Tripp Trapp hack to use the harness without the baby set?

[Anonymous]

We have a Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair, purchased new one year ago.

My two year old (24 months) no longer comfortably fits in the baby set (the plastic part that his legs go through), but we'd like to keep him in the harness (straps). Unfortunately, in the newer Tripp Trapp models, this is no longer possible (based on googling, it was possible with the old design). The bottom strap of the harness (the part that goes between his legs) is attached to the baby set, and even if I could get that part off, it looks like it wouldn't snap into the seat alone. I reached out to Stokke and they confirmed - not an option for "safety reasons"

We really don't want to have him able to get down/fall especially since we're often juggling our newborn while eating meals. Right now, we're unclipping the whole baby set every time to get him out, but that's a PITA 4x per day.

Has anyone figured out a better solution here? The WHOLE REASON we bought this highchair was to avoid a booster seat!!

[Anonymous]

I sucked it up and spent $25 to get the separate harness once we were done w the baby set

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sucked it up and spent $25 to get the separate harness once we were done w the baby set

OP here - Did you get the harness from Stokke? That was what I was assuming their response would be (buy a different harness) but their response seemed to indicate that this wasn't an option at all. I don't want to buy a harness just to find it still requires the baby set.

If I just have to buy a $25 harness, I'm totally fine with this solution.

[Anonymous]

OP here - this is the response I got from them (name redacted in DCUM style):

Dear Larla,
Thank you very much for contacting Stokke® Customer Service.

We'd like to inform you that for safety reasons it is not possible to use the Harness on the TRIPP TRAPP® chair without the Baby Set.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any other queries.

Kindest Regards,

Laura
STOKKE® Customer Service

[Anonymous]

OP again - I'm looking at this harness:

https://www.stokke.com/USA/en-us/spare-parts/spare-parts-highchairs/145500.html

And it specifically says "Can only be used with the Tripp Trapp® Baby Set on the Tripp Trapp® chair."

[Anonymous]

Me again who bought the separate harness. Funny. I had emailed them too and they suggested buying the 5 point harness they sell on their website. $19.99 with shipping. I was confused initially and then annoyed to buy something else, but it’s been fine. You do have to slightly disassemble the chair to install it!

[Anonymous]

Also, I sold the baby set on FB marketplace in minutes for close to retail, which was pretty awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Me again who bought the separate harness. Funny. I had emailed them too and they suggested buying the 5 point harness they sell on their website. $19.99 with shipping. I was confused initially and then annoyed to buy something else, but it’s been fine. You do have to slightly disassemble the chair to install it!

OP here. Yeah, this sounds like you have the old version. How long ago was this? I think this change to the chair was just made in 2020.

[Anonymous]

At 2 years old you can teach your kid to climb up to and down from the seat safely. Mine could around 18 months. It will likely take a week or so but then the problem is solved.

[Anonymous]

no good ideas on the harness but just wanted to share that my 90th percentile for weight and 80th percentile for height son used the babyset until 3 months ago which would have made him 3yrs 9 months when he stopped. Insane I know, but for some reason he really wanted it and it worked for us so we didn't push it. I feel like if he could fit in it, is it possible your child could too with a different approach? We never used the harness even from the beginning so that wasn't an issue, with no harness his legs fit fine in. it was a little tight but definitely doable. It was great because like you said kept him contained. By the time he stopped he could get in and out on his own even with the babyset, but it still kept him contained because it wasn't easy (since it was tight) so he typically just stayed in.

[Anonymous]

I should say it wasn't like, tight on his legs once he was in. Just a little tight sliding in. One day when his younger brother started solids with his own stokke he finally decided he didn't want it anymore, and was done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Me again who bought the separate harness. Funny. I had emailed them too and they suggested buying the 5 point harness they sell on their website. $19.99 with shipping. I was confused initially and then annoyed to buy something else, but it’s been fine. You do have to slightly disassemble the chair to install it!

OP here. Yeah, this sounds like you have the old version. How long ago was this? I think this change to the chair was just made in 2020.

Nope, mine was bought in 2021. I was confused by what I read online which is why I emailed them like you. You’ll be fine with buying that harness. The bottom part of the baby set on the seat was really hard to get off it I used a screwdriver to pry it out. I wanted the harness so my kid couldn’t escape.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At 2 years old you can teach your kid to climb up to and down from the seat safely. Mine could around 18 months. It will likely take a week or so but then the problem is solved.

OP here - yes - but we also have a newborn so having him contained through dinner is really helpful. He'll frequently say "Down" and then before we manage to get up and get him out, he's gotten back into his food and is happily sitting for 10 more minutes. I think if he was free, that'd be it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Me again who bought the separate harness. Funny. I had emailed them too and they suggested buying the 5 point harness they sell on their website. $19.99 with shipping. I was confused initially and then annoyed to buy something else, but it’s been fine. You do have to slightly disassemble the chair to install it!

OP here. Yeah, this sounds like you have the old version. How long ago was this? I think this change to the chair was just made in 2020.

Nope, mine was bought in 2021. I was confused by what I read online which is why I emailed them like you. You’ll be fine with buying that harness. The bottom part of the baby set on the seat was really hard to get off it I used a screwdriver to pry it out. I wanted the harness so my kid couldn’t escape.

I'm concerned they changed the harness then. Or maybe they used to sell two? Doesn't seem possible that a harness would be both usable with the baby set (which this one clearly is) and usable independently with how the connections are designed. But maybe I'm missing something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:no good ideas on the harness but just wanted to share that my 90th percentile for weight and 80th percentile for height son used the babyset until 3 months ago which would have made him 3yrs 9 months when he stopped. Insane I know, but for some reason he really wanted it and it worked for us so we didn't push it. I feel like if he could fit in it, is it possible your child could too with a different approach? We never used the harness even from the beginning so that wasn't an issue, with no harness his legs fit fine in. it was a little tight but definitely doable. It was great because like you said kept him contained. By the time he stopped he could get in and out on his own even with the babyset, but it still kept him contained because it wasn't easy (since it was tight) so he typically just stayed in.

Interesting! My kid isn't that big, but has long legs. He's 75% for height and 24 months. We can get him in super easily but we are scraping his shins getting him out. He's getting little bruises and he hates it. Is there a better way to do this? There's plenty of room when he's in there and the harness isn't the problem, it's getting his legs out of the holes. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong?