High Chair for Baby: Do's and Don'ts

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Feeding a baby is a gruelling task ' if you're a new mother, you will most likely nod in agreement. You know what a mess it is to feed a growing baby. If only you could get your baby to stay put, right? And you can, if you can get him into a high chair! A high chair for babies makes it to our list of essential items for a baby simply because it can be used longer than most baby products can, giving you a bang for your buck! Of course, it also makes feeding a WHOLE lot easier. Let's show you how.

But first, let's look at the whens, whys, and hows of picking the right one!

When Can Baby Sit in High Chair?

Wondering when can babies start using high chairs? The answer to this question is simple: whenever you think your baby is ready to sit up, you can get a high chair for him. Usually, babies start sitting up by 4'6 months of age, but each child develops at his own pace, so you don't want to rush it if your baby isn't entirely ready for his new throne.

If you plan to put baby in high chair, keep track of your baby's physical development to know if he is ready for the transition. If your baby can sit up with support, shows stability while seated, and can hold his head up, you can get him a high chair.

Importance of Keeping Baby Safe on High Chairs

Ensuring the safety of babies on high chairs is paramount to prevent accidents and injuries during meal times. The following highlights the importance of keeping baby safe on high chairs.

• Prevention of Falls ' Properly securing your baby in the high chair and using safety harnesses can prevent falls, which are one of the most common accidents associated with high chairs.
• Stability of the Chair ' Ensuring that the high chair is stable and on a flat surface can prevent tipping over, reducing the risk of injuries.
• Avoiding Entrapment ' Checking for any gaps or spaces where a baby's fingers or limbs could get trapped is essential to prevent accidents.
• Proper Use of Restraints ' Always use the built-in safety restraints or harnesses provided with the high chair to keep your baby securely seated during meal times.
• Supervision ' Never leave your baby unattended while they are in the high chair, as accidents can happen quickly. Always stay within arm's reach to intervene if needed.

AlsoRead: Best Baby High Chairs

What to Look for When Choosing a High Chair for Your Baby?

Since you will be spending quite a lot of money on a high chair, you'll probably want it to withstand at least two years of regular use or more if you're looking to pass it on to your family. Well, that's about durability, but there's more you should check in a high chair before buying.

1. The first thing you need to check in a high chair is how functional it is. You must check if it comes with:

• • A detachable tray. This makes picking your baby out and putting him in a little easier and also makes cleaning the tray a whole lot easier.
  • Wheels so that you can move it around from one room to the other. Also check, if the wheels can be locked to keep the chair stationary while feeding.
  • A transition option so that it can accommodate the needs of your growing baby. You will find many high chairs that can convert into a booster seat or a normal chair. Yes, you can now buy a multifunctional high chair too!

2. If space is an issue, you may want to consider a foldable chair. You can even buy a portable chair ' it's a great space saver and can be carried around while travelling or when going to a restaurant with the baby.
3. Babies and food are a messy combination, which means that you will need to consider a high chair which is easy to clean. The less the assembly and set-up in a chair, the easier it will be to clean. A chair with complex assembly or parts can be hard to clean and harder to re-assemble if you decide to detach the parts (tray, seat, cushions, etc.) for a thorough cleaning. On the other hand, a simple, functional chair, (think a minimalistic wooden or plastic and steel chair) which lacks crumb-catching crevices can be cleaned and assembled easily. If you want to avoid constant scrubbing and cleaning the nooks and corners of the chair, a basic model will be your best bet. That said, you don't have to buy a basic model if it doesn't appeal to you. If you don't mind the little extra work, you can buy a high chair with additional parts and embellishments, that your baby will love sitting in.

No, we haven't forgotten about the safety factor. We're almost there!

4. Look for the comfort factor when buying a high chair for your little one. If you're dreaming that your baby will stay put in a high chair for a decent amount of time, or at least until you finish your meal after you've fed him, look for a chair that has a well-padded seat, a footrest, and nothing that could be uncomfortable for your baby.
5. Your child's safety is of prime importance. When buying a high chair for your munchkin, do check its safety features. Look for a chair which has seat straps that are easy to buckle and unbuckle. Confirm if it has a three or five-point harness to keep the baby secure on the seat. Check for a crotch strap too as it will keep your baby seated snugly and prevent high-chair accidents.

Step-By-Step Guide to Properly Secure Your Baby in a High Chair

When it comes to mealtime safety, properly securing your baby in a high chair is crucial to prevent accidents and ensure their well-being. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you ensure your baby's safety in their high chair.

• Position the High Chair ' Place the high chair on a flat surface away from any hazards such as walls, sharp objects, or electrical cords to prevent tipping over.
• Adjust the Straps ' Check the harness or safety straps on the high chair and adjust them to fit snugly around your baby's waist and between their legs. Ensure that there are no twists or knots in the straps.
• Secure the Tray ' If the high chair has a tray, make sure it is securely attached to the chair and positioned at a comfortable distance from your baby's body, allowing them to reach their food easily without leaning forward too much.
• Supervise Your Baby ' Never leave your baby unattended while they are in the high chair, even if they are properly secured. Stay within arm's reach at all times to intervene if necessary and to ensure their safety throughout the meal.
• Check for Stability ' Before placing your baby in the high chair, double-check that it is stable and not wobbly. If the high chair feels unstable or if any parts are broken or damaged, refrain from using it until it is repaired or replaced.

Dos and Don'ts While Using a High Chair for Your Baby

Here are some tips that you should follow while using a high chair for your baby.

Dos

1. Keep the chair close to you at all times when your baby is sitting on it.
2. Use the waist strap and crotch strap to keep your baby secure on the chair. Strap your baby with a three or five-point harness.
3. Lock the wheels of the high chair before you seat your baby on it.
4. Make it a point that you use the chair only for meals. Do not let your baby sit in it all the time.
5. Before every use, check the chair for pointed edges and other parts that may be dangerous for your baby. Make sure the chair is not damaged.

Don'ts

1. Never leave your baby unattended on a high chair. You never know what tricks your curious little fellow may pull off.
2. Do not make your baby stand or climb on the high chair in case it topples over.
3. Do not place the high chair near the kitchen countertop or table or anywhere you think your baby can reach. Your baby might use his legs to push the chair.
4. Do not use the feeding tray to restrain the baby. Always use straps to secure him.

FAQs

1. Can I use additional accessories such as cushions or trays with the high chair?

Only use accessories that are specifically designed for use with your high chair and recommended by the manufacturer. Using unauthorized accessories could compromise the safety and stability of the high chair.

2. Until what age or weight can my baby safely use the high chair?

Refer to the manufacturer's guidelines for age and weight limits of the high chair. It's important to transition your child to a different seating option once they exceed these limits to prevent accidents or injuries.

This was all about high chairs for infants. A high chair for your baby will make your baby's mealtimes a pleasant experience. When you finally decide to buy one, you'll find yourself spoilt for choice! Happy shopping!

Want more information on baby High Chairs Manufacturer? Feel free to contact us.

References/Resources:

1. 6 Quick High Chair Safety Tips; American Academy of Pediatrics; https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/High-Chair-Safety-Tips.aspx

2. Exploring Infant Fall Events Using Online Parenting Discussion Forums: Infodemiology Study (JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting); National Library of Medicine; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC/; May

3. When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/infantandtoddlernutrition/foods-and-drinks/when-to-introduce-solid-foods.html

Also Read:

Baby Food and Nutrition
Ways To Help Your Newborn Thrive
How to Help a Baby Sit Up on His Own?
Tips To Help Your Baby Remember Things

Finally, your baby or toddler is old enough to join you at the dinner table. How do you choose a high chair that won't topple over or cause a curious baby to wriggle out of their harness and into harm's way? Babies will spill and throw food, so choosing a high chair that's easy to clean is also important.

That's where our high chair reviews can help. Our experts test high chairs to the Australian Standard, and we also use real baby food to see how hard they are to clean.

On this page:

Our expert testers

With decades of experience, our expert testers are the bees' knees of children's product testing. They've seen all the brands and varying high chair configurations on the market, and have put each one to the test. Our lab is also NATA accredited to test high chairs against the Australian Standard.

How we choose what we test

We test a huge range of high chairs and our priority is to review what's for sale in shops, so usually you'll see us test big brand models from major nursery or department stores. We also try to include a couple of interesting models from smaller manufacturers during each round of testing.

We survey manufacturers to find out about their range of models and we also take member feedback on board when putting a buying list together.

Our buyers then purchase products just like a regular consumer would, either instore or online. This is to make sure the products we receive haven't been 'tweaked' for better performance.

Read more: What to look for when buying a high chair

How we test high chairs

Safety is a vital part of our testing. We test each high chair against the Australian Standard for high chairs, AS :. The standard also requires compliance with at least one of the international standards, so we refer to the European Standard EN . We also rate how easy the high chairs are to clean.

Performance testing

We conduct the following checks when assessing high chairs.

• Side and rear stability test: This is to see whether the high chair will topple over.
• Construction tests: This includes the strength of the tray when a force is applied. We also check whether the locking mechanisms are secure enough to prevent a child from falling out.
• Entrapment and pinching tests: We see if there's a finger pinching or entrapment risk when operating the high chair, and also look for gaps and/or holes that could trap a finger.
• Small parts: We look for any parts on the high chair that could be a choking hazard.
• Harness checks: We assess whether the high chair comes with a five-point harness and adequate side and back protection.

When assessing ease of cleaning, we use real-life baby food like Weet-Bix, tinned spaghetti and jars of baby food.

Ease of use and cleaning assessment

We apply Weetbix and milk, spaghetti and tomato sauce and baby food to different areas of the chair (the tray, seat back and padding, as well as the harness) and let it dry overnight.

We then rate ease of cleaning for each of these areas on a scale from "very easy" (residue is easily removed using a kitchen cloth) to "very hard" (needs thorough scrubbing or washing). 

This is then converted to a score. High chairs with lots of cracks and crevices will typically score lower than ones that can wipe clean easily.

We also note how easy it is to assemble and operate the high chair which we've started including in our ease of use score (some older models may not have this score).

Reputable high chair manufacturers will have their products certified to the Australian Standard. Sometimes, after we inform them of failures, they'll supply us with an independent report which says they've met the standard. Manufacturing problems or inconsistencies do arise, and we usually stand by our findings based on the product we received. In most cases companies will take our comments on board and rapidly address the problems we find.

Test criteria explained

The CHOICE Expert Rating, our overall score, is based on performance (70%) and ease of use (70%).

When rating performance, we place a large emphasis on safety and will only recommend products if they pass major safety tests. Ease of cleaning is also a consideration for high chairs.

Recommended high chairs may have some very minor failures. For instance, due to the nature of many high chair designs, most can't meet the definition of a 'permanently attached' harness because they need to be removed in order for you to adjust the straps. If the high chair is fine otherwise (and has a five-point harness), it'll still be safe to use.

Models that score 60'65% for performance may still be worth considering from a safety perspective. They may have some minor safety failures such as finger entrapment hazards in hard to reach areas, or some slightly sharp edges.

Models with a performance score of 40% and below have at least one serious failure. Perhaps the high chair has an inadequate side height, it toppled over during the stability test, or it broke during strength testing. We list these failures in the 'Bad points' in our test results.

Previous scoring method

In the past we recommended all high chairs that passed our key safety tests and had a CHOICE Expert Rating of at least 70%, regardless of whether or not they were easy to clean. However, as of we now take ease of use (ease of cleaning) into account for high chairs. If the high chair scores under 55% for the ease of cleaning component, we won't recommend it. However, if safety is your main concern, you can still check whether a high chair passes all key safety tests.

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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.

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