Joovy Nook

We were lucky to receive the new Joovy Nook highchair about the time our 6-month-old was starting to sit up and eat solid foods. We have had other Joovy products in the past and have always been impressed. The quality seems to be great for everything they make, and we expected nothing less from this Nook.

The box the Nook came in is very attractive and stout. In fact, I think it is one of the nicest boxes we have ever had a product come in, which speaks to the quality that Joovy is going for with this highchair. Once we had the Nook out of the box, assembly took less than five minutes. The chair basically unfolds and you are good to go! There is some packaging material to remove, and that is about it! No tools required. Really, it couldn’t be much easier.

As mentioned, the highchair comes in the folded position. The highchair can be easily returned to this position for storage. This is a great feature to save space and pack the highchair away when not in use. The Nook has a convenient handle that is upright when the highchair is in the folded position, which makes transport very easy. The highchair is also very light and not a problem to carry.

The Nook has a very comfortable leatherette seat that we joke may be the nicest chair in our house. Our son sure seems to like sitting in it! There is five-point harness that has two adjustable shoulder height positions. The harness latches via a button rather than hooks, which allows you to unlatch the harness with one hand. You can never have enough free hands when dealing with meal time and a baby!

The tray has a cover that can easily be removed for cleaning. It can also be put in the dishwasher. Our favorite feature may be that the tray does not slide on and off like a traditional highchair. Instead, the Nook tray has a hinge on the left side that swings out when the latch is unhooked. This is so nice because you don’t have to worry about finding a place to put the tray when getting a child in and out. All you have to do is simply swing the tray around and click it in place! The tray has four positions it can be adjusted to that move the tray closer or farther away from the child. This is really nice to accommodate a growing kid! Similarly, the tray can be removed completely and the chair can be used like a booster seat. Very nice!

The Nook comes with rubber stoppers on the bottom of the legs which work very well. The highchair does not move at all on our hardwood floors. In fact, they work so well that it is a little difficult to move the Nook around when it is set up. There are wheels on one of the legs to help with rolling, but the highchair has to be tipped pretty far back to make the wheels useful. We found it easier to just pick the highchair up or easily collapse the chair when moving is needed.

We found the highchair to be very sturdy. Our little guy likes to kick and rock, and we are sure there is no way he would ever rock the Nook over. To achieve that sturdiness, the base is pretty wide, so I wouldn’t recommend the Nook if you are expecting to put it in a tight area. Of course, it is very small when collapsed and easy to fold up, so I wouldn’t mind folding it between meals if space became an issue.

I really like the look of the Nook. It has a nice balance of function and aesthetics. It looks very clean and would fit in well with nice furniture. I am someone who really enjoys a modern look, and this highchair really appeals to me. The chair is available in turquoise, black and charcoal (which we have).

As mentioned, our son is 5 months old and fits in the chair just fine. Even so, the highchair is roomy enough for him when he gets bigger. As noted, it can be used as a booster seat if the tray is removed. It also has a foot rest that will be really nice when his legs are longer. In short, we won’t need to buy another chair prior to us transitioning him to sitting in an actual chair. The highchair is rated for up to 50 pounds and kids up to 4-years-old.

Cleaning of the unit is very simple. Joovy suggests wiping down the surface with warm water and mild soap, which I found to be very effective. The chair does have some crevices, so you may have to scrub a little bit, but I have always felt good about getting the chair clean. Also as noted, you can just run the tray through the dishwasher. If you need to, the entire cover can be removed so you can really get in the nooks and crannies. Cleaning is a cinch!

Joovy added another really nice feature that allows you to hang a bib on a little hook above the headrest. This allows you to easily store a bib, which is very convenient!

I should add that I found the manual very easy to read and interpret as well. It is written in plain language and includes enough pictures to show the reader how things work. This chair really is quality from top to bottom!

At a suggested retail price of $120, the Joovy Nook is not the cheapest highchair you will look at. Even so, it is so jammed packed with convenient features that I think you will find it to be more than worth the price, making it a great value. We have been through a lot of highchairs with our first son. I am sure we won’t be looking for another one now that we have the Nook.

Price: $120
To buy: amazon.com