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Highchairs and baby seats

Read our round up of the best highchairs for babies and toddlers.

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Original poster

Tripp trapp vs antilop

63 replies

wallababy · 11/01/2011 09:07

I have read through the discussions on here and understand that these are the best highchairs around for having your child up at the table with you, but would like some clarification.

I am in the fortunate position to be able to afford the Tripp trapp (from eBay!!) but also hate wasting money. Please could someone tell me what is so much better about the Tripp trapp??

So far I have that it looks better.

Is that it? Should I fork out or just grab an antilop?
Please help!!

OP posts:

AitchTwoOh · 13/01/2011 22:27

oh i love the handysitt as well. would have seriously considered that if i had suitable table.

missalien · 13/01/2011 22:30

The only worry I am having with the antilop at the moment is my son keeps jumping about in it and making it move, im worried he is going to tip it over he is very strong. The straps do not stay tight either . Easy to clean and good tray space though.

ChippingIn · 13/01/2011 22:30

TripTrap

Trip Trap v Antelope is like Car v Moped

Antelope is fine for what it is - highchair for a baby/very young toddler - but only one that doesn't mind going in a baby highchair.

A TripTrap

A chair which adjusts to allow a baby to use it.
They are wood, so lovely and solid and can be painted to fit the decor.
Older kids still use them because they are adjustable and can be made to fit the kids & the hight of the table at any age. There's a parent on here whose much older children (8, 10, 13 ish) now use theirs in their rooms at their desks/play music etc.
Adults can sit on them as a 'spare chair'.
They don't fall apart if they are put together properly.
They don't tip back if you put the things on the bottom which prevent that (admittedly only been available for about a year I think)

mrspnut · 13/01/2011 22:32

I'd go with the antilop and then one of the high seat chairs afterwards.

My 4 year old has been using one of the junior chairs since she was just over 2, and she'll have it for another year or so.

Both chairs together cost much less than the TT.

AitchTwoOh · 13/01/2011 22:36

it's more like ferrari vs fiesta, surely?

both get you from a to b but one costs a shitload more.

re the antilop falling, i was astonished that mine never toppled once despite having two dds who insisted on standing up and climbing in and out of it. i am of the 'it's only three ft high, it will teach them not to do it again if it falls' but the bloody thing stayed rock solid while they capered about...

OhBuggerandArse · 13/01/2011 22:46

You can get jolly red (& blue) Antilops now. That swings it for me.

Icoulddoitbetter · 13/01/2011 22:53

I love our antilop and recommend them to anyone who asks. My mum was quite upset as she wanted to get DS's high chair and had her eye on one for about £70 in Mothercare. I said it was a complete waste of money. We do have a table at home but because of space we tend to eat sitting on the sofa (I know, common as muck!). I also give DS brekkie and lunch in the kitchen with me sitting in front of him eating mine, as it's easier to clean up (BLW so very very messy). The Antilop has a great tray so works well without a table, and of course you can pull it under the table aswell. I love Tripp Trapps but the only tray you can get goes on the table, so it's not as flexible.

I've never used a Tripp Trapp, but any other highchair I've used, at friends or in cafes etc, have never looked comfortable for DS. In the Antilop he sits completely upright and looks very happy. He always protests in other chairs.

Antilop is fab to clean, and so easy to take down and put away / take to granny's house. I also have a Chicco seat that clamps onto the table which seemed great in theory but in reality it is a complete PITA to clean.

I didn't see the insert when I first bought it, though plan to get one for my (hopefully) next DC. I just put a cushion in a plastic bag behind DS until he filled out a little.

And, well, it's £12.99!!!!!!!! Plus a fiver for the tray if you need it.

What's not to like?!!

EvilTwins · 13/01/2011 22:54

We have two Tripp Trapps, and our DTDs sit at them whenever they're at the table (colouring in, drawing etc as well as eating). They're 4.6 now. We used to move them out of the way and put "proper" chairs in when we have friends round for coffee, but now I don't bother. Adults sit on them perfectly comfortably. When the girls are big enough to sit properly on dining chairs, the Tripp Trapps will go into their bedroom, as I expect they'll be old enough by then to be getting real homework and therefore have some kind of desk/table in their room.

I can't recommend Tripp Trapps more highly.

RubyBuckleberry · 13/01/2011 22:58

love the antilop over here... tripp trapp no idea - apparently they can fall over and more difficult to clean. ds seems to love antilop too.

camerondiazepam · 13/01/2011 23:01

I've got one of each. DD 2 (18mo) is just starting to refuse to go into the Antilop but will happily sit in DD1's Tripp Trapp. Both are great but you would obviously get a lot more wear out of the Tripp Trapp as it is fundamentally a proper chair with a longer life. Agree with the poster about stubbing your bleeding' toes but I trip over both of them as I am a clumsy oaf so not a deal breaker either way for me.

slopingsite · 13/01/2011 23:13

I had the same dilemma, when I bought my Ds's highchair. I went for the antilop for all reasons listed. Both my Db , and my SIL had more expensive highchairs (though not TT), and replaced them with the superior antilop.

The only thing I would say is that I wish the antilop had the option of a 5 point harness. The lap belt seems to loosen v quickly and we almost had a nasty accident caused by an escaping toddler. If you go for the antilop, make sure they are always securely strapped in (i.e. Regularly retighten the straps). HTH.

Habbibu · 13/01/2011 23:15

can I just say - fab name, cameron!

I used reins tied underneath the antilop initially with escape-o-boy.

slopingsite · 13/01/2011 23:19

Habbibu - Top tip!

madamimadam · 13/01/2011 23:20

We've got a TT and it's great. DS is at the table for painting etc as well as food and he loves it.

It is an absolute bugger to clean though, I've found. We have the baby bar in and there is an area where matter seems to accumulate.

Other than that, it's perfect - and I like the fact that although I shelled out for it in the first place, I won't have to again for quite a while. And it's really solid, too.

Hth

Grumpla · 13/01/2011 23:21

I love the Antilop. Really lightweight and portable. We took it camping for a couple of months in the summer and it was so easy to keep clean. Also can be used in a campervan as a booster seat if you use the lap belt to hold in place (top tip discovered by my clever Dad!)

Wouldn't be that hard to bodge a footrest for one either - my friend's DH has made a sort of side tray for theirs by drilling pole-sized holes in a piece of plywood & slotting legs through before re-attaching to chair.

I looked at second hand Tripp Trapps before deciding too big & too dangerous (there are some horrible YouTube videos of toddlers plummeting backwards from them!)

BaronessBomburst · 13/01/2011 23:32

I have a Tripp-Trapp, which I love, but have also used the Antilop at friends' houses and in Ikea various restaurants etc. In hindsight I think I would have just bought the Antilop if I'd known about it at the time, simply because of the price. That said, I find the Tripp-Trapp easy to clean and because it's adjustable it's always the right size and height for DS. I use the seat pad and just chuck it in the machine to freshen it up - it's easy to take it on and off if you don't bother threading it through the strap on the baby set. It won't topple backwards if you use the extenders with the baby set and follow the instructions.

RubyBuckleberry · 13/01/2011 23:42

god when do they start to try and escape?!

willowstar · 13/01/2011 23:45

we have a TT and I will buy one again if we have another baby. We never had the fabric inserts as they just looked a faff to clean and we did baby led weaning so it was messy enough. There is a little bit around the baby bar that is a bit fiddly to clean but not insurmountable. we never had the strap either because we just didn't need it.

I went to someone's house over xmas and their eight year old daughter still uses her TT at the table.

DilysPrice · 14/01/2011 00:00

My 6 year old still uses our Tripp Trapp, as do I if it's the nearest seat. DM wanted to buy me a high chair as a special grandmother present so the money wasn't an issue. I would definitely say it's good, but if you would rather spend the extra money on something else then I wouldn't say going for Antilop instead is the wrong choice.

ChippingIn · 14/01/2011 00:52

Trip Traps will not just fall over

Like any chair they could be tipped over backwards if you don't fit the bits that stop them doing so!

There is even a new newborn seat to go on them if you fancy that! The fabric leaves a bit to be desired but I'm sure they'll have a nicer range out before long!

AitchTwoOh · 14/01/2011 01:16

lol, never criticise a tripp trapp... really rattles the tt crew.

ChippingIn · 14/01/2011 01:48

Nah, it doesn't have to be the TT - people posting stuff that's not true about anything winds me up!! LOL

ricketyrock · 14/01/2011 09:30

Bloody hell

some very very useful advice here

but I am no closer to a decision

I have thus far managed to avoid buying anything expensive thanks to the generosity of others and the fact that I have a small flat and a low 'stuff' threshold. Very easily DP was convinced that the TT would be a good buy but now I just don't know...

Most of you are saying this:

Moped
cheap
easy to clean
lightweight
good for smaller children
you don't stub your toes if you are a clutz like moi
perfectly adequate if not great for the job
good for smaller and young children

car
looks good/ blends into the 'environment'
children feel like they are at the table with GUs etc
has more longevity

thank you all for your very useful experiences
wallababy I hope you are enjoying this as much as me

Someone PLEASE tell me what to get

BaronessBomburst · 14/01/2011 09:32

Get the Tripp Trapp then. If you don't get on with it it's only 15 quid to change your mind!

AitchTwoOh · 14/01/2011 09:34

children feel like they are at the table with GUs etc

this also goes for moped as tray comes off, so strike that off yer list.

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