**Updated January 2017**
If you’ve been following my blog you probably know by now I try to avoid any toxic chemicals on my kids’ toys and baby gear. I am aware that this is not possible all the time and that she will come across some questionable toys during play dates or when she goes to school. However, I have a rule: if it’s going into her mouth it has to be toxic free. A high chair falls into this category for me since everything she puts on it will go into her mouth.
When I was pregnant I put the Fisher Price Rainforest High Chair on my registry. I got the chair but luckily I never opened it and since Amazon takes baby stuff back up to a year later I was able to return it. Why did I return my Fischer Price chair? Because it is not the best brand out there when it comes to toxic-free stuff, some of their products have questionable materials so Fisher Price is a brand I try to avoid.
So, what’s the best high chair to get?
When I first wrote this post the only options I considered were Stokke Tripp Trapp Highchairor Keekaroo Height Right High Chair. However, there are now a few more high chairs in the market that are non-toxic: OXO Tot Sprout Wooden Chair and Svan Signet Complete High Chair. I’ll go over each one down below.
These non-toxic chairs are a little bit more expensive than some other high chairs so if you’re on a strict budget you could get a wooden restaurant style high chair and put a cover on it. You can also find organic handmade high chair covers on Etsy – I would go this route since organic is better.
If you’re looking specifically for a toddler booster I would get either the OXO Tot Perch Foldable Booster Seat for Big Kids (this one is great if you’re looking for something portable) or the OXO Tot Nest Booster Seat with Straps (this is one is better to set up at home and leave it there). Both of these booster seats are BPA, phthalate and PVC free.
More details on the non-toxic high chairs
Stokke Tripp Trapp Highchair, Keekaroo Height Right High Chair, OXO Tot Sprout Wooden Chair and Svan Signet Complete High Chair claim to be free of flame retardants, BPA, PVC, Phthalates or lead. What varies from chair to chair is the type of wood they used and the design. All these chairs grow with your kid, so they can be used with infants all the way up to adulthood pretty much, since they can hold a lot of weight. Although it would be a little weird to be using a high chair by then!
Stokke Tripp Trapp Highchair
The Stokke Tripp Trapp Highchair comes in many different colors and has great reviews. It’s the most expensive on this list and you have to buy all the accessories separately however this is one of the most trusted brands when it comes to non-toxic high chairs.
It’s made with solid beech wood side legs and floor brace; CARB II certified birch veneer foot plates and back rest (0.05 ppm for plywood) and the wood finish is a water-based lacquer, meets EN71-3 standard. The removable plastic tray is BPA and phthalate free.
Keekaroo Height Right High Chair
The Keekaroo Height Right High Chair is more budget friendly, comes in 3 wood colors and there a several color options in the infant insert. It’s still a bit more expensive than the main stream brands but cheaper than Stokke and it comes with all the accessories you need. You can also get this chair without the infant insert. See all the available options here.
This high chair is made with solid rubber wood, surface tray is made of CARB II certified particle wood (0.09 ppm for particle wood) and the wood finish is a water-based lacquer, lead-free. The removable plastic tray is BPA and phthalate free.
OXO Tot Sprout Wooden Chair
The OXO Tot Sprout Wooden Chair is in a similar price range as the Keekaroo and also comes with all the accessories you need. I know this is called a wooden high chair but if you look at the picture the wood is only on the legs, the rest is a plastic chair with a cushion on it. That being said, this high chair complies with both the ASTM and CPSIA standards. The tray is made with plastic, unlike the other high chairs that have a plastic cover so you can chose to use the wooden tray or plastic tray. Their plastic tray is BPA and phthalate free.
Svan Signet Complete High Chair
The Svan Signet Complete High Chair is the most budget friendly however it has some questionable reviews on Amazon so if you decide to get this high chair, read the reviews first. You can also just get the essential version of their high chair, like the one pictured below and save some money.
This one is made with birch wood veneer (E1 certified; E1 formaldehyde limit for plywood is 0.14 ppm) and the wood finish is Meets EN71-3 standard and meets EU directive for phthalates. The removable plastic tray is BPA and phthalate free.
I chose the Keekaroo Height Right High Chair mainly because I wanted an all wood chair, with good reviews, that came with all the accessories and at a good price.
What high chair did you buy for you baby?
Netty Nelson says
We have the same one in a different color…. love it! 🙂
Angela says
your link to the chart isn’t working
Carolina says
Hi Angela!
I’m not sure why it’s not working for you since it worked for me. But here is the link: http://www.keekaroo.com/stokkevskeekaroo.html
I hope it works for you!
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Life and Times of a Happy Wife says
Hi! I love this chair. We currently put my daughter in a bumbo when we feed her as its easier for us in our tiny apartment than adding a high chair to the mix. Do you have any recommendations for something similar? I’m particularly worried about the plastic and such messing with her bodily hormones and getting in contact with EVERYTHING she eats.
Carolina says
Hello! I just updated the post and added a couple of OXO booster seats that are BPA, phthalate and PVC free so if you want something similar to the bumbo maybe that’s a good option for you. You can find it here: http://amzn.to/1SrZumt
Anonymous says
My daughter has the oxo tot sprout high chair and the cushion was just tested for high lead content. Has any of these chairs been tested for lead?
Carolina says
Wow! I am shocked and disappointed about this. The other wooden high chairs claim to be lead-free but let me give a call to the companies to confirm this info and find out if they did any actual testing. I will be getting back to you as soon as I hear from them.
daisy church says
Any follow up to this? Looking into buying an OXO sprout chair but just hearing about concerns about lead in the amazon reviews…
Carolina says
Hello Daisy,
I should have an answer sometime this week. For now, I would avoid buying the chair or getting one of the other listed on this post. As soon as I have an answer from OXO I will be updating this post and letting you know.
Carolina says
I want to update this by saying this is OXO’s reply:
“Thank you for contacting OXO Consumer Care with your questions and concerns. Safety and comfort of our consumers and their little ones is our top priority. We conduct extensive, rigorous testing through third-party, independent labs on our full line of OXO Tot products, including the Sprout Chair to ensure they are free from lead, BPA, phthalates and other potentially harmful materials. The Sprout Chair is also safety-certified by the Juvenile Product Manufacturer Association and meets safety standards set forth by the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and other regulatory agencies. The third-party testing results confirm that the Sprout Chair is lead-free.”
I have asked to speak to someone else about it because what they are saying contradicts the results from that Facebook post.
Carolina says
Hello Daisy,
I escalated my inquiry and received additional information from OXO. Here’s what they said:
“Every OXO Tot product – including the Sprout Chair – adheres to all U.S. federal and state regulations. Specific to the Sprout Chair, we have a robust process of checks and balances from raw materials to finished products to test for lead and other harmful materials. Where lead is concerned, we use an X-ray Fluoresce (XRF) machine, which is the same equipment that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and U.S. Border Control use, to test products before they are allowed in our warehouse.
We also use federally-accredited and Juvenile Product Manufacturer’s Association (JPMA)-certified third party laboratories to test all Sprout Chair products to guarantee they meet federal and state lead levels. In the case of the Sprout Chair cushions, all colors and all materials used are tested by independent labs to as low as 5 parts per million (PPM), which is much lower than the lowest U.S. state’s regulation of 40 PPM. Both labs report no detectable lead or any other heavy metal material found in the Sprout.
We are confident in the test results of the independent labs and that our Sprout is lead-free. However, we take consumer concerns very seriously and are making every effort to investigate the claims further, including identifying the specific production batch of the Chair in question and testing random samples (these have also shown no presence of lead).”
daisy church says
Hi Carolina! I sent an email via the website contact form, but I just wanted to say thank you for following up on this!!!! 🙂 I really appreciate it! <3
Carolina says
Daisy, did you sent it recently? I don’t see it but I hope you did find the answer you were looking for. If not email me at hello{at}mamainstincts{dot}com
Sadie says
Hello! I really like your post and originally registered for the oxo tot sprout chair because of it! Thank you for taking the time to research! I have since found the Graco Sous Chef 5 n 1 and it looks like it will really suit my needs. I’m writing to ask what your take on the Graco high chairs are with non-toxic safety. I’ve read that Graco is generally considered safe (pack n plays and everything else.) Is that what you have found as well?
Carolina says
Hi Sadie! I personally have not used Graco but I’ll be more than happy to look into this for you.
I’ll find out about the high chair and I’ll get back to you within a week. 🙂
Sadie says
Hi! Any update? Thank you for your efforts! 🙂
Carolina says
Sadie sorry for the late response. I was out of the country and I’m going through my emails now and hopefully have an answer for you. I’ll report back soon.
Carolina says
Hi Sadie! I haven’t heard back from Graco yet. They’re trying to find someone that can answer my questions… I’m not sure if they don’t test for everything I asked or they’re just having a hard time tracking it. If they give me an answer I’ll definitely update you but for now maybe you should look into another high chair.
Anonymous says
Thank you! I hope they’re able to answer you at some point. I really appreciate you asking the right questions! I’m not sure I’d know exactly what to ask! 🙂
Carolina says
As soon as they give me answer I’ll post it here… It just not looking good right now but you never know. 🙂
Mandy says
Hi Carolina,
Do you have any idea if it’s just the fabrics on high chairs being sprayed with flame retardants, or the entire chair itself? I removed the fabric cover on my grace high chair and replaced it with one made on Etsy. I assumed that it was only the fabric that contained flame retardants, but I’m not sure of this. Any idea?
Carolina says
To be honest, I don’t know since I never heard back from them but having a cover is better than not having one. 🙂
Mandy says
I’m just wondering if the companies (Fisher Price, Graco, etc.) are treating entire pieces of equipment (swings, highchairs, jumpers, walkers, etc.), or if it is just the fabrics on these items that are being treated.
Carolina says
Hi Mandy, this answers varies by brand and product. Are you wondering about a specific item? I can always find out for you.
Brittany says
Hi, I was wondering how safe the Baby Bjorn high chair is? We have a small apartment so REALLY need a chair that folds up. We liked the Baby Bjorn, but the tray is made with ABS plastic. Thoughts?
Carolina says
I haven’t looked into this high chair but I would stay away from ABS plastic and definitively not use it to put food on it. Can you use the high chair without the tray? I looked at the picture but it doesn’t seem to safe without the tray.
I did see their high chair that says it’s “This product is PVC-free and contains no bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, cadmium, lead, or bromine. The plastic can also be recycled.” I’m not sure it it’s the same one you saw since there’s no mention of ABS.
Ikea sells some high chairs that can be used without a tray and you just put it right next to the table…
Is there any other that would fit in your apartment? I can look into it for you. 🙂
Kay Love says
Hi. I just wanted to share about the chair that I’ve been using for my child for the last two years. It is German made, safe, non-toxic, all solid hardwood. It is similar to other chairs listed as it can be adjusted to your child’s height. The tray can not be removed back and force, which worried me at first, but I also found that it adds to the security and stability of the chair. When my daughter gets older, I’m just going to use it without the try, similar to how you would use Stokke next to a regular table.
I have done a lot of research on nontoxic chairs and for the price it was a great option. I ordered it from Amazon.de from Germany directly. Although shipping is expensive, altogether it came to $155.33, which is a pretty good price for the high quality. I looked it up today and the price of the chair has increased slightly, but still very reasonable. If you are an Amazon customer, you can purchase from them using your account, you don’t need to set up a new one. Here is the link https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B000X1QTT2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I hope it helps those parents who are looking for a chair that is not too expensive.
Carolina says
Thanks for this information! Since this is on the German Amazon site, do you just order like you would on the US site?
Kay Love says
Yes, you would. It is fairly easy. They shipping is probably the same price as the chair itself, but the price altogether is not that much. You can use browser’s translate option or right click on your mouse and it will be easier to navigate. I also ordered all wooden safe and high quality playpan from that site as well.
Carolina says
Oh that’s great! Thanks for letting me know. I bet other moms are going to find this so useful.
Emily says
Hi Carolina, thank you for this info! Do you know if it’s safe to eat off the wood tray on the Keekaroo? I’d like to do that instead of the plastic tray, if the varnish is safe. Thanks!
Carolina says
I spoke to the Keekaroo people and they said indeed it’s safe. That’s what I did with my kid. 🙂
Amanda Levert says
just for the record I have the Svan high chair and I let my kiddo eat off the wooden tray however over time the wood varnish chips off. Not sure if that ok. Im sure the varnish is not THAT safe that you would want chips of it in your child’s food. Im actually resorting to using the plastic cover that came with it now. I’ve had it for about a year.