- Updated on Jul 25, 2024
Article written in collaboration with Kinderkraft
@Kinderkraft
What makes a good feeding chair and how do you choose one?
What details need to be taken into account to ensure that it is safe and functional? Can a feeding chair grow with your child and be used for years to come? Today we're delighted to welcome Kinderkraft to our blog, to reveal everything you need to know about highchairs.
Food diversification is a crucial stage in the life of both child and parents.
It's up to us, the parents, to prepare ourselves properly. To start with, we need to gather reliable, up-to-date information on food diversification. We need to know where to start, what foods to avoid, how to begin dietary diversification carried out by the child... Or is it better to spoon-feed? And what about accessories? The most difficult thing for parents is undoubtedly choosing the right "gadgets" for food diversification.
We asked Kinderkraft:
"A baby needs three things to start with: a high chair, a cup and a bib. Parents tend to buy all the accessories. A baby who is just starting to diversify his diet really only needs a chair with a tray and a cup, plus a bib to protect his clothes. That's all they need. Really :). Of course, having a bowl with a suction cup, a bottle and cutlery, a mat under the chair, can be useful, but it's not essential at first. However, it's important to choose a really good high chair.
So how do you choose a good high chair?
Step one: Defining a good high chair
Kinderkraft: It needs to be practical, functional and easy to use for parents, as well as being suitable and safe for baby. There are many highchairs on the market that don't meet these criteria at all. So it's very important to know what to look out for when making your choice, and what features of the chair are beneficial for both child and parent.
We're going to tell you what makes a good highchair, based on our LIVY highchair, which we think is ideal for baby's first feeding and meets all the criteria for a "good highchair".
- Safety
The chair must be safe for the child. Toddlers often roll over, lean forward and eat very actively. This can lead to two dangerous situations: the child falling out of the chair or falling with the chair. To avoid these two scenarios, the child needs to be strapped in. In the first case, the problem is solved by using safety belts to secure the child. The belts are adjustable, so the child can be properly restrained to suit his or her size. The LIVY chair has such a solution, thanks to the 5-point adjustment of the belts. Safety is also assured by a guard rail.
To ensure that your child doesn't fall out of the chair, pay particular attention to the spacing of the legs. It's extremely important that they are angled, as it is the case with the LIVY chair, and not at right angles to each other. This ensures that the chair is stable, and the non-slip feet prevent it from slipping.
Don't forget
Never leave your child alone while he's eating. Even if he's tied up, don't leave the table while he's eating. If your child ever chokes, you'll know straight away that he needs help. Always stay close by.
- The shape and size of the chair
A dining chair is designed exclusively for this purpose. It must therefore be shaped for eating, not for sleeping or drawing. This is very important. Why is this important? Because your child will eat several times a day = several times a day, he or she will spend time sitting on the chair. So don't put your child there, for example, to wait for a meal, to play or... to fall asleep. Let them associate the chair ONLY with eating, not waiting or playing.
Bear in mind that a toddler's coordination skills are not yet fully developed and they need support when sitting. The LIVY chair has a contoured backrest, side protection and a removable tray. If your child is not yet stable enough when sitting down, you can fill the inside with a blanket or pillow, for example, to protect him or her.
LIVY has another major advantage: it is relatively small. The spacing between the chair's legs is narrow, so it won't take up much space at the table. So it's perfect for small rooms.
- Material and cleaning of the chair
The tray of the highchair is in fact the child's "first plate". And like any plate, it needs to be washed at the end of the meal. The tray must therefore be easy to remove and clean. Simply wiping it with a cloth or wet wipes is not hygienic. Beware of high chairs with creases and grooves of all kinds, as food can seep through the seams and other nooks and crannies. So choose a chair with a removable top. This is the case with LIVY. The large tray of the Kinderkraft Select highchair has an extra silicone mat, made from a safe material guaranteed BPA-free, so that baby can eat from it just like from a plate. It's ideal at the start of the baby's diet.
- The footrest
A highchair must have a footrest. It's not just an extra feature, it's essential. Without a footrest, children would be unable to concentrate, stabilise their trunk and head, align their pelvis, hips and spine correctly, coordinate their movements and ensure that their body and brain function properly. The activity of eating may be intuitive, but it is very complicated for a child's body. The lack of support for the feet is a major complication. The stability of the pelvis and trunk provided by the footrests is essential for the development of good motor coordination, manual function and coordination between speaking and chewing. The Kinderkraft Select LIVY chair is the ideal solution, as it has a multi-level adjustable footrest. Another advantage is that the footrest is extremely easy to adjust: just turn the Allen key for 3 seconds and the height is set.
If you still have doubts, try an experiment: sit on a seat without a footrest and try to stay seated for 15 minutes while reading. We guarantee it won't be easy :)
- Adjustability of the chair
This is LIVY's greatest asset. Every child is different and develops at a different pace. By the age of 7 months, babies have different heights, weights and motor skills. A seat with adjustable height, depth and footrest allows you to adapt to your little one's individual needs. Good posture is the key to a safe meal for your child. The height of the tray of a highchair is very important, even more so in the case of dietary diversification carried out by the child. It's the guarantee that your child will eat comfortably and in good conditions.
LIVY, THE CHAIR THAT GROWS WITH YOUR CHILD
An evolving chair is an investment for several years and the guarantee of equipment adapted to each stage of a child's growth.
LIVY grows with your child. If you buy the CALMEE bouncer, which fits onto the structure of the chair, you can use it from the very first weeks of baby's life. This will be followed by food diversification with its tray. Once the tray has been removed, LIVY will find its place at the family table. And finally, once the child is independent, the chair can be used for homework and other manual activities. LIVY can support up to 110 kg.
