Highchairs by Budget: £65 vs £100 vs £200

COMPARISON · FEEDING & WEANING

The highchair is one of those purchases that sneaks up on you. One minute you are still figuring out milk feeds, the next you are mashing up sweet potato and realising your baby needs somewhere to sit. And the price range is dizzying: you can spend under £30 on a basic plastic seat or north of £400 on a fully kitted-out Scandinavian design classic. But what do you actually get for your money at each step up?

We put three of the UK's most popular highchairs side by side, one at each price tier, to find out. This is not a "best highchair" roundup - it is a budget map. Every family has different priorities, and the right chair for a compact flat with one baby looks very different from the right chair for a big family kitchen that will seat three children over the next decade.

We looked at real specs, real parent feedback, and real daily use to answer one question: where should you put your money?

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: Stokke Tripp Trapp · 8.5/10 - A chair for life, literally. Birth to adulthood in one piece of furniture.
• Best Value: Joie Multiply 6-in-1 · 7.5/10 - Six modes from highchair to play table, lasting to age six.
• Best on a Budget: Mamas & Papas Snax · 7.0/10 - Feature-packed for under £70, with a space-saving fold.

	Mamas & Papas Snax	Joie Multiply 6-in-1	Stokke Tripp Trapp
Price	~£65	~£100	~£200
Rating
Age range	6 months - 3 years	6 months - 6 years	Birth - adult
Weight	8.4 kg	12.2 kg	6.5 kg
Folds	Yes (tray attached)	Yes (stands upright)	No
Modes	1 (highchair)	6 (highchair, booster, table, chair)	1 (adjustable chair)
Material	Steel and polypropylene	Plastic and fabric	European beech wood
Best for	Tight budgets, small spaces	Families wanting one chair to do everything	Long-term value, design-conscious homes

How we picked the three

We started with the question parents actually ask: do I need to spend more than £50 on a highchair? So we deliberately chose one product from each price tier - budget (under £75), mid-range (£75-£150), and premium (over £150) - to see what you gain and what you sacrifice at each level.

All three are from well-known brands with strong UK after-sales support. All three are currently in stock and available through joined retailers. We cross-referenced parent feedback from forums, review communities, and direct conversations, looking for patterns rather than one-off complaints. Where a theme came up repeatedly - good or bad - we included it.

What to look for in a highchair

How long will you use it? A budget highchair might last 18 months to 2 years. A premium one could genuinely last a decade. Work out your cost-per-month, not just the sticker price. A £200 chair used for 8 years works out at about £2 a month.

Does it fold? If your kitchen is tight, a fold is not optional. But "folds" and "folds small" are different things. Check the folded dimensions, not just the marketing claim.

How easy is it to clean? This matters more than you think. Every parent we speak to mentions cleaning within their first month of weaning. Removable trays, dishwasher-safe parts, and smooth surfaces without fabric creases are the gold standard.

Height adjustability. If you eat at a kitchen island and a dining table, you need multiple height settings. Most mid-range and above chairs offer this, but budget options sometimes lock you into one or two positions.

Safety certification. All three chairs in this guide meet EN 14988, the current European safety standard for highchairs. Look for the certification reference in the product listing.

Footrest. Occupational therapists recommend a supported footrest for stable seating during meals. Not all budget chairs include one, and even when they do, it is not always adjustable. This is one of the clearest quality markers between price tiers.

1. Mamas & Papas Snax / 10 · Best on a Budget

The Snax punches well above its price tag. At around £65, it delivers six height settings, three recline positions, and a removable tray with a dishwasher-friendly insert - features you would expect on chairs costing twice as much. It folds with the tray still attached and stands on its own, which is genuinely useful if you need to tuck it away between meals.

Made from steel legs with a polypropylene seat, it feels solid without being excessively heavy at 8.4 kg. The under-seat storage basket is a small but practical touch, handy for stashing bibs and muslins. The 5-point harness keeps wriggly babies secure, and lockable castors let you wheel it around without it scooting away mid-meal.

What parents love

• Adjustable height. Six positions let it work at kitchen islands and dining tables alike. One parent told us: "Easy to adjust the height to fit both tables, so it makes my life a lot easier."
• Practical tray design. The removable insert lifts out for quick rinsing, and the extra-large tray catches most of the mess before it hits the floor.
• Space-saving fold. Folds to 30 cm deep with the tray still attached - no disassembly needed.
• Excellent value. Parents consistently note that it offers features usually found on chairs in the £120+ range.

What to know before you buy

• Fabric staining. The PVC-coated seat pad is marketed as wipe-clean, but several parents report that food gets caught in the fabric creases and stains build up over time.
• Still fairly bulky when folded. At 90 cm wide even when collapsed, it does not disappear into a cupboard as easily as you might hope.
• Narrow seat. Some parents find the seat width tight as toddlers approach the 15 kg upper limit around age three.

Best for

• Budget-conscious families who want proper adjustability without the premium price
• Weaning-stage babies (6-18 months) starting solids
• Smaller kitchens where a freestanding fold is valuable
• Multi-table households that need flexible height settings

2. Joie Multiply 6-in-1 / 10 · Best Value

The Multiply is the Swiss army knife of highchairs. For around £100, you get six genuine modes: a standard highchair, a low-seated traditional chair, a booster seat, a portable booster, a standalone toddler chair, and a play table. It is designed to last from six months to six years, which makes the cost-per-year maths very compelling.

The tray is dishwasher-safe with a cup holder and three position settings. The SoftTouch 5-point harness is comfortable enough that most babies tolerate it without protest. The chair folds with one hand and stands upright when folded, though at 12.2 kg it is not what you would call lightweight. Integrated front wheels help with repositioning, but the chair stays put once parked.

What parents love

• Genuine versatility. The six modes are not marketing fluff - each one works. A parent shared: "It adapts and grows with your child, useful from the early months through to being a young child."
• Easy cleaning. The dishwasher-safe tray and removable, washable seat insert make post-meal cleanup noticeably faster than fabric-heavy alternatives.
• Long usable lifespan. The conversion to a toddler table and chair at around age three extends daily use well beyond the highchair phase.
• Height flexibility. Five height positions accommodate kitchen islands, dining tables, and breakfast bars.

What to know before you buy

• Bulk. At 12.2 kg and 64.8 cm wide even when folded, this is a substantial piece of furniture. We hear repeatedly from parents that it is "imposing and takes up a lot of space."
• Heavier than competitors. Nearly double the weight of the Stokke Tripp Trapp, which makes it harder to move between rooms.
• Integrated wheels. Some parents feel the front wheels reduce overall stability compared to a fixed-leg design.

Best for

• Families wanting one chair from weaning to school age
• Larger kitchens and dining rooms with space for a full-size chair
• Parents who prioritise easy cleaning and a dishwasher-safe tray
• Multi-child households where the play table conversion extends the value

3. Stokke Tripp Trapp / 10 · Best Overall

The Tripp Trapp is the chair that started the "grows with your child" category back in 1972, and over fifty years later it remains the benchmark. Made from sustainably sourced European beech wood, it supports up to 136 kg - meaning your child can genuinely use it from birth (with the Newborn Set) through to adulthood. At around £200 for the Ultimate Bundle, which includes the chair, Newborn Set, Baby Set, tray, and harness, the upfront cost is significant. But the cost-per-year calculation changes everything.

At just 6.5 kg, it is the lightest chair in this comparison by a wide margin. The seat plate and footrest adjust independently in height and depth across 14 positions, giving proper ergonomic support at every stage. It tucks under a standard dining table like a regular chair, which is a surprisingly rare feature in the highchair world. Available in over 14 colours across beech, oak, and walnut finishes, it looks like furniture rather than baby equipment.

What parents love

• Unmatched longevity. Birth to adulthood in one chair with strong resale value. One parent told us: "It has been one of our best baby purchases so far."
• Rock-solid stability. We hear repeatedly from parents that it does not move an inch, even with an enthusiastic toddler leaning sideways.
• Ergonomic design. The adjustable seat and footrest ensure proper posture with no dangling legs, something occupational therapists specifically recommend.
• Compact footprint. Takes up the same space as a dining chair and tucks under the table. One parent put it best: "When it is pushed in, the chair almost disappears."

What to know before you buy

• Price. The most expensive mainstream highchair on the market. The Ultimate Bundle runs around £200, and individual accessories can push the total higher.
• Cleaning. The wood crevices trap dried food, and the harness straps are notoriously fiddly to remove and reattach for washing.
• No fold. Unlike the Snax and Multiply, the Tripp Trapp does not fold at all. If storage is a priority, this is a significant trade-off.

Best for

• Families wanting a single chair from birth to adulthood
• Design-conscious parents who want furniture-grade aesthetics in 14+ colours
• Small dining spaces where the chair needs to tuck under the table
• Multi-child families where durability and resale value matter

How to choose

If your budget is firm and under £75, the Mamas & Papas Snax is the standout. You get genuinely useful features - six height settings, three reclines, a removable tray, and a freestanding fold - for a price that leaves room in the budget for weaning supplies. It will not last beyond age three, but for the weaning phase it does the job well.

If you want maximum versatility and have the kitchen space, the Joie Multiply 6-in-1 is hard to beat at £100. The six modes are not gimmicks; the conversion to a play table alone extends its useful life years beyond a standard highchair. The trade-off is bulk - this is a big, heavy chair that needs a home.

If you are thinking long-term, the Stokke Tripp Trapp is the one to save for. Yes, £200 is a lot for a highchair. But a chair that lasts from birth to adulthood, holds its resale value, and looks like actual furniture rather than baby equipment earns its place. If you plan to have more than one child, the maths become even more compelling.

Add it to your Nest

Whichever highchair suits your family, you can add it to your free BubsNest registry so friends and family know exactly what you need. No guesswork, no duplicates, just the right gear for your home.