Highchair Safety

High Chair Safety

If you are buying a new or used highchair, it should have:

• a wide base for stability
• a waist belt that has a buckle that cannot be fastened unless the crotch strap is also connected
• easy to use straps so that you always use them
• a post between the child's legs to prevent the child from slipping down and becoming trapped under the tray
• straps and their attachments that securely attached and work properly

• always use the restraining straps
• the feeding tray is not a restraint
• if a highchair is close enough to a table, counter, wall, or other surface, your baby may be able to push off, and potentially tip
• locking devices on a folding highchair must always be locked
• never allow a child to stand up in a highchair
• don't wander away from the highchair
• a highchair is not for play
• children should never climb into a highchair unassisted
• older children who hang on to a highchair while a baby is in it might tip it over

Yours in parenthood, Grandpa Richard.

p.s. You should also read the guest article by Martin Smith, All About Baby Highchairs.