Fisher-Price Zen Collection High Chair

Comment: We are first-time parents, so we're learning as we go. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way about this chair. I ordered it online without seeing it in person, which I hate to do. I initially was drawn to it because of its colors and "zen" feel, but those didn't even deliver in person. The base is very wide. It does not pull up to our dining room table, and because of the contour of the front legs, I can't pull up a chair to face and feed my baby very easily, either. Also, the legs are made of metal, which I thought were wooden. The chair "folds" to a semi-upright position, but really doesn't become slim enough to be useful. The vinyl green cover is not very attractive in person. The harness straps seem to get in the way more than anything, and my baby easily can get them into his mouth, instantly covering them in food, and they do not easily detach and clean. Overall, I was very disappointed in this high chair for the money. For our next baby, we will buy something that is more sleek, like the Bloom Nano, or one that attaches directly to the table .

Comment: We purchased the Fisher Price Zen High Chair for all of the obvious reasons: it looks like a top quality high chair, is pleasing to the eye, has a softer more secure padding system than others, is safe and easy to operate, etc. In light of long-term usage, however, this product has some serious drawbacks that shoppers should be aware of (Fisher Price certainly won't tell you).

The majority of the problems with this product concern the food tray, which is the surface area that your child will do most of their eating on. This aspect is where the Fisher Price product falls apart. The food tray is poorly designed in several regards:

1) As other reviewers have mentioned, the insert tray that fits over the main tray is virtually useless. Your child will quickly discover how easily it slips off of the main tray and onto the floor, taking all of their cereal, orange juice, spoons and play toys along with it. But this is a small concern compared to the next one.

2) The main tray itself is a SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARD. If you inspect the tray closely, you will see that it is composed of two opposing pieces of plastic (a top piece and a bottom piece) that are held together by a system of perhaps a dozen small phillips head screws. These top and bottom sections are hollow on the inside. Because water and other fluids will seep in between these sections, and because condensation gathers there, the space in between these pieces of plastic becomes a hothouse for mould and other fungi. Since the time I purchased the high chair, I have taken the trouble to unscrew the sections of the food tray several times to clean it out, and on each occasion have been greeted by a gelatinous gob of mould that has been festering inside. Naturally, the laws of physics assure us that what goes in must come out, and you can be sure that trace amounts of mould, bacteria and microbes squirm their way back out of the tray and onto your youngsters hands, etc. I have a set of photographs of this mould for anyone who is interested.

3) The belt and harness system for this chair is made of the cheapest nylon webbing possible. This webbing will rub your child's thighs raw during the summer months if they are not wearing long pants (say they are in their onesie, for example). The webbing is also white in color, which stains a strange orange/purple shade when it has had a chance to connect with a sufficient amount of Gerber's mashed carrots, beets, peas, etc.

All of the above criticisms are, in my opinion, serious design flaws that could (and should) be avoided in the production of a high end chair such as the Fisher Price Zen Series. In the final run, we paid top wallet for this chair because we thought it would be the best possible product our little guy could eat on. There are good aspects to it, but Fisher Price should see to these design issues before marketing this high chair as a flagship product to their customers ... particularly the aspects that could be hazardous to your toddler's health.

Comment: We have had this chair for 4 months now and we love it. Our daughter is almost 10 months. The colors are beautiful and it matches our dining room perfectly. My daughter loves it. She even sits in it sometimes and watches me while I cook in the kitchen. The recline feature is a big plus. She loves to lay back in it while she drinks from her sippy cup. There is plenty of room for her to grow in it so I can see we will get our money's worth. The tray snaps on very snugly so we don't have to worry about her taking it off herself. The insert and cover are easy to remove and clean. We have the space but if you are working with a small space the base is wide (to provide stability).

Comment: OMG, We love our new Zen High Chair. Our 5 month old son is having a wonderful time sitting up high. Now, he can visually see everything going on in the room. Best of all, this Zen chair is a perfect match with our dining room decor.

Zen is our Friend!

Comment: Pass on this high chair. Looks good but not functional. Wouldn't even give it to my friend who is having a baby. The tray is WAY too heavy. The seat kept dropping automatically and when it is upright the baby is practically leaning forward. The shoulder straps even on their tightest setting wouldn't hold my average size baby in tightly. If you are going with Fisher price do the Space Saver high chair instead. If you have an older baby the booster high chair for $25 is a steal.