This high chair can be used 3 different ways as your baby gets older — it will take my daughter through toddlerhood

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• The Graco DuoDiner 3-in-1 Convertible High Chair can be used three different ways to accommodate a growing child.
• I love this because it helps you stretch every bit of the $120 price tag when you're on a tight budget.
• My 1-year-old daughter is safe and properly positioned in this high chair — she sits up straight, her feet are supported, and her tray is at a comfortable level.

Before I started feeding my daughter Ellie solid foods, I didn't realize how much work went into teaching a human how to eat food. I also had no idea that a proper sitting position in a high chair played an integral role in how well a child eats.

We all want our kids to eat balanced meals and gain weight according to their growth curve, so it can be frustrating and worrisome when they refuse to eat. Think of a time you ate at a restaurant where the table was too low or high, or you sat at on bar stool without back or foot support. It's not easy to enjoy your meal in these situations, and the same goes when our kids don't have proper seating for their meals. 

I love the Graco DuoDiner 3-in-1 Convertible High Chair because it's designed to give babies and toddlers up to 3 years old all the support they need to sit up and learn how to eat with three different chair settings that accommodate a growing child.

This chair will continue to work for Ellie for years. It's hard to tell what products babies and toddlers actually like when they're not speaking yet, but this chair must be comfortable because Ellie even fell asleep eating dinner one day.

Before I go into my experience with this high chair, please note that this is not the Graco high chair that was recalled in 2018 — that was the Graco Table2Table 6-in-1 High Chair. 

Design and specs

The Graco DuoDiner 3-in-1 has a very sturdy base with a set of wheels on the front legs, so it's easy to move around, but won't just roll away on its own. For safety, never move a high chair with your child inside. 

The five-point harness is easy to buckle and can be converted into a three-point harness as your child grows up. It safely holds your child in every chair stage — of which there are three. 

Stage 1 is reclined for infants who aren't eating, Stage 2 is upright for babies and toddlers who are eating solids, and Stage 3 is detached as a booster seat for older toddlers and young kids. In Stage 2, there are five different height positions and three different footrest positions depending on your baby's size.

The reclined infant setting allowed Ellie to be a part of family meal time even when she was only a few months old. I hated putting her down when she was a newborn — I just wanted to hold her all the time. This high chair was the perfect solution when I couldn't hold her or carry her in a sling around my body while cooking a meal. She could safely sit in her high chair away from the stove but still be right with me. 

There are also a lot of different color options to choose from for the fabric; we have the "Asher" pattern.

How to use the Graco DuoDiner 3-in-1 safely

Before beginning to feed your baby solids, be sure to check with your child's pediatrician to make sure he or she is ready.

When placing your child in a high chair, there are a few things that should indicate when your child is properly positioned for a more successful mealtime. Your child should be sitting upright (not leaning, reclining, or slouching), his or her feet should be on a footrest they can reach, and the tray or table should be low enough for them to easily reach too. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a comprehensive list of choking hazards, and some of the biggest choking hazards are walking, running, reclining, or lying down while eating. I never want Ellie to run away from me with food in her mouth, so she eats almost all of her meals and snacks in her high chair.

Cleaning the Graco DuoDiner 3-in-1

With three meals and two snacks a day, it's safe to say the high chair has already gotten a lot of use in the six months she's been eating solids.

The straps, fabric, and chair itself have all held up extremely well. The fabric and straps are easy to take off and throw in the wash, and even though Ellie has gotten pizza sauce, avocado, strawberries, blueberries, and all sorts of other foods all over the fabric, it always comes out of the washer looking brand new. 

It's very easy to pull the tray off with one hand to get Ellie in and out, and the top of the tray snaps off for easy cleaning — which just means a quick wipe down.

The chair does fold up quickly and easily if you want to store it, but we always just keep ours right at the table. 

The cons

Although this chair has a movable footrest, Ellie's legs couldn't reach it properly until she was 12 months old so we taped a rolled-up towel onto the footrest so her feet were still supported. 

The chair will obviously take up space when it's fully set up. We leave it up in our dining room, but even when pushed against the dining table, it sticks out a few feet. And when stored away, it still takes up a lot of room. This could pose a problem if you have limited space in your kitchen or dining room. 

The bottom line

This high chair keeps Ellie comfortable, safe, and properly positioned while she's eating. She's always able to find a comfortable position in the chair where her feet are on the footrest and she's sitting up straight, which helps her have success when she's eating. 

If you're looking for other options, the Stokke Tripp Trapp is another excellent high chair that accommodates growing babies. It has a very solid footrest and even transitions into a regular chair for older kids. It's a pricey option at $270, but that's offset a bit by the fact that it can grow with your child even once they're out of a booster seat.

If you're looking for a cheaper option, the Ikea Antilop chair provides excellent positioning, but it does lack a footrest. 

If you don't want to splurge, but still want to make sure you're getting a good high chair for your baby, the Graco DuoDiner 3-in-1 Convertible High Chair is an excellent option. It's not the fanciest high chair you can buy, but considering you can use it at three different stages of your child's life, it's a great choice for the price. 

Pros: Convertible to accommodate your child's growth, encourages proper sitting positioning, fabric is machine washable 

Cons: Footrest might be too low for young babies, takes up a lot of space even when folded up