High Chair Buying Guide

This style of high chair involves a small baby seat with two lobster-clasp arms that grip onto the side of a dining table or countertop, and they’re mainly designed for dining out or travel. But they may come with safety risks. With a clip-on high chair, kids can push their feet against a table’s support enough to loosen the clamp and cause the chair to fall. Tables can also tip if they’re not heavy enough to support a child’s weight—especially pedestal tables that have a central support structure only. Given these safety concerns, CR has not tested or rated any hook-on high chairs.

• If you have space for a full-sized high chair in your kitchen: Shop for a traditional high chair, convertible high chair, or grow-with-me high chair.
• If you prefer one that tucks away out of sight: Look for a traditional or convertible high chair that folds.
• If you want a chair that pulls right up to the dining table: You’ll probably want a grow-with-me high chair or booster seat high chair.
• If you regularly take baby out to eat or travel: A booster seat high chair may be your best bet.

• Safety certification: The package should have a notice or label that the product meets the federal safety standard for high chairs, which can help you feel confident that the chair has met the requirements to keep your baby safe.
• Safety features, like a crotch post and five-point harness: These safety features help ensure your baby won’t slide out or fall from the chair, especially if the tray isn’t in place. CR’s experts prefer a five-point harness that goes over a child’s shoulders instead of a three-point harness.
• Locking wheels or casters: If you’re looking for a high chair with wheels, make sure they can lock. Otherwise, casters are a good option; these are wheels that can be used only by tilting the chair on two legs.
• An easy-to-remove tray: In our ratings, we check for trays that can be removed with one hand, which simplifies cleanup.  
• Washable parts: Consider whether you’re able to put the tray or tray insert in the dishwasher, and how easy it will be to wipe down the straps and seat pad, if there is one. The more parts and pieces, the more crevices for trapping food—and the more for you to clean.
• Adjustable seat height: A flexible seat height allows you to use the high chair at the level of your dining room table, so your baby can eat with the rest of the family.
• Footprint and foldability: If space is tight, consider a chair that folds up or has a smaller footprint, with legs that don’t splay widely.
• Convertibility: Will you want a chair that your child can use into toddlerhood and beyond, and pull right up to the table? Would it be helpful to transition your high chair into a portable booster seat for dining out? Some high chairs can be configured to grow with your child through multiple stages.

Shopping or registering for baby gear online is convenient and lets you easily compare products and find the best prices. But it’s important to be aware of some online shopping red flags as well. Buying baby gear from a third-party seller on an e-commerce platform can come with safety risks, as a recent CR investigation found. When shopping online for a high chair, these guidelines can help:

• Buy from reputable sellers. Consider buying products only where the marketplace itself (such as Amazon, Target, or Walmart) is listed as the seller. If you’re interested in a product listed by a third-party seller, stick with well-known and reputable brands.
• Check the reviews, but be skeptical. Negative customer reviews should put you on guard, but keep in mind that fake and paid-for reviews, though illegal, are widespread. And know that designations like “Amazon’s Choice,” “Top Seller,” “Highly Rated,” “Sponsored,” or “Pro Seller” don’t guarantee a product’s safety.
• Look for safety information, including age recommendations and required warnings.

CR’s child safety experts don’t recommend buying or accepting a secondhand high chair, but if that’s your best option, then there are some steps you can take to ensure it’s safe for your child to use. 

• Get the manufacturer name, model name, and date of manufacture or purchase, which should be on a label permanently affixed to the chair. Make sure the chair was manufactured after June 2019, when the Consumer Product Safety Commission mandated that all high chairs sold in the U.S. meet the federal safety standard for high chairs.
• Check the CPSC’s SaferProducts.gov to be sure the chair has not been included in any safety warnings or recalls.
• Request the manual for the high chair from the original owner if available, or contact the manufacturer to see whether you can download a PDF version. 
• Check all parts for anything that may be missing, and tighten any loose screws or connections to ensure it’s sturdy for daily use. 

We’ve tested dozens of high chairs in our ratings, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that you don’t have to spend a lot to get a great, safe seat for the early feeding years. The best high chair for your family is the one with features that fit your child, home, and lifestyle, at a price that matches your budget. 

Many models on our list of CR Recommended high chairs cost under $200, while still offering a variety of features, such as one-hand tray removal, folding, and an easy-to-use harness. 

CR tests high chairs for three key attributes: safety, ease of use, and ease of cleaning.

Safety: Our safety tests are based on the same standards used by the federal government and include evaluations of the harness system strength and the chair’s stability, as well as static load assessments to make sure the chair can hold more than its stated weight capacity without sagging or collapsing.

Ease of use: Our testers evaluate how easy it is to adjust the harness, fold and unfold the chair, remove and replace the seat cover, adjust the seatback (if it reclines), and remove and replace the food tray or tray cover. 

Ease of cleaning: We evaluate how easy or difficult the chair is to clean by looking at all its parts, including the materials it’s made of, the design of the food tray, the frame of the chair, whether it has a machine-washable seat pad (or no seat pad at all), and how the seat pad is configured in the chair.

While all children develop at different rates, here’s when you may be able to expect to start to use a high chair and transition to the next phase in the early feeding years.

Infant (before solids): If the high chair reclines, you may be able to use it for brief, supervised sitting when you need your hands free. But the recline setting should never be used to feed your baby solid foods. 

Age 6 months (starting solids): When your little one is ready to start solids, has good head and neck control, and can sit up straight with minimal support, a high chair with a five-point harness and removable tray can help ensure good feeding positioning and safe swallowing. This tends to be around the 6-month mark, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Of course, always check with your child’s pediatrician for tailored advice about the best time to start solids and use a high chair.

18 months to 3 years: As your child grows and demonstrates the ability to sit steadily, they may be ready to graduate to a booster seat or toddler chair for meals, pulling up to the table or counter rather than using the tray. The timing depends on their size, coordination, and ability to remain seated without climbing out.

Age 3 to 5 years: Many children around this age are ready for a youth chair that helps them reach table height for meals. 

Age 5 to 7 years: Your child may be ready to sit on a standard dining chair or stool, as long as they can sit comfortably with their feet resting on the floor or a footrest and maintain good posture while eating.

Joan Muratore, the engineer who oversees Consumer Reports’ high chair testing, says there are several safety tips parents should keep in mind when using a high chair with their baby or toddler. 

• Watch for tip-over risks. Use your child’s high chair only on a flat surface, and be mindful not to place it near any surface where your child could push with their feet to tip it over, such as a counter, wall, or table. 
• Keep an eye on older children. If an older sibling happens to climb on your little one’s high chair, they could accidentally tip it.
• Use the safety restraints every time. Always use the high chair’s harness, including the crotch strap, every time you use the high chair to make sure your baby can’t slip down underneath the tray—another fall risk.
• Check screws and hinges for wear and tear. Periodically check your high chair to make sure it’s holding up to everyday use. “When you’re using your high chair several times a day, screws can loosen over time. Be sure to keep any tools that came with the chair, such as an Allen wrench or screwdriver, handy so that you can regularly check and tighten any screws as needed,” says Muratore.

This can vary from chair to chair. Some models are designed to transition into toddler or booster chairs that your child can continue using once they’ve outgrown the baby seat and tray. Others have a maximum weight that most kids will reach around age 2 to 3. Just watch that your little climber doesn’t suddenly maneuver out of their high chair and stand up on it, which can make it unsafe. Grow-with-me high chairs, such as the Cybex Lemo, Nomi High Chair, and Stokke Tripp Trapp, convert to a toddler chair, then a youth chair, and then sometimes even to a standard dining chair as your child gets older.