Sifting through the best high chairs on the market can be as challenging as convincing your picky toddler to gobble up all of her broccoli purees. But, just as introducing leafy greens into a baby’s diet is vital for her growth, finding the right high chair is critical for childhood development, says early childhood specialist Janice M. Robinson-Celeste.
“Having a good high chair in the home is mostly for safety,” Robinson-Celeste, whose founder and editor-in-chief of Successful Black Parenting, tells SheKnows.
“A high chair helps with autonomy and independence,” she continues. “Don’t think of a high chair as solely for eating. It can be used as a safe place for keeping your child busy while you cook his or her meal.”
Finding the right high chair can also help make family dinnertime fun and enjoyable for parents and babies, as it helps create a sense of togetherness, says Crystal Karges, MS, RDN, IBCLC.
“Creating a positive mealtime experience for our children is one of the most important things we’ll do as parents,” Karges, who works as a registered dietitian nutritionist and child feeding specialist at Crystal Karges Nutrition, tells SheKnows. “This starts with ensuring that they are comfortably and safely positioned so that kids can be successful at mealtimes. The benefits of a quality, safe, high chair include improved positioning and good sitting dynamics to help your child eat better at mealtimes and overall enjoy the eating experience.”
Mealtimes can be stressful enough, especially if your child is a picky eater or if your child is hungry all the time. So how can parents know what to look for in a high chair to improve their child’s experience? Both Robinson-Celeste and Karges recommend looking for high chairs with adjustable footrests and wide, removable trays.
Below, we’ve listed some of the best and safest high chairs available to help you spend less time shopping and more time bonding with your little one.
Peg Pérego Siesta
The Italians are known for making beautiful products: leather, luxury cars, glass and, yes, even high chairs. The Peg Pérego Siesta is a high-end high chair designed with style and function in mind. Not only does this high chair roll, but it also has five reclining positions and nine height adjustment options to maximize child comfort. Because tiny hands can make huge messes, the Siesta comes with a dishwasher-safe tray liner and stain-resistant upholstery. That’s amoré.
Peg Pérego Siesta high chair, $299.99 at Amazon
Graco Blossom 6-in-1
Fact: Kids grow out of everything eventually. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t slow that process down a bit. The Blossom 6-in-1 chair was designed to expand with kids from infancy to early youth with kids’ safety and comfort — and parents’ wallets — in mind. The chair features six adjustable heights and promises to easily convert from an infant high chair into a booster seat and a kids’ chair. Since the booster seat comes separately, parents can comfortably accommodate two children at different stages. Plus, parents raved about how easy it is to clean (thanks to removable trays and washable seating) and wheel around in reviews on Amazon.
Graco Blossom 6-in-1 high chair, from $174.99 at Amazon
Abiee Beyond Junior Y Chair
If you’ve ever looked at the cost of a high chair and said, “That chair better grow with my kid into adulthood,” look no further than the Abiie Beyond. This mid-century-inspired wooden high chair, made from sustainable European beech wood and designed in Austin, TX, transforms into a dining chair that kids and adults of all ages (up to 250 pounds) can use. The cushions are removable, stain-resistant, and hand-washable and come in a variety of colors (olive green, blueberry, raspberry, cream, and black). Similarly, parents can remove the tray and plastic tray liner for quick cleanups.
Abiee Beyond wooden high chair, $194.95 at Amazon
Stokke Tripp Trapp
Like the Abiie, the Stokke Tripp Trapp chair was designed for years of use by children and adults (up to 242 pounds). The high chair, which comes in a variety of fun colors, comes with a baby set, which includes a seat and a five-point harness for children six months to three years old. Additionally, the seat and the footrest are easy to adjust depending on your needs. Parents will, however, need to purchase the Tripp Trapp adjustable plastic tray or cushions separately.
Stokke Tripp Trapp, $259 at Amazon
Inglesina Fast Table Chair
The Inglesina Fast Table High Chair is an excellent option for parents who either don’t have space for a traditional high chair or who want something easy to transport. In addition to a travel bag and storage pocket, the chair comes with twist-tight couplings that screw onto tables up to 3.5 inches thick and seats babies and tots up to 37 pounds. Though, the most exciting feature may be the removable, washable cover for cleaning those inevitable food messes.
Inglesina Fast Table chair, from $68.60 at Amazon
Fisher-Price SpaceSaver
The Fisher-Price SpaceSaver is a fantastic option for parents who want a portable high chair alternative but are wary of models that attach to the table. This chair looks more like a booster and comes with straps that quickly, yet sturdily, connect to the back of most dining chairs.
Fisher-Price SpaceSaver, from $44.99 at Amazon
JOOVY Nook
Let’s face it; not everyone has space (or the desire) to have a high chair out in the open at all times. Weighing in at 15 pounds, the Nook is simple to fold and transport without requiring a lot of time or strength. It’s also painless to clean thanks to its dishwasher-safe tray and wipeable cushions. Plus, you can plan on getting a lot of use out of the Nook since it accommodates kids up to 50 pounds.
JOOVY Nook high chair, $99.99 at Amazon
OXO Tot Sprout
Despite being much newer to the market than some other models, the OXO Tot Sprout has a cult following thanks to its sleek design, longevity (it accommodates kids up to five years old or 60 pounds), and easy assembly. The cushions are also removable, providing parents with plenty of color options to switch things up. However, parents who own the Sprout warn that the tray is a bit more challenging to clean than other models and, as a result, it can collect mold if not correctly and regularly washed.
OXO Tot Sprout high chair, from $240.87 at Amazon
Boon Flair
The Boon Flair’s futuristic design definitely makes a statement, but it’s not the chair’s look that has parents raving. With its sleek, smooth exterior, this high chair was designed to outsmart stubborn crumbs and stains, and people can’t seem to say enough about how easy after-meal cleanup is as a result. Adjusting the chair is also straightforward thanks to a foot-activated chair lift and braking system.
Boon Flair high chair, from $217.39 at Amazon
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