Best Highchairs for City Living
When it comes to highchairs, they're not all the same. Some are easier to clean, last longer, fit your aesthetic, or are easy to carry around. We've selected our top picks for everything from open plan lofts (where the high chair is in your living room), to small apartment kitchens where every inch counts.
TLDR
Six high chairs, six different problems solved: a design-classic that grows into an adult chair, a sustainable pick built the same way, a feature-rich adjustable option, and easy-clean pick for the messiest eaters, a super light travel chair, and a clip on for zero-footprint dining. Whether your high chair lives in an open plan loft or a gally kitchen, there's a pick here sized to your space.
Table of Contents
- Best Wooden Grow-With-Me Chair
- Best Sustainable Newborn to Adult
- Best Easy to Adjust Feature-Rich High Chair
- Best for Messy Eaters
- Best Full-Size Travel High Chair
- Best Clip On High Chair
- High Chair Picks at a Glance
Our Highchair Picks
When it comes to high chairs, New York City families must be discerning. These are not tucked away in a corner - they are furniture pieces that weave into your overall home aesthetic, especially if you live in an open floor plan loft where your kitchen is in your living room.
Here are some of our top picks!
Best Wooden Grow-with-Me Chair
The Stokke Tripp Trapp is a true classic. The only high chair in the list that's been featured in the MoMA for its iconic design. We love that it offers so much: a newborn attachment, lots of colors and fabrics to match your interior, and a dishwasher safe tray for instance. Once baby's high chair days are behind them, the mid-century modern chair can be used without the babyset as a kitchen table chair or even desk chair, as it's able to hold up to 300 pounds.
Best Sustainable Newborn to Adult
Another gorgeous choice for a high chair is the long-lasting Bugaboo Giraffe. Like the Tripp Trapp, you can get a newborn set to use it right away, and it can also be used post-high chair days holding weight up to 220 lbs. We love that the GREENGUARD Gold Certified chair is made of FSC certified European beechwood, with components made with ISCC-certified bio-based material. Good for your loft, good for the world.
Best Easy to Adjust Feature-Rich High Chair
The Cybex Lemo High Chair kicks it up a notch once more. It also has a separately sold newborn "bouncer nest" that can be used until 6 months, and then can be used as a stand-alone chair for all ages, but then ups the ante with Training Tower accessory (sold separately) which allows your one to four year old to stand at eye level to help with activities in the kitchen.
This chair is easy to adjust (only one hand needed) and a very attractive design piece to boot.
Best for Messy Eaters
Another great option for high chair is the UppaBaby Ciro, the stroller company's latest foray into home. We love that this chair features a wipe-clean silicone harness and magnetic buckle, making cleanups a snap. This one doesn't convert to an adult chair, but it's also more affordable, and has you asking if you'll really use your high chair down the road as a chair (maybe yes, maybe no!)
Best Full Size Travel High Chair
The Stokke Clikk is an uber-light high chair that's perfect for travel. Made for children 6 months to 3 years, (although there's a newborn set available for pre-6 month usage) but it totally nails it in portability. Just click out the legs, pack it up and go. The Clikk also assembles tool-free, which is something we always appreciate!
Best Clip On High Chair
The Inglesina Fast Table Chair is our go to for on-the-go. This clip on chair makes restaurant dining super easy as you just twist the clamps so that baby gets their seat at the table. If you have a small apartment and really don't have space for a full-size high chair this is a great solution as well. The Fast Table Chair folds flat and can be stored compactly in a closet or shelf.
High Chair Picks at a Glance
| Feature | Stokke Tripp Trapp | Cybex Lemo | Bugaboo Giraffe | UPPAbaby Ciro | Stokke Clikk | Inglesina Fast Table Chair |
| Age/Weight Range | Newborn to Adult (300 lbs) | Birth to Adulthood (209 lbs) | Newborn to Adulthood (220 lbs) | 4 months to toddler/preschool (up to 60 lbs) | 6 months to 36 months (33 lbs) | 6 months to 3 years (37 lbs) |
| Adjustment Method | Requires Allen wrench | Fast and tool-free | Tool free click and slide push buttons | Toll free 180 degree rotating footrest and sliding tray | 2 position slot in footrest | Uses twist tight couplings to clamp onto dining tables |
| Ease of Cleanup | Wood surfaces wipe clean. Traditional fabric/webbing straps take more effort to clean | Smooth surfaces make for easy cleaning. Dishwasher safe componants | Easy to clean surfaces, but straps take some effort | Seam free seat, dishwasher safe tray liner, and wipe-clean silicone harness | Easy to wipe down; dishwasher safe tray | Remove fabric cover to hand or machine wash |
| Special Features | Iconic design. 10 million sold since its debut in 1972 | Rear wheels for mobility. Option of infant bouncer base for the newborn attachment | Extremely lightweight. Rocker frame add on for newborn attachment. | Continuous table overlapping tray; magnetic 5 point buckle, built in bib hook | Super light and portable; legs just click in and out for travel | Best for travel, restaurants, or zero-footprint dining |
| Best For | Best Wooden Grow with Me Chair | Best Easy to Adjust Feature-Rich High Chair | Best Sustainable Infant to Adult High Chair | Best Easy to Clean High Chair | Best Full-Size Travel High Chair | Best Clip On High Chair |
Shop the Edit with Babesta
Whether you're drawn to the Tripp Trapp's decades of design pedigree, the Giraffe's sustainable credentials, or the Fast Table Chair's zero-footprint convenience, we carry all six in-store so you can sit in them, test the adjustments, and see how they actually fit your space before you register.
At Babesta, we help you pick the high chair that's right for your home, your aesthetic, and your real daily routine, not just the one that the internet told you to do. You'll never have to lose your cool shopping for your baby. Babesta has your back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a full-size high chair if I get a clip on travel chair?
Generally, yes, for everyday use at home. Clip on chairs like Inglesina are built for portability and short sittings like at restaurants, while traveling, or at a grandparent's apartment, not as your primary daily seat. Most families use a full-size chair at home and bring the clip-on along for everywhere else.
What's the weight/age limit on clip on chairs?
The Inglesina Fast Table Chair is rated for roughly 6 months to 3 years, up to 37lbs. Always double-check the current manufacturer's specs before buying, since limits can shift between model years.
Can I skip the tray and just push the chair up to our table?
A few of these, like the Tripp Trapp and the Clikk, are designed to do exactly that once baby can sit well and reach the table. You lose the containment a tray offers, so it works best once your little one has decent trunk control and isn't flinging food everywhere yet.
Which of these is easiest to actually clean after every meal?
The UppaBaby Ciro, thanks to its seam-free seat, dishwasher-safe tray liner, and wipe-clean silicone harness. It's specifically built with mess in mind.
When should I size up from an infant insert to the full seat?
Most babies are ready to graduate from the newborn or infant insert to the full seat around 6 months, once they can sit upright with good head and trunk control. Check your specific chair's manual, since the exact age varies by model.
Additional Reading
