Being a full time working mom who happens to specialize in feeding therapy, I only have a few hours of the day to spend with Gavin, one of which is typically dinner. This post highlights one of my most treasured products for our mealtimes, the SVAN High Chair.
When considering purchasing a high chair or feeding seat for your child, thinking of their posture and positioning should be your first priority for safety when eating. Consult with your pediatrician regarding your child’s readiness if you have any questions, but typically when first foods are presented, the child should have begun to develop head, neck and core (tummy) strength to sit upright.
Remember back to your geometry days and abide by the 90-90-90 rule. When looking at a child’s posture, there should be a 90 degree angle at the child’s hips, knees and ankles. Features of the SVAN High Chair that make it an excellent choice for feeding and playtime include the footplate/footrest and the safety guard with tray attachment that provides good side support for the child’s belly and midsection.
Most traditional high chairs do not have a footrest in general, and without this we couldn’t abide by the 90-90-90 rule! So for optimal positioning this is such an important feature that is a main part of the SVAN High Chair. When a child’s feet are supported, they have more stability in their midsection making it easier to concentrate on using the small muscles in their mouth for chewing and the fine muscles of their hand for good hand/eye coordination to eventually pick food up and bring it to their mouth. With young infants, as you see here with Gavin, he does prefer to kick his feet out when he’s happy, so don’t expect them to remain in a beautifully seated position for the entire duration of the meal.
Secondly, what the SVAN High Chair has, that I have NOT seen in similar chairs, which is the reason why this is now my high chair of choice, is the amount of support that is provided by the safety guard and tray to an infant’s midsection. Young children can get tired when eating over the course of a 20 minute mealtime so the more their body is supported, the more energy and attention they can channel into safely managing and chewing the food inside their mouth.
We set this chair up for Gavin around the age of 5 months. Before we began to introduce foods to him during mealtime, we put him in the chair several times a day with toys attached to the tray to allow him to play so he could get used to the chair, and I could make sure that he was appropriately positioned prior to presenting any food.
I enlisted the help of my husband to put this chair together prior to its use. During assembly he felt the chair was made of great quality, including both the wood and the screws provided. The holes were pre-drilled making it easier to
Due to the many finishes of the wood and colors of seat cushions, the SVAN High Chair fits completely with the decor inside my home. In fact, you probably wouldn’t even know I had a high chair at a quick glance. It is a well thought out design, and when the tray is removed, it can be attached directly to the back of the chair for storage. When Gavin is older, with the tray removed he will be able to sit directly at the table with us for family meals. He is now safely secured in the chair with a three point buckle. As he continues to advance, I’m sure eventually wanting to be a “big boy” in his own chair, the safety guard can eventually be removed. So as he grows into adulthood (seriously!), he can continue to eat, complete homework, play family games or participate in arts and crafts projects at the kitchen table with the best posture possible. If you have multiple children, due the specific adjustments that allow for a customized fit, you would most likely need one chair for each individual child.
Though this chair retails for about $240 for the chair with support guard/tray and $35 for the cushion, given all of its outstanding features it is well worth the investment for a chair that is well crafted to withstand the test of time.
The SVAN Chair was provided free by Scandinavian Child for my review. The BEABA feeding spoon seen in this post were purchased as a Christmas gift for Gavin by my mother, which was how I came to even know the brand existed as SVAN and BEABA are both Scandinavian Child brands. The Baby Bjorn soft bib Gavin is wearing was provided as a complimentary gift by Isis Parenting at an event that I attended promoting their services.
Photo Credits to Derek Wilmot, www.derekwilmot.com