Zooper To-Go High Chair Review

Zooper has been around for years; I know this because I owned one of their awesome strollers 7 years ago. What I didn’t know is that they have other baby items, like a high chair. But not just any high chair, a travel high chair! I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking this:

She has three kids, a husband that works crazy hours and thousands of unused frequent flyer miles, why on earth would she need a travel high chair?

Well, since you asked… when we go to my parent’s house for birthdays or holidays or even a weekly family dinner there are between 3-10 children that join in the fun. 4 or 5 of them still use a high chair. My parents have one high chair at their house. One. In the past we’ve gotten pretty creative scattering meal times, using strollers and even laps. But, really, all we want is to sit down together as a family and eat at the same time. I’ve tried bringing along a bulky, non-travel high chair to try and help the situation but if you have multiple kids, you know that any extra car space quickly becomes minimal with a few car seats, strollers and “stuff”. Not only do we go to my parent’s house, we have friends with older children (read: they have given away all their baby gear) so going over for a simple dinner turns out to be a lot of work.

Luckily we were able to test out the Zooper To-Go Travel High Chair and this is what we found.
(Click on any of the pictures below for a larger view).

Assembly and Storage
The To-Go comes fully assembled and in the locked/stored position. The folded measurements of the To-Go are: 31″ long, 25″ wide,  7″ deep and it weighs a little over 16lbs.
At 7″ deep, the To-Go can fit in some pretty small places- it fit up against a stroller in our trunk, behind the passenger seat in a SUV, even under a bed and in a coat closet. It also has a standing fold that allows it to store even easier in tight places or while traveling. I have to warn you though; your kids will try to knock it over! and, if they try, they will succeed. It’s not a very sturdy standing fold but it does make it easier to transport in and out of the car.

Unfolding and Folding
To unfold, pull-up on the lock on the back of the base while pulling the seat back upward. Then lift the seat by the side of the tray (I had to use my foot to hold down the base while unfolding) and push the back of the seat forward to engage the 2 safety locks. It’s almost a 1-handed unfold; I was able to do it a few times with a toddler on my hip.
The fold is a 2-handed fold. You must lift up the white lock on the backside of the seat while you pull out the black safety lock underneath the seat. After both locks are disengaged, push the seat forward and down to lock it in the stored position.

The Seat
The seat, at first glance, looks very small. After using it for my 15-month-old (22lbs/33 inches) and my 3.5-year-old (27lbs/37 inches) I found it to be compact yet not small at all. The seat width is 12.6 inches; the depth is 9 inches, which is pretty standard for a high chair. It does not recline so the To-Go is suitable for ages 6 months and up. Both my kids fit nicely and were supported, comfortable and, most importantly, willing to sit in the To-Go. The seat back is pretty upright which I like because there’s less slouching to be had by the toddler.

The Seat Covers
The To-Go comes with two complete seat covers- the geometric pattern and a solid color. There are two pieces to the seat cover (one for the seat back and one for the seat) and there are velcro pieces that keep the covers in place. At first I was concerned about the velcro but, after a while, I found that the seat is cleverly designed- my kids were not able to pull the covers off. The nicest part of having two covers is the ability to clean one and use one at the same time. The covers do allow food and little crumbs to accumulate around and under them so this is definitely a two wipe or dust-buster cleanup kind of chair.
Here’s a time saving tip- because the covers come in two pieces you can interchange them. For example, if the seat bottom cover gets messy, you only need to remove that part, not the seat back cover as well.

The 5-Point Harness
There is an adjustable, non-padded, 5-point harness with two height options. The harness provides a snug fit, keeping both my kids seated and safe. The straps do not become loose after time (some of you are nodding your head with delight). Removing or adjusting the shoulder harness is the same as changing the seat covers out, it’s pretty simple. To release the shoulder and waist straps, position the plastic piece on the backside of the seat so that it slides through the slots.

The Tray
The tray is on the smaller side at 15.5″ by 8.5″ but it is deep which is great for keeping food from falling or being pushed off the edges. I actually don’t mind smaller trays because there’s less food (and plates and bowls and cups) for my kids to throw on the ground. It also helps with portion control and aids in teaching children to keep their food in front of them. The potential downside to the tray is, it’s not adjustable. There is no sliding or adjusting the tray in or out. BUT (yes it’s a big but), somehow the engineers of the To-Go managed to get the measurements to work nicely in multiple ways. It’s at a decent distance from both of my kid’s tummies; it’s not too far away that they drop food before it gets to their mouths but there is enough room to get them in and out without having to remove the tray from it’s “ready to eat” position. Getting my 3.5-year-old in and out was not as easy as getting my 15-month-old in and out but it wasn’t forced or uncomfortable. The Safety T-Bar is attached to the tray and seat. It’s a slim, solid bar that is not restrictive and allows for chubby or skinny baby legs.

Removing The Tray
Well, the tray is attached so it doesn’t remove from the seat rather it opens. There are two buttons on the sides of the seat that the tray arms connect to. The arms then slide out of The Food Trap (see below) and the tray opens forward. I only ever did this to deep clean the seat; change out the pads and to really scrub the stubborn crumbs.

The Food Trap and Cleaning

I don’t know what the technical name for this is so I named it The Food Trap. If you want to see what the high chair looks like without The Food Trap, see the picture directly above this one. There’s a lot of space for food to drop without it. At first I was a little annoyed by it but after using the high chair for a while (both with and without it), I actually prefer it. Food does get caught in it- that is the point after all- but it definitely helps control the mess that would otherwise end up on the floor. The Food Trap has snaps that attach it to the under part of the seat and sleeves that the tray arms pass through. The mesh part attracts mushy food (think strawberries) but most of the time, I can just wipe it clean without having to remove it. The Food Trap does remove for cleaning or to forgo using it all together. It takes a little time (and coordination) to re-attach the tray when using The Food Trap. I much prefer leaving the tray attached while placing and removing my child in the seat because of this. When cleaning the chair I almost always need to use the dust-buster. I also wipe down the seat, unsnap The Food Trap and catch the rest of the mess/crumbs on the floor with the dust-buster or vacuum. Not really anymore work than I normally do when cleaning up after a messy meal (even though it sounds like it).

The Footrest
The footrest has two positions. It adjusts by pushing the small button behind it. The highest position is 10.5″ from the tray bottom and the lowest position is 12″ from the tray bottom. Both my 15-month-old (33 inches tall) and 3.5-year-old (37 inches tall) sit comfortably in the high chair with the footrest in the lowest position. My 3.5-year-old will have a hard time fitting in the high chair when he grows another inch or two, but, he’s old enough, coordinated enough and big enough to sit at the table with a booster seat (which he normally does anyway). The footrest is narrow (only about 2″ where their feet touch) so while my 15-month-old can rest his feet on it, my 3.5-year-old’s feet slide off easily.

Pros:

• Compact, slim fold for easy travel and storage
• Perfect high chair for pub-height dining room tables and tall counters
• Practical for everyday use
• Two easy removable seat covers
• Lightweight
• Fast and simple unfold and fold
• Carry handle on both sides with a standing fold
• 5-point adjustable harness
• Adjustable footrest
• For children up to 45lbs
• Sturdy base and design

Cons:

• Seat does not recline (for ages 6 months and up)
• Tray is not adjustable
• Tray cannot be removed
• Positioning the tray in the ready position can take a little effort when using the Food Trap
• Seat Covers are not machine washable
• Footrest is narrow

The Zooper To-Go is a great everyday option with the added bonus, the “travelability”. It’s a perfect height for taller tables (and counters), it’s very modern, and easy to travel with.

Disclosure: Zooper sent us a To-Go High Chair for this review. My opinions on the product are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive sentiments towards Zooper or their products.