Keep your Baby Close - Highchairs
Family Dinners are more important than you think.
How eating together makes your baby smarter and healthier:
There’s no denying it, the dinner table is the heart of family life. Research has also shown the critical role it plays in strengthening your bonds, and in helping your child’s development.
Studies have shown that dinnertime chat is even more important for boosting your child's vocabulary than reading aloud. Young children learn 1,000 rare words at the dinner table, compared to only 143 from books. This increased vocabulary means your kids will read earlier and more easily.
If your kids are school-aged, having them join you at the dinner table is possibly more important for their grades than making sure they get enough time in school, doing homework, playing sports or making art.
There’s also a connection between family dinners and a bunch of health benefits – your kids will eat more fruit and veg, which may be why young adults who ate with their families as teens often have healthier eating habits and are less likely to be obese. Studies have also found that family dinners make kids happier, and less likely to suffer from depression or engage in risky behaviours.
Embed family dinner habits early
While you and your partner may have preferred to eat in front of the TV, your new baby should begin to change all that. The sooner you can establish the ritual of family dinners the better – ideally from infancy when they’re busy learning rules, words and habits.
That can be easier said than done if you don’t have the right equipment. Highchairs are generally designed for older babies, and with little thought to facilitating family dinners. With bulky construction and a tray in the way, it’s almost impossible to get your baby close enough to the table to be part of the family dynamic. It’s why many parents end up feeding their babies separately and away from the table.
For older children, adult chairs (even with boosters or cushions) can make dinner times just feel like hard work. Seated too low for their food, and with feet dangling, they can quickly become uncomfortable so they’re less able to concentrate on their meal, and on the family chit-chat going on around them.
While you can find solutions for all of these issues for each stage, there are highchair systems that can grow alongside your baby, from infancy all the way to adulthood.
Stokke® highchairs for easy family dinners from birth up
The Tripp Trapp® and Steps™ highchairs from Stokke are designed to do just that, with fully adjustable seats and footrests.
Clip on the safe, ergonomically designed Tripp Trapp or Steps Newborn Set and you can have your baby with you at the table right from the start. Perfect positioning and excellent leg support let your little one relax and enjoy the family time. It’s a great way to help your baby build strong relationships with the whole family – and means one parent isn’t absent from the dinner table.
Once your baby can sit up unsupported, it’s time for the baby set for Tripp Trapp or for Steps to keep them safe, supported and comfortable at the table. Cushions are available for both the Tripp Trapp and Steps systems, too.
Silicone EZPZ™ mats for the Tripp Trapp and Steps chairs have built-in bowls to minimise spillage. They can be used with the Tripp Trapp or Steps trays or placed directly on your dinner table. Older children will also enjoy the Tripp Trapp Table Top Tray, with their suction bases and fun, educational motifs.
The Tripp Trapp’s timeless Scandinavian design was first produced in 1976 and hasn’t changed since. Steps is a newer addition to the Stokke family, with a look to complement a range of interior styles. Both chairs come in a range of colours to mix and match to your home décor and with a warranty when you register your new chair’s serial number - Tripp Trapp is 7 years and Steps is 3 years.
Get the best from your family meals
Do yourselves and your children a big favour – don’t let television horn in on precious and valuable family meal times. The dinner table has been shown to be the best place for all kinds of learning and development, including vocabulary, eating habits, relationships and life-long health.
Even when you understand the vital importance of family meals, it can be hard logistically to include your kids right from the start – tradition highchairs don’t help much! It’s good to know that Stokke® can provide a Tripp Trapp® or Steps™ seating system, allowing your kids to join the family meal right from newborn, and get the very best start possible.
