Booster Seat Revisited

The Big Boy Dining Chair Booster Seat has been in use for 6 months, so I thought I’d show how it was holding up and share the changes I’d make if I was doing it again. First, a refresher, here’s how it looked when I first made it:

And here’s how it looks now:

So what didn’t go so well?

1. The back is no longer attached to the chair. I only put ties at the top of the chair. Ties at the bottom would have held the back into position better. This would have prevented my son swinging and pulling it around, which resulted in one of the ties pulling out (that’s it hanging over the back of the chair). This leads me to…
2. Double or triple-stitching the ties so it’s harder for a toddler to pull them off!
3. The iron-on vinyl was a disaster. A closer look will show that my darling son has pulled most of it off (and he’s working hard at finishing the job):
   
   Oilcloth, laminated cotton or a shower curtain would be a much better choice of material.
4. I’d also recommend leaving a couple of small gaps in the stitching around the cushion. It kept filling with air and ended up in awkward positions under my son’s bottom. It eventually popped and burst the stitching in one spot!
5. If I was to make it again, I’d make a cushion with a side, and maybe some piping to hold it’s shape better and give a more even height.

It wasn’t a complete disaster though. The dark fabric doesn’t show how much pasta sauce, vegemite and goodness knows what else has been wiped and spilled on it. The envelope back for the cushion cover makes it easy to wash.

It’s functional and will get a lot more use (after I sew the ties back on), but I wanted to make sure anyone using my tutorial knows what didn’t work so well.

Is there anything you’d do differently? Have you had any craft projects that haven’t survived when used? Have you got any suggestions for controlling a marauding toddler?