We Asked 1,000 Parents to Tell Us What Is the Best High Chair, and There Was One Runaway Winner
Parenting is hard, but discovering what baby essentials to buy shouldn’t be. If you’re looking for nursery ideas, you may be focused on pinning all the baby boy nursery ideas or baby girl nursery ideas you can find. But we know you’ve also got baby gear on the mind, like a high chair. Whether you’re planning ahead so you have one when you need it, or your baby is just about to start solid foods and you need a high chair now, we can help.
We asked 1,000 parents to tell us what high chair they bought for their baby, and one high chair in particular ran away with the prize as the most highly recommended. (But there are also two fantastic budget-friendly runners-up.)
Table of Contents
The Best Budget-Friendly High Chair: The IKEA ANTILOP High Chair
The Best Portable High Chair for Small Spaces: The Inglesina Fast Table Chair
Why You Should Trust Us
This is a best list that comes with real chops. Cubby is helmed by a small yet vibrant team of design-savvy parents who are unusually invested in finding the best products for life at home with kids, beginning with the nursery. Faith Durand (SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media, two kids, pro pinner of all the things), Cambria Bold (Executive Editor of Cubby, two kids, hobby designer, avid product researcher), and Laura Schocker (Chief Content Officer at Apartment Therapy Media, one kid and one on the way, small-space/city-living expert) have 40 years of digital editorial experience between them. They’ve already read about, researched, and purchased many of the baby products that you, as a soon-to-be parent, are wondering about right now. They’ll tell you exactly what you need to know about what to get.
If they don’t know the answer, they know plenty of people to ask — fellow editors, parenting experts, designers, and Cubby readers — so you can be sure that these recommendations come from real-life experiences.
Most importantly, we don’t just “office test” these products (read: order a bunch and shake ‘em around in our office “lab” with a fake baby doll) because that is helpful to approximately no one. The products we recommend here are ones we or fellow parents have actually purchased ourselves for our nursery and used for at least a few months (and sometimes way longer). The rave reviews are real.
How We Chose These Products
We asked readers (and parents!) of Apartment Therapy Media, which includes Cubby, Apartment Therapy, and The Kitchn, to tell us what high chair they purchased, and why or why not they’d recommend it to other parents. We received over 1,000 responses. We took the top three recommended high chairs from this survey and then assessed our own firsthand experiences with the product. If the high chair came strongly recommended by our survey parents and was personally used for a significant period of time (with positive results!) by one of our editors, it made it to this list!
One survey parent had experience with all three of our winners and would recommend all of them. She sums up the differences this way: “If you have limited space, but a countertop, definitely get the Inglesina Fast Chair. It is also machine-washable. The IKEA ANTILOP is a great bargain and easy to clean; however, it has a larger footprint. The Tripp Trapp is great for making the kids be a part of the table, but more expensive.”
The Best High Chair Overall: The Stokke Tripp Trapp
No other high chair got more recommendations than Stokke’s Tripp Trapp, and we know why: It is, to quote Stokke, “the chair that grows with the child,” which is why so many parents love it. Our survey parents most love its streamlined look, how easy it is to wipe down, the fact you can pull it right up to the table, and its adjustability so you can use it from toddler through tween stages. (Yes, truly! It turns into a regular chair in its last stage, and makes for a great kids’ desk chair.)
Tripp Trapp
What Parents Said About the Tripp Trapp in Our Survey
“This high chair is one of our best purchases. Our baby fights being restrained in anything, but this chair is comfortable, fits into our decor, and allows us to have her at the table with us. We love that we can use it for many years and will be able to pass it on to another family or use it as an additional chair for an adult or child.”
“Yes. BEST investment ever. Still using it at age 5.”
“Best chair ever! It’s well-made, pretty to look at, and they will each use them for years to come.”
“It is built extremely well. A bit expensive, but it grows with the child to adulthood (weight limit 242 pounds). There are add-ons that you can buy as the baby grows, but it is a beautiful piece of furniture.”
“It has been great to just pull [my daughter] up to the table to eat with us instead of having her separate with own tray. As she gets older, she’ll climb in on her own and we can adjust the seat as needed. Fits with the aesthetic of the dining room better.”
“Love how it’s aesthetically beautiful and that the kids can grow with it.”
“We still use it and will likely use it for a long time more. Perfect for starting solids and now [my daughter] climbs up on her own, which she loves.”
“We love that it is actual wood and grows with the baby, and it has an adjustable foot rest for baby foot support while eating.”
“This high chair has been great. It can be used with the tray or pushed up to the table. It gets the baby right up to the table so they can grab their own food.”
“I love that it doesn’t have any soft/fabric padded areas (they get sooo gross with food that never gets fully cleaned off).”
“The Stokke not only grew with our child, but it also allowed us to all eat together at the table (eating together is a social thing!), which is a bonus in a small apartment.”
“It’s been great! We’ve used it from infancy to toddlerhood and it’s still working for our family. I love that my kiddo can climb into it herself for mealtime (she’s 2.5).”
“We used it from 6 months until age 3, so it works for a variety of ages. Also, I appreciate that it’s pretty much impossible for a child to tip over while sitting in it.”
“It was pricey but it’s so easy to clean and will adjust into a big-kid chair too. And it will have great resale value on Facebook Marketplace when we’re done with it.”
Tripp Trapp
What Cubby Editors and Experts Say About the Stokke Tripp Trapp
Cubby’s Executive Editor, Cambria Bold, used two Tripp Trapp high chairs for her kids for years. Here’s what she said: “The Tripp Trapp’s adjustable design, and the ability to use it for so many years and through so many different stages make it unparalleled in terms of high chairs on the market. I second what our survey parents said. I love that it was solid wood and easy to wipe down (I didn’t want any fabric or nooks and crannies that would be hard to clean), and that your kid can eat right at the table with you, even as a baby. The design is modern and unobtrusive. I did purchase various accessories for it depending on the age of my kid, like the Tray, but the resale value was so great even years later that it was worth it.”
We also talked to Erin Boyle, mother of three, author of the newsletter TEA NOTES and the forthcoming book, Making Things: Finding Use, Meaning, and Satisfaction in Crafting Everyday Objects. Here’s what she said about her experience with the Inglesina Fast Table Chair: “In our small space we found two high chair alternatives to be very helpful — both were solutions we landed on for our third kid, after using a pretty cumbersome vintage high chair for the first two! For babies who can sit up, but still need some support and a harness, we loved the Inglesina Fast Table Chair. It’s designed to attach directly to the dining table, which meant we could all eat together in the same place. The chair is very easily removed and stored when not in use, so we never had to trip or store a large high chair. Truly, I can’t recommend it enough.”
The Only Downsides
At a starting price of $299, the Tripp Trapp is priced in the mid-to-high range compared to other high chairs on the market, but some parents still found it to be too expensive, especially when you add in the accessories. Other parents noted that the legs flare out at the bottom which, while helping to keep the high chair stable, can also be a potential tripping hazard in super-small spaces.
The Best Budget-Friendly High Chair: The IKEA ANTILOP High Chair
IKEA saves the day again, with parents praising its affordable ANTILOP high chair. Our survey parents loved its affordable price (only $20!), easy-to-clean design, and the third-party personalization possibilities, like this ANTILOP high chair hack. What it lacks in versatility (no footrest, no ability to grow with your kid) it more than makes up for with how inexpensive it is. The ANTILOP gets the job done, for as long as you need it and no longer. And for some, that’s exactly what they want.
ANTILOP High Chair
What Parents Said About the IKEA ANTILOP High Chair in Our Survey
“This was a super-basic and easy-to-clean high chair. We weren’t looking for anything convertible, so something simple was all we needed. Very affordable, easy to assemble, dishwasher-safe, and plenty of cute accessories available online to dress it up for all occasions.”
“No frills but works and kept the kids safe. Easy enough to clean. Can’t beat the price. It’s white/gray so not an eyesore.”
“Would totally recommend. It was inexpensive, portable, but most importantly easy to wipe down. I don’t understand why so many high chairs have upholstery.”
“I would definitely recommend, especially for multiple kids. I could stack them easily and clean them quickly. I also kept two at each of my grandparents’ homes. I was able to very quickly re-sell many of them to other expecting parents after my kids outgrew them.”
The Only Downsides
A few parents noted they’d only recommend the ANTILOP if you purchase a footrest from a third-party supplier, like this one or this one. Also, the footprint is pretty wide, so it can be a bit of a tripping hazard if you’re not careful.
The Best Portable High Chair for Small Spaces: The Inglesina Fast Table Chair
If floor space is an issue for you, why not opt for a high chair that takes up no floor space at all? Enter: Inglesina’s Fast Table Chair, which you can attach to the edge of a table or counter. It’s lightweight, collapsible, comfortable, and portable — and surprisingly incredibly sturdy! Our survey parents love how it doesn’t take up any floor space, is easy to travel with, and is machine-washable.
Inglesina Fast Table Chair
What Parents Say About the Ingelsina Fast Table Chair
“HIGHLY recommend. This high chair attaches to an existing table. It is so secure (even though parents may feel apprehension because it looks like it’s “floating”). You can even travel with them to restaurants if needed. We’ve used it with both kids. The MOST space-saving — especially in apartments. Ideal for minimalists who do not want extra furniture for a high chair. And the baby eats with the parents at the same table as opposed to their own little isolated chair.”
“Comfortable, baby loves it, portable, and space-saving.”
“We have a massive and heavy table in the dining room, so this works for us. We love it. It takes up no floor space, easy to clean, great for travel.”
“It works great in the kitchen attached to the island. This means I can feed my son dinner and cook at the same time. We’re also able to move it to the table easily when we’re all eating dinner together.”
“Although it is not a standalone chair, it attaches to a table or counter. It’s great for us, as we mostly eat at the kitchen island and most high chairs are too low. Easy to clean; the entire thing comes apart for washing the cover in the washing machine.”
“We loved that it gave the baby a seat at the big table vs. being separate from everyone at mealtime and it was super easy to clean — just throw it in the wash and wipe off the table!”
“Absolutely, so great if you don’t have much room. We have it attached to our kitchen island and both us and our son love it.”
“We put it on our kitchen island so baby could watch us cook, etc. It’s also traveled super easily from restaurants to hotels; it’s lightweight, easy to pack, and easy to clean.”
Inglesina Fast Table Chair
What Cubby Editors Say About the Inglesina Fast Table Chair
The Inglesina Fast Table Chair was the first high chair Cubby’s Executive Editor, Cambria Bold, bought for her first child. (As said above, she moved to a Tripp Trapp when her daughter outgrew the Inglesina.) Here’s what she said about her experience with the Inglesina Fast Table Chair: “When my first daughter was ready for solids, we lived in a small apartment in Boston and had no extra floor space in the kitchen. But we did have an island, and so the Inglesina Chair was the perfect solution. We used it in the kitchen and whenever we went out to eat or traveled to someone’s house. It was easy to clean and easy to travel with, and I never felt worried about its stability; you see once you attach it how it’s absolutely not going anywhere! We loved it.”
