Stokke Tripp Trapp vs Joie Multiply 6-in-1: Which Highchair Grows Best with Your Family?

COMPARISON · FEEDING & WEANING

Choosing a highchair should be simple. You need somewhere safe for your baby to sit, eat and fling broccoli at the dog. But the moment you start comparing options, you realise every family weighs the tradeoffs differently. The Stokke Tripp Trapp and the Joie Multiply 6-in-1 both promise to grow with your child, yet they take radically different approaches to that promise.

The Tripp Trapp is a Scandinavian design icon, carved from solid beech, that can genuinely serve as an adult chair decades later. The Joie Multiply is a multi-mode workhorse that transforms through six configurations, from reclining infant seat to toddler play table, all for roughly a third of the price. At around £299 versus £100, the gap is real. But value is not just about what you pay on day one - it is about how many years, children and daily porridge explosions a chair handles before it earns its retirement.

We dug into real parent feedback, official specs and long-term durability reports to work out which families suit which chair. Neither is perfect. Both are genuinely good. Here is how they compare.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: Stokke Tripp Trapp · 8.5/10 - unmatched longevity, ergonomic footrest and heirloom build quality
• Best Value: Joie Multiply 6-in-1 · 8.0/10 - six modes from one chair at a third of the price

At a glance

	Stokke Tripp Trapp	Joie Multiply 6-in-1
Price (approx.)	£299 (with Newborn + Baby Set)	£100-£150
Age range	Birth to adult	6 months to 6 years
Weight limit	136 kg	~27 kg
Chair weight	6.5 kg	12.2 kg
Material	European beech wood	Plastic frame, padded seat
Folds?	No	Yes, stands when folded
Modes	1 (+ optional accessories)	6 (highchair, booster, low chair, play table and more)
Footrest	Fully adjustable (depth + height)	3-position adjustable
Tray included?	No (sold separately, ~£50)	Yes, dishwasher-safe
Rating

How we picked the two

We cross-referenced the products most frequently added to BubsNest registries in the highchair category with parent feedback across forums, review threads and social groups. The Tripp Trapp and the Multiply consistently surface as the two most-discussed "grow with your child" chairs in the UK market, representing the premium and mid-range ends of the spectrum. Rather than cramming in a third or fourth option, we wanted to give these two the space for a proper head-to-head.

What to look for in a highchair

Footrest support. This is the one thing parents wish they had known earlier. A properly positioned footrest helps your child sit securely, eat more independently and develop better posture. Look for adjustable height and depth, not just a fixed bar.

Cleanability. Baby-led weaning means food absolutely everywhere. Smooth surfaces with minimal crevices are worth their weight in gold. Check how easy the straps are to remove, whether the tray is dishwasher-safe and whether food can get trapped in fabric folds.

Longevity. Some highchairs serve 6 months to 3 years. Others genuinely last a decade or more. Work out how many children you plan to put through the chair and whether resale value matters to you.

Table compatibility. Not every highchair pulls up flush against a standard dining table. If family mealtimes together are a priority, check the chair fits your table height and leg spacing before you buy.

Safety certification. Look for EN 14988 compliance. Beyond that, a stable base, a reliable harness and a footrest that prevents sliding are the practical safety features that matter day to day.

1. Stokke Tripp Trapp / 10 · Best Overall

The Tripp Trapp has been around since 1972 and it looks like it. Not in a dated way - in a "this design was so good the first time that nobody has improved on it" way. It is a solid beech chair with an adjustable seat plate and footrest that slide along angled rails, giving your child a properly supported, ergonomic seating position from infancy through to adulthood. Yes, adults genuinely use these chairs. The 136 kg weight limit is not a marketing gimmick.

With the separately sold Newborn Set (birth to 9 kg) and Baby Set with harness (6 to 36 months), the Tripp Trapp covers every stage. But those accessories add up. The chair alone is roughly £219, and by the time you have added the Newborn Set, Baby Set and optional tray, you are looking at £300 or more. That said, Tripp Trapps hold their resale value remarkably well - secondhand units regularly sell for 60-70% of the original price.

What parents love

• Built to last decades. One parent told us: "We have had our Tripp Trapp for almost six years, and I kind of regret not getting two." The solid beech construction handles daily abuse, and these chairs genuinely get passed between siblings and then resold.
• The footrest changes everything. Parents we hear from regularly say the adjustable footrest is what sets the Tripp Trapp apart. Children sit more securely, eat more independently and are visibly more comfortable when their feet are properly supported.
• Pulls right up to the table. No tray barrier between your child and the family meal. For baby-led weaning families, this is a huge advantage - your child eats from the same surface as everyone else.
• Compact and beautiful. At 6.5 kg and with clean Scandinavian lines, the Tripp Trapp looks like furniture, not baby gear. It takes up less floor space than most plastic highchairs.

What to know before you buy

• The accessories add up fast. The chair is only the starting point. Newborn Set, Baby Set, tray, cushion - each is sold separately. Budget for the full system, not just the chair.
• Harness straps trap food. A parent shared: "The harness is fiddly to remove and food gets ground into the fabric." Removing and cleaning the straps regularly is essential.
• Adjustments require tools. Changing the seat or footrest height means reaching for an Allen key. It is not something you do mid-meal, so get the position right during setup and revisit every few months as your child grows.

Best for

• Families planning to use one chair across multiple children and many years
• Parents who practise baby-led weaning and want the chair at the table, not behind a tray
• Design-conscious households wanting a chair that looks like furniture
• Anyone who values ergonomic footrest support for posture

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

The Joie Multiply takes a completely different approach. Where the Tripp Trapp is one beautifully made thing, the Multiply is six things in one: baby highchair with recline, standard highchair, booster seat, portable booster, toddler chair and play table. It covers 6 months to roughly 6 years and does all of it for around £100.

The five-height adjustment, three-position recline and dishwasher-safe tray make it genuinely practical for daily use. It folds and stands upright when stored, which matters if your kitchen is not the size of a Scandinavian showroom. The padded seat removes for machine washing, and front-leg wheels let you roll it out of the way without lifting. At 12.2 kg it is heavier than the Tripp Trapp, but you are getting a lot more functionality packed into that weight.

What parents love

• Six genuine modes. One parent told us: "Six items in one, and it converts so quickly between them all. It folds down fairly slimline too, meaning it was easy to store." The booster and play table modes alone justify the price for many families.
• Easy to clean. The dishwasher-safe tray insert and removable, washable seat pad make post-meal cleanup significantly less painful. We hear repeatedly from parents that this is the main reason they chose the Multiply.
• Great value for money. At roughly a third of the Tripp Trapp price, the Multiply delivers solid performance across all six modes. Several parents described it as the best value highchair they have owned.
• Portable booster mode. A parent shared: "Exactly what we needed - handy as a booster to take to grandparents." The ability to strap it onto a dining chair for travel or visits is a standout feature.

What to know before you buy

• Bulkier than it looks. While it folds, it does not fold flat. At 12.2 kg it is nearly twice the weight of the Tripp Trapp. Homes with very tight kitchens may find storage tricky.
• Tray can knock off. We hear from parents that the tray lacks a safety catch for the stored position. One parent put it best: "Each time I moved the chair I ended up knocking the tray off and hitting my feet."
• Smaller babies may struggle to reach. Parents of smaller-than-average infants report that the tray sits slightly too far forward until their child grows into the seat.

Best for

• Budget-conscious families wanting maximum versatility from one purchase
• Parents who need a chair that folds and stores upright between meals
• Families who visit grandparents often and want a portable booster mode
• Anyone who values dishwasher-safe trays and machine-washable covers

How to choose

If your priority is long-term value, ergonomic design and a chair that genuinely lasts from birth to adulthood, the Stokke Tripp Trapp is hard to beat. The upfront cost is significant, but the resale value, the superior footrest and the fact that your child sits at the table as part of the family make it an investment rather than an expense. It is the better choice for baby-led weaning families and households where design matters.

If you need versatility, easy storage and a tighter budget, the Joie Multiply 6-in-1 is the smarter pick. Six modes from one chair means fewer things to buy, store and eventually dispose of. The dishwasher-safe tray and washable covers are genuine time-savers, and the portable booster mode is a brilliant bonus for families on the move. It may not last 20 years, but it will comfortably see you through the weaning-to-school-age years without breaking a sweat.

Add it to your Nest

Whichever highchair suits your family, you can add it to your free BubsNest registry alongside everything else on your list. One place, every brand, no awkward conversations about what you actually need.