Noodle 0+ Highchair, Whisper

The Noodle 0+ tries to cover more ground than most highchairs here by starting as a reclining newborn seat rather than only working once a baby can sit unaided. The cradle recline is usable from birth, then the seat converts through five recline positions and seven height settings as your baby grows into a standard highchair, up to about 15kg. Nothing else in this category — not the Antilop, Tripp Trapp or Chicco Polly — covers the newborn stage, so it's solving a genuinely different problem if you want one highchair from day one rather than buying a separate newborn seat first.

That range comes at a cost: £129.95 puts it well above the £30-40 Antilop and Joie Mimzy Snacker, in similar territory to the Chicco Polly Progres5, and still cheaper than a Tripp Trapp with the baby set bundled in. The tray is removable and dishwasher-safe on the top rack, which matches the Chicco and beats the Mimzy's wipe-only clamp design, but the padded seat cover and separate liner mean more fabric to keep clean than the strip-down Antilop, which has no padding to worry about at all.

The trade-off against the Tripp Trapp is really about lifespan versus features: the Tripp Trapp is built to last from babyhood to adulthood as a normal dining chair, while the Noodle 0+ is a highchair full stop, done once your child outgrows the 15kg limit around age three. Against the Antilop, you're paying roughly three times as much for the newborn recline function and better tray and height adjustment, which is worth it only if you actually want to skip a separate bouncer or newborn seat.

It comes with a 4-year guarantee and meets BS EN 14988:2017, and the 5-point harness is compulsory rather than optional, which is a sensible default. Folding is compact and free-standing rather than needing to clamp to furniture, so it suits families who want one chair that moves easily between rooms.