Utilizing a high chair can instantly make mealtimes into family time. Your little one will be able to interact with other family members.
The mess of feeding them will be contained in their high chair, which will instantly make it easier for you to clean up.
Most babies are ready to use high chairs when they are ready to eat baby food. This is typically at or around six months of age.
In this article
There Is Not A Set Age For When Babies Can Use High Chairs
Most of us want an age for when babies can use a high chair. There are rough guidelines, such as when your baby is ready to start on solid foods, but that’s about it. Aside from those, there is no set age.
My grandson was born prematurely. Because of this, he was behind on quite a few things. He also had quite a few doctors to help us learn when he should, or should not, do certain things.
One of those things was when he should be using a high chair. His feeding specialist gave us quite a few tips so that we knew when we could finally use the high chair that was slowly collecting dust.
When Is Baby Ready For High Chair
When your little one is ready for a high chair, you’ll see several different cues. It’s important to look for these cues instead of assuming that your baby is ready for a high chair based on their age.
Infants that are ready to use a high chair generally at the same time that they are ready to start on baby food. Here are some ways that you can tell your little one is ready to sit in their high chair.
They Can Hold Up Their Head And Neck
Some children that are recently born can do this for brief periods of time. However, that is not considered stable.
It’ll only be a few seconds or minutes before their head will flop back down because they do not have the muscle strength to continue to hold their head in an upright position.
When your baby is ready for a high chair, they’ll be able to hold their head and neck upright without support.
Your Baby Should Be Able To Control Their Movements
After your baby can hold their head up for long periods of time without support, you’ll notice that they can’t always control their movements. One way to tell is whether the movements that they make appear jerky.
If they do, it’s a sign that they cannot control their movements well enough for either a high chair or solid foods yet.
If your little one can lean forward and move both their head and neck without their movements being too jerky, it’s a sign that they are ready for a high chair.
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The Baby Can Sit Up Without Assistance
Your little one should be able to sit up without assistance. That means that you should not have to put towels or blankets beside them in order for them to sit in the high chair.
They should be capable of sitting in the chair, staying upright, reaching forward, and moving their head in the direction of the spoon to take a bite before they sit in a high chair.
How To Help Your Baby Get Ready To Sit In A High Chair
Some children are a bit delayed. Your baby might not sit up or even hold their head up on time. That means that they will not be sitting in a high chair or eating solids when other children their age are either. That’s fine.
We all progress and develop at different rates. However, there are a few things you can do to help your little one develop the skills that they need in order to sit in a high chair.
Tummy Time
Tummy time is important to help babies develop their head and neck muscles. This article gives you some exceptional tips on how to help your little one get more tummy time if they aren’t a fan of being on their stomach.
Once your baby can roll over, it can be more difficult to get them to stay on their stomach. You can put rolled-up blankets on either side of them to encourage them to stay on their stomach.
Toys and tummy time mats will make it fun so little ones will stay on their stomach on their own. This is the one that we used for my grandson. It’s cheap and works.
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Hold Them In An Upright Position On Your Lap
If your baby can almost sit up but is a little unsteady, you can help them learn to balance by holding them up. Sit them on your leg in a sitting-up position.
Then, hold them in place with your hands around their waist. This can not only help them learn to balance, but it can also help prevent the flat head syndrome.
Pick Up A Bumbo Seat
Bumbo seats are a great way to help your little one learn to sit up without them sitting on your lap all day. You can pick up bumbo seats, or seats like bumbo seats, that have activities and toys on them to make them more enticing to your baby.
The grandbaby used to sit in this one for hours. I know it has a couple of bad reviews, but we had no problems with it. Now, it’s in my attic for when other babies are here and we still use it over a year later.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
When To Buy High Chair For Baby
High chairs are one of the “bigger” things that you’ll need for a baby. Because of that, I say put them on the baby shower gift registry just as you would a car seat. I’m also a big fan of buying them in advance.
When my daughter was born, I didn’t see the point in buying one until she was ready to use it. I regretted that decision and wound up feeding her in her car seat until I could get her one.
For my son, I received one at the baby shower. As soon as he was ready for a high chair I plopped him in it. It was very convenient to already own one.
If you plan on buying your own, make sure that you buy it when you’re pregnant or before the baby is four months old. Some children are ready to sit in a high chair sooner than six months old, so you’ll want to have one in case you need it.
In Conclusion
Your little one is ready for a high chair when they can sit upright on their own, have control over their head and neck movements, and can hold their head and neck up for longer periods of time. This is usually around six months old.
