Every starting family is looking for a new piece to add to their home. Whether it’s for them or their baby, what they’re looking for is nothing short of the best.
Usually, you’re looking for new ways to brighten your kitchen and a high chair to teach your baby how to eat. Specifically, a wooden high chair. Here are some facts about high chairs and why you should get a wooden one for your home.
Why Should You Buy a High Chair?
At around the time your baby can eat solid foods, which is around four to six months, you’ll have to introduce them to the dinner table, too. A high chair will help your baby reach the dinner table and make feeding less tricky for family meals.
Since a full-sized high chair usually comes with its own tray table, it can also help you minimize messy meals. With a high chair, you can simply attach your baby’s bowl to the table to limit the mess and make life easier, and cleaner, for you.
There are also three main types of high chairs, such as:
- Traditional high chair: A traditional high chair is the high chair you commonly see in homes and restaurants. It is made of a seat and sometimes a seat cushion, a table or tray liner, and legs to support the elevation.
- Portable high chair: A portable high chair is a highly adjustable, space-saving high chair that can be folded to clear the room, or be brought somewhere else, like on vacation, for example.
- Booster seat or space saver: Think of a booster seat as a compact version of a high chair. Instead of legs supporting the seat, you simply place the booster seat on a regular chair, hence the term “space savers”. Parents usually buy this high chair for a home with small spaces. Boosters usually come with other useful features, like a crotch post and a reclining seat.
Different Materials for High Chairs
There are many high chairs on the market made from various materials. To help you decide on which chair to pick, here are three of the most common materials used in high chairs.
Plastic
Plastic is a very common material used for making high chairs. Since plastic is more accessible and easier to mould than the other materials on the list, high chairs built with plastic are cheaper. However, not all plastic high chairs are safe for your baby.
Always ensure that the plastic your high chair has been manufactured with is food-grade. Food-grade polypropylene is a good choice since many baby products are already made with the material.
Metal
On the other hand, metal high chairs fall on the more expensive side since production costs more for these high chairs. Metal high chairs are sturdy and long-lasting, but be mindful of the maintenance needed since tarnished metal can be harmful to your child.
Wood
Wood seems to be the ideal option for high chairs. This is because wood is sturdy and stylish; however, like metal, it can be a bit more expensive. Though wooden furniture comes at a premium, getting a wooden high chair could be in your best interest, regardless of the price.
If you’re not convinced yet, here are some ways you can benefit from getting a wooden high chair.
Benefits of a Wooden High Chair
Sturdy and Durable
Wood has always been the ideal material for making furniture, and when you get a wooden high chair, expect it to be durable and to last longer.
Stylish
In general, wooden furniture looks great in any home. Wooden furniture can come in a wide range of styles, like antique, minimalist, or even ultra-modern. No matter what your decor looks like, you can find a wood high chair that will fit seamlessly in your home.
Safe for Your Baby
While wood is sturdy, the material is also preferable since it’s organic, meaning there is less chance your baby will be exposed to harmful chemicals while eating. But inspect the high chair before purchase, as badly made wood can also lead to splinters and scars on your baby’s soft skin.
Cleaning Your Wooden Baby High Chair
It’s not enough for you to buy the best high chair, you’ll have to maintain it, too. You shouldn’t take cleaning your wooden high chair lightly because it could determine how long it will last in your home.
Most high chairs are easy to clean. Still, here are some tips on cleaning your wooden baby high chair.
Dust the Surface Lightly
Even if you leave your high chair out in the open, dust will inevitably stick to it at some point. So when cleaning your high chair, dust it off first to remove any solid, dry particles that could get in the way when you dampen the wood.
Use Wood-Specific Cleaners
As strong as it is physically, wood is a very delicate material; different chemicals can easily weaken it. So make sure not to use any all-purpose cleaners or harsh chemicals when cleaning your wooden high chair because wood is not stain resistant. Instead, use wood-specific cleaners to avoid destroying your high chair’s beautiful wood and keep it healthy.
If your wooden high chair has plastic parts, feel free to use plastic-safe cleaners on them.
Use Lint-Free Rags
Now that you have wood-specific cleaners to wipe down your wooden high chair, it’s time to find the proper rags to use them with. In general, any type of cloth or rag will do, so long as they are lint-free. Lint can stick to the wood and leave it splintered.
Wipe Down the Wood Properly
For the most part, wood is easy to wipe down. When wiping down wood, always remember to wipe in long, slow strokes in a single direction, so you don’t damage the wood or its finishings with your wiping. A good way to wipe down the high chair is to follow the parallel lines on the wood.
Let It Dry
After you’ve wiped down your wooden high chair, leave it to dry for a little while. Make sure not to leave the high chair in the sun since direct sunlight can cause wood to warp and deteriorate over time. Instead, leave it in a secure but shaded spot to air dry.
When Should You Clean the Wooden High Chair?
How often should you clean your high chair? Well, the short answer is frequently, but how you should clean it differs around certain intervals like after use, weekly, and monthly.
After Use
Mealtime can get messy, so your baby’s high chair will need immediate cleaning. After eating, dust off any crumbs on the table or seat and wipe off any liquid stains with a wet cloth.
It’s important to use mild materials like warm water to clean after use, so you don’t wear the high chair down.
Weekly
Your chair can also get dirty on the undersides from food or the environment. After cleaning your chair post-meal, schedule an exterior cleaning at least once a week. In doing so, don’t forget to wipe underneath the seat and the back legs themselves so you don’t have too much dirt on the chair when it’s time for monthly cleaning.
Monthly
Think of monthly cleaning as general cleaning for the high chair. During monthly cleaning, you can dismantle the high chair for easy cleaning:
- Take off the five point harness or straps and seat cover and wash them separately.
- Take off the removable tray and put them in the dishwasher.
- Take off the legs and seat and wipe them down with the appropriate cleaning products.
If you clean the high chair regularly, you can rest assured your baby will eat safely in a sturdy chair.
Ashtonbee: Where the Best Wooden High Chair Is Made
If you’re having trouble finding the right chair for your baby, then it could be time for you to check out Ashtonbee, where the best wooden high chairs are made.
We make our wooden high chairs with beechwood and top them off with a seat made of high-quality food-grade polypropylene. They also have a dishwasher-safe tray and a fashionable style that will never get old.
Check out our page to see how Ashtonbee can make your home better for your baby now!
