I recall being mid-mouthful during a bowl of steamed rice when my baby gave me the look. The ravenous, accusatory glare that communicated so clearly that which he could not yet convey with words:
“Where’s mine?”
Whether your baby has recently taken notice of the fact that adults chew and consume food, or they are reaching the age around 6 months and it’s time for them to start trying soft solids, you’ll want to set a positive tone for a lifetime of enjoyable mealtimes. One of the best places to start is finding the right high chair for your little one’s first experiences and attempts at eating solid food.
A high chair is more than just a seat for your baby—it’s their gateway to family life at the table. Eating together at mealtimes, especially when baby is just starting to eat solids, is a great way to help your baby feel connected to the family and start healthy eating habits. Plus, there’s research to support the physical and mental health benefits for children when they eat meals together as a family. Make the most of these magical mealtimes by choosing the high chair that best suits your family’s lifestyle.
How to Know if Your Baby is Ready for a High Chair
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants double their birthweight before starting solid foods. This usually occurs sometime between 4-6 months. Although every high chair manufacturer will have their own recommendations, 6 months is the general consensus for when babies are strong enough to sit on their own in a high chair.
What to Look for in a Baby High Chair
Before buying a high chair, be sure to review the American Academy of Pediatrics Safety Tips for high chairs. Look for one that’s sturdy and secure and never leave your baby unattended in one. Beyond that, there are a variety of features to be found in high chairs, and you can pick the ones of most value to your dining space, your baby’s needs and your budget. Some key features include:
- Freestanding vs. Hook-On Chairs. The typical high chair stands on its own, but if you have minimal dining space to work with, you may want to consider a chair that hooks onto a table or counter. Some seats also hook onto the top of adult dining chairs to save some room.
- Tray removal. Because you’ll be taking your baby in and out of their high chair for a long time, I guarantee you will develop a love/hate relationship with the high chair’s tray. Check for trays that are dishwasher-safe, removable, or easy to adjust and save yourself some heartache.
- Machine-washable padding. Things are going to be messy when it comes to your little one’s first meals, and many high chair manufacturers have graciously offered solutions for cleaning off food. Some offer easy-to-remove padding to easily whip off the seat cover and throw into the wash, so keep an eye out for that handy feature.
- Storage capability. If you want to avoid tripping over your high chair or simply want it out of the way when not eating, consider a high chair model that folds up. Many companies offer chairs with compact designs that can fit into a pantry easily.
Interested in a chair that can change along with your growing baby? Several high chairs convert to booster and toddler seats with different methods and designs. If you’re paying for a more expensive seat, checking to see if it can convert to toddler seating is a good way to ensure you’re getting the most out of your investment.
Truly Mama’s Picks for Best Baby Highchairs
Best High Chairs for Small Spaces
Ikea ANTILOP High Chair with Tray
Beloved by families around the world, Ikea offers a minimalistic take on the high chair in both price and function. If the Ikea name alarms you with its “assembly required” reputation, fear not: this model is a breeze to break down and put back together. The sleek design of the ANTILOP high chair looks great in any dining space, and is a breeze to clean up after a messy lunch.
- Weight limit: 33 pounds
- 22” x 22” x 34”
Simple and perfect. Easy to install and easy to clean. Great price and way better than some $100+ ones that are out there.”—Ikea review
Cons: Large space between tray and baby, padded cushions sold separately
Graco Slim Snacker High Chair
The Graco Slim Snacker is designed to be sleek and intruding while offering all of the usual high chair features. At an extremely affordable price point, it’s hard to go wrong with this basic chair. It even has a storage basket—finally, a place to put those bibs!
- Mesh storage basket
- Dimensions: 24 x 35.5 x 40.8 inches
- Weight limit: 40 pounds
“Very easy to assemble and the tray easily snaps in and out. Would recommend to anyone who needs a high chair.”—Amazon review
Cons: Difficult to remove seat cover for cleaning; tray can be difficult to clean
FisherPrice SpaceSaver
Wondering how you’ll fit a high chair into your small-space dining area? The Fisher Price SpaceSaver seat offers a solution: safely buckling an infant high chair to sit atop a seat you already own. This infant seat comes with a deep-dish tray that parents love because it helps keep food in front of their baby where it belongs, and the machine washable cover is easy to remove for frequent cleaning.
- Dishwasher-safe tray
- Dimensions: 47” x 24” x 21.65“
- Weight limit: 40 pounds
“The design is far superior to other seats that strap to a full-size chair.”—Amazon review
Cons: base can be unstable when attaches to some chairs; some reviewers report issues with reclining feature
Best Convertible High Chairs
Graco DuoDiner LX High Chair
The Graco DuoDiner LX has three modes: standard high chair, booster seat with tray, and booster seat, enabling this chair to be used as your child grows ready to sit at a table with family. With an easily wipeable tray and a machine-washable seat cover, this high chair is also quick to clean up.
- 3 position reclining seat
- Dimensions: 2” x 24.5” x 43.5”
- Weight limit: 40 pounds
“Sturdy, easy to clean, wide tray so food doesn’t go all over the place.”—Amazon review
Cons: Difficult to move; difficult to remove tray
Graco Blossom 6-in-1 High Chair
While 6 different modes of conversion may sound intimidating, the Graco Blossom 6-in-1 chair offers a variety of options for your little one. The seating portion of the high chair comes off to convert to a booster and toddler seat while the legs support a seat for an older child, making it possible to seat two children at once.
- Dimensions: 41” x 22.5” x 29”
- Weight limit: 40 pounds (or 60 pounds for booster seat)
“Your child can grow with this chair. Perfect for young one starting out in a high chair for the first time.”—Amazon review
Cons: Can be bulky with wide legs
EvenFlo 4-in-1 Eat and Grow Convertible High Chair
- Adjustable height
- Dimensions: 37” x 21.75” x 24”
- Weight limit: 50 pounds
“The 4-in-1 feature is amazing! I sit on the floor a lot in my living room so I feed my 6-month-old in the chair and have my 4yo eating at the table part.”—Target review
Cons: Snapping tray causes potential punching to baby; bulky size
Best Hook-On High Chairs
Inglesina Fast Table Chair
For families who frequently travel or have minimal dining space, hook-on high chairs are a must-buy. Mealtime with baby doesn’t get much easier than the Inglesina Fast Table Chair. Simply twist on the chair, buckle in baby, and chow down. The cover comes off for easy washing after messy meals, and with no pesky legs to trip over like a traditional high chair, navigating mealtimes just got a lot easier.
- Removable washable cover
- Dimensions: 14” x 17” x 11”
- Weight limit: 37 pounds
“So convenient and takes up so much less room than a highchair! Very secure when attached to the table properly and the removable cover is wonderful so it can be washed!”—Amazon review
Cons: Gap between chair and baby that collects food, buckles can be difficult to adjust
Chicco QuickSeat Hook On Chair
Featuring an easy-to-snap-on tray, the Chicco Quickseat Hook On Chair offers a clean solution to the tabletop mess for hook on chairs. The tray is easy to remove and adjust, keeping all baby’s food in one place whether you’re on-the-go or at home. The Quickseat easily cinches onto a table with a single pull of a strap as opposed to twisting knobs to fasten the seat to the table like the Inglesina model.
- Removable washable cover
- Dimensions: 24” x 14.5” x 6 “
- Weight Limit: 37 pounds
“This chair is EASY. It takes legit 10 seconds max to install super securely.”—Amazon review
Cons: Difficult to clean, difficult to remove cover
Best Wooden High Chairs
Abiie Beyond Wooden High Chair
Wooden high chairs are definitely an investment, but the Abiie Beyond High Chair definitely delivers on expectations. It adjusts from a high chair to an adult chair in seconds, giving the high chair some usefulness while baby isn’t eating or sitting in it. The footrest lets baby rest his feet rather than letting them dangle on the floor, which helps promote proper posture for new eaters.
- Easy to clean straps
- Dimensions: L 21″ W 17.6″ H 34.5″
- Weight Limit: 250 pounds
“Great high chair. The adjustable footrest has helped with posture while eating.”—Amazon review
Cons: Requires assembly
Stokke Steps High Chair
The ultimate high chair your baby from birth and beyond, the Stokke Steps High Chair offers a variety of features, like a bouncer attachment for infants and adjustable steps, that promote your little one’s inclusion in mealtime for years to come. The sleek wooden frame is a dream to clean and the adjustable features make it easy to customize mealtime as your baby grows. The price, however, is steeper than most options, so be sure to do your research on this one and read Truly Mama’s full review of the Stokke Steps High Chair before buying.
- Dimensions: 24″ L x 17″ W x 28″ H
- Weight limit: 187 pounds
It works perfect with our modern decor. It even matches our dining chairs. It’s easy to use, clean and does its purpose.”—Stokke review “
Cons: Very expensive
Best Budget Highchair
Cosco Simple Fold High Chair
Simple and affordable, the Cosco Simple Fold High chair is a no-frills model that will get the job done when it comes to seating your little one for dinner. It easily folds down for storage when you aren’t using it. The adjustable tray and high weight limit ensures your little one can use this chair for mealtimes all throughout toddlerhood.
- Dimensions: 75 “(H) x 24 “(W) x 28.5 “(D)
- Weight limit: 50 pounds
“This high chair was exactly what we needed. We have a very small (tiny) house so the ease with which it folds up and stores in a corner was perfect for us.”—Target review
Cons: Cover not removable, tray can be tricky to get on and off
Best in Tray Design
Joovy Nook High Chair
The simply and beautifully designed Joovy Nook high chair features a swivel tray that parents rave about. The tray smoothly swings open and closed for swift removal of both baby and food mess. The Joovy Nook also folds down easily for convenient storage when not in use.
- 4 tray depth adjustments to keep baby closer to tray
- Dimensions: 5 x 23 x 41”
- Weight limit: 50 pounds
“I love that the main tray just swivels open instead of being fully removed so it makes getting your child in and out much easier.”—Amazon review
Cons: Cover can be difficult to wash
Baby Delight Go With Me Uplift Deluxe Portable High Chair
If you’ll be camping, having a beach day, or eating on the go, bringing along a high chair has never been easier due to the Baby Delight Go With Me Uplift Deluxe high chair. Featuring outdoor safe fabric and a sun protection canopy, this high chair will ensure your baby can hang with the family on any mealtime adventure. It also includes a convenient travel bag for easy carrying and storage.
- Offered in a variety of stylish colors
- Dimensions: 33”(H) x 22”(W) x 21.5”(D)
- Weight limit: 75 pounds
“It folds up into a nice, small, lightweight carrying bag, so it doesn’t take up much room, and it’s easy to carry.”—Amazon review
Cons: Hand wash only
Frequently Asked Questions
Are high chairs good for babies?
A high chair can be a great way to include your baby during mealtime or when they start to take solids. Babies should never be left alone in a high chair, and caregivers should review safety tips before using one.
Do babies need a footrest on their high chair?
Footrests on high chairs are meant to ensure balance as a baby develops their motor skills. Ask your pediatrician for more information on proper posture while eating.
