High Chairs for Babies

Accidents and injuries can happen in high chairs for babies. Some of the most common mishaps include frames collapsing, babies slipping under trays and babies strangling on straps. If you want to avoid these possible dangers, safety should always be number one on your mind when choosing and using high chairs. Here are a couple of essential tips to ensure the safe choice and use of high chairs:

Never Leave Babies Unattended

High chairs are not cribs or nannies. This is why babies should never ever be left unattended on them. This is even if your baby seems very well behaved or even if you are just in the same room. As much as possible, you should always keep an eye on your baby while he is seated on a high chair. If you absolutely have to do something while your baby is seated, you might consider getting a model with wheels so you can push the chair to wherever you need to go.

Evaluate a Chair Before Buying

Before you even buy a high chair, you should evaluate it first for safety features. The most basic safety feature of a baby chair is that it has legs that are wide enough to prevent tipping. Aside from wide legs, the frame should be sturdy enough not to wobble when shaken. If you have a chair that can be folded or one that has wheels, make sure it comes with durable wheel and leg locks. These will prevent the chair from rolling off or collapsing while your baby is on it.

High chairs for babies should also have a reliable harness system. No high chair should ever come with a single strap. At the very least it should have a waist strap and a crotch strap to keep babies from slipping under trays and strangling or falling on the floor. The most ideal kind of harness is the five point harness. Do check though if the five point harness is not too big for your baby. Aside from the harness, it is also a good idea to choose a model with a solid T-frame that is supposed to go in between the baby’s legs.

Before you buy a high chair, check with official government recall lists. If you have an existing chair, it would still be a good idea to regularly check these lists just in case your chair’s model gets recalled after factory release.

Use a High Chair Properly

Make sure it is set up exactly as the manual says it should. When using a high chair, make sure you use all straps as instructed and that trays, wheels and legs are firmly locked in place. Trays should never be used as restraints in place of straps.

As added precautions, babies or toddlers should never be allowed to stand on the seats. Older children should also not be allowed to play around high chairs or hang on to the back portion. Keep your high chair away from walls and counters to prevent your baby from pushing against these and tipping the chair. Periodically check your baby’s chair for chips and cracks.

High chairs for babies are pieces of furniture that you just can’t afford to make compromises over. If you don’t want to put your baby in danger, you should choose and use a high chair properly.