High chair

A high chair is an item of functional furniture for children which has been in use for many years. Because infants and toddlers are not sufficiently motor-coordinated to sit up at a dining table, it is well known to provide for them a high chair, which typically comprises a seating portion, a back rest, a pair of arms, and a tray which is disposed over the arms and secured thereto. A high chair is used to assist a young child in eating and in learning to eat and to help parents feed a child. Many families with infants or young children use high chairs to seat them during feeding and help prevent messes. High chairs have been in use for many years for the feeding of infants, toddlers, and small children. Highchairs provide parents or child caregivers a means for seating a young child at table level to facilitate feeding of the child and to allow the child to share in meals along with others at the dinner table. These chairs are usually designed for children who are able to sit upright without assistance. A high chair includes a seat supported by three or four legs, a seat back, a pair of arms on either side of the seat, and a tray attached to the arms of the chair. The child may be strapped of into the seat portion, and then the high chair tray is attached in front of the child. The tray usually has a raised rim or flange around its circumference to form a recessed main tray area, with the rim keeping spilled food and liquid from running off onto the floor.

A high chair simulates for the infants the experience of eating at a table as the high chair provides a seat and a tray supported by arm members so as to maintain the tray in a position adjacent to the seat. The tray functions as a table top or counter top upon which food receptacles and utensils are normally placed. High chairs for use in feeding children are well known and can be found in a variety of different styles. There are many different designs for these high chairs and they may be formed from many different materials, such as wood, metal or plastic. High chairs typically include a seat with a seat bottom, a seat back, and some form of side barriers. The seat typically is supported by four legs affixed thereto. A detachable tray normally provided with the highchair is either selectively attachable and detachable from both arms of the chair for complete removal of the tray or is pivotably attached to one arm and attachable and detachable from the opposite arm so that the tray can be pivoted off of the baby to allow the baby to be removed from the highchair. One high chair design that is commonly found in many restaurants and public eating-places consists of a frame for supporting an elevated seating surface. A seatback, arms and front cross member 18 serve to hold the child in place upon the seat 13. Located near the base of the frame are front and rear cross members. This design is particularly well suited for seating young children when the child is placed upon the seat 13 and secured in place in a normal fashion.

High chair trays are typically provided with release mechanisms to allow the tray to be removed to facilitate placing the infant in the high chair and removing him or her therefrom. These mechanisms generally comprise two latches or detent means, one on each side of the bottom surface of the tray, which are spring biased into corresponding slots or recesses incorporated into the arms of the chair. The latches are generally capable of securing the tray to the chair so as to prevent tipping or movement in the vertical direction when the tray is attached to the chair. The tray release mechanism is hand operable by means of levers connected to or formed as part of each latch or detent. In order to prevent the child from slipping or submarining out of the chair underneath the tray, some high chairs include some sort of restraint system which is typically a belt and buckle arrangement for fastening about the waist of the infant and preventing movement of the infant out of the seat without disconnecting the belt system. Some high chairs typically include a tray positioned in front of the high chair seat in order to prevent the child from falling out of the high chair, hold the food and drink, and catch any dropped food or spilled drink. The tray is positioned in front of the high chair back such that there is adequate space for the child to be seated.

High chairs have a very large number of features generally designed for the safety of the child and convenience of the mother. For safety purposes, particularly for young infants incapable of sitting up on their own, a seat belt is also provided to secure the child in position in the chair. In some designs a tray is provided with the high chair to provide a surface that the child can easily access. The tray serves to restrain the infant within the chair and provide a horizontal surface for holding food during feedings or toys or the like at other times. The chairs may be collapsible for storing or may have a non-collapsible fixed frame. Oftentimes straps, belts or other means are provided with the chair to secure the child in place. A foldable high chair includes a lock-release mechanism which is mounted on a back thereof to control relative movement between a chair back and an underlying seat and leg assembly. The lock-release mechanism can be actuated manually to permit the high chair to be folded from an unfolded use position to a partly folded safety stop position and a fully folded storage position.

Related information

May 31, 2008 | Filed Under Baby feeding