When to stop using high chairs for kids’ meals is a common question. After all, they have had a lot of significance lately because they ease the job of feeding your baby. All you have to do is place their food on the tray of the high chair, and your little one will gladly devour it.
However, as kids grow up, they get eager to grow independent. Toddlers are smart enough to figure their way out, but they don’t think through the risk behind their mischief. As a result, once your baby has gained sufficient body control, they will escape the high chair and are at the stake of getting injured severely.
So you should be alert about the baby gear you use beforehand rather than risking the consequences.
Signs that show your child wants to stop using high chair
When you understand what signs to watch out for, it gets easy to determine when to quit using a high chair. If you notice keenly, you’ll see how evocative your kids are about their demands, and it is up to us as parents to understand them.
Restlessness
Know that excessive fidgeting in the high chair will make it unstable, threatening it to topple over. If your toddler is continually wiggling and shifting around while sitting in the highchair, It’s time to start migrating them out of it. But first, make sure there isn’t anything making them uncomfortable.
Remember, It’s a significant clue because if there isn’t anything wrong with the chair, you know your child is starting to get restless in the high chair and will very soon try to find their way out of it.
Association
Once your kids understand family times and mealtimes, they want to become a part of it. Kids observe more than we think. So they may feel non-inclusive from the rest of the family during meals. Feeling left out will make them fussy, and they’ll make feeding time very difficult.
Therefore, It may be time to evolve your child’s sitting arrangements and start sitting them at the table if they become cranky about eating their meals on the high chair, unlike everyone else.
Protest
Every kid has the urge to grow up quickly. When toddlers realize that they’re the only ones eating in a high chair, they’ll start complaining about sitting at the table.
Once they start insisting on sitting at the table with you “like a big kid,” there is no going back. It is a clear sign that they will quit their high chairs sooner or later. Little kids are stubborn and persistent. We suggest looking for another seating arrangement as quickly as possible. Because once your toddler makes up their minds, you’ll have no choice but to surrender and ditch their high chair for good.
Mental development
The toddler is ready to sit at the table once they understand table manners. However, you’re not bound to jump ship immediately. Primarily, Your child must know how to sit in a chair without any restraints. Or understand that standing on the chair or moving around while seated is not permitted. They must also understand not to push off the table either.
Other than that, to avoid errors and dangerous circumstances, your child must also know how to use plates, cups, and utensils appropriately during mealtimes and not to reach out for hot dishes or sharp objects. If you can trust your toddler to follow these basic rules, then it’s up to you if not you want your baby to stop using the high chair or not.
Physical development
You no longer have to restrain your child in the high seat if they can climb up and down the different chairs of your house. Your child might not try to escape their high chair, but if they are good at climbing furniture safely, they are ready to transition out of their high chair and upgrade their seating arrangement.
When Should I Avoid Using High Chairs?
Letting your child continue using the highchair is a huge no, once their high chair can prove to be hazardous rather than being helpful.
Outgrown
Every high chair comes with a weight and age limit. You cannot ignore either of the specifications. If your child crosses either one of the two specifications, it means they must no longer be restrained in the high chair.
Outgrown babies may find it difficult to sit while eating in a high chair and may face problems with proper digestion. Additionally, your child needs to start building the habit of sitting and eating without the highchair. It’s implausible for a four-year-old never to leave a highchair, but they won’t sit still even if they do. Toddlers will try to stand up on it or use it to reach high things.
Escape Harnesses
The safety belt on the high chairs is intended to keep your child secure in the seat while you feed them. Once they learn how to unbuckle them, you can no longer leave them unattended because no safety straps or harnesses will yield the power to hold them from climbing out and escaping.
And high chairs can topple over if your child pushes themselves off of them, which can result in head, neck, or facial injuries such as bruises, cuts, and concussions. So If your baby unbuckles that five-point harness even once, it’s time to ditch the high chair. Game over.
When do you start using a high chair?
You should determine when to start using a high chair by your baby’s physical development. What saddens us is that most parents rely solely on the information provided by product manufacturers, which is wrong.
Every child’s growth is different; some develop earlier than others, while others bloom relatively slowly. But manufacturers suggest using a high chair from the age of 6 months. Remember that these recommendations are intended for the average consumer. So it would be best if you only used it whenever your child maintains a stable posture. The reason is their small bodies’ inability to sit in an upright position while seated.
In contrast, you must never use a high chair for babies under the age of six months old despite your baby showing signs of readiness. Because even with a safety strap and harnesses, you risk letting your baby scoot down in an uncomfortable position which in return hurts their neck and back.
So hold on, y’all impatient parents. We know you’re eager to take the big step with your baby, but we’d still recommend waiting until they reach their 6th month.
How long do you use a high chair?
Your toddler will transition out of between 18 months and three years approximately, so there is no particular age.
To simply put, how long you use it depends on how long your baby tolerates it. Some children love sitting in their chairs and enjoy being near you or playing with their colors and toys. But others won’t give up a single chance to escape their trap. Therefore you must notice the indication given by your kids to coordinate their retirement from the highchair.
What’s the next step after the high chair?
Adjusting your toddler from a high chair to a table can be a little tricky. A regular chair may cause your child to feel restless, causing them to fall off the seat. Plus, Chairs may be too low for your babies to reach the table comfortably.
Use a Booster seat
A booster seat is usually a viable replacement because it allows your toddler to eat at the table like an adult. And they also include safety features like straps or harnesses so your baby can get used to their seat and not topple over. Booster seats are typically used at family mealtimes, so even if your trouble maker has learned to undo their harness, you can still keep an eye on them.
Conclusion
It will be ideal if you switch to other sitting arrangements like a booster seat as soon as the baby is ready to sit at the table as the rest of the family.
High chairs are one of our greatest allies regarding childcare. They are a huge milestone that comes by in a toddler’s life. But Alas! It’s time to bid farewell to these baby chairs once your little ones discover your foolproof plan to trap them in high chairs.
Parents Also Ask
Do I need a high chair?
Know that when your baby sits in their high chair, they are in good hands. It gives your baby steady support to build an appropriate sitting posture.
They have a strong backrest and a seat strapped chair that keeps babies from falling and offers a sense of security. Plus, once the baby learns to sit upright without any support, feeding a solid meal gets super easy.
What to do if my baby doesn’t sit up by the sixth month?
Although development differs from child to child, this could indicate a delay in gross motor skills. Contact your pediatrician if your kid isn’t sitting on their own by nine months. It’s a good idea to act sooner rather than later, especially if your infant is close to 9 months old and can’t sit upright with help.
Is it possible to use a booster seat instead of a high chair?
A high chair is essentially a stand-alone eating equipment. It is a plush chair with a tray that rests on legs or a base to raise your infant to table height. Whereas a booster seat is used by an older child or toddler who doesn’t require as much support but still requires a little help getting to the table.
Both seats are different and are built with different intentions. You can’t use a booster seat until your child is at least two to three years old.
Why does my toddler not like sitting in a high chair?
Your child’s hate towards the high chair is due to the fact that they are hyperactive. Children are naturally inclined to have a lot of energy. Preschoolers, for example, are often quite energetic, jumping from one activity to the next.
And if you restrain them in a high chair, you take away the freedom they love and possess naturally. Thus embarks the great rivalry of a raging toddler vs the innocent high chair.
When should a baby be able to sit up on their own?
This is the approximate age but the progress of every child is variable. At 4 months, a baby can usually hold their head firmly without assistance, and at 6 months, they can sit with a little assistance. They learn to sit well without assistance at 9 months and get in and out of a sit up position, but may require assistance. And finally, your baby might sit up without assistance at the age of 12 months.
