Guzzie + Gus Perch Highchair Review

“Aren’t you afraid that he’s going to fall?”

Legs dangling, feet swinging, my son stuffs a handful of cheese into his mouth and giggles from the comfort of his Guzzie + Gus Perch highchair. Whenever we invite guests over for dinner, this is inevitably one of the questions that gets asked. Will this “floating” perch hold his weight?

I’ll admit that it is a strange sight: a legless highchair clipped to the side of the table. At first glance, you wonder if a sudden breeze wouldn’t send it crashing to the floor. And yet, this Guzzie + Gus Perch is perfectly balanced and completely secure.

We were given the highchair for Christmas a few years back and as soon as my son started eating solids, we were excited to have him join us at the table for meals. Given the compact size of our home, this highchair was the perfect choice over the more traditional, bulky chairs. Its sleek design and cool colours flow seamlessly with the rest of our home decor, and its small size keeps it out of the way when not in use.

This compact size is also ideal for travel. Lightweight yet sturdy, this highchair folds up neatly into a travel bag allowing you to easily bring it with you when visiting friends or restaurants. The adjustable clamps are compatible with most table spaces or overhanging counters. (See below for table requirements.)

Holding up to 37 lbs in weight, the Perch is designed for babies 6 months (or sitting on their own) and up. Padded for comfort, with a five point harness for safety, this chair has worked well for my son throughout his transition from wobbly baby to squirmy toddler.

We’ve tried a few other highchairs, but this one is hands-down my favourite. It’s solidly built, easy to maneuver, comfortable, and the perfect size for city living.

While I love having my son seated directly at the table, food does tend to stick on and under the rubber handles. I’ve found that it’s easiest to wipe down the handles and fabric with a damp cloth after every meal. The cloth fabric can appear daunting to keep clean, but this is actually one of my favourite aspects to this product: if your seat is looking a bit grungy, simply dismantle the chair and toss the fabric in the washing machine for a quick and easy clean!

So to sum it all up…

Things I love:

1. You can dismantle the entire thing and toss the fabric in the wash for easy clean up.
2. Saves space!!! (This point deserves three exclamation marks because it’s so great for apartment living.)
3. Looks more stylish than traditional baby chairs.
4. I love the fact that the seat can clamp onto tables OR overhanging kitchen counters. This is perfect for meal prep when my hands are full but the baby inevitably wants to watch a live cooking show.
5. Baby gets to eat directly at the table with us!
6. It’s the perfect travel highchair.

Things to keep in mind:

1. Before purchasing your Guzzie + Gus Perch, make sure that it will work with your table style. It should not be used on a glass table top, loose table top, single pedestal table, camping table, table leaf, or with table cloths or placemats. (Table thickness should be between 0.8 – 2.7 inches).
2. The five point harness on this chair is not my favourite. The straps tend to twist and mostly just end up frustrating me.
3. You need both hands to attach this chair to the table (aka: this is not a task you can accomplish with a baby on your hip.) It’s not difficult to attach it to the table but it can take a couple minutes to do it properly.

Given the fact that it’s pretty much always meal time, this is one of our most regularly used baby gear – and we love it!