High Times in the Highchair

By Judi Markowitz / Huntington Woods, Mich.

Forty-seven years ago, when I was pregnant with my first child, I bought a Jenny Lind highchair.

This is no ordinary, run of the mill highchair. The legs, back and sides are distinctive. They are fashioned in the shape of turned spindle posts, better known as spools. The solid, warm oak finish was also a selling point.

The moment I laid my eyes on this fine piece of furniture in 1979, I knew it would be a keeper. My four children and nine grandchildren have all enjoyed a hearty meal or snack in this beloved chair. It was my one and only.

When I purchased it, I didn’t have a clue about the history of this product. I only knew that it was different from the other highchairs I had perused in various stores. Throughout the years, I became curious about  its distinctive style, and I began to do some research.

I soon learned where the name came from. You might say that Jenny Lind was the Taylor Swift of her day. A Swedish soprano opera singer, Lind was one of the first international celebrities. In 1850, initially under the wing of showman P.T. Barnum, Lind began a 93-concert tour of America and created a sensation.

Her name and likeness appeared on everything from razors, combs, and colognes to paper dolls, sausages, cigars and hats…and even highchairs. It was reported that President Lincoln slept on a Jenny Lind bed. (Never mind that this style of furniture had been crafted since the 16th century — first by hand and then by steam power.) To this day Jenny Lind continues to be a popular name for cribs, changing tables, dressers, bed frames, and other models that are in demand.

Well-built pieces can take on a life of their own and endure the punishment doled out by children. My three rambunctious sons were known to bang on the tray of the highchair tirelessly with their spoons and bowls. They would also stand up and climb out of the highchair when they were less than two years old — much to my chagrin.

Lindsay, my oldest, was the first in a long line to enjoy the prestigious highchair. Lindsay has special needs and I was simply elated that she could sit upright and manage to daintily pick up small food items. At times I had to place an extra rolled up towel in the chair to ensure she didn’t lean to one side.

However, the boys used the highchair as their base of operation. Todd relentlessly pounded on the tray with his cars and trucks. A large model of Cookie Monster also had to adorn the highchair. Todd’s meals were secondary to play, so he ate quickly and then was on to other endeavors.

Chad was the notorious green bean thrower. They were his preferred tool, along with other vegetables. He would toss his food across the kitchen table and take perfect aim at our faces. Chad was quickly relegated to a corner, a few feet away from the table, where his food couldn’t hit us. However, as Chad grew, his aim became better — practice makes perfect. Eventually, Chad stopped this annoying behavior.

When it was Eli’s turn to take up residence in the beloved highchair, he immediately began to rock the chair from side to side. I thought he was going to hit the floor, chair and all. Eli loved his meals. He would surround his food with matchbox cars and make sounds like he was revving the engine. Smashing the cars into each other and then pounding them into the tray was his favorite form of entertainment.

After each child’s time was up in the highchair, and they were ready to join us at the kitchen table, I would then refinish the wooden tray for the next round. I sanded, stained and brushed on polyurethane in order to bring the chair back to life.

After Eli outgrew the highchair, I placed it in our basement and covered it up. It sat waiting for new customers for 18 years when our first granddaughter, Shoshana Leiba, was born in 2008. As more grandchildren joined the family, a long line of occupants continued to keep the highchair in action.

Interestingly, there are no safety features other than a removable strap connecting the tray to the seat of the highchair. It easily snaps in place. This simple method was used to ensure that a child did not slip through the chair onto the floor. Only one of my grandchildren performed this feat, fortunately with no visible damage to him.

By today’s standards this highchair would have been an outcast. There are so many bells and whistles on the latest models that an instructional manual is needed to help with securing and then removing various straps.

Before grandchild No. 8 was born, my daughter-in-law, Alex, was gifted a lovely, modern-style highchair by her parents. It had a harness type strap system that appeared to be user friendly — that is until I was watching Ezra, our grandson.

I placed Ezra in the chair, secured the straps and pushed in the clasps. However, when it was time to take him out, the process eluded me. After numerous frustrating attempts to locate the clasps and release them, I had to call Alex for instructions — definitely not my finest moment.

My trusty highchair is currently being used by Eden, grandchild No. 9. She eats her food with precise fine motor skills and isn’t bent on destroying the tray. However, she has a good time while crumbling crackers and rice cakes. The grand finale of Eden’s meals is when she sweeps the deck of the tray onto the floor. I might not have to refinish the tray after this child, but my floor cleaning skills have greatly improved!

I truly look forward to more occupants gracing the Jenny Lind highchair. If it continues on its present journey, one day it will evolve from a vintage piece of furniture to an antique. However, more years have to pass for that to come to fruition.

I hope to be around to see my great grandchildren sitting in the highchair. I will certainly be an antique by then as well!

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Judi Markowitz is a retired high school English teacher of 34 years. She primarily taught twelfth grade and had the pleasure of having her three sons grace her classes. In addition, she taught debate, forensics, and Detroit film. Judi has four adult children and nine wonderful and energetic grandchildren. She is married to Jeffrey Markowitz, whom she met in high school. They now spend much of their time running around with their grandkids. The View from Four Foot Two is Judi’s first book.