Best High Chairs Compared: From $20 IKEA to $400 Stokke
You need a high chair around 6 months when baby starts solids. You'll use it 3+ times a day for at least 2 years. That makes it one of the most-used pieces of baby gear you'll own. But the price range goes from $20 to $400+, and the expensive ones aren't automatically better.
The Criteria That Matter
**Easy to clean.** This is number one. Babies are messy eaters. Pureed sweet potato gets into every crevice, fold, and seam. The fewer crevices, the better your life will be.
**Footrest.** Occupational therapists recommend that babies have a footrest when eating. It supports their posture and helps with self-feeding. Not all high chairs have one.
**Grows with baby.** Some chairs adjust height and recline, extending their usable life into toddlerhood and beyond.
The Comparison
**IKEA Antilop ($20)** The internet's favorite high chair for a reason. It's smooth plastic with zero crevices, no fabric pad to stain, no joints to collect food. You can take it outside and hose it down. The tray pops off and goes in the dishwasher. It doesn't have a footrest (you can DIY one with a $5 footrest band) and it won't win any design awards. But for $20, it's genuinely hard to beat. Most daycare centers use these because they're practical and nearly indestructible.
**Stokke Tripp Trapp ($250+)** The design classic. All wood, adjustable seat and footrest, grows from baby to adult (seriously, it holds up to 300 lbs). It pulls right up to the table so baby eats with the family, no separate tray. You need the baby set accessory ($80) and a tray ($70) for the baby stage, which pushes the total to $400. The wood looks beautiful in your dining room. The cleaning is more involved since food gets between the wood slats. Worth it if you care about aesthetics and want a chair for years.
**Graco Blossom ($140)** Converts from high chair to booster to toddler chair. Has a comfortable pad, reclining seat, and adjustable footrest. It's big and heavy though, and the fabric pad is a pain to clean after every meal. Good option if you want versatility and don't mind more cleanup.
**BABYBJORN High Chair ($300)** Minimalist design, tiny footprint, folds flat. The tray locks baby in so the safety straps are built into the design. Easy to clean. But it doesn't grow with baby and at $300 for a chair you'll use for maybe 2 years, the value proposition is tough. Works great for small spaces though.
Our Recommendation
Start with the IKEA Antilop. Seriously. Buy it, use it, and if after a few months you want something that looks nicer or adjusts height, buy the Stokke. But most families find the IKEA chair does everything they need. That extra $380 can go toward the mountain of food your baby is about to throw on the floor.
One More Thing
No matter which chair you pick, take it apart and deep clean it weekly. Food finds its way into places you can't see. And always use the safety straps. Even if baby seems secure, they can stand up in a high chair faster than you'd think.