Just when you thought you were in the swing of things, your growing baby has discovered food. It’s an exciting development and one that comes with lots of new learnings for both of you! When your baby reaches this stage, it’s time to invest in a high chair and welcome them to the table for family meals. ‘But which high chair to choose?’ we hear you ask. Here’s our no-nonsense guide to help you choose what high chair to buy. We promise, there’s no complicated line-up of 30 options in sight!

1. Baby high chair safety

The most important place to start is considering how safe the high chair is. What features does the chair offer to keep your child strapped in and secure? Does it have a solid, sturdy base? Is there a safety bar built-in? Babies and toddlers are curious by nature, so it’s important to buy a high chair that has a T-style strap at the very minimum. This will help keep them securely fitted to the chair, no escapees allowed! The Evolu 2 High Chair fits the bill here with a five point harness and safety bar, to ensure stress-free dining for your little one.

2. Easy to clean

We’re sure we don’t need to remind you, but eating time inevitably leads to a mess. Particularly if you’re going with baby-led weaning, there’s likely to be food splattered all over your chair. This is totally normal and it’s all part of your baby discovering something new; so many flavours, colours, textures to play with! Keep your stress levels to a minimum and do yourself a favour by choosing a high chair that is super easy to clean. Plastic or metal chairs are going to be your best friend here, whilst we’d recommend staying away from fabric options.

3. Consider space with a portable high chair

This will be most important for families with a smaller kitchen or area to store your baby high chair. If space is at a minimum, it’s a good idea to invest in a chair that allows you to move the chair around with ease. The Evolu 2 High Chair is again a great option here as it is easy to move around the house to suit your space. There’s an option to set it up at the kitchen bench where you may have more room and the removable tray also allows you to save some space.

4. Longevity

Having a baby can sometimes lead to a lot of wastage. With rapidly growing little ones, it can feel that as soon as you buy them something, they’re ready for the size up. When it comes to Leander High Chair for its ability to last until your child is at least 8 years old- how cool is that! All you need to do is adjust the height of the chair and footrest to keep it growing with your bub.

5. The tray type

When it comes to the tray, all we’re thinking is how easy is it to clean?! We recommend a removable tray here. It allows you to wash it thoroughly in your sink and get into the crevices of the actual chair easier (it’s amazing where food can end up!) Better yet, invest in a tray that’s dishwasher safe to make clean-up even easier. The Leander Tray fits the bill here- both dishwasher safe and removable!

6. Comfort factor: Invest in a high chair cushion

Your baby is going to be spending a lot of time in their chair, so make sure you consider how comfortable it is for them. We like using a high chair cushion to keep their little bottoms in ultra comfort. Leander has the perfect cushion that also offers some padding for their backs and fits perfectly with their chair. You could opt for a cushioned fabric chair, but ask yourself how easy it’s going to be to clean before purchasing.

7. Style: Consider a wooden high chair

After everything else has been considered, here comes the fun part. Choosing a chair that suits your personal taste! After all, a high chair is a piece of furniture and it’s going to be around for a few years (at least), so you want to buy something that also looks good. If you’re after a showstopper, we think you can’t go past the Leander high chair. Made from beech wood, it is truly just a beautiful piece of furniture that you won’t feel like hiding away when guests come over.

What age for a high chair?

Wondering when your little one will actually need a high chair? You can hold off on buying a high chair until your baby actually starts eating solid food and is able to sit up. Every child is different, but for most, this starts at around the 6 month old mark. Depending on which chair you choose, you should be able to get at least two years of use out of the chair, or even longer if you opt for the Leander option.

How to clean a high chair?

It’s important to wipe down your baby’s high chair and sanitise their tray once a day. To sanitise the chair you can use disinfectant wipes or even just white vinegar before wiping off with a damp cloth. If you buy a dishwasher safe tray, you can pop it in for a clean once a day too!

You can discover our full high chair collection here, which is a tight edit of tried & trusted best high chairs. If you’re looking for cute and functional baby utensils and bibs, we have a beautiful collection to discover too. New to this whole baby eating thing? We’ve got you! Read our blog on what to actually feed babies, and check out our top tips for how to introduce solids.