By the time your baby is six months old, you'll need a new piece of equipment: a high chair. "Parents" magazine has some suggestions about what to look for when you're shopping for a chair. Try the chair out in the store. Make sure it's easy to get the baby into and out of. If it takes two hands to remove the tray, you'll have a harder time using the chair. A large, seamless tray helps keep messes off the floor and is easier to clean.
Fisher-Price Rainforest Healthy Care High Chair
ConsumerSearch says this Fisher-Price high chair is No. 1 in consumer ratings. The chair has a rainforest toy that keeps its young inhabitant entertained while mom is busy. The toy, which has music, lights and sounds, also detaches to be played with elsewhere. The high chair has seven height adjustments and three recline positions. Its tray, which can be removed with one hand, features an insert that can go in the dishwasher. The chair has casters for easy portability and folds for storage. As the baby ages, the chair can be converted for use at a dining table. As of 2010, the Rainforest chair retailed for $114.
Ikea Antilop
"Cookie" magazine calls IKEA's Antilop high chair the best bargain. At just $24.99 in 2010, this plastic ode to minimalism has no bells and whistles, but the magazine's testers appreciated its cleanability as well as its clean lines. The molded plastic seat has no cracks or crevices to trap food, and the tray has a raised edge to keep spills off the floor. The tray, which is not dishwasher safe, can be cleaned with soap and water. IKEA says the chair disassembles easily, with powder-coated steel legs that detach for storage.
Boon Flair
Both ConsumerSearch and "Cookie" put the Boon Flair high chair on their "best" lists. Like a barber's chair, the Flair rests on a pedestal with a pneumatic lift, allowing parents to set the chair at any height from 21 inches to just over 26 inches. Its design appeals to modern tastes, and its seamless seat allows easy cleanup. The tray comes with two dishwasher-safe liners. The Flair has a five-point harness for safety, but it doesn't recline. Six urethane casters underneath the pedestal base let the chair slide in any direction and don't scratch delicate floors, Boon says. The casters lock in place with the press of a foot pedal. All of this style does not come cheaply; the Flair retailed in 2010 for $229.99. The company gives 10 percent of its profits to children's charities.
