Jelly Bean has been the very proud owner of a Stokke Steps highchair for a few weeks now and he/we are very happy with his new addition. We were first introduced to the Steps when we attended the launch back in January. It was the first that I had heard that a new seating system was even in the pipeline, I never considered that Stokke would do anything different to the Tripp Trapp which has been a roaring success for many years. The Tripp Trapp is an iconic seat with a huge following, how on earth could they possibly replace that? It’s simple, they aren’t replacing it, they are just introducing a different option.
Building the Stokke Steps
When the Stokke Steps arrived I couldn’t wait to get started on putting it all together and it couldn’t have been any simpler as Stokke had the forethought to number pieces so you couldn’t possibly put the legs in the wrong holes.
Once the legs were on and secured in place with screws it was time to pop on the seat, footrest and backrest which covered up the screws for the legs.
The Baby Set comes fully formed so all that was left for me to do was slot it into place and secure by clicking the tabs on the side over the large circular knobs. The seat back has two positions so that it can move further back as Jelly Bean grows. When it comes to the time that Jelly Bean no longer needs the Baby Set all I need to do is pull the tabs on the side outwards slightly at the same time as pushing the large circular knobs in and then remove the seat, the Stokke Steps is then ready for a big boy/girl to sit in.
We were also sent a Baby Cushion to make the seat a little more comfortable for Jelly Bean, this simply slots into place with the help of some tabs underneath and can be easily removed for washing. It is possible to use the Steps with Baby Set alone pulled up to the dining table with the rest of the family. We opted for a Tray though as Jelly Bean has a habit of doing the magic trick where you pull the tablecloth off the table and watch everyone else’s dinner land in a heap on the floor!! The Tray is secured in place and removed very easily with the help of two levers underneath which makes it really easy for cleaning all his mess away after mealtimes.
As an owner of a Tripp Trapp AND a Stokke Steps I can tell you that both seats are brilliant! When we first received the Tripp Trapp we were in love, it arrived just a week after Jelly Bean was born and with the Newborn Set it was perfect for Jelly Bean to sit up to the table with the rest of the family BUT I lost count of the number of times I tripped over the feet sticking out at the back or stubbed my toe when trying to negotiate my way around it in the kitchen. It also had one other niggle for me and that was when altering the seat/footrest height you had to loosen the whole chair to be able to slide them out and move them. Two tiny niggles that I was very happy to live with because the Tripp Trapp looks great and feels secure unlike cheaper copies which we have owned which have broken resulting my children ending up in a heap on the floor with a bump on the head!
With the Stokke Steps things are different, it has four traditional legs which pose much less of a tripping hazard and although the seat position is fixed, the footrest is really easy to alter my simply unscrewing the knobs underneath and sliding the footrest to the correct height until it clicks into one of the height markers and then tightening the knobs to secure in place. Both seats are fab and I think choice just comes down to personal preference. At the end of the day, Stokke know their stuff when it comes to designing products for you and your children so I don’t think you would be disappointed whichever one you went for.
DISCLAIMER: I was sent the Stokke Steps Chair, Baby Set, Cushion and Tray for the purpose of this post free of charge. All words, images and opinions are my own and may not be copied without my permission. I have not been instructed what to write.