Hauck Alpha Chair Review Pros, Cons, & Is It Worth It

While most baby gear is eventually cast aside, a wooden high chair promises authenticity, quality, and lots of memories.  

A couple weeks ago, I received the Hauck Alpha Chair. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve always loved the concept of wooden children’s furniture, but I’ve been burned by the selection at the big box stores.

You know what I’m talking about, right? This furniture is priced exceptionally well and looks beautiful, but it breaks apart the moment your toddler wiggles the wrong way.

If you’re considering purchasing the Alpha Chair, I’m guessing you have two main questions: 1. Is it worth the investment? And 2, will it function as well as its more expensive competitors?

For the last two weeks, I’ve put the Alpha Chair through the gauntlet only a rambunctious toddler can dish out. In my Hauck Alpha Chair review, I’m going to share my experiences and dive deep into its pros, cons, and features.

The Alpha Chair will be an important investment for you and your child. Let’s look at the details together and decide if its right for you.

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The Hauck Alpha Chair Review: At a Glance

(USE CODE “WELCOME10” FOR 10% OFF HAUCK ALPHA CHAIR + FREE SHIPPING)

What is the Hauck Alpha Chair

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase from one of the links I will make a small commission at no charge to you. I only recommend what I trust. Blunders in Babyland does not diagnose, treat, or give out any professional advice for any medical conditions.

About the Company

Hauck is a multi-generational, family-owned business that prides itself in creating eco-friendly baby gear. Originally founded in Upper Franconia, Germany,  Hauck has been in business for over 8 decades. They started out making bassinets and now offer a complete line of baby gear, including playpens, baby gates, cribs, and high chairs.

Personally, I love that this manufacturer displays so much passion for their products. It tells me that I can trust them with my money and my child.

About The Alpha Chair

Hauck designed the Alpha Chair with your child’s needs, present and future, in mind. Constructed with sustainable beechwood, the Alpha Chair is highly versatile, sturdy, and offers a sleek, minimalistic approach to baby furniture.

Quick Facts for Hauck Alpha Chair

Weight Capacity: 90KG or 198LBS	Age: 36 months to 10 Years w/o accessories
Dimensions: 22.2inx18.8inx31.5in	Price: See Baby Earth for Pricing

The seat, without any accessories, is usable from 36 months to about 10 years. The Alpha Chair is compatible with quite a few accessories:

• The Newborn 2-in-1 Bouncer- The bouncer attaches directly to the top of the chair, allowing the Alpha Chair to be used by newborns. This is actually a very handy accessory for when you’re eating dinner and trying to manage a newborn.
• The Feeding Tray and 5-Point Harness- Once your baby has begun solids (about 6 months), he can start sitting in the chair with this accessory. There’s a good chance that you won’t use the feeding tray for too long, since the chair is table height. However, the 5-point harness will be necessary for any child under 36 months.
• Seatpad- It’s machine-washable and extremely helpful if your baby needs just a little more comfort.

This Chair is Right for You If…

If your priorities lie in quality, style, and sustainability, this wooden high chair is a good fit for you.

We’ve all seen the more popular (and admittedly less expensive) plastic high chairs at the big box stores. I don’t know about you, but I’m a little tired of buying baby gear that essentially becomes junk a few months later. A wooden chair offers beauty and authenticity, plus a piece of furniture your child can save for their babies.

The Alpha Chair also draws budget-conscious consumers. Priced at about $100 less than one of its main competitors, the Alpha Chair allows parents to invest in wooden furniture without the daunting price tag.

Do Not Buy This Chair If…

You don’t want a semi-permanent piece of furniture, you have limited space, or you plan on tossing it in a few months.

The Alpha Chair is meant to be a statement piece that stays in your house for a long time. So, if your priorities lie in portability or budget, it might not be the right fit for you.

The Hauck Alpha Chair Review: My Experience

Now we’re going to get into the meat of my Hauck Alpha Chair review: how difficult it was to set up, how those pretty design features held up against my crazy toddler, and if I’d recommend it for you.

Overall, I did really enjoy the Alpha Chair and I think you will too. However, there are a few disadvantages that we’re going to go over that I think you should take into account.

Assembly

Either from faulty instructions, lack of hardware, or cheap design, assembly is where many baby gear manufacturers seem to fall short. I had peeked at a few reviews of the Alpha Chair prior to receiving it, and this seemed to be its chief complaint.

So, my experience? Flawless assembly.

I put the chair together in under 20 minutes,  with a toddler stealing my parts and contractors hammering away in the next room. I thought the assembly was ridiculously easy.

Every bolt and dowel fell into place perfectly, every tool you needed to put it together was already included, and the instructions were detailed yet easy to understand.

Most impressively, the chair was completely solid once I finished, despite my very limited assembly skills.

Aesthetics & Quality

If you’ve ventured into big box stores, you’ve probably seen adjustable wooden high chairs similar to the Alpha Chair. While these chairs might look amazing, it doesn’t take long to discover that they’re made from cheap composite board and a wood veneer thinner than your fingernail.

European Beech Frame

The Alpha chair is an actual piece of furniture that you can admire. The frame is solid European beech. Beechwood, a very popular species used to craft furniture, is durable and scratch-resistant.

Sturdiness

Its large width and A-shaped legs distributes the weight to the base of the chair, making it incredibly study as well. My daughter uses the Alpha Chair as a step-stool (NOT it’s intended use), and the chair hasn’t toppled yet. I’d say that’s quite impressive.

Comfort

There is one downside to design of the chair, however. The rigidity of the seat. While the back bar is curved and angled to promote proper posture, it’s also very rigid.

At this age, most kids won’t care too much about the comfort level of a chair. Afterall, they’ll only be able to sit in for five minutes at a time anyway. Still, if you think the lack of comfort might be an issue with your child, you might want to invest in the seat pad.  

Ease of Use

For the purpose of creating this Huack Alpha Chair review, I received the chair without any accessories. I tested the seat and footplate adjustments and assessed how easily my toddler used the chair.

Versatility

The Alpha Chair is marketed as an adjustable wooden high chair that grows with your baby. The seat is adjustable to three different heights and the footplate to five different heights. Adjusting the chair is very easy and requires no time at all.

Table Height

Most high chairs or children’s chairs stand at an awkward height, either too high or too low to allow your toddler to eat at the dinner table. I loved that the Alpha Chair easily slides up to a standard-height table.

Smart Design

There are so many intuitive features that make this chair easy for mom and baby to use.

The weight distribution, generous width, floor pads (a godsend if you have hardwood floors), quick assembly, hefty hardware, and perfectly angled back all attest to a carefully planned design with real-life use in mind.

Portability

The Alpha Chair’s lack of portability can be a major downside, depending on your lifestyle and square footage. The Alpha Chair wasn’t really designed with portability in mind. You won’t have the ability to fold it and it’s a little too wide to store in a closet.

Having said that, the chair is modern and sleek; you want it to be out on display. If you do need to hide it, the chair can easily slide under the table until dinner time.

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Value

When compared to its main competitor, the Stokke Tripp Trapp, the Alpha Chair is a great buy. Even bundled with all of its accessories, the Alpha Chair is priced $50-100 less than the Stokke Tripp Trapp.

Having said that, there are a few other budget-friendly wooden high chairs on the market that are comparable and even less expensive than the Alpha Chair, depending on what features and design aesthetics you prefer.

Overall, I’d rate the Alpha chair as reasonably priced. I do wish that the base model came with the safety bar and crotch belt like some of its competitors, but that should not be a deal-breaker.

You can buy the Alpha Chair by itself or bundled with any of the accessories I mentioned.

If purchasing for a newborn, your best bet would be to purchase the Ultimate Bundle from Baby Earth. It includes the Alpha Chair, newborn bouncer, feeding tray, and 5-point harness. Baby Earth also sells the Alpha Chair by itself or bundled exclusively with the seat pad or tray.

Hauck Alpha Chair Review Conclusion: Would I Recommend It?

The Alpha Chair is an investment that will age with your child and be treasured well into adulthood.

For a wooden chair, I think the Alpha Chair is a great buy. It’s less expensive than its direct competitors and does not sacrifice quality to get there. I found it extremely sturdy, easy to clean, and beautiful.

It definitely has my stamp of approval!

Purchasing furniture for your baby can be difficult with the vast selection available. Hopefully my Hauck Alpha Chair review has helped make your decision a little easier.

If you’d like to take the plunge and purchase the Alpha Chair for your baby today, just click the link below.

But before you leave, can I ask a question? Have you used the Alpha Chair or another wooden baby chair? I know that other parents would love to read about your experiences. Let me know in the comments below!

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