Joyful Mama's Favourite Finds: Dizzy Dots Pocket-size High Chair..and a GIVEAWAY!

I am in love! With this....

A friend of mine recently returned from a holiday in the UK with her husband and 18 month old daughter, and was singing the praises of a rather plain looking piece of fabric which converts into a high chair....?!?
I was bemused, so she quickly whipped it out of her handbag and before I could *blink* she had converted the chair in the cafe where we stood, into a very safe little 'high chair' for her daughter. I was hooked!

So... I came home, Googled Dizzy Dots, browsed their website and then very blatanly e-mailed them to ask if they would sponsor a high chair for me to 'test drive' on our upcoming Brenton holiday. Not only did they agree to my request, but they are also giving away  Dizzy Dots Pocket Size High Chairs to three lucky readers!! (Details at the bottom of this post!)

If you read my last post you will remember that this little vacation was a second honeymoon of sorts, so we decided to re-enact that blessed time by stopping for breakfast at the Shell Ultra City outside Worcester, just like we did on that first morning as Mr. & Mrs. T. (Terribly unromantic, I know, but we were so in love and so hungry, we didn't care one bit!)This was a great opportunity to try out our high chair for the first time!

We were shown to a booth, and the Dad, Sweetpea and I slid in and then pulled up a chair from the table next door to which we attached the high chair for ArrowBoy. It worked perfectly! Arrow was happy and safe and we all enjoyed our breakfast in peace - no baby trying to slide off the seat to chase a piece of sausage the previous patrons dropped, and I had both hands free! And we where the center of attraction as waitresses and people at other tables craned their necks for a look at our handy little on-the-chair-baby-holder!

At our chalet in Brenton-on-Sea we enjoyed our meals at a counter with bar stools  - so where to put the baby? Well,  we stacked three of the plastic garden chairs on top of each other for height, slipped the high-chair over the back of the top chair, and little Mr ArrowBoy sat right there with us for every meal, feeling part of all the mealtime action ,and,  once again..leaving Mama's hands free to eat a complete meal with a knife AND fork!

We used the high chair almost eveywhere we went, with the exception of a few places that had only picnic-style benches. (Why do 'family friendly' establishments always have those benches? Have they no idea about the proportions of little people's bodies? Toddlers always end up standing on their knees and have to stretch to reach their plates and drinks, resluting in inevitable spills and messes.)

These pictures from the Dizzy Dots website shows how it works:

Here are some of my favourite features of the Dizzy Dots Pocket Size High Chair:

• It fits over the back of almost any chair you will find in a restaurant, cafe or coffee shop.
• The long ties makes it adjustable to babies of any size - as soon as they can sit unsupported, up to toddler.
• There are two sets of loops at the back to accommodate the size of the child and the height at which you need the front piece of fabric to go around the baby's body.
• It weighs almost nothing and folds as flat as a wash cloth!
• It is fully washable!
• It is safe - ArrowBoy could not stand up while tied to the chair, but I think in another few months he will be able to. The high chair should therefore never be used without parental supervision. As long as you are right there with your baby, though, this is a very nifty little device that greatly contributed to the enjoyment of our holiday!

Be sure to visit the Dizzy Dots website to check out their other clever ideas for making life easier! (I like that car seat insert  - "Keeps seats dry when toddlers are wet!")

If you could use a Dizzy Dots Pocket Size High Chair - and who wouldn't!? - be sure to enter the giveaway! There are three high chairs to be won!
Here are the details:

1. This giveaway is open to South African residents only.
2. The closing date for the giveaway is Saturday, 10 July.
3. Enter by sending me an e-mail, telling me what your favourite family friendly cafe or restaurant is.
4. You can earn extra entries by getting your friends to enter, too! Just make sure they mention your name in their e-mail!
5. The winners will be notified via e-mail.