A Folding High chair is probably, beside a crib, the one piece of furniture a baby will use the most. Any mother who has ever had to feed a baby will tell you that it is not always easy. One of the best thing a parent can do to make baby mealtime more pleasant for both baby and parent is to choose the right high chair.
You may have a romantic idea of using an old fashion wooden high chair with a removable tray, but romantic ideas are not well received by babies. Comfort and safety are the factors that should prevail today. So our recommendation is not to use these old high chairs no matter how attractive you might find them.
You will find high chairs with any number of features, some are folding and others are not. For our purpose I will concentrate this article about folding high chairs to help you find the best chair for your needs. Of course even if you currently have space in you house and do not need to fold the chair away between meals, you might find that a folding chair is more practical later when you may have to stow it away for a couple of years.
I know that for modern parents style is important, but I urge you not to overlook safety for style. Fortunately some companies like Stokke and Fresco make it easy to keep style and design aligned with the needs of babies.
Stokke make the Tripp Trapp® chair, a chair that grows with your child and that is eco-friendly. Stokke does not retail but you can buy the chair on line at Amazon. Today the Tripp Trapp Stokke chair is available in 11 fantastic colors to fit in any home decor.
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What should you pay attention to, when selecting a folding high chair?
As already stated safety is a primary concern. A good high chair must have
a safety harness. Check the safety harness for ease of use. Can it be opened with one hand? If not it might be too complicated to use all the time and you might be tempted to skip it. the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is the regulating body for the industry. They require that a 3 point harness be mandatory on all high chairs, (this is a waist and crotch type harness), we recommend a 5 point restraint (waist, crotch and shoulders,) they are much safer, and prevent a child from standing up in the chair, thus preventing a fall.
Look for a crotch post. The standard set by the ASTM is voluntary, but most manufacturers will follow this standard of including a passive crotch restraint. Its purpose is to prevent a child from sliding under the tray.
Speaking of tray, that would be your next inspection point. You should be able to engage and disengage it easily, but your child should not. The tray latches should not even be visible to the child so he/she will not be tempted to touch them. Today's trays are not only washable, but many of them are suitable for the dishwasher making it a cinch to clean thoroughly, at any rate the tray should be easy to clean. While checking the tray ensure that it does not have any rough edges. There should not be anything sharp that could injure your child.
Can you adjust the seat height easily? Not every chair offer this feature, but some will be available with varying heights. This is a convenient feature it allows you to adjust the chair to the level of your dining table and include baby when he/she gets older and no longer needs the tray.
The seat should be upholstered in a durable fabric, with stitches that will not irritate or scratch baby's legs. The material should be either a wipe clean or machine washable.
Wheels on high chairs are very convenient as you may frequently have to move it around, but for safety reasons they should have a locking mechanism so that the chair does not move at the inopportune moment.
Every folding high chair has small parts, like caps to plug the end of metallic tubing, ensure that they are securely put in, as a child could swallow or inhale a small part.
It goes without saying that a folding high chair should in fact have a good folding mechanism, it should be easy to use.
Today's designers are producing some very good quality and beautiful baby furniture but not all meet the safety requirements that you should insist upon, even if the industry has voluntary requirements.
Fresco produces a high chair that is in my opinion one of the best ever high chair for parents, and one of the most comfortable for babies and young children. Click here to read about the Fresco high chair.
Fresco High Chair - Click on image to learn more
When shopping for the Fresco, please make sure that you select the loft folding high chair, as one model is not a folding. The video at the top right of this page shows assembly and safety that apply to both chairs.
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