The Stokke Tripp Trapp concept:
Built to last, the Tripp Trapp is cleverly designed to grow with your child, converting from high chair to junior chair and even to an adult chair. Unlike most highchairs on the market, the Tripp Trapp doesn't have a feeding tray (although it is possible to get hold of one), the idea being that from a very young age your child sits with you at the table for meals. A separate baby bar is a useful addition for a young baby, as are the cushions that come in a range of colours and designs to coordinate with the 10 colour options of the chair itself.
The Tripp Trapp action:
Portability and storage
The Tripp Trapp doesn't fold away in day-to-day usage and takes up as much space as a regular dining chair, so if you really need a collapsible chair then look elsewhere. Given how good the chair looks, however, keeping it out in the kitchen or dining room isn't really a hardship if you have the space. You can take the chair apart and lie the pieces flat if you need to for storage or travel.
Ease of use and cleaning
On a day-to-day basis the Tripp Trapp is very simple to use: we've had no problem getting baby into the chair and settled comfortably and on our tiled floor the chair slides easily into and away from the table.
You do need to be aware that the basic chair doesn't come with a harness, the baby bar, high back or cushion, all of which may be useful for a young baby. Bought alone, the baby bar with crotch strap and high back will set you back around £26, and the cushions around £15, but you can get special deals from several retailers for the whole kit and caboodle. You can also use the Tripp Trapp as a highchair with just a harness, although we find the baby bar very useful and reassuringly solid. And, of course, you don't need to buy the Stokke branded harness or cushions if you don't want to - you can find cheaper elsewhere.
Over the longer term, the Tripp Trapp is quickly and easily adjusted between styles and sizes as your child grows - it takes just a few minutes with an allen key to change the settings. This aspect of the chair is really fantastic and makes the chair exceptional value. It's great to be able to use the chair to sit a young child comfortably at the kitchen table for activities other than eating, like drawing or baking, and there's no reason why older children can't use the chair as a desk, as well as a dining, chair.
Another plus point of the Tripp Trapp is that it's very simple form has few of those annoying nooks and crannies where food can get stuck and need chiseling out: the flat surfaces are easily wiped clean and don't stain, so the chair keeps looking as good as the day that it was bought.
Not everyone will like being without a tray on the chair, and it's certainly a good idea to check the height of the chair against your table height to be sure they're a good match. However, a company called Ergo Design do make an attachable tray that fits on the Tripp Trapp - called a Clic Clac - which you can track down easily on Ebay (note that this isn't a Stokke product though).
Quality / durability
The Tripp Trapp is a very solidly built chair that will just go on and on. We know this for a fact as our chair is 33 years old. Yes, Dad's old highchair is doing well for junior and honestly still looks like new.
Stability
Generally, the chair is very stable, but our kitchen table has an underhang which our spritely ten-month-old likes to push off. And while he has only managed to push the chair outwards and lift it slightly off the floor at the front, we're not convinced that it's impossible for him to tip it over and so we don't leave him pulled up to the table when we're not there - something to think about if you use the chair near something your baby can push off against.
