8 of the best highchairs for small spaces

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Best highchairs for small spaces at a glance

Best for a wooden high chair: Hauck Wooden Alpha+ highchair, £74.95
Best for a compact fold: Graco Snack N Stow highchair, £40
Best for adjustable height: Kinderkraft Livy, £189
Best for use from birth: Cosatto Noodle, £119.95
Best compact 4-leg highchair: Stokke Clikk, £157
Best budget compact highchair: Ikea Antilop, £19
Best for attaching to a table: Phil & Ted’s Lobster, £86.99
Best budget booster seat: Venture Bubble Booster seat, £29.99

What to look for when buying a highchair

There are a few important factors to consider when buying a space-smart highchair. You're probably not going to get all the features that you can expect from a larger design, so you need to decide which are the most important to you:

Size – Obviously this is key, you’ll want to find a compact highchair that can also be folded up and/or stored away neatly.

Portability – There are plenty of options that are compact and light when folded, so are easy to fit in the boot of your car. There are also some seats which come without legs and are designed to be attached directly to your existing kitchen chairs or table.

Weight – Are you planning on moving your highchair from room to room? If so, weight is something to bear in mind – unless the model comes with wheels.

Ease of cleaning – There's not getting around it, weaning is messy. Do consider how you'll clean your chair, especially if you're folding it down after use. Removable trays, simple designs and covers that can be put in the washing machine will all make life easier.

How did we choose our 8 of the Best?

Our Best lists are compiled by qualified and experienced parenting journalists. They rely on a number of sources, including our independent reviews, testing undertaken during the MadeForMums Awards, and feedback from our home testing panel and Top Testers Club. Each year thousands of products are put through their paces by hundreds of parents across the country on behalf of MadeForMums, to ensure we’re bringing you honest and true reviews and recommendations.

When testing, we looked at a range of space-saving highchairs and looked at their performance, considering age suitability, size, portability, ease of cleaning.

Our list is not an ordered ranking from 1-10, instead it is a carefully selected group of tried-and-tested products, each of which we believe is best for a different situation or requirement. We don’t just tell you what is best, we help you discover what is best for your family.

Here’s our pick of the best highchairs for small spaces tested by our reviewers and parents…

1. Hauck Wooden Alpha+ highchair, £89.95

– Best for a wooden high chair

A studio shot of Hauck Alpha+ Wooden Highchair - Grey

Made from durable and sustainably managed beechwood, this Hauck highchair is perfect for putting right under the table. You can modify the seat and footplate in height and depth to fit your child's age, adapting as they grow. Even with the tray, the Alpha+ can be used at the table so your little one can share meals with the family with ease.

The detachable front bar can be combined with 1 of 2 belt systems included: crotch belt and 5-point harness. Both of them are fully adjustable and are removable – you can even wash them in the machine. Although this highchair is suitable for children from 6 months up to 12 years, it can be used even further, as its maximum load is 90kg.

The Alpha+ Highchair can be combined with additional accessories including bouncers, seat reducers and food trays.

Pros: Height adjustable, can fit under most tables, stylish, can be used with or without a tray, choice of 2 harnesses, high maximum weight load
Cons: Doesn’t fold, no wheels, pricey

Available from: Pramworld

2. Graco Snack N Stow highchair, £40

– Best for a compact fold

Affordable, reliable and super compact when folded down, Graco's classic highchair is a great option if you need to quickly stow it away after each meal, with a tall, super-flat fold that's only 15cm deep.

With a built-in 2-position footrest for support, and a 3-position tray for easy access (which also comes off for cleaning) your child will be guaranteed a comfortable meal time. The 5-point harness will also keep them safely in place throughout.

The high chair comes in a number of different patterns to match your decor and taste. The seat fabric is also wipe clean.

Pros: lightweight, portable, flat fold design
Cons: Not height adjustable, no wheels

Available from: Boots and Amazon

3. Kinderkraft Livy, £189

– Best for adjustable height

A previous MFM Award winner, our parent testers really rate this practical highchair for its versatility. A good choice if you want a chair with longevity, it can be used from 6 months to 3 years as a feeding highchair, then as a toddler seat, and finally as a chair for older children. Additionally, you can buy a baby bouncer chair to use with it too.

This multi-adjustable chair comes with a soft cushion, 3-point harness, baby set and food tray with a removable silicone pad (making cleaning up after food time a breeze). Both the seat and footrest are height adjustable, and the depth of the seat can be adjusted, too. Parent tester Lyssa, who tested this with their 2 month old, said: “As it’s a 3-in-one and grows with your baby, it will save parents a lot of time, money and space. It’s practical, stylish and the colour is lovely.”

Our testers were impressed by its ergonomic Dutch design and feel. Though it takes a little while to set up, it's sturdy once built. Plus, the grey frame is easy to clean and the silicone tray can be easily removed to fit into the dishwasher. Available in pink, green or classic wood.

Read our full MadeForMums review of the Kinderkraft Livy highchair.

Pros: Height adjustable, portable, choice of colours, removable tray insert, easy to clean, high maximum weight load
Cons: Expensive, no wheels, doesn't fold

Available from: Kinderkraft and Baby Planet

4. Cossato Noodle 0+ High chair, £119.95

– Best for use from birth

Although weaning won't start until around 6 months, some families like the idea of investing in a high chair that can be used a little earlier, to keep their baby close during mealtimes and get them familiar with what's to come. This is particularly useful if your baby has older siblings, as there's no better way to prepare for weaning than to watch and learn.

Cosatto's fun but practical Noodle high chair can be used from birth thanks to the built-in recline on the seat, which makes it a cradle for younger babies. Once they're old enough to sit upright, tilt the seat back up and it becomes a comfy high chair with a built-in footrest.

There are 7 height settings, which not only help ensure a good fit at the table, but also mean this can fold down as into a neat and compact self-standing unit that can be stored away when not in use – the tray clips onto the back of the legs.

The seat is covered in padded, wipe-clean fabric that's available in a whole host of fun prints. However do bear in mind that there are a lot of nooks and crannies where food can get stuck. Luckily the tray comes off and the covers can be washed on a gentle cycle if they need a deeper clean.

Pros: Sturdy and durable, lovely timeless wooden design, folds up in seconds to save space
Cons: Fiddly harness, tray doesn't detach for washing

Available from: Amazon, Kiddies Kingdom and Argos

5. Stokke Clikk, £157

– Best compact 4-leg highchair

Stokke’s tool-free assembly is quick and simple, making this a fuss-free chair during mealtimes. As the name suggests, the Clikk simply clicks into place. Once assembled it feels sturdy, plus we love the chic design.

Weighing under 5kg, this is remarkably lightweight. And, while it doesn't fold down, it is so quick to unclick the legs that it's easy enough to take apart and pack away after mealtimes or to take on trips away. This chair is ergonomically designed for children from 6 months to 3 years, with 3 configurations to suit your child’s weight, as well as an adjustable footrest with 2 positions for added comfort for your child.

The Clikk's smooth surfaces from top to bottom make it easy to clean, while the tray is detachable and dishwasher safe. The harness is also easy to remove for cleaning as it's machine washable. The Stokke Clikk looks modern and stylish and is available in 6 colourways.

Read our full MadeForMums review of the Stokke Clikk highchair.

Pros: Lightweight, portable, adjustable positions, easy to clean, stylish, good choice of colours
Cons: Expensive, no wheels, doesn't fold, seat not height adjustable

Available from: Stokke, John Lewis and Amazon

6. Ikea Antilop, £19

– Best budget buy

At MFM we’re big fans of Ikea’s functional yet modern highchair, namely for its low price and light weight of just 3.5kg. It’s a popular budget highchair, with an impressive price tag and a great reputation to boot.

It’s important to note that while the highchair doesn’t fold down, the legs can easily be removed it you want to pack it away or take on holiday with you. Plus, its light weight means you can move it around the kitchen with ease.

It’s simple to clean, too; the seat and detachable tray are made from plastic, making it easy to wipe down with a cloth and some anti-bac spray. Parent tester Sarah, mum to a 14-month-old daughter, said: “The highchair is really easy to clean, which is great because most of Edie’s food ends up on the chair rather than in her mouth,” she said. “Its simple design means there are no nooks and crannies for bits of food to get trapped in.”

It’s worth considering that the straps are only a 3-point lap strap, rather than the safer 5-point straps, and there is no footrest (although a number of companies make ones you can add to this specific chair. This is certainly a no-frills highchair but it does the job, and you can’t argue with the price.

Younger babies will benefit from the addition of an inflatable supporting cushion, available from Ikea for an extra £5, plus £4.50 for the cover, as the seat itself is quite spacious.

Pros: Lightweight, affordable, easy to clean, functional
Cons: Basic design, no wheels, doesn't fold, seat not height adjustable, need to buy the cushion insert separately for younger babies

Read our full MadeForMums review of the Ikea Antilop

Available from: Ikea and Amazon

7. Phil & Ted’s Lobster, £86.99

– Best for attaching to a table

Parents who like to eat out with their babies will love the Phil & Ted's lobster. A highly portable alternative to a highchair, this clamp-on seat pops up ready for use and folds down into a bag. It's also perfect for smaller kitchens that would struggle to fit a standard highchair.

Designed to clamp onto a range of everyday surfaces with a one-fold set up, all you need to do is open the bag, give it a shake and attach it to a table in seconds. This also makes it a handy product to take on holiday.

Like most Phil & Teds products the seat fabric is easy to clean; the seat slides off the frame and can be hand washed, along with a wipe-clean tray.

Some may view the Phil & Teds Lobster as expensive for what seems like such a small product, while bigger children might find it a squeeze to fit into. We do, however, think it’s an impressively compact, portable and lightweight feeding solution – one that's tailor made for smaller households and makes eating with your children hassle-free.

Pros: Easy to fold out, easy to store, detachable seat cover, durable, easy to clean, portable
Cons: May be too tight a fit for older/bigger toddlers, pricey

Available from: Phil & Teds, Baby Planet and Kiddies Kingdom

8. Venture Bubble Booster seat, £29.99

– Best for a budget booster seat

Studio shot of Venture Bubble Booster seat

Coming in at around a third of the price as similar boosters on the market – but just as effective – the Venture Bubble Booster Sea is a brilliant option for those on a budget.

Our MFM parent testers liked the ergonomic design, with long adjustable chair straps making it easily attachable to different seats – although we suggest checking the dimensions carefully to make sure it fits your chairs at home. Parent tester Susan, who tested this with their 2 month old, said: "Overall, we thought the quality was great and the seat feels very robust, secure and easy to use."

It's easy to be wiped clean and the removable tray component can go in the dishwasher. The removable tray is telescopic and has 2 adjustable distances; if you wish to use the booster seat to reach the table, simply remove the tray. The tray also comes with 2 highchair toys which are great for keeping your baby occupied while you rustle up some lunch – and can easily be removed when it's mealtime.

Pros: Good value, removable toys, dishwasher safe tray, versatile
Cons: No cushion, does not fit all chairs perfectly, may feel a little big for smaller babies

Available from: Venture and Amazon

When can you start to use a highchair?

With many highchairs your baby needs to be 6 months with good head and neck control in order to sit safely in the chair. At this young age it’s important to make sure the safety harness fits well, your baby can sit in a supported position and there is enough padding to keep your baby comfortable. If you want to use a high chair before 6 months, look for one with a recline that specifically states it's suitable from birth, such as the Cosatto Noodle in our list above.

How to use a highchair safely

Safety is key when choosing a highchair. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) has clear safety guidelines for buying and using a highchair:

Look for the British Standard EN 14988:2017 +A1:2020 safety standard mark
Choose a highchair that has a crotch bar or strap, to prevent your baby slipping out
Look for a highchair that has a removable or adjustable tray, so it’s easy to get your baby in and out
When using your highchair, position it far enough away from any solid surfaces that your child could kick or push against it to destabilise the chair

Remember, it’s hugely important to make sure your baby is always strapped in safely and securely and to never leave your baby unattended in their highchair. Always have them in your sights.