Stokke Steps – first look at the new all-in-one modular highchair system

There are a lot of highchairs out there, and most parents will have seen or heard of the Tripp Trapp from Stokke – a wooden highchair which can be used right into adulthood.

And now there’s a new modular highchair system on offer from Stokke – the Stokke Steps.

It can be used right from birth, with the addition of a great bouncer which can either be standalone or clipped to the top of the highchair to allow even tiny babies to sit around the table with the rest of the family.

The bouncer is well padded with washable covers, and has a newborn insert for extra comfort. A secure five point harness ensures that tiny babies can’t fall out even when elevated to family dinner table height, and the bouncer seat also has multiple recline options making it very versatile. The toy hanger is removable and has a simple loop at the top meaning it can be used with a whole variety of different hanging toys.

One thing I really like about the bouncer (apart from the colour, which is nice and neutral and I reckon would go very well in my kitchen – although there are four colours available if you’re after something a bit brighter) is that it folds down fairly flat – a big bonus for storage as a lot of bouncers do take up quite a bit of room.

Once you get to around the six months stage, the highchair can be used with the baby set, for babies who can sit up unaided. Unlike the Tripp Trapp, the seat of the Stokke Steps is nice and deep – and the baby set contains an adjustable back unit which can be placed either to the front or the rear of the seat, meaning that little ones can be secured snugly while still small and have room to grow as they move into toddlerhood.

By adding the tray, the Stokke Steps can be a standalone highchair, or without the tray it can sit flush against the table for family interaction. Again, the seat pads (available as an optional extra) are all washable and come in four different colours. Towards the end of the toddler stage the back insert can be removed completely allowing larger children to use the entire generous depth of the seat before they move on to using the seat with no bouncer or baby set at all…

…something which Bubby D was very, very keen on.

Stokke suggest that the final highchair stage is suitable from 3-10, and Bubby D at almost 2 1/2 was very happy sitting in it, finding it easy to climb in and out of herself and loving the nice wide footrest (which she used as a jumping platform to ‘dismount’ every time. The seat is obviously comfortable as she happily sat in it and munched on a cookie for quite some time, relaxing and having a good look around the room. The footrest is movable using two simple catches underneath, so as your child grows the footrest can move further down the frame.

Although the seat doesn’t fold (meaning it probably isn’t a good option if you only have a small amount of space), the footprint of the highchair is reasonably small, and certainly on a par with most adult dining chairs – so the chair can be used as a lasting addition at the family table for many years without getting in the way or taking up lots and lots of room.

It’s not a cheap highchair option by any means, but when you consider the quality, style, and potential for getting 10 years use out of it, the price doesn’t seem quite so bad weighed against other cheaper options which may only last a year or two:

Chair: £159
Bouncer: £149
Baby set: £79
Cushions: £35
Tray: £39

Bubby D is definitely very keen on the Stokke Steps, and I can see the Wee Man liking it as well. I’m quite fussy about highchairs (I don’t like huge ones, ones with little cracks that are hard to clean, garishly coloured ones or giant ones that little babies look lost in) but this is one I could actually see myself using – it looks fairly easy to keep clean and with a range of different colours and wood options, there is definitely a perfect fit for every kitchen too.

 

The Stokke Steps highchair is available from today exclusively at Peppermint in Chiswick, and Huggle in Swiss Cottage. Following on from that it will be available through the Stokke website and from all good independent retailers.

 

Disclosure: I was invited along to the Stokke Steps launch event but I was not paid of offered anything (other than a rather tasty muffin) which required me to write this post – which is all my own honest views and opinions.