Feeding a baby when travelling Whether you’re heading on holidays or just for a day trip, a portable mealtime seat can help simplify feeding on the go. Balancing a wiggly baby or active toddler on your lap doesn’t always result in the easiest eating experience… for you or your child! There are four main types of travel-friendly feeding seats to choose from: Travel highchairs – a bit like the seat part of a highchair, minus the long legs. They sit on top of a dining chair and are strapped on. They can be folded to a compact size for portability. Foldable booster seats – these attach to a dining chair and, unlike normal boosters, can be folded to reduce their size to something a little more travel-friendly. Clamp-on seats – a seat that attaches to the table’s edge, rather than the chair. Fabric seat harnesses – basically, these are like a fold-up piece of fabric that wraps around your baby and the chair. You can use them instead of a booster or highchair, but it won’t give your baby any height.
Unsure which style would suit your need? Our buyer's guide to booster seats and travel highchairs is the place to start, plus we’ve rounded up 10 of the best options here, to help you find the perfect match for feeding a baby away from home… Tomy Freestyle 3-in-1 Booster Seat, £19.99Light and easy to clean, the Tomy Freestyle 3-in-1 Booster Seat can be folded into a bag shape. When it comes time to use, you just undo one zip and the seat pops out, ready to be attached to any chair with a back. It also boasts a changing mat and has storage compartments for a bottle and nappies. Read the full Tomy Freestyle 3-in-1 Booster Seat review Buy the Tomy Freestyle on Amazon Mamas & Papas Baby Bud, £31.95The Baby Bud is a tabletop feeding and booster chair that has four clip-on feet that can be adjusted to three different height settings to fit to a variety of different chairs and tables. Featuring a safety harness, cushioned seat insert and removable tray, you can also buy an activity centre to place on top of the tray to keep baby occupied.
For the full Baby Bud spec and to see why our MFM reviewer gave the seat four and a half stars out of five, click here Buy the Mamas & Papas Baby Bud on Amazon Concord Lima travel highchair, £49.95Streamlined and compact, the stylish Concord Lima is a travel highchair that easily connects to any chair. It feels secure once attached and is comfy for your child, too. The Lima comes with its own carry bag, cup holder in the tray and the covers are washable. Read the full Concord Lima travel highchair review Buy the Concord Lima on Amazon Totseat seat harness, £24The Totseat falls into the fabric seat harness group. It’s light and compact because it’s made of fabric and can be folded down into a small pouch, thrown into your handbag/change bag/buggy basket and be forgotten about. It fits most types of chairs and is really straightforward to use, as well as being the only product of its type to be recognised by the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), the UK's leading child safety charity.
Our MFM reviewer gave the seat four out of five stars for safety, style and value for money. Read the full Totseat seat harness review Buy the Totseat on Amazon Phil & Teds Wriggle Wrapper, £44.95Phil and Teds have pushed the boundaries yet again – the Wriggle Wrapper doesn’t neatly fit any category, but it does what it does very well! The Wriggle Wrapper can be strapped around a chair or your waist and used as a restraint when feeding your baby from 6 months to 2 years. Or, with an extension strap, you can use it as a sort of safety harness to strap your little one to a single mattress and stop him from rolling around on a bed. It’s clever, compact and it impressed MFM’s reviewer no end! Read the full Phil and Teds Wriggle Wrapper review Buy the Phil & Teds Wriggle Wrapper on Amazon Polar Gear Go Anywhere Booster Seat, £17.99The Polar Gear Go Anywhere Booster Seat is lightweight and easy to wipe clean. It’s also easy to use, and folds away to a compact size – it’ll look more like you’re carrying a laptop than a booster for you toddler!
It’s comfy for your child and best suited to older babies, from 12 months to about 4 years. Read the full Polar Gear Go Anywhere Booster Seat review Buy the Polar Gear Go Anywhere on Amazon Chicco Pocket Snack, £19.99An award-winning compact booster seat, the Chicco Pocket Snack is easy to assemble, comes with adjustable straps, so that it fits a variety of chairs and has a safety harness to keep baby wobble-free. The Pocket Snack tray has three height positions and can come off completely, and it has a cute spoon and fork design on the seat unit. The booster seat is highly recommend by our MFM tester who gave it a whopping five out of five stars. Buy the Chicco Pocket Snack on Amazon Stokke Handysitt, £54The Stokke Handysitt can be used as a booster seat that hooks onto the back of adult chairs or, with the addition of the additional leg accessories, it can be used as freestanding children's chair. Unlike most travel chairs and booster seats the Handysitt is composed of birch wood, not plastic, which makes it a little more weighty, but also sturdier and more durable.
Buy the Stokke Handysitt on Amazon Phil & Teds lobster, £60The Phil & Teds lobster directly clamps onto the table, so your baby is always at table height. It pops up and is attached and ready in seconds. It feels durable and keeps your little one safe with a 4-point harness and shoulder straps, but is lightweight and compact enough to fold down and carry in your handbag. The lobster also has a dishwasher-safe, removable plastic food tray. Read the full Phil & Teds lobster review Buy the Phil & Teds lobster on AmazonOur Reviews of the Best Travel High Chair 2017You know what those adorable pics of babies with chubby cheeks and mashed fruit and veggies plastered all over their face have in common? There’s a high chair in every one of them. When it comes to starting solid foods, having a spot for your little one to nosh that is safe and easy to clean is crucial. If you opt not to get a high chair, you can use your lap, stroller, or other piece of baby gear with a seat.
But (and this is a biggie) prepare for a gigantic mess to be made all over it. We recommend that you add a high chair to your registry because it’s not only more convenient, but will also be easier to keep clean and will offer the best upright positioning for your child depending on age. What kind of high chair you choose depends on where you eat most of your meals, how much cleaning you’re willing to do on a daily basis, and how much space you have in your kitchen or dining area. There are larger, standalone high chairs that you can sit around your table, or anywhere really, that come with their own tray. You can get a basic, plastic model that’s super easy to clean or go for one with more bells and whistles like wipeable cushions, wheels, footrests, a reclining seat (think: bottle feedings), and a chair that adjusts to various heights. If space is an issue, you might want to consider a full-size high chair that can be folded and stored when not in use, or a portable high chair that attaches to one of your kitchen or dining room chairs or the edge of the table–great for those who often eat out, too.
There are even high chairs that grow with your child by converting to a booster seat for toddlers and later, a kid-sized chair. Because you’ll be nursing or bottle feeding with your baby nestled in your arms or in a bouncy seat or swing, you won’t need a high chair until your baby starts eating solid food - usually around six months. But, you’ll get good use of it until your child is two or three years old. We asked thousands of real BabyList families about the baby products they love the most. We took the top high chairs they shared with us and added our own research and insight. We think you and your little one will love at least one of these items, too. Wallet FriendlyIKEA Antilop HighchairWHY WE LOVE IT The Antilop has sleek good looks and is so lightweight it’s a breeze to lift and move around. But what parents love most is how ridiculously easy it is to clean since it’s just molded plastic with a seatbelt attached (no fabric or nooks and crannies to clean up), not to mention the rock bottom price.
“Our son loves it!” This basic model will probably not be comfy enough for your baby to sit for long periods of time given that it’s all hard surfaces. But, you can buy the matching cushion ($5.99) to make a cozier seat. Just remember that fabric cushions will need to be washed, frequently. WHAT BABYLIST PARENTS SAY “We used it at a restaurant and we were immediately interested in getting one. We liked the minimalist design, ease of use and ease of cleanup.” “This highchair is so simple and non-bulky that you hardly even notice it. It just kind of blends into your home. The only thing we had difficulty with in the beginning is popping the tray off. We had to watch a Youtube video to see how to do it, as the Ikea instructions were not very detailed. Our son loves it!” -Chloe M. From when baby can sit up unassisted (around 5-6 months) until toddler age. Cute & CompactFisher-Price SpaceSaver High ChairWHY WE LOVE IT This high chair is true to it’s name.
There’s zero bulk because you just attach it to one of your kitchen or dining room chair. Plus, you can use the reclining seat to bottle feed a newborn and it converts to a booster seat for toddlers. Be prepared to wash the fabric cushion multiple times a week (unlike vinyl or nylon cushions that you can just wipe down). It can get filthy, and taking it off and putting it back on can be a big pain because of all the straps you have to undo. “We don’t have an area to store a high chair, so we were glad to find one that can adjust to any chair (we have bar height chairs). It’s also easy to clean. We happen to travel a lot to visit family and this highchair is easy to assemble and disassemble and pack up.” From newborn up to 50 lbs. Double SeatingGraco Blossom 4-In-1 Seating SystemWHY WE LOVE IT This transforming high chair can be used in four different ways - as a seat to feed an infant, as a full-size high chair, as a toddler booster, and as an older child’s chair.
And it even seats two kids at once! You can use the high chair for a baby and the booster for a toddler at the same time, or use the infant recliner and the youth-sized chair simultaneously to accommodate your growing brood. “We have been able to use it in so many situations.” Since the Blossom highchair is a full-sized model, and doesn’t collapse, it does take up a good deal of kitchen real estate. Also, some parents report that the gap between their babies and the tray is too big, causing food to drop down and make a big mess. “Because it’s really four chairs in one, we have been able to use it in so many situations. We travel quite a bit and love the detachable booster chair.” -Leah P. From newborn up to 40 lbs. for the high chair, booster and chair up to 60 lbs. Tray ChicOXO Tot Seedling High ChairWHY WE LOVE IT The Seedling high chair is all about the tray. You can remove it with one hand, and when you lay it down on the counter it stays level so any bowls on top don’t spill over.
To eliminate any gaps between your baby and the tray (where all the food would end up!), you can adjust the tray to four positions. Plus, you can store it on the chair’s legs in between uses. Although the frame can be disassembled into two parts for storing, doing this on a daily basis isn’t practical. You’d more likely use this feature to tuck it away in between having kids. “The OXO Seedling is wonderful! It’s so easy to clean and wipe down and move around!” -Jessie B. From four months up to 45 lbs. Solid InvestmentStokke Tripp Trapp HighchairWHY WE LOVE IT This mod high chair looks like a piece of art, but functions as a sturdy spot for feeding your child. You just pull it right up to the table - there’s no tray. The beechwood chair not only works for your baby but can seat him as a toddler, preschooler, and big kid too. Plus, the nine gorgeous colors it comes in makes us swoon. (Don’t worry, the paint is water-based and non-toxic.) “Absolutely worth the price.”
The Tripp Trapp high chair is great for hardwood floors, or other smooth surfaces that it can slide on, but can’t be used on rough tile or carpet. Also, it could tip over if your child uses the table as leverage to push backwards. The infant seat, tray, and seat covers are sold separately. “Love everything about the Tripp Trapp and it is absolutely worth the price.” -Jacqueline C. From six months and up (can hold an adult up to 300 lbs.) Fold & StowInglesina Gusto HighchairWHY WE LOVE IT If you want a high chair that later acts as a booster or a child’s chair, this isn’t the one for you. But if your pad is tight on space, then meet your new best friend - the Gusto high chair. When your little love is done chowing down, easily fold the high chair up and store until the next meal. When folded, it stands upright and even has a carrying handle. Great for traveling too! For children who can sit up unassisted up to 3 years old Comfort KingPeg Perego Siesta HighchairWHY WE LOVE IT
With five reclining positions and three footrest settings, your baby can nap, play or watch you cook while in the Siesta high chair. The seat cushion is covered in buttery leather-like fabric and can be wiped clean. Parents do say that while the Siesta has wheels, it’s actually very hard to move around. But what is super useful? The Siesta folds up flat for easy storage. Recliner for newborns up to 19 lbs., the highchair seat up to 45 lbs. Go Anywhere GadgetInglesina Fast Table ChairWHY WE LOVE IT If you’re an on-the-go type, you’ll fall head over heels for the Fast Table Chair. The portable chair is sans legs and works by clamping onto most table edges. When your baby’s done smushing peas like a champ, the chair collapses down flat to fit in a carrying bag. Weighing in at a mere 4.2 pounds, the chair is ultra-light and easy to tote to restaurants, friends’ homes and even use in your own compact dining area. From 6 months to 37 lbs. When it comes down to it, choosing a high chair has as much to do with the space in your dining area as it does with your lifestyle.