High chair highlights from Consumer Reports' tests

High chair highlights from Consumer Reports’ tests Safety is the first thing parents want in a children’s product and that’s why Consumer Reports considers safety features first when it tests high chairs. But as anyone who has endured a messy feeding session knows, ease of use, and ease of cleaning are also must-haves. So we consider those too. Here’s how we test high chairs. Safety. Based on a voluntary industry safety standard, our tests evaluate the restraint system—a 5-point harness is best—and the chair’s stability, among other factors. Ease of use. This is based on the assessment of trained panelist who consider the harness adjustment and use, folding and unfolding the chair, removing and replacing the tray and/or tray insert, adjusting the seat back and height when applicable, and removing and replacing the seat cover. Ease of cleaning. This reflects how easy or difficult it is to clean the high chair, taking into account the configuration and materials used in the chair frame, seat, seat pad, tray and tray insert. Easiest-to-clean surfaces should be smooth with minimal seams or crevices to collect food debris. Seat pads should be machine washable and/or easy to clean effectively with a damp cloth or sponge. The best in our tests No high chair in our latest tests earned top marks on all three tests. The good news is that of the 30 high chairs in our labs, 22 earned excellent scores for safety and eight made our list of top high-chair picks. Our highest-rated high chair is the Peg Perego Prima Pappa Best, $250. It was among the easiest to use of the batch and has a seat with seven height adjustments and four seat-back positions. Scoring almost as high but costing much less is the Fisher-Price EZ Clean, $85, and a CR Best Buy. Both the seat height and back are adjustable. Despite its name it didn’t get the top mark for cleaning but came close. The Ingenuity Trio 3-in-1, $90, is another CR Best Buy and may be an even better buy because it grows with your child. It’s a full-size high chair with a removable booster seat that can be used on its own. And the base of the chair serves as a “toddler smart chair,” a separate seat that can be used for an older child. The two chairs that got top marks for cleaning in our tests are both made of molded plastic, doing away with seams and crevices that can trap food. The BabyBjorn, $280, is compact and folds up even smaller. It’s a recommended model. The Joovy HiLo, $400, didn’t make our list of picks but its interesting design sets it apart from the other chairs in our tests. Available in crayon colors, the Joovy HiLo flips over from a “Hi” chair for babies to a “Lo” chair for toddlers. It missed our picks list because the harness was difficult to use and positioning a squirmy child in the seat may take both parents. For more choices, see our full high chair Ratings and recommendations. —Mary H.J. Farrell (@mhjfarrell on Twitter) Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

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