high chair safety ·

Encouraging safety in your baby's high chair

Hey everyone, we just wanted to write a small piece on the 3 best highchairs that suit our very own baby chair footrest, the Footsi, with an overview of their safety and practicability of each high chair.

Typically, children aged 18 months and younger will require support when they sit down and have their meals. We managed to keep our first born in the highchair until she turned 2.5 years, but generally it is recommended to start guiding them away from the high chair from 18 months onwards.

As we know, highchairs are made to keep bubs secure (and comfortable) during meal times. Utilizing a highchair also allows parents to easily feed children comfortably in both a sitting and standing position, without having to hold bub during the process.

Some highchairs may come with an inflatable cushion insert (which younger babies can rest against) and a fixed footrest, which will provide the child with core stability.

Other high chairs may lack a footrest and therefore you may wish to buy one (like the Footsi) and attach it to the high chair. With a footrest and cushion insert, the child is seated quite comfortably in the high chair. While comfort is essential, safety is the most important factor you need to consider. The number 1 rule is to ALWAYS have bubs secured safely using the highchairs own safety harness device. Without this, you are allowing bub to move freely and potentially out of the highchair. The number 2 rule with safety is to ALWAYS ensure that bubs is under adult supervision at all times.

When choosing the right baby chair, make sure to check how safe the highchair will be for your baby to use. You can do so by checking how stable the chair is, what material is used, how it is assembled, and picture how your baby will be sitting on the chair. 

The following are a few highchairs you may potentially consider. Note also that these chairs do not come with a fixed footrest.

 

  1. IKEA Antilop Highchair

This baby chair makes use of steel legs and polypropylene plastic for the foot and seat with no BPA added. It also comes with its own safety harness belt.

The biggest advantage the IKEA Antilop highchair has is that it is much lighter and smaller than most baby chairs, therefore making it easily portable. Even with this, the durability and comfort-ability of the chair remains great.

With its price being on the lower side, this makes it a good choice if you’re on a budget, however many families I know who aren't price conscious chose this chair over many (higher priced) chairs, merely for its ease of use, portability and low maintenance. 

  1. Target Snacka Highchair

The Snacka Highchair comes with a removable tray and 5 point safety harness to make sure your child can sit in comfort and securely on the chair.

To make it just as comfy for the parents as it is for the child, the chair’s height can be adjusted which allows the parent to feed the baby either while sitting or standing.

  1. Kmart Quadro Highchair

One notable feature about the Kmart Quadro Highchair is that there are no tight spaces for food to fall into. This makes it easier to clean and maintain.

It comes with a 5 point safety harness and shoulder straps which make it easier of the baby to sit in place. There are also anti-slip feet pads for added security.

 

Lastly, here’s how to safely set your baby into the highchair:

  • Before you set your baby into the chair, make sure the highchair has met safety standard qualifications and is certified to be completely safe to use.
  • Take your time in looking through the chair until you’re comfortable with it. Check the locks, adjust the straps, try taking the tray on and off, and see how it folds and unfolds.
  • Make sure everything is in place and properly secured.
  • Place the chair further from a wall, counter or table to avoid your baby from using it to push the chair or reach for dangerous objects.
  • Always use the harness and check twice if it is in place. Safety straps are there to assure you that your baby is protected.
  • Adjust the Footsi highchair footrest enough to comfortably support your baby’s feet. We are ideally looking to maintain the 90/90/90 degree angles for their hips, knees and ankles.

Please let me know if you have any questions, I am available at hello@nibbleandrest.com

Please also keep an eye on our upcoming new products, which include the bamboo adjustable highchair footrest.

You can also check us out on social media:

IG - @nibbleandrest

FB - /nibbleandrest

Thanks for reading.

Mel x

On Footrests and Eating in a Highchair and Beyond