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. 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. Most highchairs are designed to be used when babies can sit with minimal or no assistance, which is around six months old. This is also the time when babies start to eat solid food and begin their weaning journey. Do babies need a footrest on a high chair? 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. A multifunctional chair might be a good choice if you want to adjust the chair to fit your baby or sit at your table, if you prefer a more comfortable cushion or if you know you’ll want to fold it away when you’re not using it. 3. Transitional highchairs

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. The type of highchair you choose is very much down to personal preference as the range of designs is vast. Some are super stylish and look like an expensive piece of furniture that you’ll be proud to keep on display, while others aren’t so aesthetically pleasing but fold down neatly and do the job well. Others can be adjusted into a range of different seating options so they will accommodate your child from newborn to toddler. You should also consider the height of the highchair – you might want it to be a tall as your breakfast bar, for instance, or pull up neatly to the kitchen table. Kimberley: Love the fact it’s so easy to clean. The adjustable footrest isn’t something I have seen before and is a brilliant idea for a growing child. The adjustable recline for me wasn’t as useful as my daughter is 10 months so really wants to sit up all the time but I could see the benefits for a resting area for a younger baby. The adjustable height is a lifesaver as a mum. It means I can get it in line with the dining room table if we are eating there together as a family or can adjust it lower if she is eating on her own and I’m sat on the sofa. The table is easy to put on and take off and the removable top is brilliant and makes it really easy to clean. I used it without the attachable table and just as a seat at our dining room table and it’s perfect for that, that is one of the most attractive features of it in my opinion that it grows to be a seat at the table. Would you recommend this to other mums?The chair can be folded down to an utlra compact size, with the tray being easily fastened to the high chairs rear legs for storage even when folded. 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.

We had the Oribel Cocoon. It was brilliant, so sturdy, height adjustable and it will recline if you need to keep your baby out of the way of the dogs while you cook and they nap or something." hubbletelescope Our verdict The robustness of the safety harness (is it three-point or five? Does it seem secure when attached?)

1. Best overall highchair: Stokke Tripp Trapp

Silver Cross’s Buffet highchair is one of its latest models that delivers more or less exactly what you’d expect from such a trusted baby brand. Well designed and excellent quality, it accommodates baby from new-born to toddler and folds away neatly. Once folded out completely, its legs do cover quite a large surface, so you’ll need a fair amount of space to accommodate it. 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. 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 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.

Michaela: The buttons which are used to move the armrests and to move the seat up and down are quite stiff. To make them more fluid would help when trying to adjust the highchair. The toy bar is also quite difficult to put on and to take off. When taking the toy bar off you have to pull it which sometimes feels like it might break. 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. Three available modes, with all accessories included in the price: newborn bouncer with toy bar, weaning high chair and toddler seat 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

How long will I need a highchair for?

Highchairs have come a long way in the last couple of decades as companies have begun to apply intelligent design to baby equipment. There are several broad types on the market, so consider which functions are important to you before making your choice. 1. Budget highchairs 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.”

We asked Charlotte Stirling-Reed what features bewildered first-time parents might watch out for, here are her top tips: Type: Freestanding, fold-away highchair | Materials: Not stated | Suitable from: 6 months+ | Harness: Yes | Wheels?: No What we loveAlthough some of the chairs we tested had extra accessories making them suitable for smaller babies, children should only use a highchair to eat once they’re able to sit unaided. 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. As a mum of two, I found it very useful to use a highchair with a newborn insert. While babies don’t start eating until they’re approximately six months old, these inserts mean that you can safely sit a younger baby within them. This helps to make baby feel a part of mealtimes and stay in your eye line when you’re cooking or entertaining an older sibling. Can’t be used without an adult dining chair to hold it – not convenient for everyone’s dining situation I had a mimzy highchair and it was fab, but it was recommended to me as little one has hip dysplasia and its really wide. It could be a pain to clean but all the padding comes off and goes in the washing machine which I used to do once a week (normally Sunday after dinner and then it would be dry by Monday dinner time after nursery)."(Recommended by Mumsnetter ItsSnowJokes) Our verdict