Review: Stokke Tripp Trapp, Choosing the Right Chair and Attachments

In this review or guide

The Tripp Trapp is a long-term furniture purchase rather than a budget high chair. Compare the full bundle, not just the chair: the attachment a newborn needs is different from the one for a baby who can sit without help.

The honest question

A lower-cost high chair can be a sensible choice. The Tripp Trapp is worth considering if you want adjustable seating beyond the high-chair stage and have space to keep it at the family table.

Why this chair exists

The Tripp Trapp has been in continuous production since 1972, and the reason it has barely changed in over fifty years is that Peter Opsvik got the brief right at the start. The Norwegian designer was watching his young son Tor outgrow a traditional high chair while still being too small for an adult one, with nowhere natural to sit at the family table. His answer was a chair built from two side pieces shaped like an inverted figure seven, grooved so the seat and footplate slide up, down, in and out as the child grows. One chair, sized for an eight-month-old or a fully grown adult, at the same table, at something close to eye level.

The build, in real terms

This is where the price starts to make sense. Solid European beech, not moulded plastic, and Stokke rates the frame to 136kg, which is the point where cradle-to-adult stops being a slogan and becomes a literal load rating.

• Solid European beech, with an oak version also offered, not plastic or MDF
• Seat and footplate that slide and lock into the grooved sides as the child grows
• Rated to hold up to 136kg, so an adult can genuinely sit in it
• A seven-year guarantee on the wooden frame when you register it
• Assemble, adjust and check the chair as directed by its instructions

What it is not

For use from birth, Stokke specifies the separate Newborn Set, suitable up to 9kg. The Baby Set is for children who can sit unaided, usually around six months, and its instructions specify an upper limit of three years or 15kg. Follow the instructions supplied with the exact chair and attachment; keep the child supervised. Check which parts your chosen bundle includes before ordering. A cushion or tray is not a substitute for the required attachment.

Does it pay for itself

The adjustable seat and footplate give this chair a use beyond the baby stage. That is its strongest value argument, provided it suits your home. We have not measured a resale return or a guaranteed service life, so neither belongs in the buying calculation.

Where to buy

It is widely stocked at John Lewis, the Stokke site and Amazon UK, in a long run of colourways from natural wood through to bolder finishes. Prices move around, so it is worth pricing the chair and the Baby Set together rather than being drawn in by the lowest headline number.

The verdict

The case for the Tripp Trapp is its adjustable design, not a promise that it will pay for itself. It suits a family looking for a chair to keep at the table as their child grows. Budget for the correct attachment and compare complete bundles. This is a research-led assessment, not a hands-on durability test. How we score

Score: 9.3/10. How we score.

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