iCandy MiChair high chair review

Buy from:
iCandy (£260)
John Lewis (£260)
Precious Little One (£260)

The MiChair is British pushchair brand iCandy's first foray into high chairs. It launched in 2016 and is marketed as ‘the stylish high chair that turns into a beautifully crafted piece of furniture for your child’. It's a high-end high chair that converts to a chair or rocking chair for three to six-year-olds. At £260 (plus £50 for the cushions), it’s pricey, but the option to convert it means greater longevity – though not as great as the Stokke Tripp-Trapp, which can serve as a piece of furniture into adulthood.

What were your first impressions of the iCandy miChair high chair?

Described by the manufacturer as being ‘inspired by designer furniture’, the MiChair has certainly been conceived with the aesthetics of a modern, magazine-worthy home in mind. The combination of curved wood and plastic with high-shine chrome legs (echoing the look of iCandy pushchairs) gives the chair a luxe feel – in fact, its snazziness showed up the rest of our dining furniture!

Is the iCandy MiChair easy to assemble?

The high chair comes part-assembled and is easily finished using an Allen key. Converting it to a chair or rocking chair should also be straightforward; by removing the front T-bar, strap and footrest and switching between the three different leg adaptors. Unfortunately, one of these adaptors became jammed in the leg while we were testing the chair, which made it difficult to change it back.

What age is the iCandy MiChair suitable for?

The high chair is suitable from six to 36 months, after which it can be used up to the age of six as a rocking chair or chair. The MiChair can also be used from birth with the Newborn Pod.

How secure is the iCandy MiChair?

The chair feels very sturdy and didn’t rock about, even when my daughter started dancing in it!

What is the safety harness like?

The harness is described as optional, but as the chair is quite roomy, you may well want to use it to keep a smaller baby in place. It’s very easy to secure and adjust, with just one large button to click into, though if you have a very wriggly baby, you may feel a two-point harness isn’t sufficient to contain them.

How big is the tray and is it a good height for the child?

The tray is rectangular and fairly small at 29cm x 37cm. It's not adjustable, but it was at a good height for my 18-month-old and fairly close to her tummy, although she did manage to drop a lot of cereal down the gaps at her sides. The tray was just slightly higher than our dining table, which meant the chair could push neatly up to the table when not in use, without having to remove the tray. I did try feeding my daughter directly at the table without the tray, but she couldn’t get quite close enough to feed herself easily.

Can you adjust the high chair in any other way?

Until you convert it into a low chair, it’s not really adjustable. The seat is fixed at a fairly high 59cm. The footrest has two settings, changed using an Allen key.

What is its footprint?

At 55cm x 60cm the chair’s footprint is on the larger side for a fixed high chair, and the chrome bars running along the floor draw attention to this, but it’s still a lot smaller than the footprint of large folding high chairs.

What is the overall quality of the iCandy MiChair?

The materials are very good quality and seem durable, although the problem we had with the leg adaptor did make me question how well the chair would cope with being converted repeatedly.

Is it comfortable for the child?

We tested the chair without cushions and my toddler looked really happy in it, but a younger baby might need a bit of padding. As the seat is quite large in order to allow it to accommodate a child up to the age of six, younger babies may well need the optional Comfort Pack in order to be adequately supported in the chair.

Is the seat padded?

No. The Comfort Pack includes a cushion and seat reducer (both wipe-clean with washable covers).

Can you get the child in and out easily?

There was plenty of space around my daughter’s legs to allow me to get her out easily. The optional seat pad would lift her legs, perhaps making it a bit trickier to get her out.

Is there adequate support for the child?

The high, curved wooden backrest provides good support, and the footrest has two positions. However, as the seat is quite wide and deep, I think a smaller child would need the cushions in order to benefit from the back support.

Is it easy to clean?

The smooth, curved seat is very easy to wipe clean and the tray pops off easily to wipe or put in the dishwasher. Adding seat cushions would inevitably make the chair a bit harder to clean; they’re wipeable and washable, but crumbs would collect in the seams.

Is it easy to store?

The bottom section (the legs) can be removed, but the top part is fixed, so the chair can’t be fully dismantled. Since it’s quite large and doesn’t fold, the chair can’t easily be moved from place to place, so you’ll need to be happy for it to be a permanent fixture of your dining area until you’re ready to convert it to a children’s chair.

Are there any accessories available for purchase?

The Newborn Pod (RRP £155, available in four colours) allows the chair to be used from birth, bringing the child up to table level. It’s expensive, but unlike the newborn attachments on some rival high chairs, the Pod can be detached and used as a floor-level bouncer too. The Comfort Pack, including cushion and seat reducer, is another £50.

Are there any special features?

The ability to convert the high chair to a toddler chair or rocking chair is a nice additional feature, but if you’re planning to use the MiChair as a children’s chair with a little table, check that the chair legs will fit under it, as they’re quite wide.

Overall star ratings for iCandy miChair

Ease of assembly 4/5
Comfort for child 4/5
Ease of cleaning 4.5/5
Safety and security 4/5
Ease of storage 3.5/5
Value for money 3.5/5

Overall score: 3.9/5

Buy from:
iCandy (£260)
John Lewis (£260)
Precious Little One (£260)

Product specifications

Age:
Suitable from birth (with the Pod) to six years.

Size capacity:
Up to 30kg

Dimensions:
Height 87cm
Width 56cm
Depth 50cm

Materials:
Aluminium and wood

Seat recline options:
Three

Seat height options:
Three

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This review was last updated in April 2019. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.