Every baby is different, but most parents can wish their baby is ready to sit up in a high chair as early as possible because life becomes a little easier once a baby can begin to sit up in a high chair. But as parents, you may have some queries about high chairs, and here we have tried to answer all of your questions and doubts. Find out more!
High Chair Readiness – When Can Babysit In A High Chair?
After introducing solid food to a baby, most parents think of sitting up to their baby in a high chair. So, yes, it’s time to make your baby sit up in a high chair when they start to sit up on their own and start to eat solid food, generally around 5 to 6 months. But it differs from kid to kid as they must have started supporting their head and sitting up in the chair independently.
Good high chairs deliver extra support, so this stability doesn’t require being independent.
Features To Look For In High Chair
High chairs are available in a broad range with various features, sizes, and shapes. They all do not have the same features. So while choosing a high chair for a baby, parents have to consider some essential points like the family’s lifestyle, vacant space available in the home, price, and other needed features.
1. Safety Features
First of all, check all two safety features,
1) 3-points and 5-points harness is there
2) A stable base that does not move with the baby’s movement
Also, check for a shoulder strap to prevent the baby from falling or getting out. Here I would like to recommend you one from amazon
2. Adjustable Height
After safety features, height is the second most common feature is adjustability you need in a high chair for your kid. A high chair with this feature allows you to adjust the height of your chair as per need.
Here you can check:
3. Food Tray
If you choose a chair with a fixed tray, then great, but there are also some high chairs for babies available with a swiveling tray or tray which can quickly move with one hand, you can go for.
4. Portability
Check the chair’s flexibility features, like a chair with lockable wheels that enable you to transfer it from one place to another quickly. Also, some chairs are flexible to fold to carry them outside.
You can go for:
5. Reclining back and footrest
These extra features are unnecessary in your baby chair, but you can go for them if you have a budget. The reclining back feature will make your baby relax back, and the footrest will give rest to your baby’s feet.
Both features are available in:
Is It OK To Sit A 3-Month-Old Baby?
No! A baby may be able to sit as early as 6 months old with a bit of help from someone to get its position. After that, slowly, a baby gets the skill to sit independently during 7-9 months.
How To Transit To A High Chair?
The very simple answer to this question is that whenever you notice that your baby has now started sitting and has head support on its own, you can go for a high chair. Each kid is unique, and their development is also at a different pace, so do not do it if your baby is not ready for it.
So it’s better to have a record of your baby’s physical growth to know if they are ready to transition to the high chair. And when you find that your baby starts to sit up with help, has stability while seated, and keeps its head up, a baby is ready to transit to the high chair.
What Types Of High Chairs Are Suitable?
There are so many types of high chairs are available like,
●Traditional High Chair: This is a simple type of high chair without any modern features. It is generally made of plastic or wooden with a removable tray.
●Space-Saving High Chair: Such a high chair has a removable tray, reclining back, and foldable feature to save space at your home.
●Hook-On High Chair: These small, portable high chairs can hook directly onto your table. These chairs have straps and harness systems but do not have a tray or recline.
●Booster chair: These chairs generally come with a feature to remove trays so that when your baby is ready to eat at the dining table, you can choose them.
Should High Chairs Have Footrests?
No, it is not compulsory to have a footrest in a high chair. If it were, then the government would have instructed it. But it also has various benefits to having a baby footrest, so it depends on you to have it or not.
How Long Should A Baby Sit In A High Chair?
Though there’s no exact age, babies of age 9 to 12 months are generally started to sit by themselves, and at that time, we can transfer them to a booster seat. But it is good to use a high chair for more extended time for your kid as a baby of 18 months to 3 years is steady enough to hold upright. So up to that age, use a high chair for the safety purpose of your kid.
Baby High Chair Safety Use
And before concluding this post, I would like to suggest you some safety tips for using a high chair for your baby:
●Always buckle all the straps and if you are away from your chair for some time, check that all straps are on!
●Be there with your kid while he is in the high chair.
●Keep in mind that the high chair is only for eating, not playing, standing, or climbing.
●Analyze your chair’s condition regularly.
●Keep the area near the high chair clean.
●If it has wheels, then check thy are appropriately locked
●If the chair is foldable, lock it every time you open it.
Conclusion
Hope this article can answer your questions about high chairs for a baby. Always keep track of your baby’s growth and then decide on whether your baby is ready for a high chair or not.
