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Once your babies are able to eat on their own starting at 6 months, having their own high chair is essential — aside from giving them a place to eat at the table with you, it can also be a place for baby to sit quietly and play within sight while you do other tasks. There are a number of options out there (check out how to choose and buy the right one here), but the best kind are DIY projects made with love.
They say titos and titas can also help you raise happy kids, and on our Facebook community, Smart Parenting Village, we stumbled upon two moms who shared their little one’s personalized high chairs made by — that’s right — their titos. They obviously couldn’t resist their pamangkins!
Marian, her husband, and their 20-month-old son, Kiel.PHOTO BY Courtesy of Marian JinahonMom Marian Jinahon, 34, shares that his son, Kiel, was all set to inherit a high chair used by his cousins that was made by his brother-in-law’s father, “pero mabilis makalakihan ni Kiel kaya nag-request ako ng bago at mas malaki.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWSince Marian is the bunso in the family and Kiel is also the youngest among his cousins, Marian’s brother-in-law, Rhen couldn’t say no. “We have very close family ties,” Marian explains. “Plus, he loves Kiel so much at sila ni Tito Rhen ang unang naging close among his titos.”
The high chair has many uses! It's perfect for tita's quarantine haircuts and for eating meals. It's even personalized (see that white 'K' on the side?) so you know it's Kiel's chair.PHOTO BY Courtesy of Marian JinahonCONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowRhen owns a welding shop that specializes on building side cars, so this high chair was really a labor of love. “Personal niya ginawa ‘yun at hindi pinagawa sa mga tauhan niya,” Marian says. “One day lang niya ginawa — pagkarequest ko ay ginawa niya agad the following day.” And the cost? Php500 only!
Marian says her son loves the high chair so much that they need to bring it with them whenever they visit her mother’s house on weekends. “’Pag hindi yan ang upuan niya, umaalis agad si baby sa hapag kainan at nagpupumilit tumayo,” Marian shares, adding that Kiel also loves to sit on the chair when it’s learning time.
Tito Rhen is already working on a new gift for Kiel: a replication of a 1960s pedal car! He really loves his nephew!PHOTO BY Courtesy of Marian JinahonADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Andrea and her daughter Shaznei.PHOTO BY Courtesy of Andrea Mae SamaniagoOn the other hand, mom Andrea Mae Samaniego, 23, shares that her daughter Shaznei’s wooden high chair was handcrafted by Andrea’s tito using palochina or recycled wood.And it only cost Php600!
Her tito, Nathaniel Libo-on, made the high chair upon her request. “Actually I got the idea from other moms [in the Smart Parenting Village] who posted their own versions,” Andrea shares. “I realized I can save a lot. Since it was made of solid wood, it’s durable and my daughter can use it for a long time.”
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After applying a coat of varnish, this high chair looks beautiful!PHOTO BY Courtesy of Andrea Mae SamaniagoLike Rhen, Nathaniel produced the high chair in no time after Andrea asked him to make it. It only took him two to three days to finish the chair. And her daughter couldn’t get enough of it! “She was so excited when she first tried to sit in her high chair,” Andrea says. Sulit ang pagod ni Tito!
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWImpressed? Our moms and dads don't run out of quarantine projects! Click here for a backyard pool that a family built for only Php10,000!
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