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Three tips for buying a child's high chair
Looking for the right high chair for your little one? Here are some options:
High chair with accompanying tray – makes cleaning a breeze and doubles up as a table for drawing and crafts.
Junior chair - choose one with adjustable seat and footrest heights for long-term use, from newborns (with an extra inlay) to adolescence.
Attachable to a regular chair - perfect for travelling or as a space-saving option at home, these attachments can be used with an existing adult chair.
To keep your young children safe while sitting in a high chair, make sure to use a safety bar with a crotch stop and a harness. It's crucial to fasten the harness tightly every time, particularly when your little one is at the exploring stage and likes to climb everything. Follow the recommended weight and height limits and never leave your child alone in the high chair.
Here are some more safety tips when using high chairs.
When it comes to high chairs, easy cleaning is key. Look for a chair that won't stain or soil easily, and avoid models with too many hard-to-reach areas where food can get stuck. Go for a water-resistant chair that can be rinsed down quickly when needed. Don't let dried-on food be a hassle.
FAQ
A newborn baby, or generally any baby under 6 months, can’t sit up in a high chair. The child needs to be able to keep their head stable and have enough torso strength not to slump sideways when sitting in a chair.
Many high chairs have an infant insert that can be purchased to help with this. Using the insert, you can place the baby in the chair level with the dining table so they can participate in meals.
The recommended age for a baby to start sitting in a high chair is about 6 months. With small children, it’s important to be aware of the risk of falls, as the child's large, heavy head makes it easier for them to tumble out of the chair.
Always use the high chair harness and make sure that the harness is firmly attached around the child's body. If the seat feels a bit big for your baby, you can often fill it up with a cushion or even just use a folded towel.
The child often starts to need a high chair when they start on more solid food, whether you feed them baby food or use the baby-led weaning (BLW) principle. If you want to start giving tastes of solid food to a smaller baby or a child who can’t sit still, it’s often sufficient to have the child on your lap or in a baby bouncer. But children who eat solid food regularly need their own high chair
There are highchairs in all price classes and with different designs. When choosing a high chair, you should start from what functions you need. Will the chair be used primarily during the child's first year? Or do you want a long period of use and you need a high chair with a high maximum weight, which can easily be adapted to the growing child's body?
If you want to be able to take the chair on trips or visits to your friends or family, you need to choose a model that’s easily disassembled.
If you want more information, feel free to read our test of high chairs.
If the chair has a fabric cushion, this is often removable and can be washed, either in a washing machine or by hand. Follow the washing instructions on the cushion. The high chair itself is easiest to clean with a wet cloth with a little washing-up liquid on. It’s often easier to wipe the high chair after each meal than to wait until food spills have dried.
Some people change their chair when their first, more baby-friendly high chair feels outgrown. These often have a high-positioned seat that can’t be adjusted, which makes it heavy and difficult to lift older children up and down. Otherwise, you can change the high chair when you feel your child is big enough to be able to sit comfortably and safely at the dining table on a normal chair.
Stopping using a high chair depends on several factors. If the maximum weight of the chair is exceeded, it’s time to change. It’s also time to change if the child becomes so tall that they're no longer comfortable in the chair. By contrast, if you choose an adaptable chair with a high maximum weight, it’s not uncommon for a child to use their high chair right up to school age.