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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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