The majority of parents can anticipate that their child will be ready to sit up in a high chair between the ages of 4 and 6 months. A high chair should be purchased once the baby is sitting up independently and beginning solid foods, which typically occurs at the age of 6 months.
Due to the fact that moving into a chair can give you a little more space in the kitchen and at the table, many parents are eager for this time. Additionally, it enables your infant to participate in some family activities, which is excellent for their social development.
Before putting your infant in the high chair, there are a few important developmental milestones to watch for. When your baby is prepared for a high chair, they should be able to sit up unaided and start eating solid foods.
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When Is Baby Allowed To Use A High Chair?
A baby is developmentally prepared to sit in a high chair once they can sit up unaided. When seated, they ought to exhibit reasonable control and stability, with only a slight bobbing. The ability to hold their head up is also a must.3
Every high chair manufacturer will specify the recommended age range for each model. Most experts advise delaying the use of a high chair until the child is 6 months old. Although this is a good place to start, you should make sure your child is prepared. Given that every child develops differently, this is true. You don’t want to hurry it for your safety.
Reaching this milestone has advantages for both parents and babies. Your baby can begin to learn about the socialization and family interaction that takes place around the table while you are free to prepare and consume your own food or help other children with their meals with your hands free when your baby is in a high chair.
How To Tell If Your Baby Is Ready For An Upright Chair
Around four to six months of age, usually closer to six months, is generally when babies are ready to sit up unassisted.
How then can you determine whether your child is sitting up straight enough?
Make certain that your infant’s head and neck are extremely stable and don’t need any pillows to be raised. Babies can hold this position for a minute or two at the beginning of this developmental stage, but if they are not yet ready to maintain it independently, they tire. They are too unstable, and the time is not yet, if you notice their head starting to flop to one side or their body hunching when they are sitting.
Your baby’s shoulders should be straight and their arms should be able to move independently when they are seated. Babies can use their hands freely to eat and explore without having to use all of their energy to maintain the upright position thanks to their ability to sit upright with minimal support.
If your infant needs assistance to stay upright, continue allowing them to practice in a secure environment while paying close attention to them. Soon enough, as their strength grows, you’ll be able to tell that your baby is prepared.
Important Note
Your child isn’t ready to start eating solids if they can’t sit up by themselves. If their head and shoulders are drooping, their airway won’t be completely open. Your baby won’t have a straight neck, and they’ll struggle to control the swallow and the muscles required to move food around in their mouth.
You can try sitting with your neck bent and looking down at your lap to get a sense of how this feels. You will notice that your attempt to swallow doesn’t go well or feel particularly comfortable.
This is a crucial practice to master before trying to feed your baby solid food, while nursing, or while giving them a bottle.
It is helpful to review all these developmental abilities, so you can be aware of what to watch for while trying to assess your baby’s readiness for an upright chair (1).
Therefore, your child is prepared for solid food and a high chair if they can sit up comfortably without much support, have fair stability, and can hold their heads up.
Getting Baby Started In A High Chair
Get your infant used to sitting in the high chair in the weeks before you actually start giving them solid food as this is a great tip for starting solids. Allow them to “test drive” the chair so they can get accustomed to their new tiny throne. When it’s time to introduce solid foods, you’ll have one less challenge to overcome if you give them a plate, cup, and spoon to play with.
Between the ages of 4 and 6 months, the majority of infants are ready to start eating solid foods. While every baby is different, some key indicators that your baby is ready to eat solid foods align with when they are ready to sit in a high chair including the ability to sit up unassisted with solid head and neck control.6
Being included in the social interaction at meals is important for some babies in order to allow everyone to eat in peace. Make sure the high chair is placed so that the baby can see you and feel like a part of the celebration, but out of the baby’s reach of any hot or sharp objects on the table.
Safely Transitioning To A High Chair
When introducing your child to a high chair, keep in mind the following general high chair safety advice:
- Verify the high chair’s certification and that it complies with the advised safety requirements. You will recognize this by the JPMA (Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association) sticker on it, which certifies that it complies with ASTM standards. The majority of professionals advise against using a used chair. To check the government website for recalls, though, you can make a note of the model name and the date of manufacture if you must use one: www.recalls.gov.
- For notification in the event of a safety recall, complete the product registration form.
- Before placing your infant in the high chair for the first time, make sure you and any additional caregivers feel at ease using it. Learn how the leg locking mechanism operates, how the straps can be adjusted and locked, how to attach and detach the tray, and how to fold and unfold the chair (if it has a folding mechanism).
- Just before each use, inspect it for damage and make sure the chair and straps are in place and that the tray is still intact.
- At mealtimes, keep your baby away from the table so they can’t reach for a tablecloth, utensil, or any sharp, hot, or glass objects while still being able to see your family and feel included in the celebration.
- Avoid positioning the chair close to a table, counter, or wall. To push off and tip the chair, your baby can use this surface.
- To securely fasten your infant to the chair, always use a 3-point or 5-point harness. Babies who try to stand in their chair tend to have accidents. Always use safety straps when using a high chair.
- Make sure the footrest can be adjusted to support the feet of your infant.
- In the high chair, never leave your baby alone. Have everything you need close by, such as drinks, wipes, and extra baby items, but keep them out of your baby’s reach. To avoid having to put your baby to sleep, then move around the kitchen preparing the food, prepare the food in advance. Your baby will benefit greatly from understanding at a young age that when it’s time to eat, it’s time to eat together at the table.
How To Choose A High Chair:
- How simple is it to put the baby in and take the baby out of the chair? It might be simpler if there were features like a movable tray.
- How safe is the baby in the car seat? Has the chair got straps for the seats? Shoulder straps?
- The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) has certified the chair. This is the highest standard for child and infant product safety.
- Should the chair have wheels or be able to fold up? These features can be useful if you need to store the high chair when it’s not in use or if you want to be able to transport the high chair easily to different locations. Keep in mind that if it has these features, they must be verified and locked before each use of the chair.
- Can I remove and wash the chair’s fabric component? You might want to be able to wash it since baby will probably make a mess with their food.
- Exists a setting on the chair that can be adjusted as the child grows? In the roughly one year that they use their high chair, kids will grow considerably.
- Exists a footrest on the chair? As the child develops, it might be beneficial to make the chair more secure for them.
A vital high chair safety tip is to use caution when putting it close to a table or counter. It makes sense if you want your baby to join you at the table, but keep in mind that they can push against a table or counter and possibly topple their own high chair. Place the chair far enough from counters and tables so the baby can’t push up against them while still being close enough to talk to, assist, and observe.
Remind any additional kids present not to climb on, lean against, or otherwise play with the high chair. Pets should be watched closely or kept away from the high chair while the baby is using it if they might try to climb it or run into the chair.
Different children are ready to leave their high chairs at different ages; some are at 18 months, while others use them for longer. While there is no ideal time, it will become more challenging for your child to use the high chair once they reach a certain size.
Reclining High Chairs
Consider buying a high chair with a reclining seat if your baby isn’t quite there yet but you want to start using one. You can also use these standing up, so you’ll have plenty of use for them as they develop.
Many parents find it convenient to place their baby in the reclined position as a place to rest. As parents prepare dinner, perhaps the reclined high chair makes for a comfortable spot to watch. It can also be useful in those rushed situations when you’re bottle-feeding your child with one hand while eating your own dinner with the other.
It’s not advisable to use the reclining position when you begin feeding baby food to your little one.5
Baby High Chair Safety
As you place your child in the high chair, bear the following crucial safety advice in mind:
- Always use a safety strap or a five-point harness to restrain babies.
- Take a moment to scan the chair before each use. Verify the chair is in good condition and that everything is in its proper place.
- If your chair has a locking mechanism, make sure it is firmly in place before using it.
- Inspect the high chair to make sure it is solid and cannot easily topple over.
- At all times, keep the high chair close by. From any location, you should be able to see your child. A table or countertop should not be in the way.
- Infants should never be left alone in a high chair.
Everyone who will be watching the baby during mealtimes needs to be familiar with how the high chair operates as much as it is important for the baby to feel at ease in it. Become familiar with the chair’s folding technique, the location of the locking device, the proper way to fasten the straps, and how to remove the tray.
Once the baby is in the chair, you don’t want to learn about these things. Additionally, you’ll want to be able to demonstrate them to anyone who will be present when the baby is eating.
A Word From Verywell
Mealtimes for mom and dad become significantly less hectic once your baby is ready to sit in a high chair. You might even be permitted to finish a meal for once. Just make sure you and the baby are prepared for this major change.