The best and worst high chairs from our recent tests

The cute names of some of today's high chairs—Sprout, Juice, Blossom—belie their serious purpose: keeping your baby safe. Some high chairs are better at this than others as Consumer Reports discovered in its latest tests. Of the 10 new models added to our high chair Ratings, two were good enough to make our list of top high chair picks while three others had safety issues serious enough to drop them to the bottom of our rankings.

In our tests, the OXO Sprout, $250, a wooden chair intended to be used by a child well beyond the high-chair years, got everything right. It was easy to use, easy to clean, and did well in our safety tests. And for some parents, the fact that the chair grows with the child may justify its higher price. For $100 less you can choose our other new top pick, the Mamas and Papas Juice, which is a basic, all-around excellent chair that is lighter than the Sprout. But note, neither of these chairs fold up for storage.

Three high chairs with safety issues and a Don't Buy
While children should always be strapped into their high chairs, three of those we tested could pose a safety risk to youngsters who aren't harnessed properly, which can happen with harried parents. A low-priced option from a well-known brand, the Evenflo Compact Fold, $55, had some issues with the side panels that could lead to a unharnessed child's leg becoming stuck. This chair has fabric side panels with Velcro tabs that are secured around the chair frame. On three separate samples of the chair, at least one tab tore loose from the fabric side or the Velcro released. Both flaws have the same result—a breach in the chair's side that creates enough space for a child's limb to wiggle through and possibly get stuck. The chair also comes with a three-point harness, which is not as secure as a five-point.

A concern is that the attractive low-price of this chair, the least-expensive in our tests, may appeal to buyers who want an inexpensive chair or one to leave at Grandma's or the babysitter's.

The Valco Baby Astro high chair, $130, has a combination fabric crotch restraint and harness instead of a molded post that keeps the chair from meeting safety standards. Our tests showed that an unharnessed child could maneuver his legs into the space between the top of the waist belt and the bottom of the tray and either fall from the chair or, far less likely, get his head caught in the opening. We also found that the narrow fabric leg openings may not accommodate a child with chubby thighs.

Our engineers were left scratching their heads when it came to installing the three-point safety harness on the IKEA Blames high chair, $60. The chair comes with instructions that include drawings but few written words. Despite being experienced in assembling and testing high chairs, our engineers found that the drawings lacked detail that could make correct installation easier. We found that if you installed the crotch strap portion of the harness in the most obvious way, the strap could easily be pulled out, which could allow a child to fall out and possibly tip the chair over too. E-mails to IKEA for advice were answered after several weeks, but the information they gave us is not included in the instructions for the average consumer. We received an e-mail with step-by-step written instructions for the crotch belt that made it easy to install properly. But once assembled, the tray is fixed—there is no sliding adjustment. And the space between the seat back and the edge of the tray is larger than the industry safety standard permits, which may allow an unharnessed child to climb out.

A chair from an earlier test, the Babyhome Eat, $150, lacks a crotch restraint entirely, and we previously designated it a Don't Buy: Safety Risk.

Still, there are plenty of good choices for parents including a total of eight recommended high chairs ranging in price from $85 to $250. The two CR Best Buys, the Mia Moda Alto, $120 and the Fisher-Price EZ Clean, $85, performed as well or better than the pricier picks for about half the money. If you're a new parent or caregiver, see our high chair buying guide to find the best high chair for your child.