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My secret to eating out and traveling with kids has nothing to do with by-the-book parenting or baby-whispering—and everything to do with a high chair. Outdoor Restaurant Furniture
I’ve traveled regularly with some combination of my three children for almost a decade—to cities considered baby-friendly (Copenhagen) and not (Paris); to beaches accessed by ferries (Sifnos, Greece) and hours-long car rides (Dingle, Ireland); to all-inclusives for cousins’ weddings (Punta Cana) and Airbnbs for pintxos (Logroño, Spain); and to coastal towns for respites (Lunenburg, Nova Scotia) and scenic highways for road trips (California’s PCH).
The one baby essential I’ve never left behind is the Phil&teds Lobster Clip-On Highchair, one of our picks in our guide to the best high chairs. It’s a simple and sturdy high chair that clips on almost any table and folds up to fit in an over-the-shoulder bag, convenient for transatlantic trips, jaunts to your favorite sandwich shop, and everything in between. It’s a must-pack in our baggage—but even more so a staple here at home, forever housed in the bottom of our stroller, on hand for an impromptu dinner out or a pop in to our neighborhood coffee shop.
This foldable clip-on high chair is small enough to pack in a suitcase and sturdy enough to attach to almost any table.
It’s a lifesaver when the restaurant doesn’t have any high chairs left (or none to begin with), when you’re a party of three but the host insists they only have tables for two available (no problem!), or when you’re trying to squeeze into the tiniest bistro in Paris, but that can only be done if you and your 13-month-old can fit on the same side of the table in a 2-foot-wide booth (ta-da!).
The Lobster high chair also takes the pressure off family members who think they need to invest in a pack and play, diaper pail, and high chair for your family’s weekend visit. Attaching it to a table or island means your little one can be part of the action—or simply be restrained with a banana as a distraction while you savor your morning coffee.
We clean it after every use with a simple wipe down, usually with whatever baby wipe or napkin we have within arm’s reach. Once every few months we give it a good scrub with dish soap and let it air-dry overnight.
We don’t rely on it for everyday use at home—and we’re especially careful to check a table’s sturdiness before whipping out the seat. It’s a no-go if the table has a lip or feels unsteady in any way. As we point out in our guide to the best high chairs, “The American Academy of Pediatrics warns against everyday use of chairs that clip to a tabletop, because this type of chair involves so many variables.”
But for eating out and traveling—initiatives my husband and I have committed to as part of our effort to maintain our identity outside of “parent” in these early-childhood years—the Lobster high chair is a true game-changer. People ask, “How do you manage to travel with kids? You make it look so easy!” Well, the seat—and bottomless snacks, of course.
This article was edited by Rachelle Bergstein and Catherine Kast.
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Lauren Sullivan is Wirecutter’s director of audience, overseeing search, social, newsletter, and all the ways readers can find our journalists’ best-in-class coverage. It’s the coolest of jobs. Before Wirecutter, while raising two kids in an 800-square-foot shoebox, Lauren helped newsrooms (NBC News, The Huffington Post) and brands (LearnVest, Etsy) develop editorial strategies. She has since upgraded to a Philly row home and a third kid, but she still carries that minimalist mindset with her. (She has never owned a microwave.)
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