Stokke Tripp Trapp review

The Stokke Tripp Trapp highchair has been gracing family dining tables for decades and for good reason, offering longevity and versatility. It converts to a chair for adults and is built to last.

It's suitable from birth, encouraging interactive family dining from the get-go and has a functional footrest that can be adjusted to suit the height of a child as baby grows. Made from wood, the chair is sturdy, cleans easily and looks stylish.

There are, however, many add-ons needed for babies to transition into the chair as tots – over and above the initial cost! It is an investment product but it certainly doesn’t come cheap – does quality ever? For very young babies you can buy a newborn seat to sit on top of your basic Tripp Trapp that puts your baby on the same level as the rest of the family during mealtimes and can be used as a rocker on the floor, too.

Testing the Stokke Tripp Trapp

The Stokke Tripp Trapp was really easy to put together. It is quite heavy so not so easily transportable and it does have quite a big footprint however so that might be a problem for smaller kitchens.

It is solid and stable, and both my little ones climbed all over it. It can be adjusted to suit all levels and needs. It cleans really easily so very hygienic. This is one of those products which is a classic design and timeless - built to last and easy to use.

The design is very stylish and it would look great in any kitchen as there are many colours available in the chair itself and the cushions with the baby inserts, making it possible to mix and match to personalise the highchair.

This highchair has extended gliders on the bottom which make it very difficult to tip over.

It's completely adjustable so you can make it perfect for every little person who uses it. It's not the fastest highchair to adjust but you only have to change it from time to time.

I also like the fact that as the little one grows up, the chair can be adapted to serve a toddler/preschooler. I love that the child is right at the table with the rest of the family to make sure they feel part of mealtimes - I think this is very important!

The baby insert kept my baby in nicely without the faff of straps which can be fiddly when getting a little one into a high chair.

You need to be happy to have no tray, though – the concept here is very much that your child sits up at the table with the rest of the family.

In terms of hygiene, the cushions do get mucky relatively quickly and don't wipe down as easily as some highchairs I've used but they clean very well in the washing machine. The wood cleans up well if you wipe it down with the food still wet but if it dries, it's more difficult to remove.

Stokke Tripp Trapp Newborn Set

The Stokke Tripp Trapp Newborn Set is an elegant, beautiful product that is comfortable and easy to use. It is lovely to have baby at the dining table with the whole family, rather than on the floor in an ordinary bouncy chair.

Little ones fit snugly into the baby seat and the harness is very secure. The cover on the seat can be removed for washing. The ‘robot safety mechanism’ is nifty little feature, which uses red/green colour indicators to state whether baby’s seat is on correctly. The only negative with regard to the Newborn Set is that the seat is too small for babies going through the transitioning stage of being able to sit unaided.

Final thoughts

Having to unscrew the Tripp Trapp to adjust the height of the seat means it's not instant, but it isn't a problem either.

The cushions got dirty easily, but I just washed them and they were fine again. Maybe a plastic-coated cushion would be easier to clean but probably wouldn't look as nice. I do think it would be better if there were fewer nooks and crannies - it is easy to clean for the most part but there are a few joins where food can get stuck if you're not careful.

It is an expensive product and the accessories (a harness and cushioning, for example) cost extra, but its ingenuity, longevity, quality and convenience make it a worthwhile spend if you have the cash for the initial outlay. It’s more than a highchair; it’s a piece of furniture.

I would definitely recommend the Tripp Trapp highchair to others.  We've been using it since my little one was six months old and even when he was little his posture has been great and he has been well supported whereas he often slipped from side to side in other highchairs. I also love how I can bring it right up to the table so he feels like he is really sitting with us at meals.  The design is very attractive - you can choose from a range of lovely colours - including a trendy new terracotta shade - and I love that we will be able to remove the baby set kit and continue to use his chair as the years go by.  Our daughter is still using hers at age 11!