Why need this
Starting Solids At 6 Months
The fun starts from 6 months old! At that age your baby will start eating solids. You might have actually tried some bits and bites before, but from 6 months old it is recommended to introduce your baby to all our fruits and vegs to get them to eat what you eat from when they are about 1 year old. Eating is a skill: put something in your mouth, either with your hands or by picking it up with a spoon or fork, chew, swallow and keep it down. As with all skills, it comes with practice, so be prepared to a big mess at your dinner table. Food will not go in their mouth but ends up in the craziest of places. To keep it a bit under control, it might help to use a high chair. A high chair will keep your bubs in one space, so they can (most likely) only mess up everything in a 1 m radius from them. A high chair also brings your bub up to your table level, so they can enjoy food with you and be part of the family. There are many options to choose from, see what our mums choose for their little angels.
Use it for
Messy Dinner Time Ahead!
A high chair comes in various shapes and forms. You can choose a solid high chair or a portable one. There are bumper seats to fit on regular dining chairs as well. Different ages require different seats. Some high chairs accommodate for that, but others are only useful for a certain period of time. When you start using a high chair your bub might or might not yet have started sitting up unassisted. That is around the same time as you will start them on solids. In those early days you will need your high chair to prop bubs up and keep them in place. Later on, the concern is more about getting them up to the dining table level to join in for the meal. You might also use your high chair for snacks or for arts and crafts at the table. A portable high chair can be taken on trips, camping and meals out. Whichever option you choose, you will use your high chair to feed your bub and it will get messy!!!
Our Mum’s Tips
11 Tips For Buying A High Chair
Our mums have shared a lot of their thoughts and experiences about high chairs over the years. Things they consider most important when buying a high chair are the following:
- Usability – some high chairs can be used from newborn up to adult age. When using something that long, it might be worth some extra money.
- Price – if you do not want to spend a lot of money on your high chair, there are many affordable options available.
- Easy to clean – no matter what, it will get messy. An easy to clean high chair is a great feature. Some of our mums like to hose their high chairs off!
- Support – especially in the early days that you use your high chair, bubs might not yet be able to sit completely unsupported. Good support for their growing bodies is important.
- Harness – a wriggly baby with no sense of danger, might hurt themselves without a harness. Many high chairs do have a harness that can be taken out when bubs is old enough to understand.
- Tray or no tray – there is a benefit for both. With a tray you will contain most of the mess to their own chair, but without tray they can move closer to the table and join dinner with you.
- Safety – check the safety standards for the high chair that you are after and consider what could go wrong when using it.
- Easy to climb – when your baby is growing and increasing its independence, he/she might like to climb in themselves. A high chair that is able to let them climb in safely, can save you a few feights at dinner time.
- Height – ultimately a high chair is to get baby up to the dinner table level and make it easier to feed them. Check the height of your table with the height of the high chair you are after.
- Space – some high chairs take more space than others. Consider the amount of space you have available and get something that will suit your area and not obstruct anything.
- Feet rest – A feet rest is important for development and posture. Especially when bubs will be in the high chair for extended periods of time, it is important to consider this.
Recommended Products
The Alternative High Chairs Our Mums Really Love
- Booster seats:
- The Ingenuity Baby Base Compact Aqua can be placed on the table which our mums loved for their tiny little humans. They found that they could still push their dining chairs under the table with the booster sit on it. It is easy to clean and toddlers can climb in themselves and clip the buckle. Our mums recommend the ones with the low sides.
- The Kmart Feeding Booster Seat is similar to other booster seats. It goes on top of a dining chair and is easy to take when going out for dinner. It includes a harness and tray.
- Our mums also loved the Kmart Portable Feeding Booster Seat and the Toosh Coosh Booster Seat.
- Toddler seats:
- The IKEA URBAN Junior Chair is great for toddlers and it has no straps. They can climb up themselves and sit at a great height for the table. Our mums find this a great transition from high chair to normal dining chair.
- The My Happy Helpers GroChair comes in different styles to fit your setting. It is great quality that kids can easily climb themselves.
- Portable high chairs:
- The Phil and Ted’s Lobster™ Portable Highchair hooks into your table and has no legs to trip over. It is super portable so great for on trips.
- The Kmart camping booster is a great baby camping chair that is great for picnics too.
