days her efforts were endless, but she never did it! The chair is also safe on your tables, and the hippos actually attract my daughters/sons attention! The one-legged table thing at restaurants has proved to be a problem... but with three babies, we dont go out much! We found the solution was to just use restaurant highchairs, and bring disinfectant wipes along! We were upset that there wasn't a tray, but after some time of using a regular placemat (its not going anywhere, its underneath the "hippos" and has a non-skid bottom) it was just as easy... and less messy, since she couldn't really throw anything off... I also was annoyed at the fairly large gap between her and the table, but she has managed, and it hasn't been anymore annoying than that of the highchair.

Her brothers are now 7 months old, and we recently (about 2 weeks ago) brought out two more chairs for them, and they love it! They are tiny, but have been holding up their heads for about 2 months now, so I was positive the time was right. All in all a great chair, that will last for years!

i'm an american expatriate living in s.korea. we initially bought this b/c we'd be traveling back and forth so much. plus, high chairs (decent ones) are twice as much in this country. it's a great chair that hooks up easily and disassembles just was easily. my daughter doesn't mind sitting it since it gives her a good view of what's going on around her. it's also easy clean. the only thing i don't like too much is the fact that it doesn't seat her right up to the edge of the table, so if she drops something, down it goes. make sure your child can support his/her head well, and can sit up. i put my daughter in it even when she couldn't sit up by herself; the straps hold her in just fine. overall and very good investment for people that travel, are on the go a lot, or don't have much space for a high chair.

We bought this seat for our 5 month old at Christmas. She absolutely loves it because she is right there, table level with the rest of the family. We have used it when we travel, at restaurants as well as a permanent fixture to our kitchen island. Those wooden seats at restaurants are terrible - always dirty and always sitting lower than the table and with no tray. This seat just clamps to the table! Just keep your plate far enough away or you'll have little fingers picking at your dinner. Every time we've used the seat we've had at least 1 person ask us how we like it and where we bought it. It's a little bit of a hassle to take apart and pack into the carry case, so we rarely do; unless we're taking a flight or long trip. It also requires a fairly deep set overhanging bar so that it can fit up against the edge of the table. If it doesn't slide all the way up against the seat; it leaves a large gap between the seat and table. This, as you know, is where all of the food and dishes will end up. An optional tray might be a nice addition in the future if they ever make one. My island is large and deep so I've had absolutely no trouble and it's one of the best investments we've made in the past 7 months!

I have 10 month old twin sons, and a 4 year old daughter. Even with a large kitchen, I couldnt bring myself to purchasing highchairs, although my husband thought there was no other choice...

Boy was he wrong! We own two Chicco Travel Seats, and they work WONDERS. We bought them for our home, and they fit under that table, but they wont fit under everytable, just so you know. They are easy to attatch though, the "hippos" clamp to the top of the table, and theres also a clamp on the bottom. Its so easy to attatch that I dont leave them on all day, I put them on and take them off after/before each meal! They also hide stains with the dark color, (and match my kitchen decor! no more aqua highchairs!) but unsnaping the fabric seat (tough to do, but thats a good thing! You wouldnt want it to unsnap with baby inside!) and you cna just toss it in the machine! The seat is very comfortable as long as your child can sit up unassisted. Theres a 3 point harness (also known as a lap belt) that keeps the baby contained, but also the design of the chair makes it nearly impossible for baby to get out in that small window of oppertunity with your back turned, simply because theres no where to put their feet to push out. The seats also large enough to hold up to 37 lbs, thats the size of an average 3- 3 1/2 year old! It brings baby right up to eat with everyone, and theres nothing to clean! We dont use a tray (simply because theres no tray to use) but if you put a table topper onto the table, THAN attatch the chair, its the same thing, you just unstick the table topper after and throw it in the trash! I found that theres a little gap between table and baby, but we are able to sweep the floor in about 5 seconds (or if its like pasta we put the pad for under a highchair underneath them, and just dump it outside. This is SOOO much easier than a highchair! It also folds EASILY to be put in a very handy travel bag (see the nice pictures amazon provides) and it can go out to eat with you... Just some tips about taking this out to eat... I wouldnt recomend you putting it on a table without four legs, and most tables just have one in the center. Its also GREAT at picnic tables where other boosters couldnt get too (without a chair that is!) We have brought it to many family gatherings, and it has saved precious space at the dining room table on thanksgiving!

This is just such an amazing little seat that can be used way into toddler-hood. Its easy to use, and comfortable for baby... DONT USE THOSE BIG HIGHCHIARS!

*****FOR GOING OUT TO EAT OR GOING FOOD SHOPPING YOU SHOULD PURCHASE A FLOPPY SEAT, ITS EASIER THAN THIS FOR GOING OUT, BUT IF YOU WANT THIS FOR TRAVEL, IT MAY POSE PROBLEMS SINCE NOT *EVERY* TABLE WILL ACCOMIDATE IT*****

We had this seat for our first child and loved it. It replaced the bulky high chair and we often moved it to the counter so my son could sit and do projects or eat while I was cooking. After a while the clamp stopped working -- it would clamp on but wouldn't losen to come off the table well. So, we bought a new one for our daughter. So, even though it did wear out, we liked it enough to buy a second one.

This chair makes things really easy when you are on the go. We used it for our travels to grandparents houses and it was perfect. Fit on all the tables that we used and it was nice having my son right up at the table with us. One warning is the chair is a bit heavy to travel with wish it was a tad bit lighter, and a little difficult to get off to wash. But once you have mastered taking off the cover it is easy. I even use it at home sometimes too. Definitely worth the purchase. Glad we got it.

Our household is very centered around the family and the highchair that we had for our son just didn't allow us to be that at the table. This is the perfect chair for the family that want to eat together. It allows him to sit with us and enjoy family time instead of being two or more feet away.

I have had so many people over for dinner now purchasing these chairs. My only regret is not getting it sooner.

We have 11 month old twin sons, and a 2 year old daughter, no matter how much I hoped, there was just no way to fit three highchairs around our kitchen table (sure they could fit in the kitchen, but not at the table itself!)

We decided against a booster that uses a chair because then theres 1 (or in our case 3) less chairs at the table. Those also had odd crevices for food, were hard to travel with, and just seemed like the same hassel of a highchair... They also cant go ANYWHERE without a chair, while these can go anywhere with a table!

These chairs have proved to be miricals! They are easy to use, you just clamp it under the table and viola! They work best with a table that has a deep lip, some tables wont work, so keep the box incase you need to return it! Luckily, they fit WONDERFULLY on our table, or our large kitchen island! They are comfortable as long as the child can sit up on their own, which my sons have been doing since 4 1/2 months! I found it difficult to fold, but putting them in the trunk of my husbands car, or my mini van was easy, whether or not they were folded. At many restaurants they work BEAUTIFULLY! They also keep your baby off of those dangerous and yucky highchairs! We recomend keeping a chair under the child (preferably with phone books to support the travel seat) because many restaurant tables only have one leg in the middle, making it sort of unstable... but many restaurants would be more than happy to give you a phone book or somthing (maybe even a booster seat to go underneath!). They should make a tray to snap between the two hippos that rest on the table, but for now we use a place mat with suction cups and than clamp the chairs on, this means the kids are kept sanitary, and they keep their food where it should be! The chairs have a lap belt, but the fact that theres no footrest makes it nearly impossible for a child to get out while your back is turned. The cover is hard to snap off (A GOOD THING! who would want it to unbuckle with baby inside?) but is easily spotcleaned, thrown into the wash, and hides stains! The seat can hold up to 37 lbs... thats like a three year old! Food does wind up on the floor through the gap between child and table, but this takes a mere 3 seconds to sweep up, or we keep one of those mats for underneath highchairs (With highchairs food winds up on the floor also) and just pick it up, fold it and let the food slide off, or I just wipe it up with a cloth or with the swifer.

I love it, no correction WE are IN LOVE with it! Its an amazing chair, especially for families with more than one child who needs one!

This is a good, sturdy travel highchair but it could use a few improvements. First, in order to completely break it down for travel, you need to go through a two step process with little tabs that need to be depressed. Pushing these tabs while turning and pulling the arms is not ideal, and a better locking device should be integrated.

Secondly, and more importantly, the ratcheting grips are sometimes very hard to release even with the locking knobs completely loosened. The triggers to release the grips often require a lot of force (two hands) while someone else tugs on the grips to release them. Other times, the trigger depresses easily and the grips just drop by themselves. This mechanism needs to be refined so that the grips always release easily.