Once your baby is strong enough to sit up it is advisable to get a high chair so that the child can be fed properly without slopping things all over the bedclothes or the furniture. It is a nice way of letting the child participate at family meals, too. What are the options you have when shopping for a high chair? Which are the must-haves and which are to be avoided? We’ll run through the basics for your benefit.
The most important consideration in children’s furniture is safety. Make sure the high chair is not likely to topple over easily, especially since the baby is going to do everything in its capacity to make it do so. A low center of gravity and a wide base will make the high chair sufficiently stable.
High chairs come with safety straps to restrain the child from slipping out of the chair. At the very minimum it must have a crotch strap and a waist strap. If it has straps for the upper body, so much the better. If the high chair has no safety straps, but only provides restraint in the form of a padded bar or tray in front of the child, it is not a good choice, safety wise.
Hygiene is a big problem with babies and very small children. They are quite susceptible to various childhood infections. Dirt is the breeding place of these infections, and you have to work 24×7 to keep the baby’s environment and clothing clean. Don’t add to your cleaning chores, reduce them by buying a high chair with machine-washable cushions.
Attachable toys are very helpful in keeping the baby from getting bored and fretful. Make sure the toys are baby-safe, that is, they don’t have sharp edges or pointed corners, and they don’t break easily. Babies like to taste-test everything they can lay their little hands on. So make sure that the paint or finishing on the toy won’t make your little darling sick!
There are a few features that are really worth having in a high chair. Ordinary high chairs which require all your attention and two hands to detach the front rest are no good. Coping with a wriggling, struggling bundle of joy while trying to get your child in or out of the chair and having to operate a complicated front rest release mechanism at the same time is a sport worthy of being included in the next Olympics! Get a high chair which has a quick-release front rest. Ordinary high chairs are fixed. Get a reclinable high chair, so that even infants can join you at table. Get one whose height can be adjusted to suit tables of different heights. You’ll genuinely appreciate a high chair with a tray which can be popped into the dishwasher. A smaller snack tray in addition to the regular dinner tray is good value for money.
That, then, is the lot of do’s and don’ts for you to look out for when selecting a high chair for your precious one. Don’t get confused by the plethora of models that are in the stores. Safety first, hygiene next, these are the essential features that you must not compromise on. The other options depend on your budget, and whether they will fit your requirement.