How to Keep Your Kids Safe, Sitting in a High Chair

Emma Raizman, MD, is a pediatrician at Cleveland Clinic Children's who enjoys working with families and children, from newborns to adolescents.

You’d think a high chair would be safe for your child. But from what I’ve seen in my practice, and from the findings of this new study, there’s an alarming increase in the number of high chair and booster seat injuries.

Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus looked at high chair accidents involving children age 3 and under. They found about two-thirds of the accidents happen when the child stands up in the chair.

The best way to keep your child safe is to use the restraints that come with the chair. Use the 3-point or 5-point harness system that should be included. That includes the crotch strap secured well, so your child is sitting snugly and not wriggling around in the chair.

Establish a routine of using the high chair only for sitting for meals; do not let it be used for playtime.

Don’t leave your child unattended in the high chair. Don’t allow them to stand or climb in the chair.

Make sure the chair is far enough away from countertops and tables so kids can’t use their legs to push the chair over

There are also numerous emergency room visits per year for falls from regular chairs. As with high chairs, don’t let your children stand or play on chairs, or use them as ladders to reach high things.

Standing on or climbing on furniture is unsafe. It can tip or topple over, kids can fall onto hard surfaces and objects — and heavy object (like TVs) can fall onto them.