The IKEA Antilop high chair hack has become one of the most popular parenting upgrades for good reason. At around $25, the Antilop is the best-value highchair on the market — but straight out of the box, it's missing a few things. No footrest. Hard plastic seat. Plain metal legs. A tray that shows every tomato stain.
The good news? With a handful of targeted upgrades, you can turn this budget highchair into something that rivals chairs costing five times more. We've spent years designing accessories specifically for the Antilop, and we've helped thousands of families make these exact upgrades. Here are the seven hacks that make the biggest difference — from essential to clever freebies.
Why Hack the IKEA Antilop?
The Antilop outsells almost every highchair in Australia, the US, and the UK. Parents choose it because it's lightweight, easy to clean, and absurdly affordable. But IKEA designed it as a no-frills seat, and that means a few compromises:
- No footrest — children's feet dangle, which affects their posture and eating focus
- Hard plastic seat — fine for short meals, uncomfortable for longer sits
- Plain metal legs — they scratch timber and tile floors
- Basic white tray — shows every stain, especially tomato-based foods
None of these are dealbreakers, but each one has a simple fix. The IKEA Antilop high chair hack approach lets you keep everything great about the Antilop — the easy cleaning, the light weight, the price — while adding comfort, style, and functionality where it matters.
Here's the real comparison: a Stokke Tripp Trapp costs $400+ and still needs accessories. A fully hacked Antilop delivers similar functionality for under $100 total. That maths works for most families.
There's also a practical advantage people overlook: the Antilop disassembles in seconds. The legs pop off, the tray lifts away, and the whole thing stores flat or fits in a car boot for travel. No other highchair at any price point matches that portability. Upgrading with accessories doesn't change this — everything stays removable and easy to transport.
Hack #1: Add a Footrest (The Most Important Upgrade)
If you only do one hack, make it this one. A footrest transforms how your child sits, eats, and behaves at mealtimes.
Why it matters
When a child's feet dangle in mid-air, their body instinctively feels unstable. They kick, squirm, lean on the tray for support, and lose focus on food. Feeding therapists and occupational therapists recommend the 90-90-90 position — hips, knees, and ankles each at roughly 90 degrees — for safe swallowing and effective self-feeding. Raising Children Network (Australia's national parenting resource) notes that proper seating posture supports better eating habits from the start of solids.
The Antilop doesn't come with a footrest. For babies starting solids around 6 months, their feet are nowhere near the floor. A clip-on bamboo footrest solves this immediately.
Parents consistently tell us this is the upgrade they wish they'd made sooner. The difference is visible within the first meal — less squirming, better focus, and often longer time spent at the table willingly.
What to look for in a footrest
- Adjustable height — your child will grow, and the footrest needs to move with them
- Tool-free installation — you should be able to attach and adjust it in under a minute
- Solid material — bamboo or hardwood gives a stable surface for pushing against. Flimsy materials defeat the purpose
- Compatible with Antilop legs — check it's designed for the standard Antilop leg diameter
Our adjustable bamboo footrest fits the standard IKEA Antilop legs and adjusts as your child grows from 6 months through toddlerhood. It's the upgrade our customers mention most in reviews.
Want to know more about why footrests matter? Read our deep-dive: Do You Need a Footrest for the IKEA High Chair?
Hack #2: Wrap the Legs (Style + Floor Protection)
The Antilop's bare metal legs are functional but forgettable — and they scratch floors. Leg wraps solve both problems at once.
What leg wraps do
- Protect floors — timber, tile, and laminate floors stay scratch-free
- Add style — wood-look vinyl wraps transform the industrial metal legs into something that actually looks good in your kitchen
- Reduce noise — less scraping when the chair gets bumped or moved
- Easy to apply — peel-and-stick application takes about five minutes for all four legs
Our wood-look leg wraps come in several finishes to match your kitchen. They're vinyl, so they wipe clean and resist moisture — important when food inevitably gets everywhere.
This is one of those upgrades that costs very little but makes a surprisingly big visual difference. The Antilop goes from "budget highchair" to "intentional design choice" once the legs are wrapped.
A tip from our experience: if you're applying leg wraps and a footrest at the same time, fit the footrest first, then apply the wraps. This way you can position the wrap seams where they're least visible, and the footrest clamps sit neatly over the wrap material.
Hack #3: Silicone Placemat for the Tray (Save Your Sanity)
The Antilop tray is brilliant for cleaning — pop it off and rinse it. But it's smooth white plastic, which means food slides everywhere and stains show up fast. A silicone placemat fixes both issues.
Why a placemat beats the bare tray
- Suction grip — food stays in one zone instead of sliding to the edges
- Defined eating area — helps babies focus on the food in front of them
- Catches mess — raised edges contain spills and purees
- Dishwasher safe — toss it in with the bottles and done
- Protects the tray — fewer knife marks and stains on the plastic underneath
Our silicone placemat is designed to fit the Antilop tray exactly. Full coverage, food-grade silicone, and it comes in colours that match the leg wraps and cushion covers if you want a coordinated look.
For baby-led weaning families, this hack is especially useful. When your baby is learning to self-feed, the placemat gives food enough grip to stay put while little fingers work on their pincer grasp. According to Solid Starts, a stable eating surface helps babies build confidence with self-feeding from their very first meals.
One thing we've learned from customer feedback: darker placemat colours hide stains better than lighter ones. If tomato-based foods are a regular feature in your household (and whose aren't?), consider a deeper colour.
Hack #4: Cushion Cover (Comfort + Style)
The Antilop's hard plastic seat is easy to wipe down, which parents love. But if your child sits for 15-20 minute meals (or longer during family dinners), a cushion adds welcome comfort.
What to consider
- Wipeable fabric — cotton canvas or coated fabric that handles spills without needing constant washing
- Machine washable — because some meals are messier than others
- Good fit — it should stay in place without bunching, with openings for the harness straps
- Not too thick — you still want the harness to work properly and the child to sit at the right height relative to the tray
IKEA sells their own cushion insert, but it's a basic design. Our cushion covers come in patterns and colours that match your kitchen, and they're designed to fit both the IKEA insert and standard cushion shapes.
For younger babies who are smaller in the seat, a cushion also helps with positioning — it fills the gap between them and the backrest, keeping them more upright and secure.
A note on hygiene: whatever cushion you choose, make sure it's easy to remove and clean regularly. Between food, drool, and the occasional nappy situation, highchair cushions see a lot. Ours are designed with quick-release attachments so you can strip the cover in seconds and throw it in the wash.
Hack #5: DIY Footrest (For the Makers)
Prefer to build your own? We respect that. A DIY Antilop footrest is a popular weekend project, and we've made it easier with a free template.
What you need
- A piece of timber or plywood (at least 30cm x 10cm)
- Two U-bolts or pipe clamps that fit the Antilop leg diameter
- Sandpaper for smoothing edges
- Our free PDF footrest template for measurements and positioning
Tips for a good result
- Sand thoroughly — little feet will rest on this, so smooth all edges and surfaces
- Use food-safe finish — a natural oil or beeswax coat protects the wood without chemicals
- Make it adjustable — drill multiple holes so you can raise the footrest as your child grows
- Test stability — give it a firm push from all angles before your child uses it
The DIY route takes a few hours and some basic tools. If you'd rather skip the woodworking and have something ready in 30 seconds, our pre-made bamboo footrest clips on without tools.
Either way, the important thing is that your child has solid foot support. Whether you build it or buy it, the outcome for your baby's posture and mealtime comfort is the same. The DIY option just adds a personal touch and a weekend project to the mix.
Hack #6: Sun-Bleach Tomato Stains (Free Hack)
This one costs nothing and works surprisingly well. If your Antilop tray or seat has turned orange from bolognese, pumpkin, or carrot puree — just put it in the sun.
How it works
- Remove the tray (and seat if needed) from the chair
- Give it a basic wash to remove any food residue
- Place it outside in direct sunlight for 2-4 hours
- Check the stain — most tomato and carrot discolouration will have faded significantly
UV light naturally breaks down the pigments that cause staining on white plastic. It's the same reason white clothes fade in the sun — except here, you actually want it.
For stubborn stains: make a paste with bicarbonate of soda and a little water, spread it on the stain, then place in the sun. The combination of UV and gentle abrasive paste handles even the most persistent orange tinge.
This hack gets shared constantly in parenting groups because it genuinely works and replaces the urge to buy a new tray. Free, effective, zero waste.
Hack #7: Bib Storage on the Back
Simple but brilliant: hang bibs on the back of the Antilop using an adhesive hook or a small over-the-chair hook. Bibs are always right where you need them when mealtime starts.
Why this works
- Bibs dry faster — hanging lets air circulate on both sides
- Always within reach — no more hunting through drawers when food is already on the tray
- Keeps bench space clear — wet bibs off the counter
- Visual reminder — you can see which bibs are clean at a glance
Use a small adhesive command hook on the backrest, or loop bibs over one of the rear legs. Either way, it takes seconds to set up and solves the daily "where's the bib?" moment.
Some parents go further and hang a small wet bag on the back for dirty bibs. After the meal, the used bib goes straight in the wet bag. At the end of the day, the whole bag goes in the wash. It's a small system that removes one more friction point from the mealtime routine.
Before and After: The Full Transformation
Here's what changes when you apply all seven hacks to a standard IKEA Antilop:
- Posture — feet supported, back upright, 90-90-90 position achieved
- Comfort — padded seat, stable footrest, no dangling legs
- Style — wood-look legs, colour-matched accessories, kitchen-friendly design
- Functionality — mess caught by placemat, bibs within reach, stains handled by sunlight
- Cost — still well under $100 for the complete setup including the chair itself
The fully hacked Antilop genuinely competes with highchairs that cost four to five times more. That's why this IKEA high chair hack has become so popular — the value is hard to beat.
We hear from parents regularly who upgraded from expensive highchairs to the hacked Antilop and preferred it. The combination of easy cleaning (the whole thing hoses down), light weight (one hand to carry), and proper accessories creates a setup that's genuinely hard to fault for everyday family use.
Where to Buy IKEA Antilop Accessories
You can find Antilop accessories on Etsy, Amazon, and various small shops — but quality and fit vary widely. We design all our accessories specifically for the IKEA Antilop, and we test them with our own kids before they go on sale.
| Accessory | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Bamboo Footrest | Adjustable foot support for 90-90-90 posture | Every Antilop owner (essential) |
| Leg Wraps | Wood-look vinyl covers for legs | Floor protection + style upgrade |
| Silicone Placemat | Full-tray coverage, suction grip | Baby-led weaning, mess control |
| Cushion Cover | Padded seat cover, machine washable | Longer meals, smaller babies |
Browse the full range on our IKEA highchair accessories hub page, or check out our bundles if you want to upgrade several things at once and save.
Already tried some of these hacks? See our original Top 5 Hacks for Your IKEA Antilop Highchair for additional ideas, or read our highchair comparison guide if you're still deciding whether the Antilop is right for your family.
Final Thoughts
The IKEA Antilop high chair hack isn't about making a cheap chair look expensive. It's about making a great-value chair work even better for your child. Every upgrade on this list solves a real problem — better posture, more comfort, easier cleanup, or simply keeping your floors intact.
If you're just getting started, our recommendation is simple:
- Footrest first — it makes the biggest difference to how your child sits and eats
- Placemat second — especially if you're doing baby-led weaning
- Then add style — leg wraps and cushion covers when you're ready for the full transformation
Thousands of Australian families have made these upgrades and the feedback is consistent: the hacked Antilop is genuinely hard to beat. Your child gets proper support, you get easier mealtimes, and the whole setup costs a fraction of the premium alternatives.
