A Baby High Chair Safety Check

As soon as the tiny ones are hungry, it is time to eat! But using a baby high chair to provide the wee tots nourishment isn't always an easy task. A highchair that's well designed will alleviate, or at least lessen, some of the madness in feeding time and make for a pleasing bonding moment for your child and yourself.

The essential components of a baby high chair are comprised of either molded plastic or metal tubing frame, a seat that has a harness and a security belt plus a footrest. From there, the options go on and on! Fortunately, you don't need to pay out a lot of cash for a quality high chair.

For the nostalgic, you'll see some old-school baby high chairs made of wood. Those kind have a removable tray for 'simple' access. These turn of the century looking high chairs didn't provide very much comfort, especially when compared to the cushioned chairs found in current high chairs. Plus safety standards have made great strides and it's doubtful that these old-time high chairs would come up to current certification standards.

The good news is that nowadays high chairs are loaded with convenience factors such as trays and tray inserts you can safely load in your dishwasher and are highly adjustable to fit your child. But you may even realize in the cheaper priced feeding chairs models that you may not be able to even fold the chair for out-of-sight storage. Some models are designed to grow right along with your baby and will transition into a chair and table for continued use as the tiny tyke gets bigger.

When looking for a new high chair, some of the bare necessities are a sturdy, stable chair that may stand up to typical abuse like messy spills, thrashing legs, being moved about, and the never-ending cleaning. At least for one year anyway. And you'll be shocked to learn that the baby will not be using the chair for as long as you may initially intended.

Toddlers are 'notorious' for wanting to sit in a 'big people chair'! Alas while high chairs are designed to accommodate the needs of an infant up through 3-year olds, toddlers will undoubtedly desire their 'freedom' way before attaining the age of three.

When shopping for a new highchair, here some pointers to keep in mind when making a decision on a particular model.

1st, attempt to work the safety harness with just one hand. This is the situation you're most apt to be in when you have got a babe-in-arms. If you can't adjust the harness with just one hand, you might possibly not use it for every meal. For safety reasons, securing a baby is a must so be sure the harness is simple to operate.

In order for a baby high chair to satisfy certification standards, a three-position harness is required. You may see some chairs with a five-point harness. Of course, these offer additional security since they prevent your child from trying to stand when in the chair, but a 3-position restraint is all that is required.

The tray is something else you'll need to check. 'You' ought to be able to fiddle with it - but not the baby. In fact, the latches on the tray should not even be visible to the child. Out of sight is out of mind and it will remove all temptation to mess with it.

The 'crotch post' is next on the list to examine. This device keeps the baby from sliding underneath the tray and right on out of the chair. Something you definitely do not want to happen! Throughout your test-drive, you will also want to determine how the height adjustment works. Not every high chair will have height changes but it might be able to adjust up to 8 totally different settings.

The good part concerning having the ability to adjust the seat height is that it makes it more comfortable for you to put the baby in the chair in relation to your height. Plus, setting it at just the right height allows the tiny one to be seated at the 'big people table' therefore everyone can eat as a family.

You'll want to check out the upholstery on the chair. Does it appear as if it will last through tons of baby torture? The upholstery should not contain visible seams that can inflict scratches on little legs but it should feel durable and fairly firm. It goes without saying that, the seat cover will endure plenty of spills therefore the material ought to be simple to wash with a dish rag or disinfectant wipe.

If the baby chair has wheels, you will want a style where the coasters can be locked. Nearly all wheeled highchairs have a self-locking mechanism that is automatically set simply by the the child's weight when situated on the seat.

Most importantly you don't want any rough or sharp edges that can cause injury to your babe. This is all the more important on the underside of the tray where little, kicking legs are found. Feel the complete surface of the bottom to be perfectly sure there is nothing sharp or rough that might inflict any potential injury to your precious babe.

During your thorough examination, be watchful for tiny openings or gaps in the hinges where small fingers could find their way into. Are there any little parts like caps or plugs in the chair? If there are, they have to be tight-fitted so they aren't capable of coming loose.

We all are aware that babies place everything in their mouths and any little, loose parts might be potentially dangerous. Therefore be observant for any little part that potentially could pose a problem.

Folding the chair is something you'll definitely want to do. You may be relocating the chair out of sight every day so you'll want a high chair that's easy to collapse. You do not want to bother with a unruly, uncooperative chair that does not fold easily.