It seems like only yesterday you were shopping around for the best breast pump or baby bottles for feeding your little one, now they're ready to graduate to sitting at the table and eating solid foods. But there's more to weaning than just making sure there's an Ella's pouch in your changing bag at all times, and thankfully Mumsnetters are on hand to help you navigate this messy time. It can be used with the newborn set from birth, the baby set from six months (sitting unaided) and after three years or 15kg until adulthood and beyond, so it's great if you need a piece of furniture that will last and can be used by every member of the family. We also like that the tray is dishwasher-safe for particularly messy mealtimes! It's expensive but with a thriving second-hand market you should get a high resale value when you're finished with it. Multifunctional options might also include newborn accessories so you can use the chair before six months, or have a removable tray so the chair converts from a standalone chair to a table-side one. They usually fold away and often stand when folded for easier storage, and come with luxuriously padded cushions, which are comfortable for your baby to sit on but are crumb magnets for any dropped food. Transitional-style chair – can be used from birth with a baby bouncer attachment, from six months with a baby set, and indefinitely as a chair after three years or 15kg

Five products were then awarded a Mumsnet Best badge – these are the products that we feel offer the best value for most parents. We also gave honourable mentions to three others. Babies often learn what and how to eat by watching their parents and siblings eat too”, she says. “It’s more likely that they will happily accept foods that they see you gobbling up yourself.”Can be reclined, used with a small tray for a just-weaned child, a larger tray for a child feeding themselves, or without the tray for a toddler sitting at the table Big gap between tray and the baby, even in its closest setting – a little inconvenient for mealtimes Like the reasurrance of buying from one of the largest independent nursery retailers in the country but don't like the idea of paying too much? Not a problem! We work hard every day to bring you the best possible prices. But sometimes, somewhere, someone is selling the item you want for less. Let us help! Unfortunately at times this is not achievable, and therefore we must highlight this is a price match service & not a guarantee. The chair is suitable from newborn with a clip on baby bouncer, which allows them to be at the table when you're eating. Then when your child is weaning, you can use it as a high chair with a comfortable baby seat insert and removable tray, before turning into a chair when your toddler is more independent. All the accessories need to be bought separately so the costs do run high, but we love the Scandi design which comes in three neutral colourways for blending nicely into your home. And as it can be used up to the age of ten, it'll be a worthy investment if you can afford the hefty price tag.

Most travel highchairs either attach to an adult dining chair as a chair-mounted booster or clip onto the table edge (sometimes called a hook-on or clip-on highchair) like a vice. In both cases, you need suitable furniture to make it work – though, anecdotally, the chair-attaching kind fit more universally than the table-attaching kind. Can’t be used without an adult dining chair to hold it – not convenient for everyone’s dining situation As child nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed says, sitting your child at your eye level and at (or close to) the rest of the family at mealtimes aids their development.At the inexpensive end of the spectrum are the budget chairs. These tend to be standalone highchairs (intended to be used by themselves using a plastic tray, instead of being pulled up to a table), short on adjustability features and elaborate design – favouring instead a functional simplicity that often, incidentally, means they’re much easier to clean. Transparency is really important to us and that's why we're always upfront about how we tested the products we recommend. We won't always recommend the cheapest products, or the ones with the most extra features. We write about products that we feel offer the best value to most parents – the one's we'd recommend to our own friends and family. Type: Freestanding highchair which converts into a toddler chair | Materials: Not stated | Suitable from: 6 months+ | Harness: Yes | Wheels?: No What we love For delivery outside the UK, a number of our customers have used forward2me, the top-rated Parcel Forwarding Service. forward2me offers a choice of premium courier services including DHL, UPS, DPD, TNT & Whistl to forward parcels to over 200 countries at very competitive prices. Postcodes applicable: HS1-9, IV40-51, IV55-56, KA27-28, KW15-17, PA20, PA41-49, PA60-78, PH42-44, ZE1-3

We have the Mountain Buggy one for use away from home - it’s brilliant. A little big for our 8 month old still but it works fine." Recommended by Mumsnetter BerthaYoung Our verdict These are the big guns of the group – the chairs intended to last as standalone models in babyhood and then convert to table-side models that can be used in toddlerhood, childhood and even beyond.Highchairs are a safe and supportive place for your baby to eat before they’re old and tall enough to sit on an adult-sized dining chair. Most come with a plastic tray so your baby can see and reach their food easily – especially useful when first weaning. There’s no such thing as ‘one perfect high chair’. Depending on both you and your child’s specific needs and the setup of your home, differences in style, materials and size are required. That said, we hope the variety of chairs outlined within this article helps steer you in the right direction – and makes the thought of a family sit down dinner less chaotic. A beautiful, intelligently designed chair with lots of thoughtful details, the Oribel Cocoon missed out on our transitional award as it’s still only suitable up to age three. But it’s a stylish and flexible model, available in four attractive colours, that will complement your kitchen and make mealtimes a breeze. Build that special space for your little one with a range of beautiful nursery furniture sets including cot beds, changing units, baby wardrobes and more. The robustness of the safety harness (is it three-point or five? Does it seem secure when attached?)

For home activities, play and exercise, a padded play mat will provide a large and safe playground for your little one, protecting them against hard floors. Peace of mind every bedtime: our bedside cribs are built for stylish practicality and to ensure that your baby stays comfy, cosy, and always by your side. Then, depending on the size and independence of your child, you may want to switch to a booster seat on an adult chair. Many multifunctional and transitional highchairs adjust in height, so you can bring the chair right up to the table. How much does a highchair cost? Parents considered aspects such as how well their child was enclosed and held in the seat, whether they could lever themselves to stand up or slide about, if they could wriggle out of parts of the harness, or trap fingers or other parts of their body in the mechanisms.

How we chose our recommendations

The life-span of your chair will depend on the type of model you choose, as some are intended to be used throughout childhood and beyond (see section below). You’re likely to find a chair with a tray essential from first weaning up to the age of three. While it may just seem like just a place to pop your child while they eat, there's more to what makes the best highchair than just how it looks. Parents want one that is easy to clean after messy mealtimes - because food will get into every little nook and cranny! - as well as straps that are safe and a good size tray. But there are a host of other extra features that you can look out for too. They are also, of course, the most expensive – and be aware that, in this group in particular, you’ll need to pay extra for everything except the chair frame itself (including newborn accessories, baby seats, trays and even safety harnesses), so make sure this is included in your budget. Inspired by Scandinavian design, this Juice Highchair from Mamas & Papas comes in pastel green, cream or dark grey. The sturdy seat is wipe clean as well as comfortable, thanks to a cushioned inner. For this category, Rachel partnered with Katrĩna, who has a nine-month-old baby and a 33-month-old toddler to juggle at mealtimes, so was able to put all our products through their paces over the course of three months.