If chairs for adults are designed only for seating, and are often focused on the person as a whole, and not only on their owner, then highchairs are available in a huge variety of options, including - with an orientation to some special needs of the child, as well as - considering that it is small, but constantly growing.
There can be many possible materials for the manufacture of such furniture, but most of the parents believe that it is a children's plastic chair that will be the best solution. There is a suspicion that such a statement is very close to the truth.
Why plastic?
In modern society, there is an opinion that natural materials are better than newfangled industrial chemistry. On the one hand, it is stupid to argue with this, on the other hand, some types of the same plastic are quite safe even for children, and at the same time they have a number of characteristic advantages that make people prefer them.
In particular, for the production of children's furniture, chemically resistant, and therefore non-toxic, types of plastic are used - polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and polycarbonate. All the same chemical resistance helps not to succumb to the destructive influence of aggressive substances (the same detergents) and does not absorb contamination.
The plastic highchair for children is absolutely not afraid of water, it also has a negative electrical charge, literally repelling dust.
Due to its resistance to water the product is washed at any time and dries very quickly, and the fact that dirt is not absorbed into the surface allows the chair to be wiped off even when similar furniture from any other material would simply have to be thrown away.
Among other things, the plastic stool weighs very little, which is useful both for transporting it by adults and for the safety of the baby - even if the structure falls on the child, it will only frighten him, but not injure him.
Plastic is a material that allows an incredible variety of shapes and colors; it is extremely easy to make a structure from it that resembles not an ordinary chair, but a royal throne. The brightest colors look quite appropriate if the product is made of plastic. Some design solutions require decorative elements made from expensive wood or stone - a plastic chair may look like it is made of these materials.
It should not be forgotten that withThe cost of plastic is in many ways inferior to the prices for other materials for the production of children's furniture - primarily metal and wood. A kid in a family is always a huge expense, so many families will gladly take the chance to save money, if this does not lead to a loss of quality.
Of course, there is no material completely devoid of flaws, and plastic also has them. Most of all he is criticized for relatively low strength and durability - products made from it quickly deform or break, but at the same time, a highchair hardly suggests that it will be used for decades.
It should also be recognized that some types of plastic are still toxic, but this is usually determined in a fairly simple way: harmful chemicals often have a pungent, unpleasant odor.
Here you just need to approach the choice of model with due care, and abandon the blind pursuit of the best price.
Varieties
The variety of plastic children's chairs is so great that there is a risk that even the longest list will not fit all varieties without exception. Our list will probably not be completely complete either, but at least we have included all the most basic types of such furniture.
Rocking chairs
It is not very clear why such a product is called a chair, because in fact it is more like a cradle. As for the second part of the name, it was obtained due to the great similarity with the rocking chair, which is more familiar to everyone, which allows a certain swinging amplitude.
A design of this type is, of course, mainly designed for babies and is designed to greatly simplify the life of young mothers, who may have other really important concerns, in addition to the many hours of motion sickness of a too restless baby. In some cases, the device may also have an electric drive in order not to require the direct participation of adults at all.
For feeding
This is a whole family of special chairs, the key feature of which is the presence of side and front sides, a belt fixation of the child, and a small tray in the front, which is optimal for the convenience of feeding the baby. The design of the tray usually includes protection against spills of liquids and a special recess for the cup.
On the other hand, you can use this piece of home furnishings for other purposes - in particular, for drawing.
For swimming
Structurally, such a highchair may resemble one that is intended for feeding, but its working conditions are completely different - it is installed in the bath during bathing and ensures that the child will sit still and will not be completely under water, freeing his mother's hands. Due to the specifics of his position, he is usually deprived of legs, but it involves special suction cups, with which it is attached to the walls of the bath.
However, there is also a tray that is used primarily for games. Due to the constant presence in the water column, such chairs are the only ones that are made exclusively of plastic.
Classic
Actually, nothing unusual - an ordinary chair, quite reminiscent of an adult, only greatly reduced in scale.
Folding
Another obvious analogy with "adult" chairs, with the difference that when not in use, the product can take up much less space than when unfolded. This greatly simplifies the storage and transportation of the highchair, which can be easily taken with you to the country or on a visit.
Growing
This is a special type of highchair designed exclusively for children, although a somewhat similar adjustment scheme is used in many office chairs. This design initially assumes that its owner will grow rather quickly, so it is not easy allows you to adjust the seat height, but also has a dozen of provided provisions that allow you to switch between themselves without any effort.
Such a solution, perhaps, is not entirely optimal for developing the correct posture, but at the same time it significantly surpasses in convenience the classic chairs, which would have to be picked up for weeks and changed literally every couple of months.
Orthopedic
Actually, as soon as they are not called - computer, work, office, regulated, and so on. The idea is to maximize the ability to adjust the position of as many parts as possible, including the seat height and backrest position, as well as the height of the footrest, if any. Such furniture is able to adapt to any slightest features of the physique of its owner, therefore, with careful adjustment, it simply cannot contribute to deformation of the spine and posture.
Such a product is as expensive as possible., but its service life may be generally unlimited if it even theoretically provides for the use of an adult.
For greater strength and durability, as well as for elementary comfort, such a chair is usually made of more than one plastic, supports and fastenings are reinforced with metal inserts, the seat, backrest and even armrests are upholstered with soft fabric or leather.
General requirements for all types of chairs
Each type of children's plastic highchair is designed to fulfill its specific tasks, so the criteria for choosing a suitable model can vary significantly. At the same time, there is some features that children's chairs should differ a priori - regardless of the purpose for which they are purchased:
- safety and reliability. Parents usually fixate on how safe the plastic from which the product is made, but the dangers do not end there. It is necessary to check whether the product can withstand the weight and pampering of the child with confidence, as well as assess the likelihood of the baby sitting on such a chair sliding. If the product is bought for preschoolers, the availability and reliability of fasteners may be an important factor - for example, belts should only be five-point;
- possibility of adjustment... Adjustable baby chairs are not only a concern for the maximum comfort of the child at any stage of his life, but also a direct contribution to the formation of his normal posture. Chairs that are too large and too small will lead to postural disorders and further, already deeper health problems, so the chair should always correspond to the current size of the baby. Since it is physically, mentally and financially difficult to constantly change children's furniture, it is worth choosing a model that easily adapts to changing requirements.
- roundness of shapes... There is a general rule according to which any children's furniture should be devoid of sharp ends, because children's activity, combined with an ill-conceived form, can cause injury. Although the requirement seems logical and obvious, there are still models where this rule is not followed.
How to choose?
The very first rule that must be followed to make a successful purchase: you need to have a clear idea of what to buy before going to the store. If you go to buy "some kind of highchair", then you will buy "some" one, so you need to think about what it is needed for - for example, for feeding, or for the child to sit on it at the table.
Again, think about how old your child is and how much he weighs now, as well as how many years you plan to use the purchase, and what the parameters of the owner of the small chair will be then. You may not have any specific idea about the modern range of such products, but if you have a formulated wish, you have a higher chance of getting sensible advice from a store employee.
It is important to remember that the chair is not chosen for the parents, but for the child, and it is its convenience that plays a key role, so it is not out of place to take the baby with you, and consult about what he wants. Let him try to sit on the proposed purchase in the store and only then make an opinion about each option.
Separately, we note that the child should like not only the convenience, but also the appearance, so that even an ideal orthopedic chair cannot be chosen if the child rejected it due to its unsightly or aesthetic inadequacy.
Finally, if after all the screening stages there are still several suitable options, do not rush to choose the cheapest one - the reason for the cheapness may not please you. Focus on proven brands - consumers note the quality of Plastishka, Peg Perego, Eames, Chicco, Tatamia, Ikea, Stokke, Capella, Graco, Babyton, Appetite.
For information on how to choose a highchair, see the next video.
