The best high chair
This practical, compact, and lightweight chair is simpler to clean than models that cost ten times more.
Weighing just 7.9 pounds, the IKEA Antilop Chair is more compact, lighter, and easier to move than most high chairs. Despite its lightweight design, it remains sturdy, durable, and comfortable. Its smooth plastic-and-steel construction is both simple and functional, avoiding the fabric and crevices that trap grime and crumbs in other models. While the Antilop can accommodate slightly larger children compared to some competitors, it may not be suitable for use as they enter preschool. Assembly is straightforward, but removing and reattaching the tray can be somewhat cumbersome. Although priced very competitively, the chair must be purchased in person at IKEA or with an additional shipping fee.
Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair
A high chair you’ll keep around
This wooden chair is more challenging to clean and significantly pricier than our top choice. However, it is designed to grow with a child and is particularly well-suited for preschoolers.
If you’re looking for a high chair that seamlessly integrates with adult furniture and can accommodate your child from 6 months through childhood and beyond, we recommend the Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair. This 15.5-pound chair is notably more expensive and complex than our top pick—the base model requires additional purchases for infant use and involves some effort to assemble and adjust. However, it is significantly easier for older children to climb into independently. Additionally, it boasts a stylish design that might make it a lasting piece in your home, and if you decide to part with it, it should be easy to sell secondhand.
Phil&teds Lobster Clip-On Highchair
A clip-on chair for travel
This foldable clip-on chair is compact enough to fit in a suitcase and robust enough to attach securely to a picnic table. Additionally, the cloth cover zips off for relatively easy cleaning.
The Phil&teds Lobster Clip-On Highchair is compact and lightweight, weighing around 4 pounds, making it simple to fold up and pack into a suitcase or even fit into a diaper bag when traveling. Despite its small size, it is sturdy enough to provide a secure seating option at restaurants, regardless of the table construction it attaches to.
How we picked
Our research and interviews led us to determine that an ideal high chair should possess several key attributes:
- Safe and stable: A high chair should be completely stable and not feel wobbly. Some models feature a three-point safety harness, securing the child around the legs and waist, while others are equipped with a five-point harness that includes additional shoulder straps for extra security.
- Simple to clean: Ease of cleaning is often the key factor that determines whether people love or hate a high chair. Young children can be quite messy, spreading sticky puree all over and toddlers frequently overturn bowls of Cheerios and milk. A high chair can become a major frustration if it has numerous crevices where crumbs can accumulate, spaces under the seat where liquids might pool unnoticed, or a seat cover that isn’t machine washable after a diaper leak.
- Compact and manageable: For those with limited space, a high chair with a compact footprint is especially beneficial. A chair that can be easily folded or disassembled for long-term storage is also advantageous. Additionally, a high chair that’s simple to pack into a car or suitcase for travel can be a valuable feature for families on the go.
- Designed to make meals easier and more pleasant: An excellent high chair should be reasonably straightforward to use. Despite their size, some designs can be easy to trip over. The seat should be comfortable enough to keep a baby content during mealtime. Ideally, the chair should also be visually appealing and not detract from your home’s decor.
Our pick: IKEA Antilop
The IKEA Antilop features a smooth, rounded plastic seat and tray. It stands out as easier to clean, more user-friendly, and more affordable than any other high chair we evaluated.
Despite its lightweight design, this model is robust and its neutral white-and-silver color scheme with clean lines fits well with almost any decor. It stacks easily when the tray is removed, making it ideal for parents with twins or closely spaced children, and convenient for use in daycares. The chair is also easy to disassemble for storage or travel. While the Antilop lacks some of the extra features commonly found in high chairs, such as adjustable height settings or a reclining seat back, we still favored it over nearly all other models.
It’s the simplest to clean. The Antilop high chair is made from a single piece of plastic, eliminating hard-to-reach areas where liquids could accumulate, and it lacks crevices, cracks, or seams where grime might collect.
The attached tray is user-friendly and typically stays securely in place, which simplifies the process of starting mealtimes and helps minimize clutter in the kitchen and dining areas. Its 1-centimeter raised edge helps contain many spills, though it doesn’t catch everything. However, when it’s necessary to remove the tray, it can be somewhat cumbersome.
Weighing just 7.9 pounds, the chair is both lightweight and sturdy, with a straightforward design. When the tray is taken off, it stacks easily for convenient storage. Assembly is quick and simple, taking us just two minutes—just slide the legs into place and attach the tray. The Antilop chair features a compact 22-by-24-inch footprint and a three-point safety harness, which avoids the messiness of shoulder straps.
Upgrade pick: Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair
Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair
A high chair you’ll keep around
This wooden chair is more challenging to clean and significantly pricier than our top choice. However, it is designed to grow with a child and is particularly well-suited for preschoolers.
The solid-beech Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair is the only high chair we evaluated that offers genuine comfort and ease of use for both infants and preschoolers. It allows older children to climb into the chair independently, making it a versatile choice for various stages of growth.
Cleaning the chair is fairly straightforward. The Baby Set attachment, which is easy to secure, is dishwasher-safe for effortless cleanup. Removing the safety harness requires a screwdriver, and accessing the screw is challenging without removing the seat, which makes keeping it grime-free a bit of a task. Despite this, during our tests, the safety straps and buckle cleaned up well, with all stickiness and stains coming off easily.
Also great: Phil&teds Lobster Clip-On Highchair
Phil&teds Lobster Clip-On Highchair
A clip-on chair for travel
This foldable clip-on chair is compact enough to fit in a suitcase and robust enough to attach securely to a picnic table. Additionally, the cloth cover zips off for relatively easy cleaning.
If you need a high chair that’s compact enough to fit in a suitcase or even a diaper bag, the Phil&teds Lobster Clip-On Highchair is the top pick. Weighing around 4 pounds and smaller than a MacBook Air, it attaches to a wider range of tables more easily than most other chairs of its kind.
It’s highly portable, folding down to a compact size that’s easy to carry. Since it clamps directly to the table and lacks its own footprint, it fits effortlessly into small spaces where standalone high chairs would be too bulky.
It’s compatible with a wider range of tables than other models we tested. The Lobster chair operates like typical clip-on chairs, with arms that slot onto the table and a tension rod to secure the clamps. What sets it apart is its ability to fit tables ranging from 0.8 to 3.75 inches thick, accommodating a broader range than similar chairs.
It features a washable cover for easy maintenance. While the chair arrives fully assembled, you’ll need an Allen wrench to detach some parts if you want to remove the fabric cover for washing. The cover zips off by sliding it over several panels, and the padded shoulder straps are also removable for cleaning.
An ideal high chair should be user-friendly and, most importantly, easy to clean.
We evaluated 25 high chairs with infants and toddlers, tackling everything from dried pureed sweet potato to crushed Goldfish crackers. After thorough testing, we’re confident that the IKEA Antilop will simplify mealtimes just as effectively as high chairs priced ten times higher.
Everything we recommend
IKEA Antilop
The best high chair
This practical, compact, and lightweight chair is simpler to clean than models that cost ten times more.
Weighing just 7.9 pounds, the IKEA Antilop Chair is more compact, lighter, and easier to move than most high chairs. Despite its lightweight design, it remains sturdy, durable, and comfortable. Its smooth plastic-and-steel construction is both simple and functional, avoiding the fabric and crevices that trap grime and crumbs in other models. While the Antilop can accommodate slightly larger children compared to some competitors, it may not be suitable for use as they enter preschool. Assembly is straightforward, but removing and reattaching the tray can be somewhat cumbersome. Although priced very competitively, the chair must be purchased in person at IKEA or with an additional shipping fee.
Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair
A high chair you’ll keep around
This wooden chair is more challenging to clean and significantly pricier than our top choice. However, it is designed to grow with a child and is particularly well-suited for preschoolers.
If you’re looking for a high chair that seamlessly integrates with adult furniture and can accommodate your child from 6 months through childhood and beyond, we recommend the Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair. This 15.5-pound chair is notably more expensive and complex than our top pick—the base model requires additional purchases for infant use and involves some effort to assemble and adjust. However, it is significantly easier for older children to climb into independently. Additionally, it boasts a stylish design that might make it a lasting piece in your home, and if you decide to part with it, it should be easy to sell secondhand.
Phil&teds Lobster Clip-On Highchair
A clip-on chair for travel
This foldable clip-on chair is compact enough to fit in a suitcase and robust enough to attach securely to a picnic table. Additionally, the cloth cover zips off for relatively easy cleaning.
The Phil&teds Lobster Clip-On Highchair is compact and lightweight, weighing around 4 pounds, making it simple to fold up and pack into a suitcase or even fit into a diaper bag when traveling. Despite its small size, it is sturdy enough to provide a secure seating option at restaurants, regardless of the table construction it attaches to.
How we picked
Our research and interviews led us to determine that an ideal high chair should possess several key attributes:
- Safe and stable: A high chair should be completely stable and not feel wobbly. Some models feature a three-point safety harness, securing the child around the legs and waist, while others are equipped with a five-point harness that includes additional shoulder straps for extra security.
- Simple to clean: Ease of cleaning is often the key factor that determines whether people love or hate a high chair. Young children can be quite messy, spreading sticky puree all over and toddlers frequently overturn bowls of Cheerios and milk. A high chair can become a major frustration if it has numerous crevices where crumbs can accumulate, spaces under the seat where liquids might pool unnoticed, or a seat cover that isn’t machine washable after a diaper leak.
- Compact and manageable: For those with limited space, a high chair with a compact footprint is especially beneficial. A chair that can be easily folded or disassembled for long-term storage is also advantageous. Additionally, a high chair that’s simple to pack into a car or suitcase for travel can be a valuable feature for families on the go.
- Designed to make meals easier and more pleasant: An excellent high chair should be reasonably straightforward to use. Despite their size, some designs can be easy to trip over. The seat should be comfortable enough to keep a baby content during mealtime. Ideally, the chair should also be visually appealing and not detract from your home’s decor.
Our pick: IKEA Antilop
The IKEA Antilop features a smooth, rounded plastic seat and tray. It stands out as easier to clean, more user-friendly, and more affordable than any other high chair we evaluated.
Despite its lightweight design, this model is robust and its neutral white-and-silver color scheme with clean lines fits well with almost any decor. It stacks easily when the tray is removed, making it ideal for parents with twins or closely spaced children, and convenient for use in daycares. The chair is also easy to disassemble for storage or travel. While the Antilop lacks some of the extra features commonly found in high chairs, such as adjustable height settings or a reclining seat back, we still favored it over nearly all other models.
It’s the simplest to clean. The Antilop high chair is made from a single piece of plastic, eliminating hard-to-reach areas where liquids could accumulate, and it lacks crevices, cracks, or seams where grime might collect.
The attached tray is user-friendly and typically stays securely in place, which simplifies the process of starting mealtimes and helps minimize clutter in the kitchen and dining areas. Its 1-centimeter raised edge helps contain many spills, though it doesn’t catch everything. However, when it’s necessary to remove the tray, it can be somewhat cumbersome.
Weighing just 7.9 pounds, the chair is both lightweight and sturdy, with a straightforward design. When the tray is taken off, it stacks easily for convenient storage. Assembly is quick and simple, taking us just two minutes—just slide the legs into place and attach the tray. The Antilop chair features a compact 22-by-24-inch footprint and a three-point safety harness, which avoids the messiness of shoulder straps.
Upgrade pick: Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair
Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair
A high chair you’ll keep around
This wooden chair is more challenging to clean and significantly pricier than our top choice. However, it is designed to grow with a child and is particularly well-suited for preschoolers.
The solid-beech Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair is the only high chair we evaluated that offers genuine comfort and ease of use for both infants and preschoolers. It allows older children to climb into the chair independently, making it a versatile choice for various stages of growth.
Cleaning the chair is fairly straightforward. The Baby Set attachment, which is easy to secure, is dishwasher-safe for effortless cleanup. Removing the safety harness requires a screwdriver, and accessing the screw is challenging without removing the seat, which makes keeping it grime-free a bit of a task. Despite this, during our tests, the safety straps and buckle cleaned up well, with all stickiness and stains coming off easily.
Also great: Phil&teds Lobster Clip-On Highchair
Phil&teds Lobster Clip-On Highchair
A clip-on chair for travel
This foldable clip-on chair is compact enough to fit in a suitcase and robust enough to attach securely to a picnic table. Additionally, the cloth cover zips off for relatively easy cleaning.
If you need a high chair that’s compact enough to fit in a suitcase or even a diaper bag, the Phil&teds Lobster Clip-On Highchair is the top pick. Weighing around 4 pounds and smaller than a MacBook Air, it attaches to a wider range of tables more easily than most other chairs of its kind.
It’s highly portable, folding down to a compact size that’s easy to carry. Since it clamps directly to the table and lacks its own footprint, it fits effortlessly into small spaces where standalone high chairs would be too bulky.
It’s compatible with a wider range of tables than other models we tested. The Lobster chair operates like typical clip-on chairs, with arms that slot onto the table and a tension rod to secure the clamps. What sets it apart is its ability to fit tables ranging from 0.8 to 3.75 inches thick, accommodating a broader range than similar chairs.
It features a washable cover for easy maintenance. While the chair arrives fully assembled, you’ll need an Allen wrench to detach some parts if you want to remove the fabric cover for washing. The cover zips off by sliding it over several panels, and the padded shoulder straps are also removable for cleaning.
