We surveyed 45 mommies who used a total of 8 different brands of high chairs. Here are our main findings:
- 35% of mommies are users of the IKEA Antilop, making it the most commonly used high chair.
- 15.6% of mommies are users of the Stokke Tripp Trapp, making it the next most commonly used high chair.
- The top 3 main considerations when purchasing a high chair are safety, ease of cleaning and the presence of a footrest.
Who Am I?
Hello! I’m Serene, a mom of one successful baby (she’s now 2.5 years old!) who went through Baby Led Weaning (BLW). I have tried several high chairs at home, at people’s homes and in restaurants or cafes. High chairs vary in weight, price and longevity. Some high chairs can grow with your child, while some are suitable for the first few years of a child’s life. From a BLW perspective, I have my personal favorite – the IKEA high chair. This could differ based on your needs.
To gather a more comprehensive view of high chairs, we surveyed 45 mommies who used 8 different brands of high chairs. With their help, we consolidated the different high chairs that we think would be most suitable for BLW, and elaborated on their pros and cons.
About Baby Led Weaning (BLW)
From its name, the term ‘Baby-Led Weaning’ (BLW) means to put the baby in charge of mealtimes, and the adults follow the baby’s lead.
There are many benefits to BLW. I would highly recommend parents to try, but I am also aware of BLW’s difficulty. BLW would work well for families, who:
- Has the time to clean up after the child (it can get really messy!)
- Able to differentiate between gagging and choking (a life skill a caregiver should have! You can easily learn this online!)
- Are willing to cook for the family, and portion out for the child before adding the ‘adult yummy seasonings’
- Want to groom an adventurous foodie
Differences Between a Normal and BLW High Chair
There isn’t a high chair that is particularly designed for BLW but there are some features that you might want to consider, making a high chair more suitable for BLW. After doing BLW for 2 years, there are two factors, which I feel make a high chair more or less suitable for BLW.
- Does the high chair have many nooks and crannies, making it tough to clean up?
- Would you prefer to have a high chair where you can easily wash it down?
A footrest supports your child to develop a good sitting position and increases stability and encourages your child to sit upright without slouching. This helps with eating too! Hence, some high chairs have adjustable footrests for your growing child. Should the high chair not have a footrest, are you then able to purchase a separate attachable footrest?
What to Consider When Choosing a High Chair
A high chair is important for your child’s development. By placing your child at eye level, they feel included during mealtimes. That helps with communication skills and encourages self-feeding in babies. Apart from eating, a high chair can also be used to conduct activities for the child.
Mommies mainly considered these before purchasing a high chair – safety and security, ease of cleaning, and price.
Comparing Different Brands of High Chairs
• Plastic, can be washed down
• Super easy to clean
• No footrest
• Sleek design
• Many colors
• Hard to adjust footrest
• Takes longer to wipe down many nooks and crannies
• Expensive
• Lightweight
• Many colors
• Includes baby set
• Expensive
• Lightweight
• Waterproof seat
• One-handed tray opening
• Affordable
• Lightweight
• No assembly needed
• Footrest not adjustable
Best High Chair for Baby Led Weaning
IKEA ANTILOP High Chair
Unique selling point pertaining to BLW
Due to its plastic form, it is lightweight and super easy to wash. One can easily wash down the IKEA High Chair in the toilet after each meal.
After considering its price and advantages, there is no doubt why 35.6% of our mommies love this very affordable high chair!
Mommies mainly loved the IKEA high chair because it’s easy to clean, affordable and lightweight.
Mommies mainly disliked the IKEA high chair for its lack of footrest. This can be solved by purchasing an add-on footrest.
Unique selling point pertaining to BLW:
It comes with an adjustable footrest (albeit not as easy to adjust as the Stokke Nomi) that is crucial for BLW. It also grows with your child.
Mommies, who bought the Stokke Tripp Trapp, loved it for its footrest, and ease of cleaning. It helps that it can grow old with the child too. They loved the sleek design of it, and how stable and durable they were. However, they did not like how most accessories – baby set and 5-point harness – needed to be bought separately.
Stokke Nomi High Chair
Unique selling point pertaining to BLW:
You can hang this lightweight high chair on the edge of your table. This helps with the cleaning post-meal as it’s easy to wipe down the floor.
Image Credit: Stokke Website
Joovy Nook High Chair
Unique selling point pertaining to BLW:
Portability for traveling parents. For parents who need to shuffle between houses, this might be a potential high chair to consider for BLW. With its one-hand fold, it is easy to collapse it and there is no need to assemble it at all.
Thoughts on BLW High Chairs
There are many high chairs sold in the market. However, I feel that there are only some that will make your life better during this BLW journey.
- If you lack space, go for the Joovy Nook High Chair.
- If you are on a tight budget, go for the IKEA Antilop High Chair.
- If you have the budget and want a sleek high chair that grows with your child, go for the Stokke Tripp Trapp High Chair.
- If you have the budget and want an easy-to-clean high chair, go for the Stokke Nomi High Chair.
We hope that through this article, we were able to give you the information you need to buy a suitable high chair to accompany you through this messy BLW journey.
Disclaimer: Nuevamae is not sponsored by any of the mentioned brands or platforms. This article expresses our honest opinion based on our experience and research. Read more about our mission. This article includes affiliate links so we may earn a commission (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase via the link.
