Mumsnet Talk

My ds used to sit fine in his highchair to eat now he cries and constantly wriggles and triea to climb out of it. He can even get out of the harness! A baby strait jacket wouldn't keep this one in!

I've tried toys etc to hold his attention but they don't work. He is 8 amd 1/2 months, very inquisitive and always on the move. Maybe he has just found a new skill and it will wear off!

Any advice would be welcome.

They'll grow out of it! DD can get out of any non 5 point harnesses. And if I try to keep her in a 5-point one, she'll scream blue murder. What I do is put her down on the floor when she started climbing onto the highchair tray. (I used to not let her stand on the highchair, but I've relaxed on that one). It just usually means she's bored with sitting there and eating. Once she went to play a bit, she might come back and try to climb back onto the highchair. Now at nearly 20mo, she's better in that she'll eat all her food in one go before she 'gestures' to leave the table.

And make sure your highchair is very sturdy and stable. Mine stays up even with DD trying to climb out of it, straddling the side. (It's a ikea antilop). I found some of the highchairs when eating out aren't stable at all. She's tipped some over and I've learned how to eat with one feet on one of the low horizontal bars on the highchair. (Very unlady like, but that's what being a mum reduced me to ). And some of the booster chairs are truly unsafe too.

Thanks for your reply.

It's an ikea one i have too...he likes to hold onto the legs and walk with it

I'm hoping the novelty of doing this will wear off!

Haha, DD still walks with the highchair. And pushing the pram is one of her favourite things when out.

Oh he is still to figure out the pram!

The joys

i am so glad you added this DS is the same he's 9mo, i go to a baby group at a soft play every week and all the babies sit happily in thier high chairs while DS goes mad trying to get out! so glad im not the only one

I just avoid the high chair until food is ready at home then make meal times quick. He's better when he's eating something he can feed himself

BTW, if you aren't eating at the same time with your DS, you can try a low table/chair set. You can buy them in ikea. At nursery, DD was sitting at the table with the older kids before 1yo. (I can't remember exactly when). At the time, she couldn't even figure out how to climb onto the toddler chair and turn herself around to sitting position. She started climbing out of the highchairs in nursery so they tried her at the table. She loved it. I remember how proud I felt when much older toddlers at nursery were still eating in their highchairs . It just made her look so grown up. And so tiny looking at the same time. Her legs were on the chair like a baby, and not hanging down over the front, iyswim.

Agree with lola about minimizing the time your LO has to sit at the table. Active babies get bored easily I think.

I agree with limiting the highchair-time to when there's food on the table that he's actually eating. And if you can take the tray off and pull it up to the table so you eat with him, that's even better.

I tried taking the tray off last night...it kept him in the chair for a little longer but not much and then he tried to climb onto the table. Even when he's feeding himself he is still climbing out! I think I might look into a table and chair for him, that's a good idea and he might like it. Even if he doesn't he will grow into it anyway.

He has always been a wee active baby and a nosey parker to boot!

I think we just need to persevere but it's good to know we're not the only ones. It just makes eating out a bit difficult but that's not the end of the world really.

He is starting nursery next week so a I better warn them...maybe he will behave better as there will be more going on to interest him.

He's doing well if he's climbing at 8.5 months!

He has been climbing and cruising for about a month...god help me when he can walk unaided! At least I'll be fit

Someone recently said to me while laughing that it won't be long before I move all my pics and ornaments...they may be right!

Mine was a climber before she can walk or cruise! She was up and down the stairs at 9mo I remember. And it get much worse when she's a toddler. For example she can pull the dining chairs out, climb on them and them onto the tables!