Chair for baby - good / bad?

[ecossegirl91]

Baby is 4m so can’t sit up unaided but sits up well when held up. He’s refluxy so does enjoy being sat up as opposed to lying down a lot on the play mat/gym. He’s starting to do little baby sit ups in what looks like preparation for learning to sit up which is good but I wondered about either of these baby chairs - nuby and m&p.

which one do you think would be better but also do you think they will delay his efforts to sit on his own and I should just wait for him to do that? I’m a ftm btw in case you can’t tell haha.

I think both are really expensive for what you’ll use for just a few months!

I made a little nest of cushions / pillows instead. If you have a breastfeeding pillow that’s the best as it’s curved anyway.

i have my pregnancy pillow which is the big long c shaped one - perhaps I could try that?

Sorry I meant to say pregnancy pillow not breastfeeding - yes that’s great! Try it!

Yeah I just used a breastfeeding pillow, works just as well! Or squish them into a corner of the sofa (supervised obv).

@Ostryga we had been doing the couch but due to the reflex he’s getting sick all over it (it’s fabric) so I was hoping to get him sat up on the hard floors for an easier clean 🙈😂

These chairs are not good for development. They’re forcing baby into a position they’re not ready to be in yet, which interferes with their own natural progression.

Baby shouldn’t be attempting sitting with support until 6-9 months.

We have this (looks similar to the mamas and papas one). It can go on the floor or attach to a dining chair.

We used it instead of a high chair. DS is still using it at the dining table now at 22 months so it’s been good value!

In answer to your general question though, I think it’s okay to support the baby to sit up with a chair etc, it won’t hinder their development. Must be supervised though.

baby-fair.co.uk/products/red-kite-pod-booster-seat-in-grey?variant=41531312537794&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=Cj0KCQiAutyfBhCMARIsAMgcRJTTowQBiBKvI1C9XxAIqBr2G61RjflSVp2xP__Jlf-hpETkjzY6YDEaAm9QEALw_wcB

Both my babies were sitting up by themselves by 5 1/2 months. If a baby is showing signs of sitting up with support it’s absolutely fine to let them do that. You don’t need to wait for 6-9 months!

Just to add to my answer, 4 months probably is a bit young for the kind of chair I linked to - but something to consider in the future.

I didn’t say you needed to wait, but it needs to be something baby is doing on their own.

Putting then in these chairs and deliberately sitting them up against cushions is not an action started by baby.

That’s the difference.

We have one of these that we got free off Facebook market place. She has probably used it about 6/7 times in total so I'm pleased we didn't pay for it. My baby sat up unaided at 5.5 months but I don't think this helped/encouraged her. I used a pregnancy pillow to support her to sit and then she developed from there.

Sorry posted to soon - we also used her high chair a lot from around 5 months to get her used to it. This was good as we could have her in the kitchen with us whilst we cooked etc. I tend to use the highchair now when I need her contained somewhere safe whilst I do jobs and she loves sitting there watching/playing with her toys.

I agree with this, the absolute best thing you can do is to allow a baby lots of space to move about unhindered. Babies will develop these skills in their own time when they are developmentally ready. Propping them up with cushions before they are ready probably doesn't do any harm, but it's not necessary to help them learn to sit up, and it's probably more beneficial for them to learn at their own pace.

I’ll give the pregnancy pillow a go.

im not trying to make him sit unaided before he’s ready but when we sit him up likes it (I think because of the reflux) and having him propped upright after feeds is essential but he’s getting a big heavy to consistently carry upright! 🙈

My baby had terrible reflux and hated lying flat or on her tummy - and she also had hip dysplasia so she was in a pavlik harness for months, then when that was removed we still had to be careful what we put her in (no jumperoos, bumbo seats etc). We were allowed to use the baby bjorn bouncer as it allows normal hip positioning and she could still sit in it in her harness. She wasn’t in it for hours on end but you do need something to put them in sometimes and she loved being in it - still does when I occasionally have to put her in it now and she’s 10 months. I used to put her in it after a bottle to help it stay down. We did next to no tummy time because of the harness and the reflux (she wouldn’t tolerate it in any form, she would scream until she was sick…and I would do anything to reduce the endless sick never mind the heartbreaking crying) but despite this and putting her in the bouncer occasionally she still sat up confidently on her own at 6 months, pulled to stand at 9 months and is now trying to walk. I worried so much about it at the time.

Oh and she’s never sick now. It reduced hugely when she was 7 months and now it doesn’t happen at all. It’s glorious! So I promise you, it does get better 🙂

@WorryMcGee thank you for this! Sometimes I think the sick is reducing then he goes ahead and proves me wrong 😂 I’m covered in Muslin cloths on a daily basis!

I've got the m&p chair. DD is nearly 5 months and is sitting unaided for a few seconds. You can only put baby in these chairs for 10 minutes at a time and DD usually wants out at around 10 minutes anyway. She loves it because she can sit and look at me and play. Normally when she's sitting I'm sat behind her in case she falls.
DD is really refluxy and constantly puking so hates being laid flat all of the time. She spends a lot of time in the bouncer so this gives her a break from that.

Okay, he likes it. So? As your children grows older they will want to do things they like which aren’t good for them.

It’s your job as a parent to not allow them to do things just because they want to if it isn’t good for them.

I also had a very refluxy baby. She was sick after every feed until 7/8 months. We never used anything like this with her and she was flat in her carrycot until 6 months because that’s what was best for her spine, developing bones and muscles.

If he needs to be upright then you sit down and hold him still or you get a sling to carry him around in.

Chairs and pillows will hinder natural development.

Not an action started by the baby? Most babies cannot get in to a seated position by themselves until quite some months later but it’s totally normal to sit the baby on your lap / on the floor between your legs / supported in some other kind of way

Most babies are able to sit way before they’re able to pull themselves in to a seated position

I suppose the difference is that if a baby is between your legs or on your lap, you can react to the way they move and adjust yourself accordingly, whereas in a seat or cushion they are just stuck there in one position.
Also, I would argue that if a baby can't pull themselves into a seated position themselves they don't need to be in one (supported by a seat or cushions).
This is only my opinion though, as I said before, I don't think that using cushions, seats etc does any harm, I just don't believe, based on what I've read and observed, that they are necessary for optimal development.

I was given something like the m&p one (an older model in very bright colours) and my DS liked it from just before 4 months, but was sitting unsupported from 5 months, so the window of use was quite short. He would sit it it and play with the toys for about 10 min maybe twice a day, so it was useful at those times.

If your baby likes to be propped up on cushions, I think he would like it. I wouldn't have thought it good value if I bought it new though - have a look on marketplace/gumtree and see if you can find a second hand one?

Like @wishuponastar1988 I started putting DS in his highchair quite early and he really loved that - being higher up meant he could see what was going on. He loves to watch me unloading the dishwasher for example and I could put it in the bathroom when I took a shower rather than leaving him on the floor. Occasionally also used the pushchair for this!

Some babies are happy lying on the floor with their toys. Other babies are not - because they have reflux and are uncomfortable or because they are just frustrated about all the things they can't do, or they want to be close to you or whatever. So long as your baby is safe and not spending hours of the day in the same place popping him in a supportive chair for a bit is no difference than putting them in the car seat or the pushchair or a sling/carrier.

popping him in a supportive chair for a bit is no difference than putting them in the car seat or the pushchair or a sling/carrier.

a) it isn’t a supportive chair because it doesn’t support baby’s development; it actively hinders it

b) an infant car seat is specifically designed to recline in parts to keep baby safe

c) baby shouldn’t be in a pushchair until 6 months due to baby’s growing bones and spine in particular

d) a sling/carrier is not forcing them into an unnatural position that hinders development

Sorry, that last post was to @FrizzledFrazzle

@FoxInSocksSatOnBlocks respectfully, your tone is a bit hostile. The OP is seeking advice. I think there’s a bit of a difference between @ecossegirl91 allowing her child to do whatever they want, whenever they want, and the use of an appropriate baby chair for a short period. It’s great you were able to do without one, not everyone has that luxury. Sometimes you do need somewhere safe to put them for a short period and many reflux babies will not be laid flat without getting extremely distressed.

As I mentioned in another post, my baby had DDH and will remain under a paediatric physiotherapist until she is walking. Her specialists have said the occasional use of hip healthy “containers” (including slings, we were given a list of hip healthy ones and had to bring it in so it was adjusted correctly and we knew how to position DD in it) is absolutely fine. The emphasis is on occasional, and making sure the “container” is an appropriate one in the first place. Yes it’s true that many of the seats/walkers/jumpers/carriers etc that are sold are not good for developing babies - but this is why the OP has come here, she’s looking for advice not judgement.

I should add that the bouncer I’m referring to is not a “seat” in the true sense (I’m just used to calling it her “chair”) it’s more an ergonomic support that isn’t flat.