Best High Chairs

Plastic high chairs are easiest to clean

Among standard high chairs, the Fisher-Price Rainforest High Chair (Est. $85) receives the most positive reviews. It has seven height adjustments, three recline positions and a fold-slim design. This high chair, which used to be known as the Rainforest Healthy Care High Chair, also has a T-bar safety seat (with a crotch post) and a five-point harness. The removable tray liner is dishwasher-safe, and the tray itself can be removed using only one hand. In addition, the Rainforest can later be used as a booster seat when your child is ready for the adult dinner table. The chair also has lockable casters on the legs, and the seat pad is both removable and machine-washable. The Rainforest high chair can be used with babies and toddlers up to 50 pounds.

The Rainforest High Chair features jungle-themed tethered toys, sounds, lights and music, as well as a detachable play center. Feedback at Amazon.com is excellent. Parents say the Rainforest is secure and easy to clean, and several say the toy is good for entertaining babies while mom or dad is making dinner. Several reviewers mention that the high chair is easy to put together. On the downside, one parent notes that it would be convenient if this high chair offered a place to store the tray when it's not in use, and several say it's necessary to remove the top tray in order to use the toy. Two similar models, the Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Healthy Care High Chair (*Est. $125) and the Precious Planet High Chair (*Est. $80) are also popular with reviewers. The primary difference between all three is the design of the fabric and the theme of their toys.

A variation is the Fisher-Price Space Saver High Chair (*Est. $55), which also garners enthusiastic reviews by consumers. This model is unusual in that it is not a freestanding high chair. Instead, it's a chair and tray meant to fasten to an existing kitchen or dining-room chair. The Space Saver chair has three recline positions; a removable, dishwasher-safe tray; a three- or five-point harness and a full-size seat pad that's either machine-washable or surface-wipeable, depending on the model. It also converts to a backless booster for older children.

The Space Saver is one of the more heavily reviewed high chairs on Viewpoints.com, with more than 200 consumer reviews and an average rating of 4.6 stars out of 5. One parent mentions using the Space Saver in one of the reclining positions when her daughter was only 3 weeks old -- not for feeding, but for including her infant at the dinner table with the rest of the family. Other reviewers here love that this high chair doesn't take up a lot of space in cramped areas and can be easily moved. Some parents posting to Epinions.com report that the tray stays level no matter which reclining position is used, and most note that it's easy to use and to keep clean. The Space Saver seems to fit most dining room chairs very well, but we did find one or two comments that it didn't fit a family's particular chairs or the height didn't work well with some tables. The Space Saver High Chair comes in a subdued tan color scheme as well as some more fanciful prints.

We found a smattering of good reviews for additional high chairs. The Graco Contempo Highchair (*Est. $100) is reportedly easy to fold and is surprisingly slim. Reviewers at Amazon.com say they love its space-saving feature and easy setup. The infant cushion and reclining seat make it suitable even for younger babies, as several parents mention placing infants in it while they cook or do other chores. More than 70 parents posting reviews at Target.com give the Contempo near-perfect ratings, praising it for being easy to fold. The chair can also stand on its own when folded, making it easier to slip into a closet. The Graco Contempo Highchair has two trays, and the inner tray is dishwasher-safe. It has a three-position recline and a six-position height adjustment, along with casters for mobility. The Contempo comes in a variety of modern, calm colors, so it may be a good alternative if you're not crazy about the bright upholstery colors of the Fisher-Price Rainforest High Chair. Some parents say, however, that the chair can be difficult to clean, and its seat pad can be cumbersome to remove for washing.

We found some interesting reviews for a plastic high chair with a totally different look. The Boon Flair Pedestal Chair (*Est. $200) has a one-piece molded plastic seat atop a pedestal rather than on legs. A seat pad, five-point harness and crotch post are included. This high chair doesn't recline, but it is height-adjustable, with a pneumatic foot pedal. Six locking casters are under the pedestal base. Although it's expensive, parents seem to love this modern-looking chair. They say it's very easy to clean because of the molded design, although we did find one or two parents who wish the seat could recline. This company donates 10 percent of profits to children's charities, another unique aspect.

Another noteworthy product, the Inglesina Zuma Highchair (*Est. $250) is recommended by U.K.-based Which? magazine and Australia-based Choice magazine, both of which conduct tests of multiple high chairs for safety and durability. The Italian-designed Zuma, however, carries a high price tag. We didn't find many user reviews yet for the Zuma chair here in the U.S., but a handful of parents posting to Amazon.com give it almost perfect ratings. This chair has a white plastic frame with a colorful seat; if Apple made a high chair, it might look like the Zuma (at least that's what we thought).

We also found some mentions for the Graco Blossom 4-in-1 Seating System (*Est. $170), which is designed to convert from a regular high chair to an infant feeding seat, a toddler booster seat, or a youth chair. Because the booster seat is a separate component, you can use this product with both a baby and a toddler at the same time. The high chair has six height positions and three reclining positions. Out of the 30 users posting on Amazon.com, 25 give the Blossom a 5-out-of-5-star rating. Several parents say they like the fact that they didn't have to buy another seat when their second child came along. Some parents complain, however, that the T-bar is attached to the bottom of the tray (rather than to the seat), making it awkward to set the tray down after it's been removed. They also say that when the tray is removed, the baby no longer has the protection that a T-bar provides.