Best High Chair for Baby – Tested by Mom of 5
The best high chair for all ages & stages – a tried and true review of the Inglesina My Time High Chair from a mom of 5
I discovered Inglesina over 10 years ago when I was a brand new mom and we were living in our “old, old house” which is what we call the tiny 2 bedroom house we lived in for the first few years of our marriage. We had very little room in that house and no storage whatsoever for baby gear – that’s how I found the Inglesina Fast Table chair.
It’s a little “high chair” that hooks to the dinner table – it was perfect for our small space! I actually still have that little chair and keep it in my car now so we don’t have to use rickety restaurant high chairs or a booster seat when we go out to eat. It’s seriously the best portable high chair, a must for new moms and it makes a great baby shower gift.
Many years, a new house with a little more space, and four more babies later and I’ve upgraded to the Inglesina My Time High Chair – which I love just as much as that first little chair! Inglesina designs baby gear with moms in mind – they think of everything from function and ease of use to aesthetics, to comfort for baby, and even avoiding toxins like BPA and flame retardants.
We have an open-concept home, and even though we have more space now, we still don’t have much storage – so I love having a high chair that’s comfy for baby, looks pretty, and folds down easily so I can tuck it away in the corner when we’re not eating.
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My Favorite High Chair as a Mom of 5
As I mentioned, Inglesina really does think of everything with their baby gear and high chairs, here are some of my favorite features in the My Time High Chair:
- Grows with baby – from birth to 36 months
- All Inglesina baby products are free from BPA, BPS, PFAs, lead, phthalates, flame retardants, etc.
- The leatherette stain-resistant seat cover and removable tray makes for easy cleaning! Just wipe everything down with a wash-cloth and that’s that.
- The five-point harness makes for a great baby seat for those little 4 or 5-month-olds who like to see what’s going on but can’t quite sit independently yet. A three-point harness wouldn’t be supportive enough for little bitty ones that age.
- The chair height can be adjusted to the height of your dining table.
- Unlike a traditional high chair, the Inglesina My Time has an adjustable footrest and back rest so baby can recline.
How the Inglesina My Time High Chair Works
Now this may be the best feature of all when it comes to this high chair – there’s no assembly required! The whole point of baby gear is to make modern life with babies more convenient and Inglesina nails it with their simple design.
When your high chair arrives, you just take it out of the box, unfold it, and it’s ready to go. It folds down super small and compact so you can easily store it when not in use. The tray even hooks to the back of the chair so it can all be stored in one piece.
When you’re ready to use your high chair just unfold it, set it to one of the four height positions, strap baby in with the five-point harness, and attach the tray. Use the handle on the back of the seat to adjust to one of the three-position recline settings along with the adjustable footrest so baby is nice and comfy and that’s it!
Cleanup time is super easy, just remove the tray cover and hand wash or throw it in the dishwasher. Then wipe the seat cover down with a wash-cloth and you’re good to go. The leatherette seat cover is super soft, antimicrobial, and stain-resistant so no need to put it in the washing machine or spend forever scrubbing stains.
Ugly Baby Gear Is Anxiety Inducing
Lol seriously though – big, clunky, unattractive baby gear just sticks out like a sore thumb. I love having a kid house and having kid and baby things all over, it truly is so sweet! I just don’t love super loud colors or clunky things, especially in the dining area or at the kitchen table where we spend so much of our day.
Inglesina is the real MVP for making the best highchairs that are functional AND have clean lines, an attractive look, and come in the prettiest, soft, natural colors.
Baby Gear Shouldn’t Be Toxic
I used to be really crunchy. Like REALLY crunchy. And it was definitely justified because our first child was a NICU baby. I felt so helpless and like I had no control when he was in the NICU, so I decided to turn my focus to the things I could control rather than mope. This was honestly such a helpful mindset and a huge time of growth and learning in my life.
Learning about toxins was really overwhelming back then, but I eventually learned some tricks to avoid toxic stuff as much as possible. One is to find brands that are committed to making cleaner products and banning toxins, then stick with those brands.
Inglesina is committed to making non-toxic baby products. So I don’t have to waste what little free time I have researching. I know when I buy something from Inglesina, they’ve done the heavy lifting in this department since all of their products are free from BPA, BPS, PFAs, lead, phthalates, flame retardants, etc.
Trust me, I know it seems like overkill to think about every possible incidence of toxic exposure – and I definitely think there’s a healthy balance, like you don’t want to lose sleep at night over worrying about it. But it’s also important that we understand the implications constant toxic exposure has on health. Little efforts to reduce exposure do add up!
One High Chair for All Ages and Stages
With many children in the home, I really love multi-use items or things that grow with baby. Keeping clutter to a minimum is another way I keep a calm, peaceful (as possible with 5 kids lolz) home. I’ve learned over the years that I don’t need a million and one seats or bouncers or things for babies. I especially love that the Inglesina My Time High Chair grows with baby from birth to 36 months – it’s a one-stop shop of a high chair.
Smaller Babies
My babies have all had excellent head and trunk control very early. And they love being included with all the family members at meal times. Of course, when they are brand new and no bigger than a loaf of bread, that’s as easy as me just holding baby right in my lap while we eat. But within a few months baby is bright-eyed, laser-beam focused, and making insanely fast grabs for my drink, food, or anything within reach when sitting on my lap at meal times.
Even before baby is able to eat solid foods I sit him in the high chair at the table with us during meal times. I give him a little something to play with or hold on to while we eat and he’s happy as can be.
We do baby-led weaning and I usually start giving baby a bite of whatever we are eating once he has some teeth and can sit unsupported and pick up a bite of food.
It’s so sweet including little bitty ones in meal time with the whole family from the very beginning.
Toddlers
My toddlers usually sit in a high chair until around 3. This means they are well under the weight limit for the My Time Highchair (55 lbs) by the time they are ready to graduate to a regular chair.
We have a wooden high chair as well that’s great for older children. But I do prefer a soft seat that can be adjusted to a reclined position for little toddlers who have the habit of falling asleep during meals.
I’m a creature of habit and once I find aa brand I like and trust, I stick with it! Inglesina has been one of my go-to’s for baby gear for over 10 years and I’d 10/10 recommend.