Baby High Chair Safety

Knowing when your baby is ready to use a high chair is really down to your own judgement. Ideally your child should be able to sit unsupported, this is generally around 6 months, but can be much later.

The high chair you choose and the way you use it however, can make the difference between a safe child and an injured one. While a high chair is clearly the best and safest place to feed a child, there have been instances where children have been badly hurt while in high chairs.

Injuries have been recorded, where seats have separated from frames or where adjustable seats have fallen suddenly from the highest to the lowest level. Fortunately dangerous highchairs have generally been withdrawn from shops as soon as problems have become apparent, but many injuries are not directly attributable the manufacturer:

Choosing and Using a Highchair

Children can be injured so easily if they are not fastened in correctly. It's tempting to rely on the tray and just a single strap when you're in hurry, but a baby can slip down and injure a neck or head in seconds. Choose a highchair with a crotch strap and centre pole, which fits between a child's legs and prevents slipping. Five point harnesses are always the safest option - there's no scope for upward or downward movement when your little cherub is trying to escape!

The Safety Standards to look for when buying a highchair are DD ENV 1178 and BS 5799.

A highchair with a wide base will be more stable and offer fewer opportunities for your child to topple the chair by pushing against a surface or 'jumping' the chair; kitchen floors are often tiled and could cause severe damage to a head. If lack of space prevents a wide base, try to position the high chair where it cannot fall and if there are steps in your kitchen, it goes without saying really - keep all highchairs away from them.

Babies' arms seem to grow and multiply as soon as you think they're safe from trouble! Keep any sharp objects away from nearby tables and worktops. Tablecloths and placemats can be hazardous allowing baby to drag a hot drink or food nearer to him while your back is turned.
It follows, of course that a baby should never be left unattended in a highchair.

Many minor injuries occur when fingers get trapped during tray fitting or when fastening safety straps - they might be classed as minor, but baby won't think so at the time, so try not to rush - and be gentle!

Babies love to throw as much food to the floor as they actually eat, creating slippery surfaces, which will be dangerous for your toddler when he gets down, or for you and any other children. Always clean up straight after feeding time or invest in a splash mat, which you can quickly scoop up out of the way. Food tends to gather in all sorts of nooks and crannies in highchairs, (often causing you to wonder how it got there) - bacteria like to develop at room temperature and could make your baby ill, so give the highchair a good clean after every meal.

Check your highchair regularly for any lose fittings or sharp edges, even the toughest material can suffer under the persistent hammering of a toddler.

And think about yourself... Take care of your back when lifting your child out of the chair, or even when picking up those constantly dropped toys.