Tripp Trapping: Do I have a chair for you!

When we got our very first high chair, my friend Katherine laughed and said "only you could find a high chair in taupe!"

The chair in question was the incredibly simple, classic and modern Tripp Trapp, made by Stokke. Now, I'm not the first person to own and love this chair. I'm not even part of the first generation to know and love them: that honor goes to the fabulous moms in 1970s Norway, embracing all-wood, ergonomic and socially progressive chairs that "bring your child to the family table", instead of marooning them in the no-man's land of plastic high chairs.
Norwegians understandably show this chair much love: not only is it good for us, not only will it make us better people, not only is it made of wood, it is *designed by a Norwegian*. Now me? I love it because it isn't a giant plastic PRESENCE in your home, and although it comes in 11 finishes, you can't order any with teddy bears or cutesy safari themes. You can tuck it under the table and it just looks like any other chair. It wears like iron: I have scrubbed Cream of Wheat and mashed sweet potatoes off ours many many nights. And this chair is adjustable, folks: the theory is, you can be sitting in this chair when you announce to your parents that at 35 you will finally be moving out of the family home. And taking your Tripp Trapp with you!

But time for full disclosure: when it came time for Lars to venture into solid foods, I caved and got the traditional high chair. I just really missed that big ol' plastic tray to keep the Cheerios on board. And he used this thing until he was 15 months or so. Farmor arrived for a visit, and wondered if we didn't want a second Tripp Trapp, for him? No, we said, no need for such excess. Cecilie can sit in a big people chair!

Ha. You know those parenting moments where, when you look back, you wonder if it could have been any more obvious? Hmm, hon, I just wish I knew why Cecilie has such a hard time sitting still at meal time. Cecilie! Sit on your bottom! You. must. sit. at. the. table. to. eat! Cecilie! What are you doing standing up again? Finally, after 2 years of hopping around in our big people chairs, we got her back in a Tripp Trapp and ended that particular dinner time battle.

Another battle brewed recently, with Annika refusing, refusing! to sit in her high chair for any length of time, which translated directly into frequent midnight conversations on the subject of why bottles will not be provided to non-dinner eaters. Again, I found myself at wits' end. In a stroke of good fortune, Farmor happened to be in town and watching Annika's resistance to plastic furniture. With great wisdom she offered a simple solution: maybe let's just get Annika her own Tripp Trapp? This time there were no polite refusals. That sucker arrived by UPS 24 hours later.

With her own "Big Kid Chair", this hilarious child is more than happy - in fact delighted - to sit at the table and take her own sweet time with meals. She savours her veggie sausage, she luxuriates in her linguine, she munches her mushrooms. She sits up high and shouts her approval to us, and peforms all manner of silliness for the other kids at the table. All it took was a classy piece of furniture, apparently.

Bonus, extra cute, eat your breakfast reminder...

So there you go folks, my first outright Product Endorsement. Expect ads in my sidebar for Snuggies shortly.