A High Chair For Your Baby
Dec 28th 2008Ned DagostinoBabies
Getting a high chair for your baby is one of the things new parents do once the child is able enough to sit up alone. The high chair is ideal for seating him at the dinner table when the rest of the family is having a meal. It makes the family picture complete. If the child is left in its room you'll be worried about its well-being and won't be able to enjoy the meal fully. The child too will benefit from attending the dinner table get-together, picking up little bits and pieces of behavior that will be the beginning of its education. The many options available in high chairs may confuse you a bit. We'll try to remove that confusion here.
The primary feature you should look for is stability. Babies can be quite active at the age when you put them in a high chair. They can easily bend over and unbalance the chair, toppling it over with serious consequences. Stability means that the base should be wide - as compared with its height. You really can't have a chair with its legs spread right out to completely eliminate the risk of toppling over, but it should be reasonably wide. There are ways of lowering the high chair's center of gravity, which will increase stability. In any case your precious baby should *never* be left unattended in the high chair.
The second safety feature is a full five-strap harness to restrain the little wonder from flying out of the chair every time your back is turned. A waist-and-crotch safety strap is the very minimum you should consider. Don't buy a high chair which just relies on the front tray to do the restraining, it's not good enough.
Babies are apt to spill food or dirty themselves quite often. Choose a high chair with machine-washable cushioning which can be removed, cleaned and fitted back on easily. This will help in maintaining hygiene which is essential to keep your child in good health.
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.
To summarize, don't consider a chair which is lacking in safety features. After that look for features which will help you maintain hygiene. The other accessories and features depend on your particular requirement and your budget. If this is your first child, get a high chair which is durable enough to be used by the others when they follow in due course of time!