Make Mealtime a Breeze With the Best High Chairs

Buying Guide: High Chair

Mealtime with your child might occasionally feel like a battle, but the appropriate high chair can greatly improve your mealtime experience. High chairs are available in a variety of styles and colors, making it extremely difficult to choose the right one for your little one. We’ve put together this detailed buying guide to help you choose the perfect high chair for your child.

What Are the Benefits of a Quality High Chair?

Allows babies to eat independently

Self-eating lets growing eaters develop essential motor skills, such as the pincer grip. Having a high chair helps babies who can sit upright learn how to feed themselves. They’re able to independently explore, engage, take a bite, and eat. Children who eat on their own also have a deeper understanding of the food they eat, they develop a sense of normal eating patterns, and they eat only as much as they need.

Simplifies feeding

High chairs make feeding simpler and a hassle-free experience. With a high chair, you can feed your child without having to chase after them as they walk around. Plus, your tot will love sitting in a chair because it gives them the feeling of being an adult.

Facilitates cleaning

When babies start eating on their own it can be pretty messy. As a stressed new mother or father, you could definitely go through the feeding part without having to handle that extra cleanup. With a high chair, you ensure that all the food stays in one place on the chair, ideally on the feeding tray.

Cleanup is simple, especially if you spread out a mat under the chair. The majority of high chairs feature a protective design, allowing you to effortlessly remove and reinstall food trays for quick and hassle-free cleanup.

Protection and safety

Your top priority as a parent is making sure your child is safe. High chairs are perfect for keeping a baby or young child safe. To ensure comfort as your newborn grows, high chairs have several safety features like a seat belt and cushioned pads.

To assist young babies and their sensitive backs, certain high chair models also incorporate reclining chairs, but these added features cost a bit more.

Allows babies to attend and participate in family dinners

Recently, there’s been a large focus on promoting family dinners, which means allowing infants to eat with their parents. Your child will develop social skills and politeness due to eye contact while enjoying mealtime with family members. Using a high chair also teaches your child the value of family relationships and gives them a sense of participation.

Simply set the high chair at the dining room table to engage your kid in family activities. They will feel welcome and they will pick up behavioral tips from observing others. This is a great way to keep your child from developing social anxiety.

Enables you to watch your child while working

While you might think that you can only use a high chair for feeding your child, you’re wrong! You can use these helpful chairs while working or cooking in the kitchen. Simply plop your child into the chair and give them a toy or some blocks to play with. They can watch you as you work or cook and you can watch them, making sure they stay safe.

What Are the Different Types of High Chairs?

Standard high chairs

Standard high chairs are elegantly designed to be simple. Standard chairs include a simple plastic seat with a seat belt and, in some cases, a seat cover. Although some high chairs that attach to a dinner table don’t have trays, the majority of standard high chairs keep the food within reach.

Adjustable high chairs

For the first five to seven years of your baby’s life, adjustable high chairs are indispensable. You can easily use a high chair as a booster seat by removing the seat of some high chairs. Some models come in three modes to accommodate your child in each stage of transition. If you choose this style of the high chair, simply store the pieces while your child grows.

Portable high chairs

For families with little room or those who travel regularly, portable high chair seats are ideal. Because portable high chairs lack reclining seats, you can’t use them until your child starts sitting.

How To Choose a High Chair Seat Cover

If there’s a seat cover for the high chair, make sure it has a cushion so your baby can sit on it comfortably. Machine-washable covers must be durable enough to survive consecutive washings and you must spot clean a seat cover after each use if it’s not machine-washable.

Crotch post

According to federal requirements, all high chairs must have a solid crotch post. You can set the crotch post on the tray or the seat, depending on the style.

Safety belt

A five-point belt provides even greater protection, particularly if you have a baby who loves to jump. A three-point seatbelt is a basic requirement for today’s high chairs. Check the seat belt to see if it’s easy to open and close. If a seatbelt is challenging to open and close, you might avoid using it eventually. You are more likely to fasten the safety belt if it’s easy to use.

Tray

There are a remarkable number of tray styles, dimensions, and forms available when it comes to high chairs. You can also place most removable trays in the dishwasher to clean them up after mealtime. There are non-detachable trays available with a dishwasher-safe removable layer and there are trays that require manual cleaning after each use.

Your baby’s tray must be strong enough for them to be unable to kick it off or take it off by themself. As your child grows, it’s also better to have a tray that you can move closer to your child to inspire them to eat by themself. Before you feed your baby, make sure that you attach the tray securely to prevent it from tipping over and causing a mess.

Easy cleaning

A high chair requires considerable maintenance and cleaning as it’s the matter of your tot’s hygiene. Babies get food into all the nooks and crannies of their chair, making it extremely difficult to clean the chair completely. Some high chairs come with plastic or vinyl covers, making cleaning a breeze.

Several reclined postures

If your baby doesn’t know how to sit up independently, they may need a reclining seat when they start to eat solid foods. When your baby can sit, they will need a more elevated high chair position to prevent choking.

Seat level

The seat has to be higher when your child is younger so you can approach them without bending over. Almost all high chairs have an adjustable seat height, allowing you to customize the height when your baby gets older so they can eat at the same level as everyone else at the dinner table.

Wheels

If you need to move the high chair occasionally, you might want to think about getting one with wheels. Also, look for a high chair that comes with wheel locks to ensure your tot’s safety.

Effortless folding

You must be able to fold the high chair with just one hand while holding your baby in the other. Always choose a high chair that has a safety feature to keep it from folding while your child is sitting in it. To keep the chair from reopening while folded, some high chairs also have locking mechanisms.

Important Tips for Cleaning Your High Chair

When choosing a high chair, keep these cleaning suggestions in mind to ensure an effortless cleaning experience:

• Be sure to purchase a high chair with removable trays and seat coverings for an easy cleanup.
• Models with no seams where food can slide in make them much easier to clean and prevent mold from developing.
• We recommend buying a plastic high chair because if you accidentally miss cleaning a part of the high chair, plastic high chairs won’t rust over time.
• Consider buying a mat to put under your child’s high chair. Your child will drop and spill food, and it will be simpler for you to clean it up if there’s a mat underneath the chair.