Comparing Infant Feeding Seats

Like any baby gear item, there are a million different options. And when it comes to infant feeding seats, things are no different. 

And as a pediatric OT, I am kind of a nerd when it comes to infant development in general. And baby gear is included! Because there are a ton of options available and a TON of things you can consider when choosing gear for your baby. 

When you think about an infant feeding seat, there are many things to consider. 

So, let’s break down the 5 feeding seats that I, personally, own from stationary highchairs, to travel seats. We will break down each of these seats in the following categories: 

I will lay out the information for each seat so you can decide for yourself what’s best for your baby! 

All of these seats have their pros and cons & I am not endorsing any particular product throughout this post. My desire is to help you understand your baby and their needs, and that’s what I intend to continue to do.

So, let’s start with the Upseat. 

The Upseat is categorized as a floor seat, not a highchair, and can be used as an infant feeding seat. From a professional and development standpoint, this seat is like no other on the market. 

As far as price goes, this seat is a little more pricier in comparison to other floor seats (bumbo, ingenuity, etc) but it is VERY worth it (more on this below). Your price includes the seat, buckles for attaching to a standard chair, and a very large tray.

As far as aesthetics go, this seat looks very nice and comes in multiple neutral colors. The seat looks nice in a dining or living room, which is important to note. 

This seat is also SUPER easy to clean. And comes with a tray for your child to use for feeding and play activities. 

From a developmental standpoint, this seat is TOP NOTCH. This seat was developed by a pediatric physical therapist and developmental considerations were a high priority in the creation of this product. 

This seat is AMAZING in the area of developmental because it promotes natural, proper positioning with your baby. 

A few things to highlight in the areas of development include ⬇️

• A back to front decline which allows for optimal anterior pelvic tilt, which assists in more upright posture in infants. An increased back to front slope allows the baby to sit up straighter in the chair and engage proper muscles needed for independent sitting skills. I genuinely believe this seat helped my first born sit more independent and I can see this seat already encouraging the proper core muscles needed for sitting in my current 5 month old.
• The seat also has a wide opening for the legs and the structure of the seat promotes natural positioning of the lower body. When an infant sits, their legs naturally tend to rest in a “V” position, which this seat supports. This seat does not force the infant's legs and hips into abnormal positions (like straight in front) which is a HUGE deal.
• This seat also has a high back which allows for added stability when the infant sits in this seat. So, from a developmental standpoint, this is the best floor seat on the market and can be used as an infant feeding seat.

To use this as an infant feeding seat, you can use the buckles included with purchase to secure the seat to a standard chair. This allows the seat to be transitioned from a floor seat to a table top feeding seat. 

You can begin to introduce this seat with your baby as early as 4 months because of the development positioning components. And this seat is recommended for children 4 months to 2 years old on the product description. You definitely get your money’s worth because our toddler still uses this seat at times and has used this seat since 5 months old 🤯.

In conclusion, this seat would be appropriate for a primary feeding seat with your baby and can be taken along during non-flight travel with no problem.

Let’s move to another floor seat - the Hiccapop OmniBoost booster seat with tray. 

This is a travel seat that is a floor seat that can be used buckled to a standard dining room chair similarly to the Upseat. We have this seat for travel and it’s a nice option if you are traveling a good bit and need an infant feeding seat on-the-go. 

This seat is not as great developmentally in comparison to the Upseat, but the travel components, weight, and versatility are things to highlight with this seat. 

This seat is recommended for children 6 months + and is suitable for children all the way up to 3 years old (We will use this a lot with our toddler this summer and used with him last summer as well). 

This seat can be used as a floor seat for the child, like stated above, or buckled to a standard chair with the given buckles provided at purchase. After buckling the feeding seat to a standard chair, you have the option to use the tray (included in purchase) or the table top, depending on your preferences.

The price point of this seat is below $40 USD, which is a great value for the quality and usage of this infant feeding seat. This seat also is a neutral color which looks nice and pleasing to the eye, but is not made of sustainable materials (wood, silicone, etc). 

This chair is made of a washable cover that can be removed and cleaned well. Which is great for sensory play, infant feeding activities, or beach days by the sand.

As far as developmental components are concerned, like stated above, this seat does not rate super high on this scale.

The tray is not super large, and the positioning is not ergonomic, but the seat works for infants that are older enough to maintain upright posture and stability in sitting (6 months +).

Although this chair does not win awards in areas of developmental considerations (like the Upseat above), the chair does win awards in the area of travel and portability.

This seat is VERY nice for travel because the chair folds up and fits perfectly in a small travel bag. This chair would be ideal for non-flight or flight travel because it can be easily placed in your luggage. 

Next let’s break down some highchairs in the area of infant feeding seats. These are stationary seats and are not floor or travel seats. 

First, the Graco 7-in-1 highchair. 

This was the first highchair we had with our first born, James, and it served great purposes for the time. 

When I was registering, I honestly had not considered the amount of highchair options available and starting solids / self feeding activities seemed so far away.

But, I quickly learned that feeding activities were right around the corner (6 months flies by) and I needed an infant feeding seat for my baby. 

My mother-in-law found this seat and we snagged it. The retail price point on this particular highchair varies with the highest end being $250. 

As far as aesthetics goes, this chair is neutral in color but is made of lots of plastic and minimal sustainable materials. The chair is also pretty bulky and requires a good bit of space.

From a developmental point of view, this chair does not win any awards due to no foot plate (more on why this is important below) and no significant positive postural support. However, this chair has a ton of ways to grow with the child. This chair can be used in semi-recline for a small infant (less than 6 months old), upright sitting with and without an infant insert, as a stand alone chair for a toddler, as a chair / desk combination, and other useful configurations.

This chair does have many different configurations, but this chair has lots of layers and components that make it very difficult to clean. Which is difficult with an infant or toddler that is very messy during self feeding activities 🤪

This highchair does not fold and store easily, so consider this a permanent piece of furniture if you decide to use this highchair!

The next seat I want to discuss is the Ergobaby Evolve 3-in-1. 

Ergobaby is a pretty popular baby brand, particularly known for the Ergobaby carrier and highchair. 

This Ergobaby Evolve 3-in-1 is a nice highchair, and the price point speaks for that. 

This highchair is $255 USD on Amazon without the kitchen helper attachment. 

This highchair is very aesthetically pleasing with wood finishes and has a Greenguard award for reducing air pollution and chemical exposure. 

From a developmental standpoint, this highchair has a high back which is very important in positioning to support independent feeding skills in our babies.

This highchair also has a foot plate that allows an infant to achieve 90-90-90 at the hips, knees, and ankles. 

Next time you are eating at the dinner table, take note of your lower body positioning. It is likely with your ankles, knees, and hips are bent which is the safest and most comfortable way to consume your foods. 

Therefore, this positioning is beneficial for our infants as well. 

This foot plate is available when used as an infant highchair, but a footplate is not present to allow proper hip, knee, and ankle alignment when transitioning to a toddler seat. 

With that being said, this chair does have multiple uses with the kitchen helper addition sold separately. 

The price of $255 USD includes the configurations for the infant and toddler seat.

This chair can be used as an infant high chair, then transitioned to a toddler seat, the used as a kitchen helper step-stool if desired. This seat also has no padding and extras, so it’s SUPER easy to wipe down. 

Additionally this chair does fold easily and can be stored out of the way when not in use by your little one. 

I think this is a great feeding seat for an infant, but I do think the infant seat is a little wide for a younger child just starting solids (around 6 months old). 

Just be mindful of signs of readiness when starting solids with your baby. ⬇️

And be sure there is no excessive leaning in the highchair. 

Some of you have reached out and told me that the new Mockingbird highchair is similar, and although I haven't tried this chair, I think it’s definitely worth checking out!

Lastly, a fan favorite, the Stokke Tripp Trapp.

This was the very last highchair we tried with my first born and it has been top notch. 

The price point is not terrible in comparison to what you get! The price ranges, but on Amazon this chair is $299. 

This chair is beautiful and VERY well made. The wood design and aesthetics make it a nice addition to your dining space.

However, a feeding tray does not come with this seat. But, the seat is made to fit up to a normal dining table height and that’s the case for us. 

This seat also meets and exceeds the developmental considerations.

A foot plate is present when using this seat with an infant, and this continued positioning is made possible as the chair grows with the child into toddlerhood and beyond. 

This chair is also SO easy to clean and literally can be wiped down just as easily as you wipe your table down after your meal. 

This chair does not fold, so this chair becomes a permanent part of your dining space if you choose to use this chair. 

This chair is, however, sleek and narrow in design, so you most likely won’t catch yourself tripping over this chair in passing. 

This is a great chair, and many of you also rave about the Abiie Beyond as well. I haven't tried this chair, but it appears to be made very similarly to the Tripp Trapp and is a little less expensive. Both of these chairs have won awards on Babylist. 

So, that’s a wrap! The purpose of this post was to break down each of these infant feeding seats so you can make more informed decisions for your baby. 

So, whatever is important to you - development components, price, travel usage, aesthetics, or others - all of these infant feeding seats have something to offer. I hope this was helpful in helping you navigate these various infant feeding seats. 

You can shop all of my infant feeding favorites, and some of these chairs here!

Thanks for reading!