High Chair Review

High chairs: types, reviews, best picks

Baby-gear book "Baby Bargains" and ConsumerReports.org offer the best reviews and coverage of high chairs. Both publications compare high chairs based on factors such as safety and ease of use, including ease of cleaning. We also found excellent high-chair reviews in Which? and Choice magazines, from the U.K. and Australia, respectively. While these two magazines include some high chairs that aren't available in the United States, the comparison reviews are well done, insightful and comprehensive.

Informal reviews and recommendations from Grandparents.com, Babble.com and Tibesti.com provide summaries of the best features of selected products, although the high chairs aren't rated or ranked in any type of order. Cookie magazine provides a review of high chairs based on parent testing and feedback, and they provide ratings for each of their picks for factors including cleanability and durability. People magazine also conducts a high-chair review, identifying the 10 top high chairs, although they don't provide insight into their methodology.

It doesn't take any special technological expertise to know whether a high chair works well or not, so we found parent-written reviews to be especially helpful. Amazon.com, Diapers.com, Epinions.com and Target.com are all good places to find parent write-ups on specific high chairs. Particular points of contention include simplicity of cleaning and how easily a child can kick off the tray.

In reviews, parents say price isn't necessarily an indicator of satisfaction when it comes to high chairs. For example, the Peg-Perego Primma Pappa Diner (*Est. $220) is one of the priciest chairs on the market, yet the reviews for this model aren't any better than for high chairs that cost almost half as much. Although Peg-Perego high chairs in general get some good reviews from parents for ease of use, stability and comfort, others say the Primma Pappa is hard to clean, and some users complain that it stains easily or scratches their wood floors. Parents do like that it folds easily for storage. Overall, the Peg-Perego high chair gets good-to-average reviews, but other chairs, like the Fisher-Price Rainforest High Chair (*Est. $95) and Graco Contempo Highchair (*Est. $110) get similar or slightly better owner feedback for less money.

Experts say you probably won't need a high chair until your child is about 6 months old, when a baby can sit up and lean forward on his or her own. Most high chairs on the market are constructed of metal and plastic rather than wood, but there's been an increase in the number of wooden high chairs hitting stores. Although wooden chairs have an old-fashioned appeal, plastic is generally easier to clean. Modern high chairs offer a variety of features, including multiple adjustable and dishwasher-safe trays, height-adjustable seats, casters on the legs and folding frames. Reviews differ about the usefulness of another common feature, reclining seats. While these can be good for bottle-feeding infants, some experts say babies this small are too young for high chairs and are better off in your arms. Reclining seats are a frequent topic for complaints on opinion websites; many users say the reclining mechanisms should be easier to operate. It's helpful to try out features in person if you can.

Adjustable height positions, however, are a welcome convenience, allowing you to adjust the chair to a more comfortable feeding position and use it at dinner or as a play table with or without the tray. Some height-adjustable high chairs can also be used as booster seats. While a height-adjustable feature was once reserved for pricey imports, even moderately priced high chairs now offer this feature.