We parents are always trying to provide the best for our children. However, baby gear companies have caught onto this fact and now try to suggest EVERYTHING is the best for your child (and if you don’t buy their product, you’re a terrible parent). What’s a budget-conscious mom or dad to do?
(If you’d like to read about ALL the baby products 6,000 moms did (and didn’t) recommend over my six months of research, you can read my essentials-only baby registry checklist article here!)
I’m a mom of two (and a third on the way!) so I have my own opinions about what baby gear is essential. However, I know I’m only one person with one set of experiences. When I’m searching for information on best baby products, I always feel more comfortable knowing what a large group of experienced parents say. It’s why I’ve prioritized writing articles like whether or not you need a breast pump and whether strollers are a necessary baby purchase.
So today, to continue my series on what’s truly essential baby gear, I’m tackling the question of whether new parents should bother buying high chairs. To answer it, I polled over 150 parents in a popular social media group and got their take.
According to the survey results, high chairs are an absolutely essential baby product, with 90% of moms saying new parents need them. In comments, most parents attributed this to safety concerns and the convenience of a central place to secure their child.
Reasons why high chairs are essential
They support new eaters
The most obvious reason for getting a high chair is primarily a safety concern. Babies need a lot of support to sit upright and remain in a good position for eating. At a young age, they don’t have the muscle strength or control to sit upright on their own for an extended period of time. High chairs provide the necessary support to help them sit comfortably and safely during mealtimes.
Mom Ashley commented on my poll, explaining why she’d definitely recommend new moms buy a high chair. “Baby needs to be in the proper position to avoid choking when eating.”
Mealtime can take forever
If you’ve never sat down to eat a meal next to a baby, you might be surprised by how differently they approach food…and how long it takes them to do all that approaching.
Babies and toddlers LOVE exploring new sensations and textures. It’s a good thing! Mealtime can be a fun, educational, and interactive experience for them as they try new foods and discover different tastes and textures.
However, holding a wiggly little one in your lap while they explore their food can be tiring, especially if it takes them a while to eat. A high chair gives them a secure place to sit and play with their food, allowing you to sit back and relax (or at least, as much as you can with a baby!)
Safe “put down” spot
In addition to being a practical solution during mealtimes, high chairs can also be useful for containing your little one even outside of meal times. If you need to step away for a moment or need to keep an eye on them while you get some chores done, a high chair can be a safe and secure place for them to sit and play.
Mom Marlyce said, “I LOVE the high chair. I can strap them in and know they’re safe. It was my go to for showers and if daycare was canceled and I had a work meeting.”
Why a high chair might not be right for you
You’re still pregnant
If your baby isn’t even here yet, you might hold off on buying a high chair now. You might not even bother putting it on your registry if you’re really limited on space. Instead, hang onto one or two gift cards to one of the big box stores that sell high chairs, and wait a few months to order yours.
Mom of two, Tiffany, responded to my survey and explained this important point. “…babies don’t eat [solids] for 6 months. I kinda find it annoying to store a high chair that long. So in terms of registry items, it’s a no from me. You can get one secondhand or a $30 one from Ikea when the time comes, anyways.”
You’re really short on space
Three moms mentioned that their kitchen/dining room set ups were way too small for a full-sized high chair. Some homes and apartments are just tight squeezes! Though baby gear manufacturers do make foldable, free-standing high chairs, sometimes even a folded high chair takes up too much valuable real estate in your home.
If this is where you find yourself, you can definitely look into one of the space-saving alternatives I describe in the next section. You also might be interested in some of the other types of baby gear parents short on space have recommended (and NOT recommended) throughout my “Do you really need a…” baby gear series:
- Do You Need a Pack ‘N Play? [Survey Results + Alternatives]
- Most Moms Say You Don’t Need a Changing Table.
- Do You Need a Baby Carrier? 500+ Moms Weigh In.
Alternatives to a high chair
“Strap to an adult chair” booster seats
These chairs are awesome mealtime seats for older babies and toddlers. Note, though, that they’re definitely more for a child who can fully sit unsupported and doesn’t need as much support.
Mom Lauren said “If I had to recommend just one thing I’d recommend this. It can be strapped to the chair and used like a high chair but later on the tray and back come off and it’s just a booster. It’s great if you need to travel with it too!”
Some models, like the Ingenuity 2-in-1 seat Lauren linked to on Amazon, can also be taken off a kitchen chair and used as a floor seat too, so you can avoid buying another piece of baby gear!
“Clip to the table” high chairs
These are a type of portable high chair that are, as you’d guess, attached directly to a table. They typically consist of a seat and tray that can be securely attached to a table using a clip or other fastening mechanism. (Though some don’t have a tray, which means your child’s eating surface is the table itself.)
One of the main advantages to this alternative is that they are lightweight and easy to carry, which makes them a good choice for families on the go.
These chairs are great if you don’t have an extra adult seat to attach a high chair to, and also don’t have floor space for a free-standing high chair. However you’ll want to check to make sure the model can accommodate the thickness of your table and any ‘lip’ the table might have to get clearance over in order to attach properly.
It seems as though these might have been more popular in the 90s (or earlier?) as few models are currently on the market, and neither the parents in my survey nor I have any specific recommendations.
Repurposing other types of baby gear
A couple of the respondents mentioned using other, non-high chair baby products during mealtimes. This is a great option if you’re working with a very tight budget, a very small house, or both!
Some moms described their set-ups with walkers that have attached trays, kid’s camping chairs, and even strollers. While I wouldn’t consider any of those to be ideal for my own family, I love the creativity and ingenuity of those moms! It just shows how many ways there are to solve the same problem (the problem being “what to do with my kid while he or she is trying to eat).
Holding your child
At the end of the day, while high chairs and similar products are incredibly convenient and 90% of surveyed moms recommended them, you can find ways to survive parenthood without ever buying a high chair.
One mom, Carly, described how she used this ultra-minimalistic alternative. “We got rid of our [high chair]. I exclusively breastfed for 2 years though, and the only solids I fed were off my own plate at meal times. So it’s not really that you NEED one. Actually you can do well without a lot of baby gear. It’s more a question of what your lifestyle and individual needs of your family are. One person’s must-have isn’t necessarily what YOU need.” I couldn’t agree more!
Best Options for High Chairs
Many moms in the survey recommended a style of high chair that will work over a long period of time, not just for a few months. As such, I have a few products either I or other moms wanted to point out as good quality, long-lasting, and worth looking into.
Ingenuity 6-in-1 Beanstalk
One survey respondent, Nikki, specifically linked to the Ingenuity 6-in-1 Beanstalk model shown below, and mentioned that the infant seat especially was a favorite of her daughters. Plus, “the top seat comes off and we use that at hotels.”
Graco Table2Table Convertible High Chair
In my family, we received the Graco convertible high chair as a gift four years ago, and ADORE it. Mostly, we love it because it becomes a product two children can use at once, which we knew we’d need.
The top portion can detach and clip to an adult dining chair, and the bottom portion can function as a free-standing booster seat by itself. Plus, you could turn it into a table and chair combo for a single toddler to use later in childhood.
IKEA Classic Antilop High Chair
Would this even be a frugal website if I didn’t recommend one of the sturdiest, most well-loved high chairs on the planet? These guys are a breeze to clean due to their completely plastic seat, fit a wide-range of children’s ages, and have additional buckles to keep your little one safe.
Mom Caitlin also pointed out that while these are currently about $30 new, you can usually find multiple people selling their old Ikea high chairs on Facebook marketplace for $10 (and she was right! I checked my area and found the same to be true).
I hope you’ve found this article useful in helping you decide whether or not you need a high chair! If you’d like to get updates about the next time I post content related to raising a family on a budget, be sure to subscribe to my email newsletter below.