Choosing the right high chair- a how to guide?

When you have a baby there are a million things to think about, purchase and prepare. One very important piece is a high chair. Learn 5 important considerations when buying a highchair for your baby.

Find all of my blog posts on raising kids here!

Check out my other blog posts on why our children won’t eat and teaching sensory regulation for more on this topic.

If you think your child needs Occupational Therapy Support Check out my blog post helping you to make this decision here.

Why choosing the right high chair is important

Choosing the right high chair is essential to helping your child learn to eat. A well selected high chair gives your child a good base of support, and choosing something that is comfortable and includes them in the meal time. Learning to eat is a fundamental step in our children’s development. As therapists we talk about development from proximal(close to the body) to distal(further away from the body), or big supporting muscles to small supporting muscles. This means that we need a good strong core (tummy and back) to allow us to learn to use our hands and mouth muscles well.

If we do not have a good core support in our high chair during mealtimes we will get tired quickly, lose concentration, we may learn adapted, less efficient ways to try get the food into our mouths and we may become overwhelmed or upset if a task is too difficult. Therefore, impacting the positive experience we want to encourage at mealtimes.

• Good stability provides security and comfort for your child when in their high chair.
• Sitting upright aids in digestion and a safer swallow.
• No dangly legs means less distraction and better focus on learning new tasks (like eating!)
• Allows for better hand to mouth coordination 
• The best posture for eating is hips, knees and ankles at 90 degree angles

1. Choose the right high chair with 90,90,90

The first and most important rule of thumb is 90,90,90. This is talking about the fit of the high chair. We want 90 degrees of flexion at the hips, knees and feet. Now you might be wondering how you are supposed to figure that out when you baby isn’t even born yet or too small to sit in the high chair. Well here’s the catch. In order to achieve this optimal seated position of 90,90,90 you will need to choose an adjustable high chair. Not only will it allow you to change the highchair to suit your space, it also means the chair will fit your baby throughout the years that it needs it through simple adjustments.

2. Support the feet

Ok, let’s try an activity together. Sit on a bar stool or kitchen chair. Pull your feet up or take them off of the foot rests. Now try to eat some food or drink something. You will see several things. Your body will push back to counterbalance. Then you will probably cross your feet to brace your body. I can guarantee it will be very challenging to eat in this way.

This is the same with our high chairs. So many high chairs come with none or inadequate feet support. Raise your hand if you own an IKEA plastic high chair. There’s case in point. I don’t mean to say its wrong to purchase an IKEA high chair but if you do, I suggest you create a footrest or buy a foot support for the highchair. Check out pimp my high chair for one easy way to add foot support to your child’s high chair.

3. Choose a high chair that includes your child in the mealtime.

Mealtimes are both social and learning experience for your child. If you child cannot see the food in front of him or observe others enjoying their food it can become an overwhelming, daunting experience. We want to encourage a healthy relationship with food and mealtimes. Contrary to societal beliefs dinner time shouldn’t be the most terrible time of the day! Did you ever think the seating your children are in could help change this?

So what is an inclusive high chair?

• A chair that is the same height or adjustable height to suit your table and multiple eating areas in your home.
• A chair that the tray can remove so you could have your child is pushed right up to the table.
• A high chair where they are comfortable and supported so they are not fatiguing and are more happy to be at the table.

4. Choosing the right high chair – Think about your child as they grow

Many of us new parents, myself included, prepare for the imminent arrival of our little one with rose tinted glasses on and little view to the future outside of baby snuggles and late night feeds. I would encourage you to think about how your child would grow and use the high chair and all the toys/equipment. If the high chair is only fitting well between 6 months to 1 and half and you have to swap to the ‘big seats’ you may be in trouble for reversing positive mealtime habits. A high chair with several good adjustment features and the possibility of converting to a toddler seat is ideal. Alternatively, a good booster seat is also a good option to swap to as your child grows.

5. Choosing the right high chair – red flags for bad posture.

• One foot up leveraging on the tray
• Stooped posture or pushed fully back in the chair.
• Leaning far left or right.
• Pushing into the tray using straight arms to give their body support
• Signs of fatigue or displeasure when sitting in the highchair after a short time.
• Feet dangling with no foot support
• Legs pointing straight out and no bend or minimal bend at the knees.
• Tray is to high up the front of their body making their arms lift up to get on top of it.

Converting your Ikea High Chair to a supportive High Chair.

Not all hope is lost. I really just want to emphasise that a high chair can make a big difference to your child’s eating habits and learning the skill of eating!

Let’s talk creative now! A good seating system was always the first thing I would recommend to any of my feeding clients. Some of these clients had the Ikea type of high chair. So we would get creative.

Create a footstool

Footstools are anything from yellow phone books to boxes to the Footsi foot rest.

Provide side support as needed

If your child needs better side support you can use yoga foam blocks or pool noodles even rolled up towels to provide the right support.

DOn’t feel the need to buy just be creative!

So you don’t need to go out and buy a fancy high chair. But you do need to think about adapting what you have to better fit your child.

Suggested High Chairs and accessories.

• My all time favourite high chair and the chair that my son uses is the Stokke Tripp Trappe High Chair. It is designed to fully adjust and grow with you child, it converts to a toddler and young child seat. And it is completely adaptable to suit most tables or seating arrangements. This chair is an investment but it is worth it in my opinion!
• Mocka Original High Chair and Nannie Annie also do a similar design and will suit your needs well.
• Nimble and Rest stock a Footsi for your IKEA high chair foot rest.
• This Joie high chair has adjustable footrests.

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