5 Best Foldable High Chairs: Great for Small Spaces & Travel
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Foldable high chairs are an awesome, space-efficient alternative to standard high chairs (plus, many double as travel high chairs!). Check out these 5 best folding high chairs, perfect for people wanting less baby gear or living in small spaces.
Fitting random baby gear in a small living space feels like a constant jigsaw puzzle. The high chair, in particular, has been the bane of my small space existence. Multiple times a day I’d stub my toe on our much lauded Ikea high chair.
For the first year and a half of our baby’s life, we couldn’t even comfortably fit a dining room table in our small space. So our high chair options were limited, to say the least.
So I went on the hunt for the perfect folding, easy to store high chair that I could tuck away between uses. The list you’ll find below of the best foldable high chairs is based on my personal hours of research and experimentation with high chairs in small spaces.
No time to read the whole article? My top pick for the best standard folding high chair is the Graco Slim Snacker for its affordability, and my favorite foldable travel high chair is the hiccapop OmniBoost Travel Booster Seat for its versatility.
We never intended to be living in our small grad school apartment with a baby but an unexpected hyperemesis pregnancy and a pandemic threw off our plans. Now, with years of experience living with a babies in tight quarters, I know what to look for in space-efficient baby gear like foldable high chairs.
Related Post: Baby Gear for Small Spaces
One of the best things about many of the best collapsible high chairs on this list is that they also double as foldable travel high chairs too. Serving double duty means one less baby item you have to buy and store.
So even if you don’t live in a small space, collapsible high chairs can be very useful and more unobtrusive in your home. They also make great high chairs for grandparents’ houses where they’ll only be used sporadically.
Below is a list of the best options I’ve found for the best foldable high chairs for a variety of family priorities, like budget or small spaces.
Let’s see some high chairs!
Summary: Best Folding High Chairs
| FOLDABLE HIGH CHAIR | GREAT FOR… | PRICE |
| 1. Graco Slim Snacker | -Affordability -Everyday Use -Simple Design | Check Price |
| 2. Hiccapop OmniBoost Travel Seat | -Travel -Outdoors & camping -Lightweight | Check Price |
| 3. Inglesina Fast Table Chair | -Smallest footprint -Machine washable -Seat at the table | Check Price |
| 4. Primo Folding High Chair | -Easy to clean | Check Price |
| 5. Joovy Nook | -Fancy features | Check Price |
1. Best Standard Foldable High Chair: Graco Slim Snacker
Maximum Weight: 40 lbs
Most people end up with a traditional stand-alone high chair. They’re classic and easy. Luckily there are a handful of full high chairs that fold down like beach chairs.
The Graco Slim Snacker tops the list since it is an affordable, simple and functional option that will work best for most families. You can fold it one handed by pulling up an a strap in the chair, much like many strollers fold.
The chair itself weights 17 lbs so it is manageable to move around. The seat can recline, a feature some families look for for smaller infants.
And it is machine washable, a feature every family should look for since babies are crazy messy eaters.
Runner-up: Cosco Simple Fold
Cosco offers a basic stand-alone folding high chair that is similar to the Graco. It comes in behind the Graco because its seat is not removable, making it harder to clean. It also does not have a true foot rest.
2. Best Folding High Chair for Travel: hiccapop OmniBoost Travel Seat
Maximum Weight: Hiccapop says it has been tested up to a whooping 250 lbs.
The hiccapop OmniBoost travel booster does it all. The Omniboost folds down very small and can be strapped to any regular chair making it a flexible high chair for home or travel.
Moreover, using one strapped to a chair instead of a traditional high chair means you won’t need a second travel high chair for when you’re on-the-go (saving you money and space).
We own an equivalent chair (my runner up in this category, the Summer Infant Pop ‘N Sit) and it is one of our most used and beloved baby items.
What we love about this high chair is that it is so versatile. We can just as easily use it at home at our dining room table, on the ground at the beach, or strapped to a chair at a restaurant.
The hiccapop beats out our beloved Summer Infant Pop ‘N Sit because it has a very important feature: its machine washable. High chairs get gross fast and machine washing makes your life easier.
Runner-Up: Summer Infant Pop ‘N Sit
Summer Infant’s Pop ‘N Sit is very similar to the hiccapop but is not machine washable. While I would prefer a machine washable chair, I’ve also been able to wash up our Pop ‘N Sit easily with a hose or damp rag.
Some people say that the harness system is not as well positioned as the hiccapop, though we haven’t had any issues with the strap-positioning on our Summer Infant. With very heavy use, our chair’s canvas is fraying at the chair back but the chair itself is still completely functional.
3. Best High Chair for Small Spaces: Inglesina Fast Table Chair
Maximum Weight: 37 lbs
The Inglesina Fast Table Chair is a small hanging chair that clamps down to the side of a table or counter top. Of the folding high chairs on this list, the Ingelsina chair is by far the smallest.
Not only does it take up barely any space while in use, it folds down even further for easy travel or storage. They even sew the carrying bag into the chair so you can’t lose it.
We have used an Inglesina as our primary high chair and absolutely love it. It is a great space saver and it is really nice having your baby seated at the table.
That said, we’ve found that getting the version with the add-on tray is necessary, otherwise a lot of food falls in the small gap between the table and the baby.
The Inglesina stands out among other clip-on high chairs because it works with tables of varying thicknesses, up to 3.5 inches thick.
It is also machine washable and easy to clean. I got our Inglesina secondhand and it was absolutely caked with old food; it came out of the wash looking brand new.
If you will primarily use your high chair at a table or counter-top, a clip-on chair like the Inglesina is the smallest and most inconspicuous high chair option available. If you plan to do regular outdoor or picnic-style eating without a table, you’ll be better served by a more versatile travel booster, like the hiccapop travel chair.
NOTE: The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a number of cautions when using a hook-on high chair. The chair must be secured and locked on, and the table must be heavy enough to support the child. The child should also be positioned so they cannot kick off against the table.
The chair also only offers a two-point harness, so it isn’t the best fit for babies who are climbers. We’ve gone through periods where we have had to put our baby in a high chair with shoulder straps instead.
Runner-up: Chicco 360 FastLock Chair
Chicco offers three styles of clip-on high chairs, but the 360 FastLock stands out because it allows you to rotate your baby to multiple positions. This is a handy feature so you can have the baby face you when seated side-by-side.
It also comes with a tray which is an add on for some Inglesina models.
This chair has many great features but it does not accommodate as wide a range of table thicknesses as the Inglesina.
4. Easiest to Clean Collapsible High Chair: Primo Folding High Chair
Maximum Weight: 30 lbs
The Primo high chair is has a simple plastic seat that makes it easy to wipe down after a meal.
Not only does the chair fold, it can also convert to a small toddler chair once your baby outgrows the high chair.
This second life as a toddler chair helps extend its usefulness since it otherwise has a slightly lower weight limit than most high chairs.
5. Folding High Chair with Best Amenities: Joovy Nook
Maximum Weight: 50 lbs
Joovy Nooks are great folding high chairs for those who don’t want to sacrifice higher end features just because they want a foldable chair.
It boosts a big oversized tray that makes meal time easier. The best part? The tray swings open so you can easily put your baby in.
A swing open tray may not seem like a big deal but it is. Oh it is.
Compared to our other high chair, where you have to slide the baby in the leg holes from the top, our Joovy Nook is a dream to use. Plus, the swing open tray gets more and more valuable as your kid gets bigger and more opinionated.
The tray is also fully removable in case your kid wants to be pulled up to the table instead.
The Nook is more appropriate for families who are okay with getting their high chair “decently clean” instead of “totally spotless.” The seat cushion is removable on the Nook for machine washing, but it is not the easiest to get off. Like most high chairs, it has some nooks and crannies but I still feel like I can get it clean wiping it down.
Runner Up: Peg Perego Siesta
The Peg Perego Siesta offers a ton more features than other folding high chairs. The only reason it doesn’t top this list is because it is less affordable than other chairs.
It’s seat height, foot rest, and tray are highly adjustable to get the right fit for your baby and your table. It also reclines to multiple angles so it can be used as a seat for newborns.
Best of all, wheels on the base allow you to easily move it while your baby is in it. And of course, it folds small and is self-standing when collapsed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the types of collapsible high chairs?
Before buying a folding high chair, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the types of high chairs available. In general, there are four main styles of high chairs to be aware of:
– Standard High Chairs: The stand alone chair that people envision when you say ‘high chair.’
– Booster Chairs: Mini chairs that you strap onto a dining room chair.
– Clip-on Table Chairs: Seats that clamp on and hang off your dining room table or counter.
– Foldable Travel High Chairs: Collapsible high chairs that fold up small for portability.
What features should you look for in folding high chair?
How do you narrow down chair type will depend a lot on your goals and space. For example, we didn’t have a dining table until recently so a stand alone high chair is our only option.
Here are some key features to consider when making your high chair selection:
Cost: There are enough low-cost high chairs available that your budget should your first consideration when narrowing down high chair options.
Space: You probably wouldn’t be on this page if you weren’t already considering space limitations when looking for a high chair. Do not underestimate how much you will trip over your high chair if it is in the way.
Easy to Clean: How easy a high chair is to clean is a huge, big deal. So many high chairs have nooks and crannies that range from ‘super annoying’ to ‘impossible’ to clean after every meal. Cleaning needs to be high on your high priority list.
Portability: Do you hope to move your high chair around your house? Would you like one chair that you can use both at home and also on-the-go?
Baby Position & Max Weight: You want your baby sitting up straight and able to rest their feet. That said, you can simply add rolled up towels to most high chairs to achieve good posture. Keep an eye on maximum weight limits if you hope to use your high chair through toddlerdom.
When will you need a high chair?
For most families, you won’t use a high chair until your baby is around 6 months old and ready to begin eating food. Your baby should be able to sit unassisted with good head and neck control prior to introducing food, which usually happens around 6 months (source).
Some families like to have their babies sitting at the table for family meals earlier. There are some high chairs that have infant attachments to allow babies who are unable to sit unsupported to use them from birth.
Wondering what other baby gear works well in tight quarters? Check out this guide to baby items in small spaces.
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