booster cushion

I can't believe how much my little bub is growing up. Talmage is moving away from his toddling days and becoming his own little person with business to do, things to talk about, and ways to be more independent!

One thing that he's outgrown is the highchair. It's actually better that he sits at the table with us now so that Charlotte can sit in the highchair instead. We like to eat together at the table, all of us. And now we can without holding C on our lap :)

There was just one little problem. He was too short for the table and could barely use his eating utensils properly :] I needed some way to make the seat comfortably taller for him but all of the "booster seats" for chairs seemed more for infants. When I saw this 6 months ago I knew it would be perfect for when the time came to move him up to the table. BUT...it was a lot of money for a cute square piece of foam. I also wanted something gender neutral and wasn't too fond of the designs in stock.

So I made my own!

Over Christmas while out with the fam, I came across this fabric at Hobby Lobby. It is water-resistant and easy to wipe clean. I wasn't even looking for it but my mother in law knows how much I love owls and she pointed it out to me. It was perfect timing because T desperately needed OUT of the highchair!

This is what I did to make it:

-bought 3/4 yd and sewed a cover with four sides. Adding the sides was a bit challenging but not too bad. It was something new for me!
-got foam that was 14"x14" and 3" tall. It was just a wee bit short so I added another inch thick piece of foam cut to size. The foam should be soft yet sturdy, so that it doesn't sink down too much when they sit on it.

With the foam peices together it turned out to be about 4 inches tall. Just the height he needed!

I sewed a 14" long zipper into one of the sides so that the cover could be removed and washed if when needed. He's a big kid now, but he's still a messy eater!

 

The great thing about making things yourself is that they can be exactly what and how you want. I wanted this cushion to stay on the seat snugly, so I used the leftover fabric to make some straps. I sewed them onto the cushion so that they would tie it to the back of the chair and the zipper side would be concealed.  

I love the bow on the back of the chair. It adds a nice touch to something that is meant to be functional :D

Talmage loves it! He gets excited to sit in his "big boy chair".  And I'm excited not to lift a 32 lb. child into a highchair that's 3 feet above ground. My arms can only take so much...