Why does everyone love the IKEA high chairs?

[chris77777]

We got an ANTILOP high chair from IKEA after hearing everyone rave about how great they are, you don’t need to spend more money etc.

But I hate it. Everyone who has been in our house has tripped on it. My baby could get himself right out of it at 9 months which means I can’t leave arms reach the whole time he’s in it - the straps are useless. It’s also really hard to get him out of it, the chair is so light it just comes with him when I lift him up. I also had to buy a foot rest which cost more than the chair itself.

We are on a budget but could have spent more than $25 if needed. Why do people like these chairs???

 

[michaelcanter777]

@chris77777 Oh man, we loved it! It does take some getting used to the legs, I’ll give you that. But we did baby led weaning which was soooooooo messy and we could just take the whole damn chair outside and hose it off. Even fits in our dishwasher. No nooks and crannies to clean out, no fabric to take off and wash...

We have the Tripp trapp now but will use the ikea one again with baby #2 until they are a little less messy and we can get them a Stokke chair as well.

I also love the ikea one can be broken down, I loaned it out to multiple friends doing cake smashes at birthdays but one thing I’ve learned is people will swear by a baby product that I don’t like one bit. Everything is so baby/parent dependent that I find it very hard to tell people they have to have some product, since I’ve been told so many things were amazing that just didn’t work for us. So, at least it wasn’t a $300 high chair you hated!

 

[chris77777]

@michaelcanter777 You’re so right haha, $25 is no harm done! We do baby led weaning too and use the tray as the plate but I find it fiddly to remove.
Glad you like it, I figured some people must like it but just needed a rant haha

 

[michaelcanter777]

@chris77777 There’re like 2 things you have to break or it’s hard to get off for sure!

 

[chris77777]

@michaelcanter777 Tbh I’ve never removed the tray I just wipe it down

 

[sandy67]

@michaelcanter777 There is a trick so you don’t have to mutilate it. Hold down on one of the arms and pull up on opposite corner and it pops off. It’s pretty loud but works every time for me.

 

[cankosker]

@chris77777 I think maybe those of us who love it, came from hating our original highchair. We started with the Joovy Nook, and haaaaate how difficult it is to clean. We just despised everything about it.

So in comes the IKEA highchair bought around 9 months. It has a one piece seat, incredibly easy to just wipe down. My son sits up better in it (getting a 90/90° angle at his hips and knees). Easier to transport.

It’s not perfect by any means, and just like any baby product, some people will swear by it and some won’t care for it. But it is better than most out there for those of us who went through the headache of an even worse chair.

 

[chris77777]

@cankosker Yep for sure. My son constantly hikes his knee up into the seat (literally, constantly from as soon as he’s in the seat) so no hip-knee benefit for us

 

[lawrencep1966]

@chris77777 We actually just got rid of our standard Graco high chair and got the IKEA one instead. It is amazing! I hated how big and bulky the graco one was. And sooo hard to keep the fabric clean. My 10 mo fits great in the ikea chair with lots of room to grow. And so easy to wipe down after messy meals. I wish we had gotten it sooner!

 

[david2001]

@chris77777 We didn’t like it at the store, so we bit the bullet and bought a stokke instead. It was expensive, but we love it

 

[chris77777]

@david2001 Maybe I’ll find a Stokke or Tripp Trapp second hand

 

[tracytray02]

@chris77777 Good to know. We wanted one for our first daughter because it's a single piece of plastic so it looks to be easy to clean, but we procrastinated on getting a high chair and then suddenly had a baby who really needed to start solids and didn't really have the time to make a trip out to Ikea. We ended up with an Evenflo 4 in 1 Eat and Grow for under $50 from a big box store. We took off the fabric cover, and it was really easy to clean. We never tripped on it, it wasn't ever a problem getting her out of it, and the straps worked fine. She sat in it until she was almost 4. We gave the old one away and now that we're having another baby, we registered for the same high chair.

 

[richking58]

@chris77777 Beats me. We got an Abii Beyond and llloooovvveeee it.

 

[ijusdontknowanymore]

@richking58 Same here!!

 

[solidarity]

@chris77777 We have a hauck alpha (actually 2 - my stepson is 5 and uses his). It's a cheap version of the tripp trapp and grows with the child. I love it!

I see the ikea one recommended a lot but haven't tried it.

 

[chris77777]

@solidarity Wow this looks great, thanks for the recommendation!

 

[solidarity]

@chris77777 You're welcome! Hope it works for you!

 

[heatherfeather]

@chris77777 I love it so much. I always stated I didn't want a big, clunky, multicolored high chair in my dining room taking up space. This is minimalistic and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. We can take it to the cottage on the weekend by breaking it down in seconds. It's so simple to clean and it's the only thing that gives me a chance to go to the bathroom throughout the day! I'm not sure about the straps problem you had. My 15 month old is snug in it and hasn't even attempted at fiddling with the buckle. The straps are tight and easy to adjust. For 20 bucks it just felt like such a steal and fits nicely in the corner when not in use. To each their own!

 

[chris77777]

@heatherfeather The straps don’t go over the shoulders so he just... climbs out... I lifted him out one night, and the next day went to put him in and noticed the straps were still done up from the night before

 

[heatherfeather]

@chris77777 Oh. That's odd. I've never had that problem. My guy has a little belly though and I have it snug around his hips. We can't take him out without unbuckling it first.