The 9 Best High Chairs for Babies and Toddlers, According to Testers and Safety Experts

reviewed mark Medically Reviewed by Gina Posner, M.D., F.A.A.P.  | May 23, 2024
best high chairs

QUICK SUMMARY

The best high chair overall is the Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair, according to testers from the What to Expect staff and user community. A great basic high chair is the Ikea Antilop. When choosing a high chair, experts and moms say the most important factors to consider are durability, longevity and ease of cleaning.

High chairs are not a main priority when your little one is a newborn. At this stage, whether you’re bottle feeding or breastfeeding, your baby will be in your arms. But once you start introducing purees and small bites — something the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends doing around 6 months of age — your baby will need a high chair. By then, a high chair will become one of your most-frequently-used pieces of baby gear, and will remain in heavy rotation through the first year and beyond.

In other words, this is a new-baby purchase that’s worth some thought. Especially because, in my experience as a mom of two, a high chair is highly personal. You don’t have to spend a lot of money (in fact, some of the best high chairs are under $100!), but you should think about what makes sense for your family: How much space do you have in your kitchen? Do you envision folding up a high chair when it’s not in use? How important is ease of cleaning to you? What style of chair do you prefer? After all, this is essentially another piece of furniture that you’re going to look at daily — you don’t want to hate it!

How we chose the best high chairs

We reviewed and selected high chairs based on the following criteria from leading experts, as well as What to Expect community members:

  • Safety features: High chairs should have either a three-, four- or five-point harness to keep baby strapped in safely while eating, though it’s worth noting that a five-point harness is always the most secure option. All of the high chairs on this list meet that criteria and have added features to keep them secure and supportive, like wide legs to prevent falling over.
  • Longevity: Transitional or convertible high chair have become increasingly popular over the last few years, and with good reason: These products can often see you all the way through the toddler years, since they function much like a plastic or metal frame high chair, then fold up into a booster when your baby gets a bit older. Some even turn into regular dining or play chairs after that. We’ve included a number of high chairs that have multiple modes of use and higher weight limits: All of the chairs on this list have a maximum weight of at least 30 pounds, which most children reach sometime between ages 3 and 4, though many of the chairs we’ve reviewed have even higher weight limits.
  • Ease of cleaning: There are bound to be spills, splatters and crumbs. All of the high chairs on this list either have removable parts (such as a removable tray or insert, or machine-washable padding and straps) or easy-wipe materials to make cleaning easier. But it’s worth noting that any high chair with a fabric seat or padding is going to be more frustrating to keep clean. Even if the padding is removable and machine-washable, for example, it won’t be as easy to wipe down as a plastic or wooden chair with a smooth surface. Same goes for foldable high chairs: As convenient as these can be, especially for travel or apartment living, food just has a way of getting into nooks and crannies, which there are more of on foldable chairs. We still featured foldable models and high chairs with padding because many parents want those features. But if ease of cleaning is a priority, we recommend opting for one of the chairs with a minimalist design and less padding.

Why Trust Us?

What to Expect is the world’s most trusted pregnancy and parenting brand for a reason. Our product recommendations are based on expert parent insight, advice from medical professionals and feedback from the millions of parents and parents-to-be in our community. Our editors adhere to the highest research and reporting standards and our team of vetted OB/GYNs, pediatricians and other health professionals ensure our recommended products are safe and effective for you and your baby.

Best Overall High Chair

Chicco Polly

best high chairs chicco polly
Buying Options
Pros
  • Easy and compact fold
  • Higher than average weight limit
  • Can be used as a newborn seat
Cons
  • Tray is too large for some dishwashers
  • Heavy
Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

The Chicco folds down to a compact 11 inches and can be wheeled into a closet when not in use, making it perfect for homes where space is at a premium. When it’s mealtime, the extra large tray offers enough coverage to catch all the spills and crumbs baby drops.

This is a basic high chair at a reasonable mid-range price point, but it’s not an eyesore. What to Expect parents appreciate that it can be used as a newborn lounger, a feature not all high chairs offer. And although padded, the seat is also easy to wipe clean.

The downsides? The tray is so large that it won’t fit into some smaller dishwashers. At over 23 pounds, it’s also one of the heaviest high chairs on this list, so while it’s very easy to fold, you may not be thrilled about lugging it around from room to room.

Weight Limit: Up to 40 lbs.

Product Weight: 23.2 lbs.

Product Dimensions: ‎33 x 21.5 x 41 inches

Foldable: Yes

Tray Included: Yes

Community Reviews
  • “I've used my Chicco Polly with both of mine and it's been great.”

  • “This is the one we have. We live in an NYC apartment so space is limited!”

Best Basic High Chair

Ikea Antilop

best high chairs ikea
Buying Options
Pros
  • Affordable
  • Easy to clean
  • Lightweight
  • Easy to carry from room to room
Cons
  • No footrest
  • Not foldable
Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

Sometimes basic is best. In fact, few high chairs have garnered as much praise in our What to Expect community as the Ikea Antilop chair. This simple high chair is made of lightweight polypropylene with steel legs and is shockingly durable, blissfully easy to clean and not an eyesore. All that, and it’s only $30. (Or $22, if you buy without  the tray.)

A no-frills option, for sure, but one that many parents rave about. Why? This plastic and steel high chair doesn’t have any fabric or crevices to contend with, so cleaning is a breeze. It’s also plenty comfortable for baby; there’s ample room to enjoy a meal or even do an arts and crafts project once your child gets a bit older. Although it may not fold flat for daily storage, it’s easy enough to take apart, should you want to stash it out of the way occasionally.

Countless experienced parents — myself included — will tell you they originally purchased a pricier high chair only to have buyer’s regret and wish they’d simply gotten this Ikea chair. With my first child, I made the mistake of purchasing a high chair that was on sale without really researching it or reading reviews. Turns out, the footprint was far too wide for my small apartment and it was painfully annoying to clean. When I found out I was pregnant with my second child, one of the few things I purchased was this high chair.

I’ve often told people that it’s the best $30 I’ve ever spent: Cleaning a high chair is never fun, but the Antilop’s smooth surfaces are manageable to wipe down, even after a very messy meal. While not quite as stylish as a Stokke chair, for example, it has a minimalist design and blends into a room. It also has a relatively small footprint, something I appreciated while living in an apartment.

"The Ikea high chair is by far the best deal price-wise," says Olivia DeLong, mom of a 3-year-old. "It’s super easy to clean because you just wipe it down with soap and water. it’s also not super large, so it doesn’t take up much room."

In my opinion, there are only two things holding the Ikea Antilop back from being the best high chair on the market: The three-point harness is adequate but not as secure as a five-point harness, and there’s no footrest, though many parents say they’ve been able to purchase one separately from other brands.

Weight Limit: Up to 33 lbs.

Product Weight: Not listed

Product Dimensions: 22 x 24 3/8 x 35 3/8 inches

Foldable: No

Tray Included: Yes

Community Reviews
  • Yes! The IKEA one is life. So easy to clean. We even bought extras to leave at grandparents’ houses.

  • “I bought one at Ikea and I've used it for three kids. Finally time to get a new one for this baby, and next time we go to Ikea I'll pick one up. Seriously got my money’s worth. You can wipe down the entire thing so nothing gets stuck in the cracks forever. I've even taken it on trips since it breaks down into pieces.”

  • “Third time mom here. IKEA high chair is everything. It’s so easy to keep clean, easy to transport, etc. Way better than anything we tried with our first!”

Best Splurge High Chair

Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair

best high chair stokke tripp trapp
Pros
  • Beautiful wooden design
  • Can be used for many years
  • Easy to clean
  • Available in many colors
  • Very high weight limit
Cons
  • Expensive
  • Tray sold separately
Why We
Love it
Video
Reviews
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

Wooden high chairs are a classic option, as the understated finishes and clean lines fit right into most homes. And no wooden high chair is as popular as the Stokke Tripp Trapp.

“My daughter has been using this high chair for more than a year, and it’s been a worthwhile investment,” says Leah Rocketto, What to Expect’s associate commerce editor. “It checks all the boxes: It’s safe, easy to clean, nice to look at and can be used for years, which really stretches the dollar.” 

Though it’s undoubtedly pricey, as Leah notes the Tripp Trapp can be used starting at 6 months old (even earlier if you buy the newborn set), and becomes an actual chair for your tot once she joins you at your dining table. Even adults can sit on it, as it has an impressive 300 pound weight limit. Many What to Expect parents say their children were able to sit in this seat through the toddler years and beyond, and because it’s so well-made, many families use it for subsequent children, too. 

"We love the fact that this chair truly grows with our child," says What to Expect Senior Art Director Alexandra Bisono. "She’s been using it since 6 months old and now at 2.5 years she loves to get in and out of the chair independently."

It looks simple, but it’s also very easy to adjust: The footplate and seat can both be adjusted to ensure your little one has enough foot and back support. Leah felt this was helpful in getting her daughter to willingly sit in the Tripp Trapp. “She’s always had plenty of leg room and been positioned in a way that’s comfortable, so she fusses much less than when we put her in other seats,” Leah says. 

Parents, including Leah and Alexandra, also rave about how easy this high chair is to clean. Most of the surfaces are flat and easy to wipe down, and there are minimal nooks and crannies, which means food is less likely to accumulate in hidden corners.

The Tripp Trapp doesn’t come with a tray (although you can buy a tray separately), but the sleek silhouette (which was designed by Peter Opsvik in 1972) will look great with your furniture. If aesthetic is top of mind for you, this is one of the most sophisticated high chairs on the market. Choose from several colors, like natural, aqua blue, black and red.

Weight Limit: Up to 300 lbs.

Product Weight: 15.43 lbs.

Product Dimensions: 18 x 18 x 31 inches

Foldable: No

Tray Included: No

See our full Tripp Trapp review.

Video Reviews
Community Reviews
  • “This chair is sleek, chic and comes in a variety of colors. When our daughter was just about to turn 1 we removed the tray and now she just sits in her Stokke at the table with us. It’s wonderful for socializing with family around mealtimes that way.”

  • “Stokke Tripp Trapp, hands down! You can use it for so many years. It looks beautiful and is of superb quality! My 3-year-old still uses his.”

  • “Stokke Tripp Trapp! We love it for our first and planning to get another for this peanut! All wood, so very easy to wipe down!”

Best Affordable High Chair

Cosco Simple Fold High Chair

best high chairs cosco
Buying Options
Pros
  • Affordable
  • Lightweight
  • Easier fabric to clean than some others
  • Easy to fold
Cons
  • Tray can be a little tricky to get on and off
Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

The Cosco Simple Fold High Chair is proof that you don't need to spend a ton of money to get a quality high chair. Although it doesn’t deliver the sleek aesthetic or high-tech features that some other chairs on this list do, the Cosco Simple Fold delivers on value and performance.

I purchased this high chair for my kids to use at my mother’s house, and every time I’d visit, I’d wonder why I hadn’t just bought it for my own home. True to its name, the Cosco Simple Fold collapses flat (and does so easily!) for storage but has a wide base that feels strong and sturdy. Although the padding isn’t quite as easy to clean as a plastic chair, it does wipe down easily. 

"It's easy to assemble and fold," says Melissa Bykofsky, Executive Editor, who uses this high chair at her in-laws' house for her 2.5-year-old son. "We mostly switched to a booster seat now, but when the whole family is there and we run out of seats at the table, this chair still fits him very nicely." 

Since the entire chair weighs less than 15 pounds, it's easy to move around if needed. Because it’s so lightweight and foldable, a number of What to Expect parents say they’ve even been able to take it on road trips. Also impressive, given its lower price: It has a weight limit up to 50 pounds, one of the highest on this list. My only criticism of this high chair is that the tray can sometimes be a little tricky to click back into the chair after you’ve removed it for cleaning.

Weight Limit: Up to 50 lbs.

Product Weight: 11.88 lbs.

Product Dimensions:25.3 x 18.3 x 6.1 inches

Foldable: Yes

Tray Included: Yes

Community Reviews
  • “We have the Cosco Simple Fold high chair and it's easy to clean, lightweight and can be folded down like a small, flat, lawn chair when you need to store it. The first time we used it and my son got spaghetti all over the back, I thought we were doomed! But I used a hot washcloth and scrub back-and-forth and it came right out.”

  • “The other day, I was at my MIL's house (she babysits my nieces and nephews in her home daycare) and she whipped out a high chair seemingly from nowhere, and set it up with one hand like it was nothing. I was like ‘Woah, I need me one of those! and before I'd finished my sentence, she ordered it from Amazon for me. It’s the Cosco Simple Fold High Chair.”

  • “It folds up small, is easy to take places and is easy to clean. DD is not a small girl, and used it up until last month (she'll be 2). One of our very best purchases.”

Best Transitional High Chair

Maxi-Cosi 6-in-1 Minla High Chair

best high chairs maxi cosi minla
Buying Options
Pros
  • Can be used for a long time
  • Foldable
  • High weight limit
Cons
  • Not the easiest high chair to clean
Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

Many of the best high chairs have three or even four modes, but the Maxi-Cosi 6-in-1 Minla High Chair boasts an impressive six seating positions. You can start using this high chair as a newborn lounger, then transition it to a standard high chair once your child starts solids.

"My daughter started sitting in the high chair at 2 months old when we wanted her to be with us at dinner," says Grace Pan, Product Designer, mom of a 7-month-old. "It reclines easily with one hand."

As your little one grows, it can convert to a booster seat (with or without a tray) and eventually to one of two chair options. The upper weight limit is 50 pounds, which many kids don’t reach until they turn six, so you can get a lot of use out of it.

What to Expect community members appreciate how many ways there are to use this high chair, as well as how easy it is to adjustL There are four tray positions and nine height options. Best yet, the whole chair folds down easily so you can store it when it’s not in use.

The Minla feels well-made and comfortable, parents say. While it’s not the easiest high chair to clean on this list, the zip-off seat pad can be removed to put in the laundry and the removable tray is dishwasher-safe.

Weight Limit: Up to 50 lbs.

Product Weight: 20 pounds

Product Dimensions: ‎36.4 x 22.3 x 13 inches

Foldable: Yes

Tray Included: Yes

Community Reviews
  • “We just got the Maxi-Cosi Minla. We live in a condo so wanted something that our babe can grow in but also stow away.”

  • “I love my high chair. It’s 6 in 1. My son is only 10 weeks, but it reclines all the way back and I lay him in it while we eat so he can be by us. It eventually converts to a toddler booster. Plus, it looks really nice!”

  • “I’m going with this, quite pricey but so many [seating] options!”

Best High Chair for Small Spaces

Fisher-Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat

best high chairs fisher-price
Pros
  • Lightweight
  • Attaches to any dining chair
  • Easy to use
  • High weight limit
Cons
  • Not as easy to clean as some other chairs
Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

If you live in a small space, you may be dreading the idea of having a large high chair permanently set up in your kitchen once your baby starts solids. You do, however, have another option: A booster feeding chair such as the Fisher-Price Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat. (A bit confusingly, this product is called a “booster seat,” a term that often refers to a chair designed for toddlers, but this seat is appropriate for 4 month olds and up.)

This seat straps onto one of your existing dining chairs and comes with a dishwasher-safe feeding tray. It has all the features you want in a high chair, such as a three-point harness, height adjustments and removable tray with insert. It also folds up for easy storage and is light enough to take with you on the go — it weighs just 6 pounds.

“We bought the Fisher-Price booster seat to keep at my mom’s house and it’s worked perfectly,” says Leah. “It’s super compact so not only does it fit on most chairs, but it takes up little storage space when we’re not using it.” Leah also appreciates that the harness is large and easy to operate, as her mom has arthritis and struggles to use other buckles. 

You can use it with the tray when your little one is still learning how to feed herself, and once she’s old enough, you can remove the tray and pull her right up to the family table. The upper weight limit is on the high end (it can hold children up to 50 pounds), so kids can use it into toddlerhood.

Weight Limit: Up to 50 lbs.

Product Weight: 6 lbs.

Product Dimensions: 13.19 x 15.75 x 19.29 inches

Foldable: Yes

Tray Included: Yes

Community Reviews
  • “We have the Fisher-Price Healthy Care booster seat. I love it because the entire thing can be put in the dishwasher. It also takes up no more space than a kitchen chair. We’ve been using it since LO was able to sit independently at 6 months.”

  • “For our first child, we bought an expensive, fancy high chair and then we were gifted the Fisher-Price compact high chair that attaches to our dining room chairs. Guess what one we have used every day for the last 2 years?!”

  • “The Fisher-Price booster is fantastic. We love it so much we have two, one for each kid (my daughter is 4 and we take it to restaurants. She's very comfortable in it, as is [my] baby.”

Best High Chair for Travel

Phil & Teds Lobster Clip-On High Chair

best high chairs phil and teds lobster
Buying Options
Pros
  • Great for travel
  • Lightweight
  • High maximum weight for a clip-on chair
Cons
  • Doesn’t work on every table
Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

While the AAP says that a clip-on high chair is “not a good substitute” for a freestanding one, this style can still be a good option for occasional use and travel. The popular Phil & Teds Lobster chair was cleverly designed with travel in mind: It comes with a travel bag and weighs just 3.8 pounds, so it’s easy to take with you on the go.

The Lobster has aluminum clamps with non-slip grip pads that lock onto tables between .0 and 3.75 inches thick. The seat fabric seat has a four-point harness and can hold little ones up to 37 pounds. Parents appreciate how lightweight and portable the seat is, and say it’s easy to set up and fold back down into the travel bag.

The one downside is that this chair doesn’t have a universal fit. It tends to work very well at most restaurant and picnic tables, parents report, but the clamps can sometimes be too narrow for thicker dining tables. So if you plan on using this chair often at the same place (Grandma’s house, for example), it’s worth checking the table measurements ahead of time.

Remember to keep safety in mind when using a clip-on high chair: Always use a model (like this one) that securely locks onto the table, and make sure the table is heavy enough to support your child’s weight. Your child also shouldn’t be able to push against any table supports when sitting in the chair, since this could dislodge the seat.

Weight Limit: Up to 37 lbs.

Product Weight: 3.8 lbs.

Product Dimensions: 13.39 x 13.78 x 3.15 inches

Foldable: Yes

Tray Included: Yes

Community Reviews
  • “I have the Phil & Teds Lobster one and love it. We brought it on holidays with us and it's gone great. It weighs about 3 pounds I think and it just hooks onto the table. We throw it into the bottom of the pram.”

  • “The Phil & Teds Lobster chair is great, if it works with the table you'll be at. It was recommended to us by friends who used one for years and two kids. We've used it a couple of times and LO loves it.”

  • “We also have a Phil & Teds Lobster and I absolutely love it. We use it when we go out to eat at restaurants but have found it doesn't fit on most dining room tables because of the way it clamps.”

Best Easy-to-Clean High Chair

Lalo the Chair

best high chairs lalo the chair
Buying Options
Pros
  • Stylish
  • Easy to clean
  • Lightweight
  • Converts to a booster and play chair
Cons
  • Footrest is initially low for some babies
  • Conversion kit sold separately
Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

If you love minimalist Scandi-inspired design, you’ll swoon over this chic and modern high chair, available in five pretty neutrals. At just 10 pounds, you’ll have no trouble maneuvering it around the room. Mealtime is a breeze, too. The comfortable cushion is water-repellant, stain-resistant and dishwasher-safe; the tray is detachable and dishwasher-safe; and the sleek, no-crevice design is effortless to wipe down. A bonus: When baby no longer needs a high chair on the regular, it collapses down to a toddler play chair.

Lalo also sells a number of accessories designed to work with this high chair or separately. The “splat mat”, a vegan leather mat to catch food spills and make it easier to clean your floor, is especially popular.

Though this is overall a stellar high chair, some parents do have a few criticisms. A few What to Expect parents found that their little ones initially struggled to reach the footrest. It’s also frustrating that the conversion kit isn’t included, since this adds to the overall cost (though this does give you the option to stick to the more basic version if you’d prefer). The booster conversion kit and play legs are sold separately, and you’ll need those to use the chair in its additional modes.

Weight Limit: Up to 30 lbs.

Product Weight: 10 lbs.

Product Dimensions: 24.5 x 24.5 x 33 inches

Foldable: No

Tray Included: Yes

Community Reviews
  • “It’s sleek, easy to clean and converts to a toddler chair so we will be able to use this for a few years.”

  • “We have the Lalo and love it. It’s cute and not bulky. Not huge and don’t take up much space. My toddler now sits in it at the table like a chair and loves it.”

  • “I love ours! Doesn’t take up too much space and the straps are really nice. I also got the small legs to make it a mini chair once she outgrows the high chair aspect.”

Best Luxury High Chair

4moms Connect High Chair

best high chairs 4moms connect
Buying Options
Pros
  • Sleek look
  • Easy to adjust and clean
  • Sturdy
  • High weight limit
Cons
  • Some moms say babies are able to kick off the tray
Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

Like the Stokke Tripp Trapp, the 4moms Connect is one of the pricier high chairs on the market at $300. But it offers a number of compelling features that many parents say justify this higher price. 

For starters, it has one of the highest weight limits on this list, and can accommodate children up to 60 pounds. There are three adjustable height positions and it can transition into a toddler seat once your child no longer needs a tray. It also reclines to support a newborn, which can be appealing for families who’d like another lounge seat for their baby. (The reclining feature should no longer be used once your child is old enough to start solids; at that point, she should be sitting upright to prevent choking.)

The design is sleek and it’s very easy to clean, parents say. Everything is relatively easy to wipe down, the plastic insert is removable and the tray liner is dishwasher-safe. 

Parents also rave about how easy the magnetic tray is to get on and off with one hand — a nice feature, since many high chair trays can be finicky to slide back in.There is one downside to this: Some What to Expect parents say their babies have managed to kick the magnetic tray off from time to time, so you’ll want to make sure you’ve attached it securely and, as always, supervise little ones closely during mealtime.

Weight Limit: Up to 60 lbs.

Product Weight: 18 lbs.

Product Dimensions: ‎27.84 x 20.41 x 37.21 inches

Foldable: No

Tray Included: Yes

Community Reviews
  • “We got the 4moms high chair and loved it. It is still in great condition and will be used for our second. Super easy to clean, easy to remove/clean tray and lightweight.”

  • “I have the 4moms one and I’ve been really happy with it! I’ve been using it since my son was about 5 months old and he’s now 16 months. It’s easy to clean, my son likes it and it’s stylish. The tray, which is magnetic, goes on and off really easily so you can just use one hand to remove it.”

  • “I have the 4moms Connect high chair for my first. We love it and he still fits in it! He will be 4 next month and weighs 45 lbs. I love how easy it is to clean since there is no fabric and the size really grows with them.”

Our Research

We referenced information from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and spoke to Brittany Ferri, an occupational therapist based in Rochester, New York, for more information about high chair features and safety.

We spoke to What to Expect staff members, including:

  • Leah Rocketto, Associate Commerce Editor, mom of an 18-month-old
  • Olivia DeLong, Senior Editor, mom of a 3-year-old
  • Alexandra Bisono, Senior Art Director, mom of a 2.5-year-old
  • Melissa Bykofsky, Executive Editor, mom of a 2-year-old
  • Grace Pan, Product Designer, mom of a 7-month-old

As a mom of two and former parenting editor, I’ve also included my experience from testing some of the high chairs on this list.

Finally, we canvassed the What to Expect community boards to learn which high chairs were comfortable and supportive for their babies to sit in, made of durable and sturdy materials, and easy to clean.

FAQs

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), most babies are ready for solid foods (and therefore ready to sit in a high chair to eat) sometime between 4 and 6 months. Your baby should be able to sit up alone or with support and have adequate head and neck control. Other signs your little one is ready: She’s able to open her mouth when food is offered, she can swallow it (rather than push it out), she can transfer food from the front to the back of the tongue and she can bring objects to her mouth. 

 

Children should stop using a high chair once they meet the maximum weight or height limit, whichever comes first. (Most high chairs only list a weight limit, which is usually somewhere around 30 to 45 pounds.) That said, some children will be ready to graduate from a high chair to a booster seat, or simply start sitting in a regular chair, before they reach the maximum weight limit on your high chair. 

 

This depends in part on what kind of high chair you get. Some high chairs are convertible, meaning they can see you all the way through the toddler years. They function much like a plastic or metal frame high chair, then fold up into a booster seat when your child gets a bit older. Some even turn into regular dining chairs after that.

If your high chair isn’t convertible, you might choose to switch to a booster seat once your baby reaches the maximum weight limit on your current chair. Booster seats are designed for toddlers and strap onto one of your existing dining chairs. These chairs typically come with removable lap trays so that when your child is ready, she can pull right up to the family table.

 

Generally, most high chair manufacturers recommend using a wet sponge and dish soap to wipe down the surfaces of the seat and tray. Harness straps, cushions and fabric inserts can usually be removed for further cleaning, and these are often machine-washable (though check to be sure). When you remove the cushions or straps, make sure to clean any food that’s accumulated in cracks and crevices. 

Many high chair trays are also removable and dishwasher-safe, which can make it easier to thoroughly clean them at the end of the day.

 

Your baby's high chair should be a safe place for her to explore food in all its textured, tasty glory. So you can focus on the food and not any scary incidents, experts, as well as the AAP, give the following advice:

  • Never leave your baby unattended in the chair. This should be a given, but baby might topple the chair or choke if eating while not supervised.
  • Always make sure baby is buckled up. Just attaching the lap table is not enough to make sure your little one is secure. Your high chair should have, at the minimum, a T-style strap that goes across baby’s lap, through her legs and connects in the middle for a snug, secure fit. 
  • Make sure your chair is a safe distance from the table or other edges. Babies love to stretch their legs and push, and that could mean an unexpected fall.
  • Look for a chair that doesn’t tip over easily. You want to ensure that, even as baby gets bigger and more boisterous, she won’t be able to topple the chair.
  • Always follow height and weight guidelines. They’re set for a reason, and following them will ensure your baby is sitting safely.
  • Make sure any casters or wheels lock. You want to make sure your baby doesn’t go for any strolls without you.
  • Be super careful when folding and unfolding your chair. “Safety features such as locks will ensure they stay in place when assembled,” says Brittany Ferri, an occupational therapist based in Rochester, NY. And make sure baby is at a safe distance while you’re folding it back up. You don’t want little fingers or toes to get caught in hinges or locks.
  • If you’re using a portable chair, make sure your table can support it. Check to verify that any table you’re clipping a portable chair to can support the weight of the seat — and baby — before securely attaching the chair.