What we love
It folds up into a neat ‘handbag-sized’ square with a shoulder strap, and is really easy to carry around or slung on a buggy. I love the fact that it ‘clips’ shut when folded using a magnet rather than Velcro, which I find always get clogged up with fluff and goodness knows what and then fails to stick properly.
In fresh green, white and yellow with orange straps, and a lovely In the Night Garden design, it’s very attractive and suitable for boys and girls. Arron is coming up to 3 and highchairs and booster seats have always held little interest for him, as they deny him the opportunity to climb, wriggle and go exploring. However, the lure of two of his favourite In the Night Garden characters seemed to do the trick: “This is my chair,” he declared on seeing it, and promptly ran off with it.
What to watch out for
When fixing the Mothercare In the Night Garden Booster Seat to a chair, it was lucky that our kitchen and dining chairs have high backs. Any chair without a high back will make the booster seat useless. It’s relatively easy to fix on to the chair, although I found the clips very stiff to undo. I do have a bit of arthritis in my hands, and I suspect the clips will loosen over time.
Arron was keen to sit in ‘his’ chair, but this is where we came undone. The big orange flaps fits between your child’s legs and then there are two waist clips to hold them in. Even on their tightest setting, I couldn’t get this even slightly secure around Arron, who is 3 in a month. Admittedly, he’s tall and slim (just like his mum, of course!), but the seat is recommended from 1 year. If your child isn’t a wriggler and you just need the seat to get them closer to the table, and a strap that’s good enough to make sure they don’t fall out, this will be fine. For wriggly climbers, unless they’re far stockier than Arron, they’ll be out in a minute.
It was a shame because we’d started out so well!
Who is Mothercare In the Night Garden Booster Seat best for?
Mums frequenting cafes and restaurants (with high-backed chairs).
The Mothercare In the Night Garden Booster Seat is light and portable, with a design that can entice reluctant toddlers into a booster seat. Try one out in-store to check that your child fits in it securely. There’s only one height option, so it’s fine for a bit of a boost, but won’t help with very low chairs. Also, it needs to be used with high-backed seats.
