Graco Blossom Review
The Skinny
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This Product
Graco Blossom | |||||
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Awards | |||||
Price | $210 List $169.99 at Amazon | $228 List $228.00 at Amazon | $230 List Check Price at Amazon | $80 List Check Price at Amazon | $119 List $93.20 at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | An easy to clean, versatile 4-in-1 seating system that can accommodate children in various ages and stages | Cool long-term chair good for baby to adulthood with an adjustable wood design and useful features | After the hassle of assembly, you'll enjoy the function and style of this chair | Offers features for general feeding needs for babies and toddlers and folds flat for smaller spaces to keep it out of the way | An adorable high chair that babies can't resist with a cute design, divided food tray, wipable surface, and long-term potential |
Rating Categories | Graco Blossom | Abiie Beyond Wooden | Keekaroo Height Rig... | Graco Slim Snacker... | Infantino 4-in-1 Co... |
Ease of Use (30%) | |||||
Ease of Cleaning (25%) | |||||
Quality (25%) | |||||
Ease of Set Up (10%) | |||||
Footprint/ Portability (10%) | |||||
Specs | Graco Blossom | Abiie Beyond Wooden | Keekaroo Height Rig... | Graco Slim Snacker... | Infantino 4-in-1 Co... |
Use Range | Infant to 60 lbs | 6mo-12y+ Max weight: 250 lbs |
6 mos to 250 lbs | Up to 3y (no minimum age) Max weight: 40 lbs |
High Chair/Booster: 6mo to 33 lbs Toddler Chair: Up to 50 lbs |
Harness | 3 and 5-point | 3 and 5-point | 3-point | 3 and 5-point | 5-point |
Dimensions | 28.5"L x 22.5"W x 42"H | 21.5"L x 17.5"W x 35"H | 23.5"L x 20"W x 33.3"H | 35"L x 21"W x 41"H | 32"L x 24"W x 41"H |
Footprint | 4.5 sq ft | 2.6 sq ft | 3.3 sq ft | 5.1 sq ft | 5.3 sq ft |
Weight | 28.6 lbs | 18.3 lbs | 21.1 lbs | 14 lbs | 14.6 lbs |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Graco, based out of Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 1942 and initially manufactured machine and car parts. Their claim to fame is that they invented the world's first wind-up, automatic baby swing in 1955 after the owner of the company was watching his wife struggle to keep baby asleep in a rocking chair while she read a book. Quickly, the company began pioneering other baby products, and soon after that, the Pack n'Play was born. Today, Graco is a well-known company in the world of babies, and they manufacture a multitude of quality products.
Performance Comparison
Ease of Use
The Blossom excelled in this category. It has a fairly intuitive design, and we can tell you from experience that once you have had your hand on various pieces of baby equipment, you'll no doubt find this piece of gear to be relatively easy to use. The one part that did trip us up a bit was the 5-point restraint system, and we feel it is too complicated to use with a squirmy baby. Luckily, it converts to a 3-point restraint system, so we (along with lots of other reviewers) opted to go that route. In no way does it compromise baby's safety while in the chair, but if you feel more comfortable using the shoulder straps for your little one, the option is there.
Regarding growing with your baby, you really can't beat the 4-in-1 feature. The chair itself accommodates up to 60 pounds, so it can potentially be used for years to come, and with more than one child at once. If you're using the high chair feature, you still have a separate booster seat that can strap securely to a dining chair for an older sibling. Or you can take the seat off and clip it right into the booster so baby can join you at the table. If you do this, you'll have a youth chair that can push up to the table and can hold up to 60 lbs! Overall, it is an easy-to-use chair with lots of options.
Ease of Cleaning
We find this chair to be reasonably easy to clean. The extra insert in the infant seat is easily removable and can be machine washed. However, the main seat cushion must be wiped down by hand, which we did not think was a big deal as the insert catches most of the mess anyway. The snack tray is dishwasher safe but was so large that we opted to wash that by hand as well. What we like best is that if any food happens to get caught under the seat cushion, it is easy to lift and wipe down the plastic base.
Quality
The Blossom also performs well in regards to quality. The frame is nice and sturdy, not even budging when our 50-pound older-sibling tester climbed up to test out the child seat.
The finish of the legs is a nice gray/black color rather than a shiny white metal, as so many other high chairs tend to sport. Additionally, the material of the seat cushion is soft against baby's skin and easy to wipe clean.
One downfall is that the crotch restraint is attached to the tray, and this seems to be an issue for two reasons: 1. It makes the tray quite heavy when removed, and 2. Baby tends to slide down a bit, especially when reclined. So, the harness is the only thing keeping baby securely in the chair, and other users reported their baby having issues with slipping and also causes problems when removing the tray for cleaning. It leaves the baby in the chair in the meantime, and since it was helping hold them in, it doesn't feel comfortable doing so.
Competitors like the Peg Perego Siesta have passive crotch restraints that are attached directly to the seat rather than the tray, and we much prefer that style.
Ease of Set Up
The Blossom took us just under 12 minutes to assemble right out of the box, which was average when compared to other chairs in the review. Although set up was not too bad, and only required two screws, we feel that the manual is a bit more complicated than necessary, as it presents the directions in two languages at once. We think that the instructions skipped one or two steps, but it wasn't anything we couldn't figure out on our own.
Footprint and Portability
This category is where the Blossom struggles the most. Due to its large footprint, heavyweight, and inability to fold, it does not perform as well as the other chairs. It is one of our heaviest chairs, weighing almost 29 pounds. However, we appreciate that its great wheels make it easy to maneuver around the kitchen despite its weight.