My baby is turning 6 months old next week and I am NOT ready. How is that tiny baby already half a year old? And why is starting solids such a stressful step for me? I may be taking it too seriously, I don’t know but wow, there are so many things to consider: should I do baby-led weaning or purees or both? Should I introduce allergens now? What if my baby doesn’t want my milk anymore? What if my baby chokes? Should I buy the high chair that will cost an arm or let my baby sit in the IKEA chair and hope for the best? … Is your heart racing right now? Because mine is … I wish I were exaggerating but this sold thing is testing my anxiety levels!

So let’s tackle these issues one by one. In this article, I will choose my baby’s high chair and hopefully, it will help you too!
So I have been watching several videos about the topic and from my understanding, the chair needs the following:

• a footrest and it needs to be adjustable
• a 5-point harness
• an easy-to-clean material like plastic or wood
• a high-weight capacity
• an adjustable height

Of course, whenever I check what people use on the internet, they mostly all have the latest, coolest, most unaffordable version of this. Right now, the Tripp Trapp Stokke is all the rage but it costs CAD 455.00 with the baby set which is quite indispensable for my little 6-month-old. However, I love the style so much I need a dupe so I have been looking for alternatives and found the following:

• the Abiie Beyond for $359.99. It’s still very pricey although it’s a little cheaper than the Tripp Trapp.
• the HAUCK Alpha for $209.99 which is more affordable than the Abiie. fits all the criteria and grows with your child. This price does not include a baby seat though and I can’t seem to find it for sale.
• the Green Walnut for $209.99 has every criterion and consists of the baby cushion. It’s not fully wood and has some white plastic parts that make it less beautiful.

Of course, there are more options but these three are enough. I’m not buying any of them.

In the end, I chose the IKEA Antilop chair. I know I know … I decided to add a few accessories that I bought on Etsy: an adjustable footrest, a comfortable cushion, and wood leg wraps to make the chair cuter. The chair’s weight capacity isn’t that high, but 33lbs is supposed to be a 3-year-old’s weight so I hope it will last.

Overall, I paid 29.99$ for the chair and 104.50 CA$ which amounts to 134.49$. So much less than any of the other options. It doesn’t have the 5-point harness. It only has 3 but honestly, my daughter sits independently and she’s fine in the chair! The height isn’t adjustable though. I may regret it in the future …