What are the current safety standards for high chairs?

Each year, thousands of children are injured in high-chair-related accidents.

To prevent this, it’s important to take certain safety precautions when using a high chair or booster seat.

We’ve done our research and have spoken with safety experts to bring you everything you need to know to keep your child safe in their high chair.

Key Takeaways

• Choose an age-appropriate high chair with safety features like a wide base and a five-point harness.
• Always strap your child in securely and never leave them unattended in the high chair.
• Keep the high chair positioned away from potential hazards and out of reach of objects on the table.
• Regularly clean the high chair and check for any product recalls to ensure your child’s safety.

High Chair Injury Statistics

High chair injuries are on the rise. A 2013 study indicated that every hour, one child is treated in a U.S. Emergency Room for such injuries (1). That’s 24 children every day — a whopping 9,400 children each year.

Common High Chair Injuries

The biggest risk of injury when using a high chair is a fall. Over 90 percent of all high-chair-related injuries are due to falling (2).

If a child were to fall from a high chair, they could suffer a number of injuries, including:

• Head injury.
• Concussion.
• Neck injury.
• Cuts.
• Scrapes.
• Broken Bones.
• Mouth injuries.
• Broken teeth.

However, falls aren’t the only injuries associated with high chairs.

Children can also be injured by:

• Choking on an item left within reach.
• Burning themselves on hot food or beverages close to them.
• Cutting themselves with sharp objects left within reach.
• Toppling the high chair by pushing on the table with their feet.
• Pinched fingers in latches or high chair joints.

What Are My High Chair Choices?

There are many high chair models available. While it’s tempting to skip straight to a booster seat to save space or money, it’s wise to choose an age-appropriate high chair for your child. This ensures it will meet their unique physical and developmental needs. Here are your choices.

• Traditional High Chair – These chairs are standalone units with long legs, bringing your baby up to the level of your dining table. They typically have a plastic seat, a harness, and a removable tray. They usually recline to prop up babies who are not quite ready to sit completely upright.
• Space-Saving High Chair – These high chairs sit atop a regular chair and have straps that fasten around the chair to secure it. They differ from a booster seat because they have an adjustable reclining back (for extra support) and a removable tray. They can often be converted to a booster seat when your baby is older.
• Hook-On High Chair – These petite and portable high chairs hook directly onto your dining table. They don’t often have a tray or recline, but most have a buckle or harness system. You should only use a hook-on high chair once your baby has a stable head, neck, and core control and can sit upright.
• Booster Seat High Chair – These are backless, trayless seats designed to enable toddlers and older babies to sit on regular chairs at the table. A booster seat raises a child’s height, so the table will be at the appropriate height for them. As they do not have a five-point harness system, they are not appropriate for younger babies.
• Heirloom or Antique High Chair – Your parents or grandparents may have used these high chairs. They are sentimental, and probably look unique, too. However, safety standards change rapidly, and older high chairs don’t have the same safety features required on current chairs, so it may be a good idea to buy a new one.

Important Safety Features

When purchasing a high chair, look for these safety features.

• Five-Point Harness – Just as in car seats, you’ll also find five-point harness options in high chairs. The shoulder straps keep your baby’s torso from falling forward and prevent your little one from wiggling out (as they may be able to in a waist-belt-only restraint system).
• Wide Base – High chairs can become top heavy due to your child’s weight as they sit in them. To combat this, choose one with a wider base and a larger footprint. It may take up a little more space in your house, but it is much safer.
• Locking Wheels – If your high chair comes with wheels, ensure they can be locked to keep the chair from moving around when in use.
• Metal Joint Construction – Many high chairs have been recalled primarily due to plastic joints cracking (3). Choose a high chair with metal joint construction as it tends to be stronger than plastic.

Pro Tip

If your child is a little Houdini who can un-latch the chest buckle on your five-point harness, tie a piece of fabric around it to prevent access to the buckle.

Staying Safe In A High Chair

1.

Look For A Wide Base

Choose a chair with a low center of gravity so it won’t tip easily. The wider the legs at the bottom, the more stable the chair will be.

2.

Secure Your High Chair

Before you place your baby in it, make sure your high chair will not move. If it has wheels, lock them. For a space-saving high chair or booster seat, check to ensure it is strapped securely to the chair.

3.

Strap In

Choose a high chair with a five-point harness (not a three-point harness or a simple lap belt) for the utmost safety. For each use, always strap them in and tighten the straps so they cannot wiggle free.

4.

No Standing in the Chair

Many falls happen when a baby or toddler stands in the high chair. Do not let your kids be in positions other than sitting in the high chair.

5.

No High Chair Playtime

Do not let children sit or be near their high chair aside from mealtimes. Kids can topple the chair and injure themselves during playtime if they push or climb the high chair. Store the high chair out of your child’s reach when not in use.

6.

Position The Chair Out of Reach

While you want your baby to participate in family mealtimes, be mindful of the potential hazards if they are positioned too close. Make sure the high chair is far enough away so their legs cannot reach to kick the table and topple the high chair.

7.

Be Extra Careful with Hook-On High Chairs

Make sure the hooks can latch and lock securely onto the table when you buy a hook-on high chair. If you use a hook-on chair for travel, always make sure the table is heavy and stable enough to support your baby without tipping.

8.

Look For Potential Hazards

Check for anything on the table within your child’s reach, and either remove it or move your high chair further away. Examples include choking hazards, sharp objects, hot foods, or even a tablecloth your child could pull.

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9.

Always Supervise Your Baby

While they seem secure, never leave your baby unattended in a high chair. Choking is a silent accident and is quite common as children are still learning to eat. Always put the baby into the chair or pull the baby out yourself. Never let children try to climb in or out of a high chair by themselves.

10.

Clean the High Chair Regularly

Food spills and baby saliva make the perfect environment for bacterial and fungal growth. Make sure you clean and disinfect the high chair regularly to prevent your little one from getting sick.

11.

Check Periodically for Recalls

Baby items are recalled regularly for product failure or repeated accidents. Periodically, check the government website at Recalls.gov to ensure your high chair has not been recalled.

FAQs

Is a High Chair Considered a Restraint?

Yes, which is why high chairs are recommended when you’re in the kitchen with your baby. Kitchens contain all kinds of things your baby can get hurt on, and sometimes this room is bustling when a family member is trying to prepare a meal.

The best way to keep a baby safe in this room is to securely but comfortably restrain them in a high chair so you’ll know exactly where they are and what they can reach at all times.

What are the Safety Standards for High Chairs?

To quickly break down some technical information for you, an officially safe high chair must pass an inspection for:

• Integrity of the tray
• Integrity of the restraint system
• The inability to be tipped over in any direction by a baby
• The inability to suddenly collapse from weight

How Often Do Babies Fall From High Chairs?

Every year, 9,400 American babies fall out of their high chairs. To help prevent this, it’s recommended that you keep your child close within sight at all times when they’re in the high chair.

It can be dangerous to put your baby in a high chair and then go to the next room for a while with no one watching them. It’s awful, but sometimes accidents happen even with rigorously tested high chairs.

At What Age Can I Put My Baby In a High Chair?

Most babies can be put into a high chair once they’ve reached 6 months. This isn’t a hard and fast rule. Once your baby is eating solid foods and they can sit up without help, you’ll know they’re ready for the high chair.

When Can You Stop Using the Straps On a High Chair?

To err to the side of caution, you’ll want to wait until their first birthday. By 12 months, almost all babies can sit upright without toppling over.

The first time you put your child in a high chair without straps, be sure to monitor them for a little while. Make sure they aren’t wobbling over while sitting without the restraints.

The Bottom Line

Every year, nearly 10,000 children are injured in accidents involving high chairs, most of them due to falls. Keep your child safe by choosing an age-appropriate high chair for your child with plenty of safety features. Always supervise your child at all times during use.

In recent years, the safety standards for high chairs have been updated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to include the following (4):

• More rearward stability.
• A visible warning label.
• A permanent passive crotch restraint.

Editor's Note:

Dr. Po-Chang Hsu, MD, MS

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5.3.1.8: High Chair Requirements

High chairs, if used, should have a wide base and a securely locking tray, along with a crotch bar/guard to prevent a child from slipping down and becoming entrapped between the tray and the seat. High chairs should also be equipped with a safety strap to prevent a child from climbing out of the chair. The safety strap should be fastened with every use. Caps or plugs on tubing should be firmly attached. Folding high chairs should have a locking device that prevents the high chair from collapsing. High chairs should be labeled or warranted by the manufacturer in documents provided at the time of purchase or verified thereafter by the manufacturer as meeting the ASTM International current Standard F404-08 Consumer Safety Specification for High Chairs. High chairs should be used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions including following restrictions based on age and minimum/maximum weight of children.

Highchairs should be kept far enough away from a table, counter, wall or other surface so that the child can’t use them to push off or to grab potentially dangerous cords or objects.

RATIONALE

High chairs offer potential for entrapment, falls and other injuries. Current ASTM Standard F404-08 Consumer Safety Specifications for High Chairs covers:

1. Sharp edges;
2. Locking devices;
3. Drop tests of the tray;
4. Disengagement of the tray;
5. Load and stability of the chair;
6. Protection from coil springs and scissoring;
7. Maximum size of holes;
8. Restraining system tests;
9. Labeling;
10. Instructional literature.

COMMENTS

The general age of high chair users is about six-months- to three-years-old (1). Caregivers/teachers should transition children from high chairs to small tables and chairs as soon as they are capable of using them.

TYPE OF FACILITY

Center, Early Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care Home

REFERENCES

1. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Tips for your baby's safety. http://www.nchh.org/Portals/0/Contents/CPSC_Baby_Safety_Checklist.pdf
   
2. Lerner, N. D., R. W. Huey, B. M. Kotwal. 2001. Product profile report, 19. Rockville, MD: Westat.
   

High chairs offer potential for entrapment, falls and other injuries. Current ASTM Standard F404-08 Consumer Safety Specifications for High Chairs covers:The general age of high chair users is about six-months- to three-years-old (1). Caregivers/teachers should transition children from high chairs to small tables and chairs as soon as they are capable of using them.Center, Early Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care Home