Consumer Editor says...
Highchairs have evolved massively since the days of metal legs and plastic trays and are now available in all sorts of fancy shapes and styles. The best models have safety, practicality and ease of use at the forefront of their designs and will provide a multitude of uses from early weaning to toddlerdom. The worst are bulky and difficult to clean with optional extras that will have you wanting to trade it in within days of bringing it home. Here's our checklist for what to look out for:
If your child is sitting up unaided and you're ready to splash out on a high chair, our parent panel reviews are essential reading. We asked six mums to test seven different high chairs over an eight week period and their parent panel reviews offer a thorough insight into the positives and negatives of each model on test.
Review highlightsOur panel found that ease of use and portability were 'the most important things to look for in a high chair'. 'A chair that clicks into place, that's easy to adjust and collapses with the flick of a button is a godsend - especially when space is an issue or you travel a lot'. 'Fidgety hooks, buttons and harnesses are an absolute no-no, your baby will be using this chair every day for the foreseeable future so smooth mechanisms are essential'. Quality was also top of the list, 'especially if you want it to last more than one child or will be using it for drawing and play activities as they get older'. Michelle found the Stokke Tripp Trapp 'unbeatable in terms of quality' - 'I have no doubt that this chair will last many years (and much abuse!) and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to my friends'. Our panel liked the idea of 'steering away from plastic, brightly coloured materials' and welcomed the Kuster and Svan high chairs into their homes. 'They look homely, modern and totally unique', 'a must-have for any parent with a hatred for pink and blue'. Our panel gave the Best Buy award to the Stokke Tripp Trapp - 'a piece of design innovation that offers a safe environment for baby without compromising on portability and style'. The Best Value award went to the Bebe Confort Omega: 'this chair suits all requirements with some fantastic features'. The parent panel reviews will give you further information on each high chair, but if you want to see how they compared under different criteria, make sure you read the Test Overview. Meet our panel of parentsThis month's panel are from Birmingham and have babies ranging from 4 - 12 months. They met each other through postnatal classes at their local doctor's surgery and meet every week for coffee and trips to the park.
The panel hard at work
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Lara
Thomas and Finn, Consumer Editor and Product Tester!
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Where to next:
- Read the test overview to find the right highchair for your baby
- Read our parent panel reviews:
- Read our features on weaning your baby
- Become a parent panel member
- Add a review and you could win a prize!
- See all our Big tests - buggies, beach pods, lightweight strollers, safety gates and lots more!
- Browse the highchairs in the babyworld shop
