Is the Aldi Specialbuys highchair better value than IKEA?

What does IKEA actually list on ANTILOP?

IKEA UK's ANTILOP highchair with tray (article 795.975.15) is a standing range, not a one-week aisle. On 10 September 2026 the page showed £15 for the seat, steel legs and tray together. The seat-and-belt pack without tray was listed at £12, with the tray sold separately at £3.

• Use limit on the IKEA page: children able to sit up unaided, up to 3 years or a maximum 15 kg.
• Standard cited: EN 14988:2017+A2:2024 (domestic and non-domestic tests on that listing).
• Restraint named: "Safety belt included" — IKEA does not call it a five-point harness on that product page.
• Build: polypropylene seat and tray; powder-coated steel legs; wipe-clean care.
• Footrest: not part of the standard pack. IKEA customer reviews on the same page often mention buying a third-party footrest.

A listed standard and a belt on the page are not a MayTally verdict that a chair is fine for your child. Official records / a CE or UKCA mark / no recall on file is not the same as someone having checked the unit in your kitchen.

What has Aldi actually sold as an event highchair?

There is no single "the Aldi highchair". Specialbuys change by event. The Liverpool Echo visit on 10 January 2025 described a 2-in-1 high chair at £14.99 with a footrest, a five-point harness, a hook for the tray, and conversion to a junior chair. That is a recap of one Thursday, not a standing SKU.

Aldi's 16 July 2026 Baby and Toddler Event press list started at 79p and included a high chair mat/bib at £7.99. It did not list a highchair. If your leaflet has no chair, there is nothing to compare with ANTILOP that week.

When is the Specialbuy the better-value ticket?

Value here means price plus the features on the leaflet, not a quality score. ANTILOP wins on you can buy it next Tuesday. An event chair wins only if that week's leaflet names the extras you were going to pay for anyway — footrest, five-point harness, junior conversion — and you can live with "when it's gone, it's gone".

• Need a chair this month, any week: ANTILOP is the standing line. Missing a Thursday event costs £0 if IKEA still has stock.
• Need a footrest or junior-chair stage: only count an Aldi chair if this leaflet names those parts. Last January's Echo chair is not this July's mat.
• Need a spare at a grandparent's: ANTILOP packs down; IKEA lists that as a design point. An event chair may not.
• Need to return it: Aldi's 60-day rule and IKEA's longer change-of-mind window are different policies — read each till receipt.

Does a five-point harness make the Aldi chair the one to pick?

No. Count the straps on the chair in front of you and read the standard mark on that label. RoSPA's accidents-to-children advice is to always use a securely fitted safety harness in a pram, pushchair or highchair, and its home-safety flipchart says to use a five-point harness in buggies and highchairs. Which? has separately written about crotch restraints and not treating the tray as the restraint.

IKEA's listing names a safety belt and EN 14988:2017+A2:2024. The Echo recap named a five-point harness on one Aldi SKU. Those are two different published descriptions. They are not a league table, and they are not a substitute for the instructions in the box.

RoSPA also publishes advice against table-mounted high chairs. If a leaflet shows a clip-on seat, that is a different product class from a free-standing ANTILOP or a floor-standing event chair. Check GOV.UK Product Safety Alerts for the model name on the label. No recall on file is not an all-clear.

In shortANTILOP is the standing £15 (with tray) chair with a published standard and a belt. An Aldi event chair is only better value if this week's leaflet names the extras you need and the branch still has it. Compare features and prices. Do not treat either listing as a safety verdict.