Ikea Antilop Review

IKEA is well-known for furniture, but they also make a whole host of baby toys, furniture, and other household supplies. All of Ikea's products are tested against the world's toughest safety standards. IKEA is where quality and cost meet.

Ease of Use

Because this seat is fairly bare bones with nothing fancy to muck up the works, it performed fairly well for ease of use.

The seat's lack of any fancy 'extra' features means that there's very little to figure out. The three-point harness was simple to adjust from the bottom of the seat, and the closure was easy to use and felt secure. It is worth noting that a five-point harness is always going to be safer in terms of the baby crawling or falling out.

The tray snaps on easily, but getting it back off is another matter entirely. We had to press one hand on the seat and pull up aggressively at the corner of the tray to detach it from the base. The tray comes off with a loud snap, so if you or your baby are sound sensitive, this may not be your high chair. Though in fairness, the instructions seem to indicate that little ones shouldn't be in the chair when you add or remove the tray. It also takes a bit of strength, and the bending plastic of the tray feels a bit like it's going to break. While it didn't break during testing, we suspect there is potential over time for the plastic to weaken and eventually crack or gregarious parents to over-man-handle it into snapping.

Not only is the tray challenging to remove, but it should be in place prior to putting your baby in the seat and remain in place until your baby is out. This differs from most chairs. Typically, one can remove the tray to wash or clean while the baby is still in the seat. This isn't necessarily a downfall, but it is different from most high chairs.

On the upside, this seat does have large leg holes, which can be more comfortable for those adorable chunky baby thighs. Its center post also extends all the way down, which helps prevent little ones from sliding down or getting their thigh caught, and can provide a bit of extra safety, especially considering the lack of a five-point harness.

Lastly, it's worth noting that the Antilop doesn't come with a footrest. This means the chair has a smaller footprint, and there are fewer things to clean. But it also means it has the potential to be less comfortable for baby.

Ease of Cleaning

The Ikea Antilop has few pieces, so there are not many cracks or crevices for food to get caught in.

It is also made of plastic and metal, and very easy to wipe clean. The website does not clearly state whether or not the tray is dishwasher safe, so we opted to wipe it clean. Frankly, even if it were dishwasher safe, there is an argument that handwashing can extend the life of any plastic gear. The best part, though, is that there aren't really any nooks or crannies for food to hide, making even clean up after messy eaters a breeze.

Quality

Although we felt it was clear that the quality was not quite up to the standard of its competitors, the Ikea Antilop still performed decently well for quality.

With a low, low price, we can't complain, as it does seem you get more than you pay for here. The pieces seemed strong and sturdy — nothing felt overly fragile, wobbly, or otherwise breakable. Depending on how often you use the chair or how crazy your household is, we can see this holding up well through multiple children. It isn't as nice as the wooden chairs we've seen that cost significantly more, but honestly, depending on your goals a high chair doesn't need to be.

It is worth noting here that the Antilop only comes with one seating position. The seat sits at an almost 90-degree angle, similar to an adult chair. We mention this under the 'quality' category because we suspect the simple design of the seat is partly what keeps the price point low. But what you are sacrificing is stability for the baby. A seat with a slightly leaning shape or the option for various positions offers more head, neck, and trunk support for younger babies. Most manufacturers list the youngest age for which their seat would be applicable, but IKEA does not specify this.

Ease of Set Up

The Antilop sets up in three minutes flat and comes with Ikea's well-known picture instructions. There are only a small handful of pieces, and no tools are needed. We didn't even end up with extra pieces, which is a running gag about building your own IKEA furniture. It is so easy that we think some could assemble it with no instructions at all, and suspect many dads will choose to do just that.

IKEA also offers an additional seat pad for the Antilop, which can be purchased for just $7.99. The pad comes in several different colors, is machine washable, and adds additional support and comfort for the baby.

Footprint and Portability

The Antilop's footprint fell in the middle of the pack of all the high chairs we tested.

It wasn't overly large or small, and the legs did seem sturdy and strong. The attachment between the leg and seat did have the slightest bit of wobble, but only when jostled fairly aggressively. Although not designed to be portable, it is very simple to put together, so if one needs to travel or store this highchair, that would be easily achieved by just taking apart a few pieces. Lastly, this chair was by far the lightest of all the chairs we tested, coming in at 7.9 lbs, and making it very easy to lift and move.

Should You Buy the Ikea Antilop?

If budget is your primary factor, this highchair deserves a second look. It will get the job done without taking up too much space, is easy to keep clean, and is reasonably aesthetic. However, if the safety of a five-point harness or the ability to remove the tray while the baby is still sitting are concerns, or if you have a very young baby, you may want to look elsewhere. In addition, if you don't like loud noises or if strength is an issue, as it may be for some grandparents, for example, it might be worth looking into a highchair with a slightly higher price point.

What Other High Chair Should You Consider?