The Definitive Guide to Buying a High Chair

Not certain you want a full-fledged high chair? Investigate these alternative options:

• Hook-on chairs
• European-style feeding chair
• Booster seats
• Chair harness

Hook-on chairs attach to the side of your table with metal bars. While these chairs bring baby right to the table, not every table is stable enough to accommodate a hook-on.

European-style feeding chair allow for babies as young as 6 months to sit pulled up to the table. These triangular wooden chairs—popular in Europe for decades—feature an adjustable seat and foot rest that grows with a child (and can even be adjusted for use by adults). The foot rest also functions as a sort of ladder rung so younger kids can climb up into the seat. Some European-style chairs do come with removable trays.

If you don't have much room for a high chair, you might want to consider a hook-on chair or booster seat. Another toddler-friendly option is the chair harness, a fabric seat cover that ties to the back of a chair and anchors your child in place with a 5-point safety harness. Major drawback for smaller children: this type of seating offers no height boost.