Don’t get me wrong, I totally see the value in Stokke’s ever-popular Tripp Trapp Chair as far as its ability to grow with baby and provide a supportive chair for feeding, but I’m very confused when people say it’s gorgeous and go on and on about how beautifully it fits in with their home decor. It can’t just be me that thinks it looks like a glorified ladder, right?
No shade (sooo many people I know have and LOVE the Stokke), but let’s save the ladder look for learning towers, shall we?
You want to see something truly gorgeous? Checkout the Cocoon Z High Chair from Oribel.
Like Stokke’s option it has grow-with-me features, as well as a supportive foot rest, a removable tray and while it has a few reclining levels, baby can be upright in it when they are ready to start solids – these are all features that are essential for baby-led weaning in particular. Plus since you can feed baby a bottle in reclining mode, once they are able to sit upright, they will already be used to this feeding space to help ease the transition from milk to solids/purees.
I assembled the chair half asleep after a 12-hour flight and it went pretty smoothly (and I’m awful at this kind of thing). We put it to use immediately and were not only impressed by its looks and key features to optimize meal time, but that it can glide around the house! The chair’s gliders are discreetly ensconced within its legs and are designed to keep baby safe in all situations as they can be easily locked to prevent movement (just like a stroller).
We try to focus on family meals most days, but some days that family meal is my son and I in the kitchen, I love that with this chair I can easily move him from one room to the other.
Lastly, circling back on looks, it has to be mentioned that this chair comes in a variety of fun, bright colors. For some reason so many baby products are black or white! I haaaaate putting the kiddos in anything black or white I want to stimulate them with fun colors, so I love that this chair plays into that desire. Equally importantly, the Cocoon Z is easy to clean.
The one issue with the Oribel is that it doesn’t fold-up to a compact size and doesn’t travel well. Given how beautiful it is, this may not be something that is of concern, but if you’re frequently going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house or have a small home, it might not be the best options.
That’s where the Maxi-Cosi Minla 6-in-1 Adjustable High Chair comes in.
Not only does this option have plenty of adjustments to use as your baby grows – five recline positions, four tray positions and eight heights – meaning you can use the chair before baby is ready for purees/solids, so when the time comes for them to start eating, they’re already used the chair – but it has a slim folded profile and can easily be stored away when not in use. Plus, it hits all the important features for baby-lead weaning.
But that’s not all. Like previously mentioned, it has many adjustment possibilities, so in addition to being used as a classic high chair, it works as an infant seat or booster seat with a tray, so you can basically use this from newborn to age six. Also, the zip-off seat pad is easy to wipe down and is machine washable.
The only reason I gave this the runner-up position is that for me aesthetics mattered more than compact fold, but if compact fold is important for you, it’s hard to beat this Maxi-Cosi chair.
