Best Baby Highchairs Compared (UK Guide)

The best highchair for most UK families is a stable, easy-to-clean one with a 5-point harness that fits your kitchen, and that can mean anything from a £10 IKEA Antilop to a £209 Stokke Tripp Trapp. The NHS says to always use a securely fitted safety harness in a highchair, and that your baby needs to be sitting safely upright from around 6 months, so safety basics don't change with price. This guide compares six highchairs we list, using manufacturer specs, to help you match one to your space and budget. For the general buying checklist, see our how to choose a highchair guide.

What the NHS says about highchairs

NHS weaning guidance says solid foods should start when your baby is around 6 months old, and that your baby needs to be sitting safely in an upright position so they can swallow properly. It also says to always use a securely fitted safety harness in a highchair, and to always stay with your baby when they are eating in case they start to choke. The NHS adds that gagging is different from choking and is a normal reaction as babies learn to manage solid food. None of that depends on which chair you buy, so treat the harness and supervision as non-negotiable and choose the rest on practicality. If you are still deciding on timing, our guide to when to start weaning covers it.

Highchairs compared

Highchair	Price	Type	Harness	Best for
IKEA ANTILOP	£10	Fixed, floor-standing	3-point belt	Tight budgets and easy cleaning
Joie Mimzy Snacker	£40	Table-clamp, folds flat	As supplied	Small kitchens and travel
Chicco Polly Progres5	£99.99	5-stage convertible	5-point	Padded comfort, long use
Joie Multiply 6in1	£100	6-stage convertible	5-point	Multi-stage on a budget
Cosatto Noodle 0+	£129.95	Reclines from birth	5-point, compulsory	One chair from day one
Stokke Tripp Trapp + Baby Set	£209 + £52.95	Wooden, grows with child	5-point with Baby Set	Years of use at the table

Prices are the figures we list and will move; check the retailer before buying. We have not hands-on tested these chairs, so everything below comes from manufacturer specs and retailer information.

Best budget highchair: IKEA ANTILOP (£10)

The ANTILOP is one of the cheapest highchairs sold in the UK. It weighs about 2kg, the tray clips on and off, and the whole chair separates into three pieces (seat, legs, tray) so food can be cleaned out of the crevices rather than just wiped. The trade-offs are real: it has a 3-point safety belt rather than a 5-point harness, no recline, no height adjustment, and the cushion insert is sold separately, which adds roughly £15-20 to the true cost. The NHS only requires a securely fitted harness, so a 3-point belt is not a safety failure, but if your baby is a climber, a 5-point harness (as on the other chairs here) gives extra restraint. A sensible default for families with floor space.

Best for small kitchens and travel: Joie Mimzy Snacker (£40)

The Mimzy Snacker clamps onto your dining table instead of standing on the floor, folds flat and weighs around 3.6kg, with three tray positions. It is specced for children up to about 15kg or 3 years. The catch is the table: it needs a sturdy, standard flat edge, and glass tops, pedestal tables and some extending tables will not work, so check your table before you buy. It is also harder to clean thoroughly than the ANTILOP because food can get into the clamp mechanism and seams. Best as a second chair for grandparents' houses or a flat with no floor space.

Best mid-range multi-stage chairs: Chicco Polly Progres5 and Joie Multiply 6in1 (about £100)

Chicco Polly Progres5 (£99.99)

The Polly Progres5 gives five configurations from one frame, from a reclined seat (with the newborn cushion) through an upright weaning highchair and a lower toddler chair to a youth chair at the family table. It has a 5-point harness, a removable dishwasher-safe tray and a padded, machine-washable seat cover that is more comfortable for long meals. The downside is the footprint: it is larger than folding chairs and not designed to be stowed away between meals.

Joie Multiply 6in1 (£100)

The Multiply 6in1 covers six stages including a detachable booster seat mode, with three recline positions, a 5-point harness and a dishwasher-safe tray. It is lighter than most multi-stage rivals and has a useful booster mode once your toddler is ready for a normal chair. Compared with the Chicco, the seat is less padded and the plastic and fabric feel less durable after a year or two of daily use, and it has fewer recline positions. If you want to compare it with the Chicco, the Chicco is the comfort pick and the Joie the more flexible one at a similar price.

Best for newborn use: Cosatto Noodle 0+ (£129.95)

The Noodle 0+ is the only chair here that reclines flat for newborn use, with five recline positions and seven height settings, up to about 15kg or around 3 years. Cosatto says it meets BS EN 14988:2017, comes with a 4-year guarantee, and has a compulsory 5-point harness and a dishwasher-safe tray. Be careful with the newborn feature: Lullaby Trust advice is that babies should sleep flat on their back in a cot or Moses basket, so a recline seat is for supervised awake time only. Our guide on safe use of bouncers and rockers explains why seats are never for sleep. The fabric liner and padded cover also mean more washing than the ANTILOP.

Best long-term investment: Stokke Tripp Trapp with Baby Set (£209 + £52.95)

The Tripp Trapp is a solid beech chair whose seat and footplate adjust as your child grows, designed to be used into adulthood. For weaning you add the Baby Set (£52.95) which provides the 5-point harness, and a separate Newborn Set is sold separately. The case for it is longevity and resale value: over several years the cost per year can undercut a plastic chair you replace. The case against is the upfront cost of roughly £262 for chair plus Baby Set, and wood grain and joints that take more effort to clean than moulded plastic.

How to choose between them

• Tightest budget: the ANTILOP, plus a cushion if needed.
• Little floor space or lots of travel: the Mimzy Snacker, if your table suits a clamp.
• One chair for years, mid-price: the Chicco or Joie Multiply.
• Want to skip a separate newborn seat: the Cosatto Noodle 0+, for supervised awake time only.
• Happy to spend more for a lasting chair: the Tripp Trapp.

Whichever you pick, add a wipeable bib and cup to your weaning kit; see our best baby cups and weaning bibs comparison. Buying second-hand? Read our guide to buying secondhand baby gear safely first, and check harness and fittings are intact.

Safe use checklist

• Use the harness every time, fitted securely, as the NHS advises.
• Stay with your baby while they eat, in case they start to choke (NHS).
• Check your baby can sit upright before starting solids, which is around 6 months (NHS).
• Place the chair away from table edges and hot drinks so your baby cannot push off or reach them.