Highchairs by Budget: £39 vs £90 vs £151

COMPARISON · HIGHCHAIRS & FEEDING

Finding the right highchair is one of those decisions that sneaks up on you. One minute your baby is happily breastfed or bottle-fed in your arms; the next, they are grabbing at your toast and you realise you need somewhere safe for them to sit and eat. The choice is bigger than it looks: some highchairs last six months, others grow with your child until they are twelve. Some fold down to nothing; others become a permanent (and attractive) part of your kitchen.

Rather than picking a single "best" highchair, this guide puts three strong options side by side at the budget, mid-range and premium price points. Each one takes a genuinely different approach, so the right choice depends on how your family eats, how much space you have, and whether you want a chair that grows with your child or one that does the job and gets out of the way.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Value: Graco Snack N Stow · 7.5/10 – Folds to 15cm and costs less than a round of baby formula
• Best All-Rounder: Hauck Alpha+ · 8.5/10 – Award-winning beechwood chair that grows from 6 months to 12 years
• Best for Versatility: Tutti Bambini Nova Maison · 8.0/10 – Seven modes, dishwasher-safe tray and a carry bag for travel

	Graco Snack N Stow	Hauck Alpha+	Tutti Bambini Nova Maison
Price	~£39	~£90	~£151
Tier	Budget	Mid-range	Premium
Age range	6 months to 3 years	6 months to 12 years	6 months to 12 years
Max weight	15kg	90kg	50kg
Material	Steel frame, wipe-clean seat	European beechwood	Mixed (modular)
Folds	Yes, 15cm freestanding	No	60-second flat fold
Tray	3-position removable	Sold separately	Dishwasher-safe, removable
Harness	5-point	5-point + crotch strap	Padded 5-point
Chair weight	5.4kg	~7kg	~8kg
Rating

How we picked the three

We started with the full range of highchairs available through our joined-programme retailers, filtering for products that are in stock, from established brands, and widely recommended by parents. From there we selected one product per price tier (budget, mid-range and premium), choosing models that represent genuinely different design philosophies rather than three variations of the same thing. A compact fold-away, a solid timber grow-with-me, and a modular multi-mode system. We cross-referenced parent feedback and our own community data to build the pros-and-cons picture for each.

What to look for in a highchair

How long will you use it? Budget highchairs typically last from 6 months to around 3 years. Timber and premium chairs often grow with your child up to age 12 by adjusting the seat and footrest. If you plan to have more than one child, a longer-lasting chair usually works out cheaper over the years even though it costs more upfront.

Folding and storage. If your kitchen is small, a chair that folds flat is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Some fold to as little as 15cm wide and stand freestanding against a wall. Others are semi-permanent furniture pieces that do not fold at all. Think about where the chair will live between meals before you buy.

Tray or no tray. A removable tray is convenient for loading food and cleaning up, and most parents prefer one during the early weaning months. Some timber highchairs skip the tray entirely and push up to the family table instead, which encourages social eating but means you need the right table height. If the tray is sold separately, factor that into the total cost.

Cleaning. Weaning is messy. Look for wipe-clean surfaces, removable trays (ideally dishwasher-safe) and harnesses you can sponge down. Fabric cushions are comfortable but accumulate food debris unless they are machine-washable.

Safety. A 5-point harness is the minimum for young babies. A crotch strap adds extra security to prevent sliding. Check that the chair meets BS EN 14988 (the British Standard for highchairs) and look for a wide, stable base or anti-tip legs. If the chair adjusts, make sure the locking mechanisms are solid and well out of reach of small fingers.

1. Graco Snack N Stow Highchair / 10 · Best Value

The Graco Snack N Stow solves a very specific problem: you need a highchair, your kitchen is tiny, and your budget is tight. At just under forty pounds it is one of the most affordable full-size highchairs on the market, yet it folds down to only 15cm wide and stands freestanding against a wall or behind a door. At 5.4kg it is also light enough to carry one-handed, which matters more than you might think when you are holding a baby in the other arm.

The wipe-clean seat pad handles the inevitable mess of early weaning without fuss. The 3-position removable tray adjusts as your baby grows, and the 2-position footrest gives smaller babies proper support. A 5-point harness keeps everything secure, and the whole package feels surprisingly well-built for the price.

What parents love

• Remarkable value. One parent told us: "Such high quality I honestly think it's a bargain. Great value for money."
• Ultra-compact fold. Folds to just 15cm wide and stands freestanding, perfect for small kitchens, flats, and grandparents' houses.
• Lightweight and portable. At 5.4kg you can move it between rooms or take it to a holiday cottage without a struggle.
• Easy to clean. The wipe-clean seat pad means a damp cloth handles most mealtime disasters.

What to know before you buy

• Limited lifespan. Suitable from 6 months to 3 years (15kg), so you will outgrow it sooner than the other two options here.
• No recline. The seat does not recline, so it is not suitable for younger babies who cannot sit independently yet.
• Basic aesthetic. It looks and feels like a practical, functional highchair rather than a piece of furniture. If kitchen style matters to you, the Hauck or Tutti Bambini will suit better.

Best for

• Families in small kitchens or flats where space is at a premium
• Parents on a tight budget who need a reliable, no-nonsense first highchair
• Grandparents who want a highchair that lives behind a door between visits
• Second highchairs for holiday lets, caravans or the office

2. Hauck Alpha+ Highchair / 10 · Best All-Rounder

The Hauck Alpha+ takes the opposite approach to the Graco. It is not compact, it does not fold, and it is not particularly light. What it is, however, is a solid European beechwood chair that adjusts to fit your child from 6 months all the way to 12 years (up to 90kg). That means the highchair your baby starts weaning in becomes the dining chair your primary schooler sits on for homework. Over a decade of use, the cost-per-year maths is hard to beat.

The adjustable seat and footplate grow with your child in meaningful increments, and the 5-point harness with crotch strap keeps younger babies properly secure. It won Silver at the Mother and Baby Awards 2025, which reflects the kind of "quietly gets on with it" reliability that parents value most. Assembly is straightforward, and we hear from parents that it genuinely is a one-person job.

What parents love

• Built to last years. Parents tell us: "A budget buy that will last for years. Easy to put together, only needed one person."
• Award-winning design. Silver at the M&B Awards 2025 for good reason: it is solid, stable and does not wobble.
• Grows with your child. Adjustable seat and footplate mean it transitions from highchair to junior dining chair without buying anything new.
• Real wood construction. European beechwood gives it a premium look that suits most kitchen styles, at a mid-range price.

What to know before you buy

• Does not fold. This is a permanent piece of kitchen furniture. If space is tight between meals, the Graco or Tutti Bambini will suit better.
• No tray included. The Alpha+ tray is sold separately, and so are seat cushions. Factor in the extras when comparing the total cost.
• Rigid wooden seat. Without the optional cushion, the seat is bare wood. Comfortable enough for older children but most parents buy the cushion for babies.

Best for

• Families who want one chair that lasts from weaning to secondary school
• Parents who eat together at the table and want their child to join in properly
• Kitchens with space for a permanent highchair that looks like furniture
• Second-time parents who know they will use it across multiple children

3. Tutti Bambini Nova Maison 7-in-1 Highchair / 10 · Best for Versatility

The Tutti Bambini Nova Maison is the Swiss army knife of the highchair world. It converts between seven modes including a full highchair, a low chair, a booster, and a toddler chair, adapting to whatever stage your child is at and whatever surface you need them to sit on. The included carry bag makes it genuinely portable: useful for restaurants, holidays and trips to the grandparents.

The details justify the premium price. The tray is dishwasher-safe, which is worth its weight in gold during baby-led weaning when every surface ends up covered in avocado. The padded 5-point harness is more comfortable than basic nylon straps, and the modular design means you can set it up in about 60 seconds without tools. It suits families who value flexibility and do not want to buy three different seating solutions as their child grows.

What parents love

• Seven genuinely useful modes. From highchair to booster to low chair, it adapts to restaurants, relatives' houses and your own changing needs.
• Dishwasher-safe tray. Detach the tray, put it in the dishwasher, and forget about it. After months of hand-scrubbing, this feels like a luxury.
• Portable with carry bag. The included carry bag turns it into something you can genuinely take on holiday or to a restaurant.
• 60-second setup. No tools, no Allen keys, no frustrating instruction booklets. It clicks together in a minute.

What to know before you buy

• Premium price. At over £150, it costs nearly four times the Graco. The versatility justifies it for active families, but it is a significant outlay if you mainly use it at home in one mode.
• Not a single-material design. Unlike the Hauck's solid beechwood, this is a mixed-material modular system. It is well-made, but it does not have the same heirloom feel.
• Footrest limited. Some modes do not offer the same level of foot support as a dedicated wooden highchair, which matters for posture during early weaning.

Best for

• Families who eat out regularly or travel with their child
• Parents who want one product that adapts rather than buying separate chairs for each stage
• Anyone who values dishwasher-safe components and easy cleaning
• Active families who need a portable highchair that does not compromise on features

What about the IKEA Antilop?

The IKEA Antilop is probably the world's most popular highchair, and at around twenty pounds it is even cheaper than the Graco. We did not include it here because it is not available through our joined-programme retailers, but it is worth knowing about if price is your only concern. The trade-offs are real, though: no fold, no height adjustment, no harness padding, and cleaning the detachable legs after every trip is more hassle than most parents expect. The Graco Snack N Stow matches it on price per year of use while adding a compact fold, better harness and adjustable tray.

How to choose

If space is tight and budget matters most, the Graco Snack N Stow is the obvious pick. It folds to almost nothing, costs less than forty pounds, and does the job solidly from 6 months to 3 years. Buy it now and upgrade later if you need to.

If you want a chair that grows with your child, the Hauck Alpha+ is the smartest investment. European beechwood, award-winning design, and a 6-month-to-12-year lifespan make the ninety-pound price tag look very reasonable over a decade. Just budget for the tray and cushion separately.

If you need flexibility and portability, the Tutti Bambini Nova Maison covers more ground than any other chair at this price. Seven modes, a carry bag and dishwasher-safe tray make it ideal for families who do not just eat at home. The premium price buys you adaptability that the other two simply cannot match.

Whichever you choose, add it to your free BubsNest registry so friends and family know it is on your list. A highchair is exactly the kind of practical essential that people want to buy as a gift but never think of on their own.