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Make mealtime easier with a sturdy spot for your child to sit. Ergonomic Office Chair With Headrest
Once your baby reaches the age where they start eating pureés and solid foods, a high chair becomes a necessity. Sure, they take up some room in your home and aren’t always the most aesthetically pleasing baby item, but high chairs offer a sturdy, safe space for your little one to eat their meals (that isn’t your lap).
While safety and stability are the most important factors to consider, the best high chairs should be easy to clean as well. Babies have a tendency to leave a trail of crumbs behind and smear their food all over any surface in their vicinity, meaning their high chair is going to need a pretty thorough cleaning after each and every meal. You want an option that doesn’t have hard-to-reach nooks and crannies where old food can hide and is easy to wipe clean when you only have a few moments to spare.
With this in mind, we tested 31 high chairs in our lab and at home with our kids—and yes, things got messy. The high chairs on this list are simple to put together, sturdy, attractive, comfortable (for kids and their grownups), and not a nightmare to clean. We also spoke with several experts, including Ben Hoffman, M.D., pediatrician and nationally recognized expert in child injury prevention and education, to learn how to choose chairs that don’t pose an immediate falling risk.
With a Scandinavian chic design, the simple Stokke Clikk high chair is a minimalist parent’s dream. It features light oak wood legs and a wipeable silicone seat and checks basically all of our boxes: it’s safe, easy to use, simple to clean, and very durable. Assembly took just about six minutes in the lab with zero stress and minimal parts. The tray is removable for getting a squirming baby or hyper toddler inside, and it securely locks into place with a clicking sound. Once the straps are lined up, they’re a cinch to adjust as needed. Multiple footrest positions make it possible for both small babies and older toddlers to sit comfortably with their feet secure.
In the lab, we loved how easy this high chair was to clean. The silicone seat is smooth so you can wipe it down quickly, and while the tray is also wipeable, it can be placed in the dishwasher for a deeper clean if needed. The chair does not come with a cushion, so that’s one less thing to clean (although you can purchase one separately, and it is water-repellent and machine-washable). Since the footrest is removable, you can clean it in the sink as well. We wish the straps were removable, since they can be a little trickier to clean (our tester noted they can “get a little gunky”), but wiping them down regularly should be sufficient. A slight lip on the tray makes it harder for food to fall off and onto the floor, too. We did find, however, that water marks and soap residue can make both the tray, seat, and legs look a little worn, even after regular cleaning.
Overall, this took our top spot because we felt it was a great value for the design, sturdiness, and ease of use. As your toddler gets older, you can keep the tray off and use this as an elevated toddler chair at the table.
The chair has a very sturdy feel to it, with a wide base that keeps it from wobbling or feeling like it’s going to topple over. That said, that wide base also means it takes up a little bit of space in the room. In the lab, we tripped over the legs more than once. This may also make it less than ideal in a very small space. Still, it is super lightweight, which makes it easy to move around.
If you want something versatile that will grow with your child, then the Ergobaby Evolve is a great option. Its three-in-one design allows it to be used as a high chair, a toddler chair, and a kitchen helper (basically a safe and sturdy stool). The chair has a sleek and modern design, made of durable wood and white plastic that allows for an attractive look. Since the tray is removable, it’s very easy to get little ones in and out of the chair, and the five-point harness is easy to use and adjust as needed. Converting it from one configuration to the next is very simple, and the seat can be removed for compact folding and storage.
One of the things we appreciated the most about this high chair during testing is how easy it is to clean. “You don’t even think of it as a hurdle or chore after meals!” our tester raved about the cleaning process. You can wipe the surfaces of the seat, tray, and legs with a damp cloth, and the tray can go in the dishwasher if needed. While the footrest does collect some food, it's also removable for cleaning. We also love the light color of the wood (though it is available in darker wood tones as well) because it makes food and stains less noticeable, which is ideal over time. After months of use by our long-term tester, the only part of the chair that started to look worn was the tray.
This high chair has a really sturdy feel to it. One of our testers noted that their toddler is very active and, fortunately, isn’t easily able to push the high chair around or get it to move all over the place. That said, it’s still pretty lightweight (it weighs less than 20 pounds as a high chair) so it’s adults can move around as needed even though it doesn’t have any wheels. And, of course, it’s really versatile. While the price point is on the higher side at about $300, you can use it for years, with our tester noting, “You totally get what you pay for.” The minimalist design is an advantage as well. “It’s beautifully designed, and we enjoy having it out in our home,” our tester said. “It doesn’t feel like it adds to the baby clutter elsewhere.”
One negative thing to note? The removable tray is actually not toddler-proof, and our tester's toddler can take it off and toss it to the side. We wish it had a more efficient locking system for the tray, but otherwise, it’s a great pick.
The Stokke Steps can be used in two different ways: as a high chair for babies and as a toddler chair. One thing we love about the toddler chair option is that it has a 187-pound weight capacity, so it can even be a sufficient chair for some adults, meaning you’ll get years of use out of it.
The five-point harness is easy to use, and since the straps are hooked onto the waist buckle, you only need to clip three parts together. You also don’t need to rethread the straps to adjust it, which is a plus. The back has two different positions, with one closer to the crotch piece than the others, so it adjusts as your little one grows. As far as stability, we found this to be one of the most durable options we tried out.
Cleaning this chair is also incredibly simple. It’s essentially all wood (the only fabric is the straps), so it’s very easy to wipe down and clean off as needed. There’s no need for a dishwasher or a washing machine since there’s no tray or cushion. And after several months of daily use, one of our real-world testers noted that it “looks good as new.” Without a tray, it takes up less space than many other options; you can just push it under or against a table as you would with any other chair.
Without a tray, the chair has to be pushed up against a table, which eliminates the option to use it on its own in other rooms of the house. Keep in mind that you can purchase a tray separately for an extra fee, which only adds to the already high price point of this option. And while the price point does make it less accessible than some other high chairs, our tester called it “something of an investment,” noting that thanks to how easy it is to clean and how sturdy it feels, it’s something you’ll likely use and keep for years, as a chair for older kids or as a hand-me-down for other families.
The Munchkin 360 wins for best design because of its innovative 360 rotating seat feature: With a push of a button, the seat can swivel in whatever way you need it to, so that you can get your baby in or out or turn them without moving the entire chair (much like a rotating car seat). “The rotating feature is not something I knew I needed or wanted until I started testing this chair,” one of our testers said, adding that it’s incredibly convenient.
And if the rotating seat sounds like it might make it tough to put together, we assure you the opposite is true: Setup was easy and intuitive and it took less than two minutes to assemble when we tested it. We like that the tray easily locks into place with a soft clicking sound. However, we did find the harness a bit difficult to use, since you need to lift the straps up and over the baby’s shoulders.
This chair features a wider base with legs that spread outward, meaning it has a larger footprint than some other options out there. While this is meant to keep the chair more sturdy, one of our testers did note that it still feels a bit wobbly, although not enough to make you feel like it’s going to tip over. It’s also very easy to clean. We found that the clear plastic of the chair not only makes it easy to see where food needs to be cleaned, which you can do just by wiping it down. The tray slides off and can be placed in the dishwasher if needed. It does come with a removable cushion, but our real-world tester noted that they stopped using it. They felt it didn’t make their baby any more comfortable, and since it is not machine-washable, cleaning it is a bit more annoying than just wiping down the plastic seat.
Weighing less than 16 pounds, this is a fairly lightweight option. However, the wider legs do make it a bit clumsy to move around (which is partly why the rotating seat is such a nice plus). If you remove the tray, it becomes a toddler chair, although the maximum weight (33 pounds) is not much higher than the average 3 year old, so it’s not as versatile as some other options. Still, we felt that this was worth the price and a great value.
The Stokke Tripp Trapp is an incredibly popular option for a reason: it’s super sturdy and durable, and will last for years—the weight limit is nearly 250 pounds when used as a chair, so adults can sit in it too. This makes it a great investment piece, and it features an attractive minimalist design. It is also fairly compact compared to many other options, and without a tray, it can easily slide underneath or against a table. We did find assembly to be a bit difficult: the instructions weren’t super clear, and it took almost an hour to get it all put together. Once it’s together, though, it’s pretty easy to use and lightweight enough to move around with ease.
Most of the time, we could wipe the Tripp Trapp clean, but when a damp cloth didn't cut it, we took some of it apart to run it under the water. The straps of the harness are machine washable, and we were surprised at how clean they came out of the washing machine, even with their lighter color. The included cushion is machine washable as well, and there is no tray to clean (one can be purchased separately).
One negative thing our real-world tester noted is that it’s a bit awkward to get a baby’s legs in and out when using this as a high chair, especially if your baby is on the larger side. “My little one is so tall and the chair seems a bit small to get his legs in,” our tester noted. “We practically need two people to put him into the chair, one to hold his body and another to awkwardly bend his legs to slide them into the chair.” It’s something worth keeping in mind, especially with the higher price point. That said, our testers did feel this was worth the price.
For around $200, the Graco Table2Table is something you can use from infancy well into toddlerhood thanks to its unique design. This is one of the few high chairs we found that has a reclining seat that is safe for infants to use (although it’s worth noting that if they need to be reclined, they won’t be eating pureés or solid foods in the chair). It can also be used as a traditional high chair, an infant booster seat with a tray, a toddler booster seat without a tray, a toddler chair, and a two-piece toddler table and chair. If you have two little ones, you can even use one piece as a toddler chair and the other as an infant booster seat. This makes it incredibly versatile and a great value, although our real-world tester did note that with all of these pieces, storage can be a little annoying.
We like that the wheels in the back allow you to push it around as needed. We felt that the rethread harness was a little unnecessarily complicated for a high chair, but it wasn’t a huge deal. While this one does wobble, it doesn’t feel unsturdy. One of our testers also felt that this was a bit bulky, with a wide base and legs that stretch out quite a bit, taking up a fair amount of space. Still, it does fold when not in use, which is a nice feature.
Cleaning this high chair isn’t too difficult, but it is a little more time-consuming than some other options. As one of our testers noted, there’s a lot of fabric, which always makes cleaning a little more frustrating, but it was actually pretty simple to wipe it down, and the cushion is machine washable. We also like that it’s easy to remove the tray and place it in the dishwasher (although one tester noted it was a little too big for their dishwasher). However, one of our testers noticed that some spilled milk got trapped in the back corner underneath the seat cover in a hidden crevice, so consider that cleaning this one might take some more time.
The Peg Perego Siesta is a great pick if you want a chair you can use when your little one is an infant through their toddler years. Unlike many other options, it has a comfort recline mode where it basically acts as a reclining seat for your baby. They won’t be eating meals in the seat, but it can be a nice place for them to sit and relax when you need to put them down. Once they’re able to sit up on their own, it can be used as a traditional high chair. Our tester noted that it took less than a minute to put together, since it was pretty much completely assembled upon arrival.
There are nine different height positions so that it really grows with your toddler. The five-point harness is pretty easy to use and keeps your child secure. While it does have a moderate footprint when opened up, a big plus is that it folds when not in use, making it much more compact and ideal for smaller spaces. Our tester found it to be very intuitive to use: It makes a loud click for any adjustment made, so that you know it’s in place. We also felt like it was incredibly sturdy, despite our best efforts to see if it would fall in the lab. After many tries of knocking it down with adult-level force, it slid instead of toppled almost every time. The wheels also lock for safety so you don’t have to worry about it moving easily.
As far as cleaning goes, it took less than 10 minutes for us to clean this one after we absolutely doused it in various foods. The tray is removable and can be placed in the dishwasher. The seat is very easy to wipe down, and the liner can be removed so you can really get in there, but we didn’t notice any hard-to-reach crevices.
We like that the two-layer tray design has a removable cup holder and there is a convenient storage net on the back of the seat that is a good place to stick clean bibs or other eating supplies. All of that being said, we did feel the price point was a little high, especially if you opt for certain colors that give a wood-like finish.
The Ingenuity Beanstalk is really inexpensive at less than $150, but it comes with a ton of different features. It has the ability to be used as an infant seat (with a soothing vibration option and cute stuffed toys included), a traditional high chair, an infant dining chair, a toddler booster seat, and a toddler chair. You can also use it as a booster seat and an infant seat for two babies at the same time. This means you’ll get years of use out of this one for a really competitive price point, which we love. Our tester loved using it as an infant recliner because it allowed their baby to be seated in a higher position so they didn’t have to kneel on the floor to interact with them.
Overall, we found this high chair to be really easy to clean with no crevices that food could get lodged into. We wiped it down without using a lot of effort, and when it was put in the washing machine, it came out like new. Between all of the convenient features, ease of use, and low price point, this is an excellent budget-friendly pick.
It took less than 15 minutes to assemble, although it did come with a lot of parts. The simple design is nice to look at and the light colors keep it from being too busy. We found it to be very sturdy (it didn’t wobble at all and never felt like it might tip over), but it does have a wide base and it’s pretty large. It’s not ideal for smaller spaces, especially since it doesn’t fold. It does have wheels on the front to make it a little easier to move around and using the five-point harness was simple and quick. The tray is removable and comes in two parts, so if your child isn’t very messy you only have to clean the top part. It’s also dishwasher safe, if necessary.
The Lalo high chair offers a very minimalist design, with a removable cushion that makes it really simple to clean. The design is sleek and aesthetically pleasing, which is a plus. We felt it was pretty stable, but our tester did notice some wobbliness that made them a little nervous. For the price point, we felt it could have been a little sturdier. The base is also quite wide, so it does have a larger footprint than some other options. The tray clicks in audibly and the footrest can be adjusted as your baby grows. The straps feel a little flimsy, and removing them to clean them can be a frustrating experience (note: Lalo recently changed the fabric of the straps to make them more durable and easy to clean).
One of the biggest advantages of the Lalo high chair is how easy it is to clean. We didn’t find any hidden crevices where food can get stuck. If you wait a while, some food can get stuck on and require a bit of scrubbing, but wiping everything right after a meal should do the trick. The cotton cushion is easy to remove and snap back on, and it can be thrown in the washing machine. (The vegan leather cushion is not machine washable.) While the cushion does get quite dirty, it looks as good as new once it’s been washed. It’s also even easier to clean if you forgo the cushion altogether.
While this high chair can be used as a booster seat and as a toddler chair, making it more versatile, you need to purchase extra accessories to do so. One of our testers was also disappointed in the seat itself because it didn’t encourage better posture—we wish you didn’t have to purchase an extra cushion separately in order to give your little one more support. This is definitely a sleek-looking high chair with the ability to be used through toddlerhood, but it is a bit pricey.
We tested 31 high chairs in our New York testing lab as well as at home with our own kids. We consulted Ben Hoffman, M.D., pediatrician and nationally recognized expert in child injury prevention and education, to ensure we were looking at all of the important safety features and considerations.
After testing, we also consulted the following experts to learn what to look for in a safe and comfortable high chair.
When they aren’t used correctly, high chairs can be a big safety risk for little ones. “The biggest risk with high chairs are falls, so parents should use the high chair as the manufacturer directed,” Dr. Hoffman says. Keep the below tips in mind whenever your child is in a high chair:
A baby should never be placed in a high chair until they’re developmentally ready. “It’s important to make sure that kids are not being put in high chairs before they can sit up independently,” Dr. Hoffman says. “For most kids, that’s 4 to 6 months old (at an absolute minimum), but that doesn’t mean that every kid 4 to 6 months [old] is going to work in every seat. Always make sure that the fit fits your child and that your child is developmentally ready for it.” In general, if your child can sit up on their own, they should be able to sit in a high chair.
Remember to also look at the manufacturer guidelines for your specific high chair. “Manufacturers and vendors may also indicate a weight restriction for use by children who do not exceed 37 pounds,” Shuman says.
While some families may feel that a high chair is not necessary, they are a safe way for your baby to eat. “Some families may opt to skip a high chair and have their baby sit on an adult’s lap during mealtime, or have the baby sit upright on the floor for meals,” Patularu says. “While these practices are uncommon, they can be done safely. However, I would say the vast majority of families will choose to use a high chair for feeding their child into toddlerhood. High chairs offer a safe, contained space for your baby to have meals.”
The AAP recommends against the use of seats that hook onto a table, saying they are “not a good substitute for a freestanding one.”
As Patularu notes, it’s best if you can find a high chair that offers removable straps or strap pads for easy cleaning. (It’s even better if they can be thrown in the wash.) Otherwise, look for a high chair with straps that are easy to wipe down and that don’t offer hidden tiny spaces where food can get lost. Straps can be wiped down with a wet paper towel or wipe.
Classroom Auditorium Chair Factories Jessica Booth is a freelance writer who covers parenting, shopping, wellness, entertainment, and wedding content. She has been freelance writing since 2017 and before that, worked as an editor at an online publication for seven years. She has written for sites such as Brides, People, Insider, Bustle, Romper, Refinery 29, Cosmopolitan, Delish, The Daily Beast, Reviewed, She Knows, Scary Mommy, The Knot, and What to Expect. She also has two young daughters and tried out several different types of high chairs before finding her favorite: the Lalo high chair.