Just last week we were walking through Babies R Us (aka the Amazon showroom) to look at child seats because Frugal Boy has almost outgrown his infant car seat. We have also been on the lookout for a cheap high chair so that Frugal Boy can get out of our lap during dinner time and better participate in mealtime without clawing at our plates. Out of curiosity I took a cursory glance at the high chairs in the store and found the cheapest one with legs to be about $80.
The next day on our nightly walk we passed by a neighbors garage sale and there just happened to be a wooden high chair for $20. We scooped it up and carried it home to get it ready for its latest occupant.
I removed the swinging tray and took it out to my little workshop in the garage. The tray had a slim piece of veneer that had been crudely glued into it and this made the perfect gaps for crumbs to sink into. I removed the veneer and the copious amounts of glue so I could repaint it.
Shae on the other hand set to work making a seatbelt system to hold Frugal Boy in place.
I really appreciate having a crafty wife. On our trip to the craft store we couldn’t help overhearing the clueless boyfriend/girlfriend couple who were attempting to make patio furniture (probably something they saw on pinterest). The poor store clerk told them that the interior fabric and padding wouldn’t work outside. Then later on they had no idea how much fabric they needed. “Enough to make five pillows.” Well how big are those pillows going to be?
Anyway, back to the point, I love a woman with a plan.
Here is a test fit of the restraint system with a live and very wiggly load.
After the paint was done drying, I was able to add the tray back on.
I don’t really care if he gets any wheat circles into his mouth. Just keeping him busy and letting us eat dinner is good enough for me.
All told, the high chair ended up costing us $25.