Mamas & Papas Juice Highchair review

Buy The Mamas & Papas Juice Highchair: Mamas & Papas, Amazon and Very

Tested by

Simone, a journalist from South London, tested the highchair with her 10-month old daughter, Nora.

What are your first impressions of the Mamas & Papas Juice?

I was very impressed by the chair when we first got it out of the box. It was nice-looking and was very easy to put together – the instructions are clear and easy to follow and it took us less than 10 minutes to assemble.

How easy is it to use with your baby or toddler?

I found the Juice highchair really easy to use – the straps are straightforward to secure and the tray can be removed and added with a single move. You can put your baby in the chair with or without the tray attached, which is handy, too.

What are the straps like on the Juice highchair?

The Juice has a 5-point harness, which is easy to adjust and fit the baby. However overall, I wasn't impressed with the straps on this highchair; when they were tightened, my baby ended up leaning back quite a lot and didn’t sit in an upright position, which isn’t ideal for weaning. I’m sure this was very comfortable for my baby, who looked like she was eating in an armchair, but I didn’t feel like this was the safest position for her. We ended up using this highchair with the straps fairly loose, so that she could sit upright without leaning back against the chair.

A number of parent reviews on Amazon comment on how the straps don’t fit particularly well and are loose around their babies’ shoulders, even on the tightest setting. This seems to especially be the case for younger babies just starting their weaning journey, so it’s something to consider if you plan to use from 6 months.

Cleaning-wise, the straps are great. They are attached to the removable padded seat, which you can take straight to the sink to clean and the straps dry quickly.

How comfortable does the highchair seem for your baby?

As I mentioned before, my baby would lean back in the chair, like she was sitting in an armchair, so I’m sure she was comfortable – even if it wasn’t the ideal position for eating. The padded seat is firm but soft enough for her to be comfortable, and this padding is praised by parent reviews on both the Mamas & Papas and Amazon websites, for providing a comfy place for their baby.

The seat also features a ‘secure crotch post’ – essentially a plastic post between the baby’s legs – making it safe and secure for your baby when the highchair is used without the tray.

How adjustable is the Juice highchair?

Not very. Apart from being able to turn it into a junior chair once your baby has outgrown the highchair, the only thing you can adjust are the straps. The seat can’t be adjusted, nor can the footrest.

The height of the chair is pretty standard for a highchair – the tray fits right above our dining table. However, the footrest is quite low for our 10-month old.

I like having Nora sitting upright with her feet on a footrest in a highchair, but it would take months, if not longer, before Nora would be able to reach the footrest on the Juice highchair. The seat is quite deep and my baby’s legs were mostly on the seat, miles from the footrest. If she leaned back and scooted her bum forward, her feet were much closer to the footrest, but it wouldn’t be ideal for her to sit like that while eating.

The tray is removable, however even though Mamas & Papas say on their website that the removable tray means you can pull your baby up to the table, this didn’t work for us. Because of the depth of the chair and the armrest, the highchair can’t get close enough to the table for the baby to reach it (making it a very messy experience!).

What is the Juice like as a junior chair?

The highchair can be transformed into a junior chair easily – you simply screw off the legs and remove the crotch post – making it a long-lasting option for families with children up to the age of 5 (or a maximum weight of 15kg). As a junior chair it’s designed to be used when sat at a child’s table, for colouring, crafting or playing, rather than eating at the dinner table. Because of Nora’s age we didn’t get to test it as a junior chair, but it looks like it would do the job well.

How easy is the Juice highchair to keep clean?

The highchair is fairly easy to clean. The seamless seat pad can be taken off, along with the tray, and put directly under the tap in the sink. Both were quick to dry – I just left them by the sink to dry until the next use.

While I’m sure you could just wipe down the chair after some meals, I found I had to remove the padded seat after every use. Food would get stuck in the little crease between the padded seat and the crotch post, and even under the padded seat. Maybe I just have a messy eater, but it felt like a lot of putting the seat on and off to get it really clean.

Having said that, parent reviews on the Mamas & Papas website praise the Juice for how easy it is to clean, in particular how everything comes apart easily to be either wiped down or washed.

The tray is small enough to fit in the dishwasher, although I preferred to just wash it in the sink quickly to have it ready for the next mealtime.

How much space does the highchair take up when unfolded?

The Juice highchair can’t be folded down, so once it’s assembled it’s up! With dimension of H:89cmxW:71cmxD:61cm, it has a large footprint, much more so that the Tutti Bambini Evolutionary at H:98cmxW:48cmxD:69cm or the Stokke Clikk at H:82.5cmxW:56cmxD:69cm, and does takes up quite a lot of space.

We are fortunate that we have a lot of space, but in my opinion, it would take up too much space in a smaller kitchen or dining room – even if pushed into a corner. The chair is stylish, so this might not be an issue if you don’t mind it being on display, but if you struggle for space, a foldable highchair, like the Maxi Cosi Minla or the budget-friendly Joie Mimzy Snacker highchair, £60, could be a better fit.

How easy is the Juice highchair to store?

If you take the highchair apart, it doesn’t take up much space – I was surprised by how small the box was when it arrived! The legs can be taken apart, so it’s the seat that’s the biggest part of the chair to store.

Even fully assembled, the highchair is very lightweight, just 5.5kg (the Maxi Cosi Minla is almost double that at 10.1kg, while the Stokke Tripp Trapp weights 7kg) and easy to move. My baby even enjoyed using it as a walking aid, as it was light enough for her to push!

The plastic foot caps on the legs make it easy to slide on wooden floors without damaging it, which I felt was a nice touch.

What do you think of the style and design of the highchair?

The Juice highchair has a stylish appearance, but I do think the finish could have been better. The legs have a wooden-look but are actually made of metal.

As a Scandinavian, I’m not quite sure I’d call it Scandi-style like Mamas & Papas do, but it’s a nice-looking chair. While it doesn’t fit into our interior, I do think it easily blends into most homes without standing out like some other highchairs.

Other online parent reviews loved the pared-back design and praised the Juice for its stylish good looks.

What are the features like on the Juice highchair?

Although the highchair is not the most innovative I’ve ever seen, the tray is compact, easy to remove and the materials are easy to wipe clean, which is exactly what you want when weaning.

A number of reviews on Amazon comment on the fact the tray seems a bit far away from your baby when they are sat in the chair, so they have to stretch a bit to reach some of the food. This isn’t necessarily an issue as your baby gets older, but for younger babies I can imagine it could become very frustrating (for the babies and parents!).

Of course, being lightweight is a plus for many reasons, but when Nora realised that she could put her feet up and push herself back against the table it to move the chair back it wasn’t such a bonus. Instead, we ended up keeping the tray on and moved her back a bit, so the tray was an extension of our table. This was fine, but it didn’t quite feel like she was sitting with us at the table.

It’s a shame the legs are wood-look rather than actually being made from wood. Personally, I think wooden legs would have elevated the design of this chair, making it look and feel more expensive and worth the £119 price-tag.

Does it have additional functionality?

Apart from being able to transform into a junior chair, the Juice doesn’t have any additional features.

What age is the Juice highchair suitable for?

The Juice can be used in highchair mode from 6 months to 5 years, and as a junior chair from when they are toddling and can safely sit in a low chair, up to 5 years.

As recommended by Mamas & Papas, I definitely wouldn’t use the highchair before my baby was able to sit unaided. Personally, I think the highchair is more suited to a bigger baby, perhaps even a toddler, where they can reach the footrest, while sitting back upright.

How does the Juice compare with other highchairs you’ve used?

While it’s stylish and practical, I think there are other highchairs out there that are better value for money. If you don’t mind the size of it and want something basic that you can’t adjust in highchair mode, but can use as a child’s chair, it’s a good choice. However, I think for the price you could get something more ergonomic, which can be adjusted to suit your growing baby or toddler.

If I’m honest, I found myself reaching for our old highchair (the Stokke Tripp Trapp) on multiple occasions as I felt my baby was better supported in it and it was easy to pull up to the table and simply wipe down afterwards, but I appreciate this is an expensive option compared to the Juice.

What’s in the box?

• The seat and the padded seat
• The legs
• The tray
• The footrest
• The crotch post
• Screws and an allen key
• The accessories to convert it into a toddler chair

What would you have wanted to know about the Juice before buying?

That the seat, height or footrest can’t be adjusted in highchair mode and that my 10-month-old baby would lean back so much in the chair.

Who would this product be most useful for?

I think the Juice highchair is most useful for parents who want something simple, stylish and easy to clean, parents who don't want to have to adjust the chair all the time, have the space to keep the chair in a corner or at the table, and perhaps with an older baby who can sit upright and won’t lean back too much. It’s also useful if you want a chair that can last up through the pre-school years.

Is the Juice worth the price tag?

For £119, there are other highchairs that do a better job, although these aren’t necessarily able to adapt into junior chairs as well. If looks matter to you and you want something stylish, it’s a good option. However, it’s quite basic for the price – you pay for the design more than the functionality.

How does it compare to similar highchairs?

Where can I buy the Juice highchair?

It is available from, Mamas & Papas, Amazon and Very.

MadeForMums verdict:

While the Juice is easy to clean, stylish and can be turned into a child’s chair once they have outgrown the highchair, it misses the mark in other ways. The lack of adjustability, the large footprint and the issues with getting the straps to fit just right did put us off, however the chair is designed to last you up to 5 years, which helps justify the price tag.