High chair reviews: FAQs

When can my baby start using a high chair?

When your child can sit up unassisted, they can start using a high chair. This is likely to be at around seven months. Make sure that the table is at the right height for your baby to use.

You may not foresee your child using the chair after three years, but some convertible models claim a functional life of more than 10 years.

Our Best Buys proved a hit with both parents and children

The high chair I’ve bought only has a lap strap – can I get a harness for it?

Many high chairs can be fitted with a harness - either four- or five-point - even if one isn’t supplied. You can fit a harness yourself if the high chair has D rings.

Check your high chair’s user manual. If the chair is compliant with a harness, it will say so. The D rings are positioned at the back of the seat or just under it.

Four-point harnesses (many of which also come with reins) are widely available from stores such as Mothercare and Boots, or online for around £7.

If the harness supplied with the high chair has shoulder straps does that mean it has a five-point harness?

Not necessarily. A five-point harness means that five points on the harness are attachable to the body of the chair, so one end of each of the shoulder and waist straps and also the crotch strap is anchored to the chair.

Some three-point harnesses (which consist of two waist straps and a crotch strap) also include looped shoulder straps, a bit like braces, but the difference here is that the shoulder straps are not attached to the chair. Instead they are often just attached to the waist straps.

Is the Stokke Tripp Trapp safe?

We’ve seen lots of reviews from parents who think that the Stokke Tripp Trapp is unsafe because, under certain circumstances, it’s possible for a child to tip the chair over backwards.

Reports suggest that some children are able to push against the edge of a table and force the chair to tip over. We have tested this model and it passed all of our safety tests.

It is possible to push over most high chairs, and manufacturers do say that children should not be left in a high chair unattended as it is unsafe.

However, we know that this is not always practical when you’ve got young children and you’re trying to prepare dinner and get things done.

If you’re worried about your child pushing the Tripp Trapp or any other high chair over, we suggest that you place the chair with its back to a wall, which will stop it falling over completely.

If you already own the Stokke Tripp Trapp, make sure that you’re using its plastic extender gliders that fit on to the back of the chair legs to help make the chair more stable. However, these have only just been introduced so may not be present on second-hand Tripp Trapps.

If your chair doesn’t come with extender gliders, contact Stokke to request additional ones.

Choosing the right high chair could help at meal times

Choosing the right high chair could make feeding your baby less stressful

What accessories do I need for my high chair?

Most high chairs come with everything that you need – tray table, harness and seat padding – but others are just a chair and require you to buy these things separately.

Convertible high chairs (that will convert from a high chair to a child’s chair, such as the Stokke Tripp Trapp and Brio Svan) are generally not supplied with baby feeding trays and padding.

We’ve provided details and prices in our reviews whenever you have to buy additional items to use a chair as a high chair.

What else do I need to wean my baby?

There are a variety of 'baby' food preparation products available, but you can often get the same end result by using a standard kitchen appliance - such as a hand blender or food processor.

In this review

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