Chicco Caddy Review: A Budget Hook-On Chair for Thinner Tables

The Chicco Caddy is a hook-on high chair: it clamps to the edge of a table and holds your child at table height, with no chair underneath. Chicco lists it at 4.9 lb, for children up to 37 lb who can sit unassisted, on tables 0.75 to 1.5 inches thick. Chicco's product page and manual list no tray, so your child eats from the table. At a budget price it is the lower-cost clip-on in our comparison. If you want your own clean seat for restaurants and rental-house tables, and those tables are not thick, it is a practical buy. Have a fallback for tables it can't clamp to.

Chicco Caddy Hook-On Chair, Portable High Chair for Babies and Toddlers

Best Value Clip-On

Chicco

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Twist-to-tighten clamps for tables 0.75 to 1.5 inches thick, a compact fold and a 37 lb capacity at a budget price.

weight:4.9 lb, per Chicco

age Range:Up to 37 lbs

fold:Compact fold

table Thickness:0.75–1.5 in thick tables, per Chicco

care:Washing: Chicco's page says machine washable, the 2018 manual says hand wash — check the label

Pros

• ✓Fits tables 0.75–1.5 in thick, per Chicco
• ✓Compact fold for travel
• ✓Lightweight at 4.9 lb
• ✓Easy to attach and remove

Cons

• ×No tray listed by Chicco — your child eats from the table
• ×Limited table compatibility
• ×Basic padding

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This product is featured in our Best Travel High Chairs roundup.

Quick verdict

Choose the Caddy if you eat out often on trips, the tables you expect are standard thin dining tops, and you don't need premium fabric. Its limits: the padding is basic, there is no tray in Chicco's parts list, and its table range is narrow. Pedestal tables, glass tops, thick wooden or stone tops and some deep edges can all defeat it. If you will mostly sit at ordinary chairs instead (a relative's kitchen, a campsite), a strap-on seat such as the hiccapop OmniBoost works where a clip-on can't.

How we assessed this

We have not tested this chair. This page draws on Chicco's product page and owner's manual and on comparison with other clip-on and strap-on travel seats. Full methodology: How We Research.

Which tables will it clamp to?

Clip-on chairs need a sturdy, flat table edge with room underneath for the lower clamp pad. Before you put your child in, check:

• Table type: four-legged tables are best. Avoid single-pedestal and lightweight folding tables, which a child's weight on one edge can tip.
• Edge thickness: Chicco gives 0.75 to 1.5 inches. That covers many home dining tables and laminate restaurant tops, but not thick solid-wood, butcher-block or stone tables. Chicco says it clears table aprons up to 5.5 inches deep.
• Surface: avoid glass tops and loose tablecloths or placemats under the clamp pads.

After you tighten the clamps, push and pull firmly on the seat. If it moves, take it off and use another option.

Does it come with a tray?

Not according to Chicco. Its product page and owner's manual list no tray among the parts, though some retail listings and photos have suggested one. Check "what's included" on the listing you buy from. Without a tray, your child eats straight off the table, which is fine at a wiped-down restaurant table. A suction placemat on the table helps, but keep it away from the clamp pads.

How does it pack?

It folds flat to about 14 × 14 × 5 inches and weighs 4.9 lb, per Chicco. That fits a large tote or a suitcase. It is light enough to bring on a day out, but you will feel it on top of everything else in the bag, so many families leave it in the car or rental until a meal is planned.

Can you wash the seat pad?

Check the label on your chair. Chicco's current product page describes the seat pad as machine washable, while its 2018 owner's manual says to hand wash it. Follow whichever instructions come with the version you buy.

Age and size limits

• Start: when your child can sit up steadily on their own.
• Stop: at 37 lb, or earlier if your child can push off the table with their feet or climb out.

Chicco Caddy vs Inglesina Fast vs Phil&teds Lobster

• Choose the Caddy if your tables are thin and budget matters most.
• Choose the Inglesina Fast if you will meet thick restaurant tables, or want an included travel bag.
• Choose the Lobster if a tray in the box and a flat-folding carry bag are worth the extra cost.

Our Chicco Caddy vs Inglesina Fast comparison covers the two in more detail.

Practical tips

• Bring wipes for the table edge. The clamp pads grip better on a clean, dry surface.
• Watch the feet. A child who can reach a table leg or the floor with their feet can push the seat. Seat your child where nothing is within reach of their feet.
• Ask first at a host's house. Clamp pads can mark delicate finishes. If the table is precious, use a strap-on seat on a chair instead of padding the clamps, since padding can reduce grip.

Hook-on chair, strap-on booster or the restaurant's high chair?

A hook-on chair suits tables, and a strap-on booster suits chairs. If you will mostly eat in restaurants with sturdy four-legged tables, the Caddy is the better fit. If you will mostly eat at a rental's kitchen table with ordinary chairs, a strap-on booster is simpler and works with any table. A restaurant high chair is a reasonable fallback. Wipe it down, and check that its strap works before you rely on it.

Who should skip it

• Families at pedestal, glass, thick-topped or picnic-style tables much of the time.
• Parents who want a tray included. The phil&teds Lobster includes one.
• Children near 37 lb, who are close to aging out.
• Parents who want plush padding for long meals.
• Carry-on minimalists who need the lightest option. The Inglesina is lighter.

Final verdict

The Caddy covers what a travel hook-on chair needs to do at a fair price: it clamps on and holds your child at the table. Its narrow 0.75 to 1.5 inch table range is the main thing to plan around, and you should not count on a tray. Know which tables it can't use, and keep a backup plan for those meals.