phil&teds lobster clip-on highchair

If you’ve ever found yourself wishing that you owned a magical bag from which you could pull out even the most cumbersome baby gear items at a moment’s notice, then the phil&teds lobster high chair is the one for you.
This little lifesaver is compact, portable and even comes in a cute, purse-like carrying case that allows you to tap into your inner Mary Poppins.
Having tried out other clip-on high chairs in the past, including the phil&teds metoo high chair, I was already a fan of the genre’s convenient portability, but I was skeptical that this one had anything that different to offer from its compact counterparts. And while the lobster didn’t stray too far from the original clip-on high chair concept (hey, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it!), the strength of this little lobster is in the details.
Let’s start with size. When folded, the lobster is so small and unimposing that I began to doubt that it would unfold into a seat large enough to even fit a newborn, let alone the three year old it boasts it can support. However, once I pulled the seat out of the carrying case, it practically assembled itself into a roomy, sturdy chair.
Without so much as glancing at the instructions, I intuitively attached the lobster to the table by placing the edge between its “claws” and easily tightened the twistable handles. Before trusting the chair to hold my daughter, I gave the lobster a good shake and tested it with most of my own weight. Those little claws didn’t move an inch.
Though the lobster is officially approved for children six months to three years of age, my four month old can sit up and has control of her head, so I carefully placed her in the seat and adjusted the five-point harness to fit her tiny body. I was extremely impressed by this feature, as it makes the seat suitable for smaller children who need a little more security, but it has room to grow as well.
The icing on the cake was the removable tray—a feature that most clip-on high chairs lack. Although the tray doesn’t really attach to the seat and instead kind of slides between the table and the top claws, I thought it was a nice option for those times when you need a clean surface for baby instead of just the table top.
Overall, I was extremely impressed with the lobster’s size, strength and security. The only real con I noticed was that it is not suitable for certain types of tables—including glass, those with leaves and single pedestal tables. If you owned that type of table, you would have to save the lobster exclusively for outings to restaurants, parks, etc. Ultimately, I highly recommend the lobster and even insisted that my parents use one as their grandparent’s high chair.
Price: $90
To buy: philandteds.com