The arrival of your child’s high chair represents the beginning of civilised family meal times for many years to come. Well, to be more truthful, perhaps a few years of scraping food off the floor and walls, coupled with some table manner etiquette, before you get there!
The purpose of a high chair is to provide a safe and secure place for your developing baby to learn how to feed themselves in the presence and care of parent or adult attendant. It means that the adult can sit with the child and enjoy being part of their food discovery experience whist developing their bond with the growing toddler at the same time.
When considering where to locate your highchair, ensure that the floor surface is level and that the chair is positioned away from any trailing wires or window furnishings which could be grasped or entrap your child. Location near a heat source such as an oven or fire is also to be avoided. There should be nothing the child can use to push their feet or arms against which may assist an attempt to unbalance the chair. Equally, remember to remove any items that your child will be tempted to reach for if in their line of sight when in the high chair, such as their favourite toy or your mobile phone. When not in use, chairs should either be folded and stored, or removed from the child’s play space. This is to reinforce the message that the highchair is for meal times only and educating your child that the chair is only for meals and not for play right from the start is key to their safety.
Whilst pets can be a useful alternative to a vacuum while your toddler learns the art of fine dining, remember to keep them away from the chair while your little one is seated. An enthusiastic Labrador, for example, may easily knock a chair over, and they are best kept on the other side of a safety barrier or stairgate until meal time is over.
Some high chairs have wheels for ease of transport within the home and these should have a locking mechanism to fix their position when in use. Others may have seat and footrest height options so that the chair may continue to be used as the child grows. Trays may be removeable or integral and the chair may provide an optional padded seat. Only use accessories that are designed for the specific make and model of chair purchased as the safety of the chair may be compromised with an ill-fitting alternative.
Important Information
When it comes to high chairs, two of the main risks are that your child falls from a height onto a hard floor or that they get caught in the restraint system. A large proportion of accidents involving high chairs are due to the parent/carer becoming distracted and leaving the child unsupervised. Remember to never leave your child unattended. Accidents are also caused when the child stands in the chair because any restraint system has not been secured snugly and they have managed to wriggle out.
A high chair is only suitable from when your baby is able to sit up unaided and must always be used with the restraint system properly secured and adjusted to fit your child. A five-point-harness provides the most secure restraint system. In any event, there should be a crotch restraint to ensure the child cannot slip between tray and seat onto the floor.
A high chair is suitable up to the age of 3 or a weight of 15kg (whichever is sooner). After this time, a high chair that adapts to a junior chair or a similar alternative is more appropriate. All Safetots’ high chairs have been tested and comply with the safety standard EN14988:2017+A1:2020 when fitted in accordance with the instructions
Safety Testing
When buying a product to help keep your child out of harm’s way, Safetots believe it is worth investing in one that has been tested to a professionally approved level of safety using rigorous testing methods.
For this reason and where applicable, our products are tested to a British Standards Institution (BSI) standard and/or equivalent international standard. Each standard that our products complies with has been drawn up by a group of experts in the field. Not only do they have extensive knowledge about their product and credibility in the child safety product industry, they are also fully aware of the potential hazards posed by poor quality items being used in the home where children are involved.
The European Standard for high chairs is EN 14988:2017+A1:2020. You can be reassured that all Safetots’ highchairs designed for use with babies, toddlers and children up to 3 years of age, or a maximum weight of 15kg, comply with this standard, and are retested whenever design upgrades are made, components changed or the standard is superseded. The standard also requires that certain important safety information be available to consumers before purchase and you will find this on all product pages.
The title of the safety standard, EN14988:2017+A1:2020, will be marked on your purchased chair next to Safetots’ contact details.
What types of tests are carried out and why?
Most children when they are placed in a high chair are hungry ones- this generally means that anything not fixed down and in reach is going in that mouth, including yesterday’s snacks if still stuck to the underneath of the seat, the chair itself or even the seat padding! Tots are not known for their patience, so expect some banging, crashing, leg kicking and generally excitable expressions of ‘feed me now’. In fact, if food isn’t on that tray within a nanosecond (or worse, it doesn’t sit well with your future chef’s tastebuds), expect your child to attempt escape from the restraint system so they can help whip up something tasty from the kitchen cupboards.
The standard has considered the ‘hangry’ youngster within the testing parameters. The safety of the paints and varnishes used on the chair are ascertained. The durability of any locking mechanisms are tested to ensure a foldable high chair will not unintentionally fold or one with a multi seat height option will not inadvertently release from its height position, and castor wheels (if any) remain locked no matter how strong and long the protest. The standard tests for the presence of small parts which could pose a choking hazard and for any gaps which could trap limbs, fingers, etc. The stability of the highchair is proven against impact from various angles and the restraint system undergoes an extensive series of tests to certify its secure attachment to the chair, the strength of the materials used and that the straps will remain secured without slippage when in use.
In short, every effort has been made to ensure that a high chair complying with EN14988:2017+A1:2020 will be a hazard free product to purchase when safety proofing your home.
