Baby-Led Weaning: Choosing A Highchair

Starting solid food is one of the biggest milestones for babies and choosing the right highchair is really important – your baby is likely to be using it for at least the next 6 months, perhaps longer. There are so many different highchairs on the market, so how do you know which one to choose for when your baby is ready to start baby-led weaning? In this post I’m sharing what I look for when choosing a highchair suitable for baby-led weaning.

1. EASY TO CLEAN

It will be a good while before your baby has the coordination skills needed to be able to eat with many any amount of mess and you’re going to be cleaning up after them 3 times a day, so you definitely need to pick on that is easy to clean! Choose one that doesn’t have lots of nooks and crannies that food can get caught in. Look for one that can be wiped clean and ideally has removable straps to make cleaning them easier.

2. WIDE TRAY WITH LIP

Go for a highchair that has a very wide tray and check that the tray has a lip or ridge around the edge. A big part of baby-led weaning is the play and exploration of food, so you will no doubt find that your baby spends a lot of time pushing food around the tray. If the tray is wide and has a lip, then there’s less chance of it being pushed over the edge and onto the floor!

3. COMFORTABLE

I like to be comfortable when I sit down to eat so it’s a given that I’d want my baby to be comfortable too! With baby-led weaning, mealtimes may take a little longer than usual, so you want your baby to be as comfortable as possible. The last thing you need is your baby getting grumpy or upset because they’ve got a numb bum! Look for a highchair that has padding or one that you can buy cushions separately for.

4. HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE

The last thing you want after spending money on a lovely new highchair is for your child to suddenly outgrow it. Pick a highchair that is adjustable so will grow with your baby as they go into toddlerhood.

5. EASY TO FOLD/STORE

Highchairs do take up quite a bit of space and as we keep ours in our small kitchen finding one that can be folded compactly between use is a must! It also needs to be easy to fold as the last thing you want when you have a hungry, impatient baby is to make them wait while you set up their highchair.

OUR HIGHCHAIR

Baby J’s highchair is the Light Wood Highchair* from Babymoov (£139.99) and as well as being super stylish it meets all the requirements I look for in a highchair suitable for baby-led weaning.

I love it because it is SO easy to clean. Every part can be easily removed, including the straps, making my life much easier after mealtimes. It has a removable tray which is lovely and wide, and has a lip around the edge which helps to stop food dropping off the edge.

Babymoov have a selection of padded seats to go with this highchair and we have the Comfort Cushion which as the name suggests makes J feel more comfortable. The seat and the footrest can be quickly adjusted so that the highchair will grow as he does.

One of the best things about our highchair is how small it folds. With the press of a button and a quick pull the highchair folds to just 47 x 110 x 15cm. Baby J, Little N and I all sit together in the kitchen for mealtimes so that is where I store the highchair. It’s so easy to adjust and when it’s folded it takes up hardly any space at all!

I hope you find this helpful if you’re highchair shopping. Let me know what highchair your little ones have!

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DIsclosure: I received our Babymoov highchair as part of our ambassador relationship, but it doesn’t change my opinion on what makes a good highchair for baby-led weaning!