After owning both the Hiccapop portable high chair and the Bright Starts travel seat, I truly can’t believe how different they are from each other.
This post is all about the many reasons I absolutely love my Hiccapop portable high chair and recommend it to literally everyone I know.
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Hiccapop Portable High Chair
The Competition: Hiccapop vs. Bright Starts
The Bright Starts travel chair (formerly Summer Infant) is the main competition with the Hiccapop portable high chair.
I have owned both and have absolutely fallen in love with the Hiccapop portable high chair. So let me tell you why because I seriously love this thing!
Size
The Bright Starts travel booster is significantly smaller than the Hiccapop travel booster. While my 18 month old was extremely crammed into the Bright Starts seat, she has more than enough space now that we’ve bought the Hiccapop seat.
So, if your babies are on the larger side like mine or you plan to use your travel seat for a toddler, I would recommend the Hiccapop booster seat.
Buckles
The buckles on the Bright Starts booster seat sit much lower on the hips and therefore will start to dig into older babies and toddlers thighs as they get bigger. We got to the point with my 18 month old that I could no longer buckle her in because it was digging into her legs too much.
In contrast, the Hiccapop booster seat buckles are much further up on the waist. My daughter has never complained about the buckles and seems very comfortable.
Additionally, I feel that they hold her into the seat better when she leans over the side since they are further up on her torso.
Washability
One of the most important things to me when it came to a travel booster was how easy it was to clean. And while the Bright Starts seat used to have a removable cover, it no longer does. So the cover can only be wiped down, which just isn’t enough if your baby loves giving themselves facials with their food like mine do. The tray however, is dishwasher safe.
The Hiccapop seat is very easy to wash with the tray being dishwasher safe and the fabric cover being machine washable. You just quite honestly can’t beat that.
Colors
If the color or design of your travel chair is super important to you, then the Bright Starts travel booster would be the clear winner with 15 different options.
The Hiccapop seat only has three pretty boring options if I’m being honest.
Stability
Both the Hiccapop travel seat and the Bright Starts seat have a similar design with two additional features in the Hiccapop seat.
The Hiccapop seat locks into place when it is opened and won’t shut without pressing both of the levers first. It also comes with four disks that you can slide onto the feet of the chair for extra stability. I’ve found these to be very helpful in keeping it very sturdy for my 18 month old who wiggles a crazy amount.
Durability
I used the Bright Starts travel booster as my full time high chair for almost two years with my first baby and it held up extremely well. But once my second baby came around, who was much bigger than my first (almost ten pounds at birth), the stand broke through the fabric cover.
While I haven’t had the Hiccapop seat for that amount of time yet, I can definitely say it is extremely well made. Plus, they do have a lifetime guarantee! I truly can’t think of another piece of baby gear that does that.
The Tray
I found the tray on the Bright Starts seat always to be a bit too small to fit most plates or bowls. However, the Hiccapop seat has a much smaller lip on the outside, giving you slightly more usable space. And while the Hiccapop tray can swivel to one side, the Bright Starts tray cannot.
Additionally the Bright Starts tray also has a little leg separator that makes it impossible to set down on a table without spilling any of the remaining food on it. The Hiccapop can sit flat on a table, which I have found insanely helpful having a massively messy eater.
After owning both the Bright Starts and the Hiccapop travel booster seats, I can honestly say that the Hiccapop travel seat is the clean winner. Our family has loved it and I hope you love it too!
– A Beautifully Busy Mom
Meet the Author
This post was written by Monica, a mom of two who has lived in small apartments the entirety of the time she’s been a mom. She’s learned every tip, trick, and best product to live small.
