When you think of baby furniture, you immediately have to consider the practicalities. It’s a sad fact that 9 times out of 10 us parents have to compromise on style to make way for practicalities. It’s irritating that the 2 aspects rarely coincide.
iCandy have just released the iCandy Michair and we’ve been testing it out. When I first posted a picture of Michair on our social media, I was shocked at having such a rapid reaction to something. Our followers couldn’t believe their eyes at such a stunning design.
There are 3 main points about this high chair, that make it a head and shoulders above the rest of the market.
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Aesthetics
There is no denying it, this high chair looks sleek and sexy. (2 words I never thought I’d say when talking about baby paraphernalia). You can tell that the designers over at iCandy HQ have enjoyed spending time crafting this design and I can only imagine the glee written all over their faces when they finally saw the final prototype. The chrome looks sharp and the wood finish is excellent. Not to mention the gorgeous lines of the legs. Much like Mrs Dad Network, I might add…
The cushioning that you can get with the MiChair is also top quality, as we’ve come to expect from anything iCandy. The overall shape of the seat is innovative and a great design that also supports the child’s back well, in an upright position.
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Practicalities
The fashion lovers amongst us will know only too well that often, the things that look good, are also terribly uncomfortable. But looking good comes with a price. Well, not this. The contours of the design mean that when Ted is using the chair he is holding a good posture and sitting properly. His feet are supported and he is secure with the harness. The MiChair can be adapted to cater for babies right from birth all the way up to Ted’s age (2) and beyond. There are 6 different ‘modes’ you can have the MiChair in which makes it a great buy that will last you years. We’re currently using the MiChair to sit Ted up tight to the dining table so he can join us at meal times but it also comes with its own table and ‘rockers’ for the other modes.
Having the ability to create different options is really valuable. Some might want to use it for low tables, or to travel with and this provides a variety of options. Not to mention the cool rockers that Ted enjoyed thoroughly when we were exploring the variations.
It’s pretty lightweight, so easy to move around the room. One consideration is that although the seat is nice and compact, the footprint is quite large. Perhaps slightly larger than other high chairs (although I haven’t measured them all!). This is a double edged sword though as the large footprint instils confidence that this high chair will not move or fall over, despite Ted’s best acrobatic, wiggling efforts.
This is a sturdy high chair. I’ve used some that feel quite flimsy and weak, which hardly instils confidence in me as a parent, yet this one feels built to last.
Another great aspect is the cushioning and fabric. It’s a tough material that we’ve already had to wipe down but is also machine washable; as we know, high chairs tend to take the brunt of the mess at meal times! The cushioning around the back is also optional, enabling you to reduce the seat size if needed. The seat base, however, isn’t fixed. Great for cleaning but we found that did seem quite loose, and has slipped off when we tried to put Ted in the chair. It’s a minor consideration, but if there was a way to fix the cushion in place, it would be better.
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Ease of Use
This is simple. The iCandy MiChair is so ridiculously easy to put together and change between ‘modes’ that even the cat could do it! It comes with Allen keys so you’re not rooting around your tool box looking for what you need and it also adopts an excellent system/mechanism for swapping the legs over.
The waist strap is also straight forward. A nice big button to release, but stiff enough for Teddy’s little fingers not to undo. And believe me, he’s tried! We haven’t tested out the ‘pod,’ used for babies, but from what I’ve seen, it’s still easy to move on and off with release paddles. The fabric is the same as well, so equally good.
My favourite thing about this high chair is the adaptability of it. Being able to use it from birth as a high chair, but also change it into a piece of furniture is a great idea. It makes the price tag go from what might seem expensive to remarkably great value for what you get. We love our MiChair and Ted enjoys meal times a lot more!
The iCandy MiChair receives an official Dad Network star rating of 5 /5 stars.
Take a look at our other iCandy reviews here.
