The Stokke tripp trapp is one of those baby products that has genuinely earned its place in my home. I’ve used one with my now four-year-old for a few years and, despite her being well past the traditional high chair stage, she still sits in it every day. Now that I’m expecting my second child, I knew I wanted to get another one, particularly so I could make the most of the newborn attachment, which I’ve seen so many parents rave about – but more on that later.
What I particularly love about the tripp trapp is how long it lasts. Rather than being a traditional high chair that your child quickly grows out of, it’s a wooden, fully adjustable chair designed to adapt as they do – from the newborn days through childhood and even into adulthood. It’s hugely popular, and having used one for years, I can see exactly why.
However, at more than £200, there’s no getting around the fact that the tripp trapp is a significant investment, particularly once you start adding the optional accessories. If you’ve been weighing up whether it’s really worth spending the extra on a tripp trapp over a more traditional, bog-standard plastic high chair, I’ve put together this in-depth review to help you decide.
Having used mine for a number of years, I’ve looked at everything from its design and adjustability to the available accessories, day-to-day practicality, cleaning and, most importantly, whether I think it’s worth the money.
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Stokke tripp trapp high chair
Why we love it
- Grows with your child, from newborn to adulthood
- Excellent build quality and durability
- Looks like a piece of furniture rather than a traditional high chair
- Lots of colour and cushion choices
- Easy to clean
- Seven-year warranty on the chair
Take note
- Expensive compared with conventional high chairs
- Newborn and baby sets, tray, harness and cushion are additional costs
- Requires assembly and adjustments
- Doesn't fold away, so takes up a permanent place at the table
Assembly
I found the tripp trapp relatively straightforward to assemble, and it took me around 10-15 minutes to get the basic chair together. The instructions are mainly illustrated rather than being pages of text, but I found them clear enough to follow. You also don’t need a toolbox full of equipment either: an Allen key is provided and is all you need to put the chair together.
The build quality is immediately obvious. The chair feels solid and substantial rather than like something you’ll be replacing after a couple of years. The wooden components are beautifully finished and everything fits together securely. My older daughter’s chair has been in daily use for years and has held up remarkably well, which is one of the biggest reasons I was happy to get another.
Design
The tripp trapp looks completely different from most traditional high chairs, and that’s a big part of its appeal for me. It’s made from European beech, oak or ash wood and has that timeless Scandinavian design that manages to look more like a piece of furniture than baby equipment.
I also love how customisable it is. The seat and footstool can be adjusted and moved up or down, so it grows with your child. Plus, there are lots of colours to choose from, meaning there’s something for everyone, whether you want a classic look like natural wood or white, or a more statement shade such as mauve or lemon yellow.
You can also personalise the wooden back with an engraving (at no extra cost), while the optional seat cushions come in a variety of colours and designs. It’s a small detail, but one I think style-conscious parents will appreciate.
Set-up and attachments
What makes the tripp trapp particularly clever is that the chair itself is just the starting point. For new arrivals, you can add the newborn set (£73.03, Stokke.com), which turns it into a raised reclined seat that’s suitable from birth until around six months, 9kg or when baby can sit unaided, whichever comes first. It includes the newborn seat, harness and toy hanger, and I can’t wait to have my baby at table height rather than down on the floor. The newborn set simply slots onto the chair and is secured in place, so there’s no need for any complicated assembly every time you want to use it.
Then, from around six months, the baby set (£32.83, Stokke.com) is designed to be fitted directly onto the chair, adding a supportive back rest, rail and harness that your newly sitting baby needs. It’s straightforward to fit and remove, and once it’s no longer needed, you can simply take it off rather than replacing the whole chair. It can be used until around three years, depending on your child’s development and size. That’s really the beauty of the tripp trapp: you’re continually adapting the same chair rather than buying a succession of different seats as your child grows.
You can also add the Stokke tray (£42.21, Stokke.com), a five-point harness (£24.12, Stokke.com) and a cushion (£30.15, Stokke.com), depending on your set-up. The tray attaches to the baby set rather than directly to the chair, so it becomes part of the high chair configuration while your child is little. It’s particularly useful if you don’t have a dining table that works well with the chair, although I prefer using the tripp trapp pulled right up to the table when I can. The cushion is another optional extra rather than an essential, adding a bit of padding and colour without changing the chair itself.
Yes, all these extras add to the cost, but I think each serves a useful purpose rather than feeling like unnecessary add-ons. The fact that you can mix and match the accessories, then remove them as they’re outgrown, makes the whole system feel much more considered than a conventional high chair that has a fixed configuration.
Practicality
For me, the biggest selling point is how much use I’ve got out of the tripp trapp at every stage. While I’m yet to use the newborn set, I can see just how invaluable it will be by enabling baby to be at eye level with us, rather than tucked away on the floor. If you get the chance to eat a meal with both hands while your newborn is content beside you, you’ll understand the appeal. And I also like the idea that it means baby can be part of family mealtimes from the very beginning.
Meanwhile, the baby set makes the transition to weaning incredibly easy. It provides the support a young baby needs while still bringing them right up to the table, and the wipe-clean design is much less of a faff than some bulky traditional high chairs I’ve used. If you add a cushion, this can be removed and cleaned easily, whether that’s a quick wipe down or being chucked in the washing machine at 40C. Plus, the wooden chair itself can simply be wiped down with a damp cloth.
The adjustability is another huge plus. As my daughter has grown, I’ve simply moved the seat and footrest to suit her, and now she uses it as a proper chair at the table. After a few years of daily use, hers shows remarkably little wear and tear: there are no obvious scratches and the paintwork is still as vivid as when we bought it.
Key specifications
Buy now £219, Stokke.com
Is the Stokke tripp trapp high chair worth it?
For me, absolutely, the Stokke tripp trapp is worth the investment. It’s expensive, particularly when you factor in the optional extras, but my experience has shown me that it genuinely lasts. My four-year-old daughter still loves hers and uses it every single day, many years after we bought it, and it still looks fantastic.
I also prefer it to the more traditional high chairs I’ve used, which I found bulky, harder to clean and much less attractive in the home. The tripp trapp becomes part of the decor, while its adjustable design means I haven’t had to buy a succession of different seats as my daughter has grown.
The newborn and baby attachments are an additional expense, but I think they take a lot of hassle out of the newborn and weaning stages. Having a safe, purpose-designed seat that could be adapted as your baby grows is incredibly convenient at an already chaotic time. Add in the choice of colours, cushions and personal engraving, plus a seven-year warranty on the chair, and I think the longevity makes a strong case for the price. Stokke also offers 30-day returns on purchases made through its website, although personalised items can't be returned.
How I tested the Stokke tripp trapp
I have years of testing experience with the Stokke tripp trapp and have spent weeks testing it again with the newborn attachment for my latest arrival. While testing, I paid close attention to the following factors, including:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
IndyBest’s assistant editor, Sarah Jones has years of experience rigorously testing a wide range of pregnancy products from the best maternity pyjamas to the best stretch mark creams. She has used the Stokke tripp trapp with her daughter for four years, putting it through the realities of everyday family life, from those first weaning meals through to using it as a toddler and preschooler. Now pregnant with her second child, Sarah has been testing the tripp trapp’s newborn set again ahead of her baby’s arrival, assessing how well the chair adapts from birth through the different stages of childhood.
As a parent, she knows which features make a high chair genuinely useful beyond the first few months, looking at everything from comfort and support to adjustability, ease of cleaning, practicality, durability and how straightforward the different accessories are to fit and switch as your child grows.
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