My toddler hates his high chair - help!

[ErinThist]

Heloo! I was wondering if anyone out there can help with my toddler who has started HATING sitting in his high chair?!!

He's 19 months old and previously was absolutely fine sitting in his chair at our dining room table (he's always been a good eater so no problems there), but in the last month he has become really independent about everything and is refusing to sit in the chair for mealtimes, snack times and he won't even do it for messy play or colouring books?? He's just started getting the concept of 'baby toys' and 'baby pram' so he shouts 'NO BABY CHAIR!' and goes berserk every time I try to put him in it! It's driving me insane as I'm having to give him dinner sitting on the floor on a rug which is appalling. Weirdly it doesn't happen so much when we go out in public and I am putting him in a high chair in a coffee shop or restaurant?!

I have tried loads of things, moved the chair to a different spot, giving him his favourite foods, bribery (even offering going to to park if he sits in the chair for dinner), moving the chair away from the table and using the tray... if anyone has any suggestions that would be so great.

Could you try a booster chair instead of a high chair. Generally they strap on to the regular dining chairs so he might feel more grown up.

www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_10751_-1_269522_10001?$ja=tsid:50292&cm_mmc=googlemerchantcenter--googleshopping--NULL--NULL&gclid=Cj0KEQiA-PGiBRDRz4jH9o39yZwBEiQAWCBZNbHvWOq9fZS8c8ARahVutIe41HvwPwsqg-xVvigW87MaAnOI8P8HAQ

We had something like this. John Lewis do them too. Call it his big boy chair from the start and he might go for it ...

A booster seat or a big boy chair is such a good idea! I had been persisting with using the high chair we have because I didn't want to give in to him, but this could be a halfway house where he still sits at the table but has a big boy chair!!! I had also been thinking it would be good to have something low down for him to use for colouring that I could move into my kitchen while I was cooking - maybe a booster seat and then a little table might work!

I had such a similar problem with my LG! At her nursery they all sit in low chairs in a circle to eat and she started hating her high chair (I also think because she wanted to be a big girl and she saw her highchair as a baby seat, it was plastic and a bit wobbly too which worried me when she had huge strops getting into it), she also went off using bibs at the same time!?

We got one of these chairs about a month ago from the Mamas & Papas website and it is brilliant, it has a low chair (with a tray) setting which made her really proud to sit her in 'toddle chair' (she calls it) and after a while she even sat back at the table in it (it can move between low or high chair, I do it all the time and it doesnt need screwing or anything)

www.mamasandpapas.com/product-knuma-highchair-natural/256402800/type-i/

Sounds like it might be perfect for your idea of moving him into the kitchen for playing while you cook too, it turns into a small chair and table!

It's by a company called Knuma - here is a picture of mine at the moment in the position my LG left it this morning! (apologies for the mess and washing too in the photo!)

We had similar with my DD who is 17m, tried a booster chair- problem solved!

We really bigged it up- grown up girl chair, what a big girl etc.

We had screaming with the high chair for a bit and refusal to go in it. A booster seat worked for us but dd will still sit happily in a high chair when out. (My nephew will still sit in his high chair at 4 so every kid is different.)

At nursery the bigger kids sat at a table so I think she quickly associated the high chair with being a baby and wanted to sit with them.

Another option is a mini table and chairs but it does take up space and is a bit odd when eating meals together as your dc won't be sitting with you.

That said we just got the high chair out for a baby who visited for lunch and now she is asking to go into the highchair again.

My daughter is just 2 and is now refusing her high chair, she wants to sit at the big table like her brother. Tbh I'm glad to get rid of it x

Mine both became high chair refusniks at about 18 months. They just knelt up on ordinary dining chairs.

Thank you so much for all your advice!!!! I have borrowed a booster seat from a friend but he's really not that keen either (grrr!) - I'm wondering if it's just become habit to hate his chair during eating time??

My chairs at my table aren't great for him to sit on (plastic and a bit non-solid) also I feel like I can't leave him on his own while I pop into the kitchen - he clambers off and once he nearly tipped one backwards!

I really love the look of the Mamas & Papas Knuma chair you mentioned JenJenCritch - it would be brilliant to bring into my kitchen and as a table and mini chair for him? How easily does it move from that into a high chair?

If he likes the chair as a small one with a table I would happily let him eat his dinner there!!!!

How about a cheap as chips option from Ikea? He can use it to draw / play at later. My dd still uses hers years later.

Little table and chair I mean. They have loads, plastic or wood.

The Knuma one is so great - my LO honestly adores it! You just move it by kind of lifting the chair and slotting it on top of the table then it's really sturdy too. One of the reasons I got it was because I thought I could use it for my next one too as a high chair so it would be worth the money!

The Knuma one is so great - my LO honestly adores it! You just move it by kind of lifting the chair and slotting it on top of the table then it's really sturdy too. One of the reasons I got it was because I thought I could use it for my next one too as a high chair so it would be worth the money!

(sorry i added that twice!)

We got a great chair for DS from ikea. Looks like a miniature breakfast bar stool! Had him kneeling on a dining chair but like you, had issues with him toppling it over so it was a great solution.

We got a great chair for DS from ikea. Looks like a miniature breakfast bar stool! Had him kneeling on a dining chair but like you, had issues with him toppling it over so it was a great solution.