Spotlight on: Mid-priced high chairs

If you’re high-chair shopping, consider: You’ll probably use a high chair for less time than you think. Although high chairs are intended for infancy up to about age 3, some babies can’t bear to sit in a high chair once they become adventurous toddlers. Since this product will probably not be used for long, you might think that buying the cheapest chair as the best strategy. But in our tests, we found that mid-priced chairs--from $50 to $200--generally offer the best value thanks to a combination of useful features, such as:

• multiple tray and chair-height positions
• casters for mobility, with a locking feature for safe parking
• a reclining, padded seat for infant feeding
• one-hand removable tray
• a dishwasher-safe tray insert for easy clean-up
• flip-out organizer compartments on the tray that hold utensils, dishes, or baby food jars
• easy foldability for storage
• a secure five-point harness instead of just a three-point harness
• vinyl seat pads that can be removed for washing (although you may see models with cloth covers in this price range, which are a challenge to keep clean)

Here, two major points to keep in mind about high chairs in the mid-price range:

Pro: You can generally expect sturdier high chairs with more usable features. Mid-priced chair frames and seats are typically made of molded, rigid plastic or steel. Chair fabric patterns tend to be more muted and sophisticated, with names like “Pebblestone” and
“Livingston.” If you’re looking for a high chair that syncs with your home décor, or at least isn’t covered with teddy bears or nursery figures, you should have lots of options. In general, there’s a lot to choose from in this price range.

Con: If you’re looking for a simple chair that doesn’t fold, with a wipe-clean cover (such as a chair for Grandma’s house), chairs in the price range will probably have more features than you may need or use. A high chair under $50 will probably serve you better.

See our latest reports on high chairs and 9 high chair mini-tests to do while shopping for more information.