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Best baby feeding chair does not have to be expensive

by Anya Dunham, PhD

Comfortable, practical, and affordable - one of the best baby feeding chairs for starting solids.

Best baby feeding chair: Ikea antilop with added footrest

(*I am not affiliated with Ikea or any other brands and receive no commission for my recommendations in this article. This is simply something we found practical in our home, so I thought I'd share our setup.)

Is your baby ready to start solids? Let’s set them up for mastery with a good, comfortable feeding chair.

Do we really need a feeding chair?
Not necessarily. You can feed baby sitting, well supported, on an adult’s lap or on the floor. But don’t use bucket-type “lounging” seats or a car seat for feeding – baby’s position in these seats can put pressure on her esophagus and also increase the risk of choking.
If you are on the hunt for a best baby feeding chair, I describe a good option below.

Best baby feeding chair must be comfortable

Babies eat best when they are comfortable and calm. A high chair that is a right fit (for your baby) and is easy to manage (for you) can help make your baby’s first experiences with solid foods more enjoyable.

There are many high chairs available on the market. They are usually designed to last through toddlerhood, but that makes many of them much too wide for a little baby who’s just starting on solids.

When the high chair seat is too wide, babies tend to slump or lean to the side. It is hard for them to sit fully upright. However, sitting upright is important for core stability and swallowing safety.

Here is a comfortable, inexpensive, and practical solution we have come up with for our tiny eater: an IKEA Antilop high chair with tray, support pillow, and support pillow cover, plus a couple of simple modifications. You will likely find this solution particularly helpful if your baby is on the smaller side.

Ikea high chair tray

Ikea Antilop features

  • Fully upright seat
  • Support pillow allows for a snug, comfy fit, helping young babies who are just starting solids to sit upright and not slump. Pillow can be inflated fully in the beginning and deflated a little as baby grows to adjust fit.
  • Made of no-BPA smooth molded plastic
  • Super easy to wipe – no crevices for crumbs to hide
  • Light and compact
  • Easy to disassemble (even with one hand) to bring along on outings
  • Cheaper than most high chairs

Simple modifications we made

Footrest

One feature this high chair was missing was a footrest to support baby’s feet. A footrest helps baby sit in a more stable, upright way, which is important for core stability and swallowing safety. Remember how it feels to sit on a bar stool? Your pelvis tends to tilt backwards, reducing postural stability and impacting the position of your torso, neck, and head. It’s harder for a baby who is learning to eat solids to chew and swallow safely and comfortably in this position.

So we added a wooden footrest available as an aftermarket option from a number of outside vendors. We purchased ours from a Canadian company LittleBodhiGrey.

Ikea antilop high chair with wooden footrest

The footrest is held by four O-rings and is therefore adjustable: you can slide it up and down to fit your baby perfectly. After I took the photo below, I actually raised the footrest a little so my baby’s knees were closer to a 90 degree angle:

Ikea antilop high chair showing baby feet position on footrest

Hook

I also added a small hook to the back of the chair to hang my baby’s bib and facecloth. (I made sure the hook was attached securely and out of baby’s reach so it was not a choking hazard.)

This simple addition helped keep feeding supplies were ready and nearby so that I didn’t have to search for them last minute and could focus on baby-led feeding.

Clear Command hook on the back of a plastic baby feeding chair seat

I hope you found this helpful. Happy eating and feeding!



Using hundreds of scientific studies, Baby Ecology connects the dots to help you create the best environment for sleep, feeding, care, and play for your baby.

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Warmly,

Anya