Why Your Baby’s High Chair Needs a Footrest

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<v SPEAKER_1>Are you trying to squeeze the starting solid food stuff into your already busy schedule?

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<v SPEAKER_1>Well, I have an all-in-one, done-for-you solution that's going to take the guesswork out of feeding your baby.

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<v SPEAKER_1>My online program is called Baby-Led Weaning With Katie Ferraro.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It contains all of my Baby-Led Weaning training videos, the original 100 First Foods content library, plus 100-day meal plan with recipes, like the exact sequence of which foods to feed in which order.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So if you want to stop trying to piece all this feeding stuff together on your own, I would be honored if you would join me inside of the program.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You can get signed up at babyledweaning.co.

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<v SPEAKER_1>program.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Checking in about food allergies and introducing allergenic foods and have you done peanut with your baby yet?

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<v SPEAKER_1>Well, intact nuts and thick globs of nut butter, like peanut butter, are choking hazards for babies, but we want to get that peanut protein into your baby early and often in order to help lower the risk of peanut allergy down the road.

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<v SPEAKER_1>My absolute favorite way to introduce peanuts for babies is using the PuffWorks Baby Peanut Puffs.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So when you hear puffs, you're probably like, oh, those starchy little puff things.

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<v SPEAKER_1>No, no, no.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Not the little ones that earlier eaters can't pick up, those kind of crappy puffs from the store that have added sugar and refined grains and lots of salt.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The PuffWorks Baby Peanut Puffs have no added sugar.

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<v SPEAKER_1>They have just a smidge of sodium for preservatives and they are the perfect size for baby-led weaning.

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<v SPEAKER_1>They're about the size of your adult pinky finger.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So baby can pick them up, self-feed them, but they're so soft that they dissolve in your baby's mouth.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So you can introduce these peanut puffs even before your baby has teeth.

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<v SPEAKER_1>PuffWorks also makes a baby almond puff for the safe introduction of a separate allergenic food category, that's tree nuts.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And now finally, PuffWorks put out a combo case.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So it's half baby peanut and half baby almond.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So if you wanna grab one case, then you can knock out two new allergenic foods.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We do these on different days though.

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<v SPEAKER_1>These are just the no stress, low mess way to get peanut and tree nut out of the way.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So you can get 15% off everything at puffworks.com when you use the affiliate discount code BLWPOD.

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<v SPEAKER_1>That's a new code, it's B-L-W-P-O-D.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Use that sucker at checkout at puffworks.com and get peanut and tree nut safely out of the way.

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<v SPEAKER_1>If your baby's legs are dangling or not sitting flat on a surface, then there's an increased risk of choking because when your baby starts solid foods, they're going to gag on food.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And when your baby gags on food, what do they do?

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<v SPEAKER_1>They stomp their feet down to stabilize and engage their core, and then they utilize those core muscles as well as their mouth muscles to push the piece of food forward and out of the airway.

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<v SPEAKER_1>If there's no foot rest, there's no stability, and then there's a resultant increased risk of choking.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Hey there, I'm Katie Ferraro, registered dietitian, college nutrition professor, and mom of seven, specializing in baby-led weaning.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Here on the Baby-Led Weaning With Katie Ferraro podcast, I help you strip out all of the noise and nonsense about feeding, giving you the confidence and knowledge you need to give your baby a safe start to solid foods using baby-led weaning.

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<v SPEAKER_1>When it comes to choosing a high chair, if you're looking at new high chairs, they run the gamut from super cheap to crazy expensive.

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<v SPEAKER_1>There are bare bones high chairs with safe features, and then there's chairs that have tons of bells and whistles that could actually endanger your baby.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The most expensive high chair is not necessarily the safest, but the cheapest high chair out there needs modification to make it safe.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And that's what we're going to be covering in this episode.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So if you're trying to choose a safe seat for your baby to eat, I know that this is likely the biggest purchase related to starting solid foods that you'll be making.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And you might be surprised to learn that most high chairs out there do not contain a very important safety feature, which is a footrest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And a footrest, not just a footrest, but a footrest that your baby's feet can actually reach.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So in this episode, we're talking about why your baby's high chair needs a footrest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And I like to start out each of these mini training episodes with a baby-led weaning tip of the day.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And today's tip is, even if your baby's feet can't reach the footrest on your existing chair, it does not mean you need to go out and buy a new chair.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Like I've literally had parents get mad at me, like, I got a crappy high chair from my baby shower and it doesn't have footrest, or the baby's feet told me, you know, what am I gonna do?

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<v SPEAKER_1>Chill, hang tight.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Because in this episode, I'm gonna share some of my favorite tips for DIY-ing, so making your own homemade footrest to either fix or improve your existing chair.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So let me tell you a quick story.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I do a lot of content on Instagram about high chairs and footrests and helping parents who are just starting out with solid foods.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And so one of the moms that I was working with at my town, I live outside of San Diego, it was a friend whose baby was getting close to seven months of age.

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<v SPEAKER_1>She wasn't sitting on her own.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The mom was worried.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I was like, come over, bring your baby.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We'll see if she's ready.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Bring your high chair.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I'll help you get set up in it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I usually use the Stokke Tripp Trapp high chairs.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I have those in my house that I've used for my own children and I use in my infant feeding practice.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But it's always nice to help families with like the actual chair that they have, right?

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<v SPEAKER_1>Because it's one thing to go sit in one chair and then go home and your situation is totally different.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So this mom had the Stokke Click high chair.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So same manufacturer, slightly different design.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The foot rest is remarkably different.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It claims to have an adjustable foot rest, which technically it does, but it doesn't adjust to very many levels.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I like the Stokke Click.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I've used it before, but we always need to modify the foot rest on that one because it adjusts at like really big intervals that don't match up with, because your baby doesn't grow in one inch intervals.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So we have to do some intermediary DIYing with the high chair foot rest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I brought the baby over.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We wanted to help her sit in the high chair.

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<v SPEAKER_1>She wasn't sitting on her own yet, but just to do some pre-feeding skills, her feet weren't resting.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So what I'll usually do is, especially for the Stokke click, I love to do a yoga block that I'll affix with a bungee cord to kind of elevate that foot rest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>That wasn't working for this particular baby, because she was almost seven months of age.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So she was too high with the yoga block and too low with the foot rest the way it was.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So then sometimes I'll look for phone books, which is funny because no one has phone books, but I say phone books.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I actually take them from my mom's house.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I don't know why she still has them, but they're really good for making foot rest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But this particular high chair foot rest, the phone book was too big.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I found this cookbook that I love and use all the time.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I'm gonna put the cookbook there.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And then we did it with Bungee Cords.

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<v SPEAKER_1>We made some reels out of it.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And a lot of people that have that high chair were like, oh my gosh, thank you so much.

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<v SPEAKER_1>This is so helpful.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And then of course there's one comment that was like, this is so disrespectful to books.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Basically the fact that the baby was putting her feet on the book.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And it was like, or something like, this is a great way to teach kids how to be disrespectful to books.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I mean absolutely no disrespect to your books or your yoga blocks if you're using them to make your baby's high chair safer.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You use stuff that you have around your house.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The point is to get your baby's feet resting flat on a solid foot plate.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And we're going to talk about why that's important today.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So this idea that baby's high chairs would benefit from having an adjustable foot rest, it sounds like a simple statement, like what should I look for in a high chair?

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<v SPEAKER_1>You should look for a high chair with a foot rest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But every time I put it into social media posts or write about foot rest, people go crazy.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And they'll say things like, the chair I got in my baby shower, it's super fancy and it doesn't have a foot rest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Or why does a foot rest matter if the seat is where the baby sits on their bottom and not on their feet?

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<v SPEAKER_1>The deal with the foot rest is that it stabilizes your baby's core.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And your baby needs a stable core to support and facilitate a safe swallow.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So if your baby's legs are dangling or are not sitting flat on a surface, there is an increased risk of choking.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Because when your baby starts solid foods, they are going to gag on food.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Okay, and we cover gagging a lot in this podcast.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But when your baby gags on food, what do they do?

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<v SPEAKER_1>They stomp their feet down to stabilize and engage their core.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And then they utilize their core muscles as well as their mouth muscles to push the piece of food forward and out of their airway.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So if there is no foot rest, there is no stability, and then there is a resultant increased risk of choking.

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<v SPEAKER_1>People say, oh yeah, well, why are there high chairs for sale if they're not safe?

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<v SPEAKER_1>So there are many high chairs out there that do not have foot rest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>As a dietician specializing in baby-led weaning, I would not recommend any of those chairs.

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<v SPEAKER_1>If you want to give your baby the safest start to solid foods, you do need a foot rest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So two of my favorite high chairs were designed by the same person, Peter Opsvik.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So Peter Opsvik designed the Stokke Tripp, Trapp high chair in 1972 and then the newer Nomi high chair in 2013.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Both of these seats have adjustable seats and adjustable foot rests.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And they're adjustable with regard to both height and depth.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So, and as Peter Opsvik says, this is a quote, it is the feet that control most of our movements, including when we are seated.

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<v SPEAKER_1>This is why it's important to have a broad and solid foot support adjusted at the correct height.

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<v SPEAKER_1>This floor provides the child with control over his own body movements and it facilitates movement and a continuous change of sitting posture.

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<v SPEAKER_1>That's the end of the quote.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So the reason why I like Opsvik's chairs, they are incredibly durable high chairs.

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<v SPEAKER_1>They grow with your child through adolescence.

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<v SPEAKER_1>There are some pros and cons to each of them, but both the Stokke Tripp, Trapp and the Nomi high chair have adjustable foot rests.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, what if your current high chair doesn't have a foot rest?

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<v SPEAKER_1>If your current high chair does not have a foot rest, there are a few workarounds.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So one thing we can do is pull a hard bottomed chair up underneath your baby's high chair and use boxes to DIY a foot rest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You're likely going to need to affix the boxes.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I think bungee cords work great.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I've seen families do string or yarn or whatever works to get that stable foot rest and you can just use simple items that you find around your house.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, if there is a foot rest, but your baby's feet don't reach that, that's when we have to do some adjustments.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I like, again, the yoga blocks that you can affix with a bungee cord.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Sometimes I'll use textbooks or cookbooks to elevate the foot rest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>If you're using a feeding table or a folding bench, that makes a quick and a safe foot rest solution.

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<v SPEAKER_1>For those of you that have the ubiquitous Ikea high chair, the Ikea Antelope chair, this is not my favorite high chair.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's way too big for babies who are starting solid foods and it doesn't have a foot rest.

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<v SPEAKER_1>But I love the aftermarket foot rest created for the Ikea Antelope chair that the company Yay Baby Goods produces.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So they created the original model and design for this wooden foot plate that attaches onto that high chair.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So it's a $20 high chair and about a $25 foot rest, but it's so important for 25 bucks, you can basically fix that high chair.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, there are other products that you can buy.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Some of them are better than others, but at the end of the day, you want as hard or as firm of a surface where you can get your baby's feet to be resting flat, meaning that their ankles are gonna be at that 90 degree angle.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So some of the chairs have foot rests.

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<v SPEAKER_1>You might see a foot rest, but it's like, oh my gosh, this is for when the baby is bigger, like toddler age.

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<v SPEAKER_1>What we're really aiming for here is to have a foot rest that your baby's feet can rest on, right?

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<v SPEAKER_1>Right when they're starting solid foods, that's where they're at the highest risk for choking.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So we wanna do all we can to reduce the baby's risk of choking.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I love chairs that have an adjustable foot rest that can grow as your baby gets bigger as well.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Hey, we're gonna take a quick break, but I'll be right back.

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<v SPEAKER_1>This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Now, when it comes to safe high chair positioning, I explain the importance of your baby's feet resting flat on the solid footplate in order to reduce the risk of choking.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The safest position for your baby when they're sitting in their high chair is that we want their back flat.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Okay, we want your baby's waist at a 90 degree angle, their knees at a 90 degree angle, and their ankles at a 90 degree angle.

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<v SPEAKER_1>So I call that the three by 90 setup.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Again, the most important part there is the baby's back is flat and their feet are resting flat on the solid footplate, you are achieving that three by 90 setup.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And again, most high chairs are way too big for infants who are starting solid foods.

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<v SPEAKER_1>They sold you that high chair that fit your baby at six months of age.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Again, you'd be so mad because they'd outgrow it and you'd need a new chair.

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<v SPEAKER_1>I don't want you buying a new chair every three months.

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<v SPEAKER_1>The point is to buy one chair that will grow with your baby.

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<v SPEAKER_1>And I like to remind parents that you are going to be feeding your baby out of this high chair at least three times a day for the indefinite future.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Some families really will balk at the cost of buying, oh my gosh, the high chair is like $100 used.

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<v SPEAKER_1>$100 used, yes.

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<v SPEAKER_1>These are the same families, by the way, that have like a $1,200 stroller system.

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<v SPEAKER_1>Like, are you using that fancy stroller three times a day?

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<v SPEAKER_1>No, sell that, take the money and go buy a used Tripp Trapp.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's a little bit harder to buy a used Nomi because again, it's a newer chair.

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<v SPEAKER_1>It's not as prolific, especially in the United States.

00:13:41.107 --> 00:13:42.827

<v SPEAKER_1>It's certainly very popular in Europe.

00:13:43.327 --> 00:13:47.107

<v SPEAKER_1>But at the end of the day, there are other chairs and other solutions out there.

00:13:47.127 --> 00:13:53.947

<v SPEAKER_1>And I'm gonna link to some of my other chair recommendations that have footrests on them, although some of them do need to be modified.

00:13:54.327 --> 00:14:02.827

<v SPEAKER_1>If you're choosing between the Tripp Trapp and the Nomi, I think one of the benefits to the Nomi is certainly that it's a fluid adjustment with regard to the seat and the footplate height.

00:14:02.847 --> 00:14:07.907

<v SPEAKER_1>There's a knob that you turn and you slide the footrest up or down, you slide the seat up or down.

00:14:07.927 --> 00:14:13.207

<v SPEAKER_1>And you need to do this periodically as your baby is getting bigger so that they continue to achieve that three by 90 setup.

00:14:13.627 --> 00:14:22.527

<v SPEAKER_1>I love the Tripp Trapp, but having to get the Allen wrench out and the tools to change the footrest and the seat plate, it's like ranks up there, like my absolute least favorite household chore.

00:14:22.767 --> 00:14:25.507

<v SPEAKER_1>And there was a time, so I had seven kids, three and under for a while.

00:14:25.527 --> 00:14:33.407

<v SPEAKER_1>They all were in Tripp Trapp's, and I would mark it on the chairs where I would want my husband to change the footrest and the seat, and it would take him like all day basically.

00:14:34.027 --> 00:14:36.707

<v SPEAKER_1>That's 14 different things to pull out and change.

00:14:36.727 --> 00:14:37.667

<v SPEAKER_1>It's a little bit of a bear.

00:14:38.247 --> 00:14:44.327

<v SPEAKER_1>Whether you do it for one kid or you do it for seven kids, it's kind of a pain in the neck, but you gotta be changing that footrest height and the seat height.

00:14:44.347 --> 00:14:46.867

<v SPEAKER_1>That's the point of the chair and why it works so well.

00:14:47.307 --> 00:14:53.787

<v SPEAKER_1>So if you've got one of these huge high chairs where your baby's swimming around, the goal is to get their baby's back flat, right?

00:14:53.807 --> 00:14:58.127

<v SPEAKER_1>We don't want any angling or leaning backward as that opens the airway and increases the risk of choking.

00:14:58.427 --> 00:15:07.487

<v SPEAKER_1>So in order to achieve a flat back, we sometimes will roll up a dish towel or a receiving blanket or whatever you have lying around the house, but stick it in there behind your baby's back to get their back flat.

00:15:07.947 --> 00:15:17.107

<v SPEAKER_1>If their legs are sticking out and are not at a 90 degree angle, you've gotta get that baby's bottom scooched forward so those knees bend at 90 degrees.

00:15:17.367 --> 00:15:25.287

<v SPEAKER_1>Ideally, we wanna get the table or the tray height at or below your baby's breastbone, your baby should be easily able to cross their midline when seated in the high chair.

00:15:25.547 --> 00:15:29.807

<v SPEAKER_1>And a lot of parents are like, but wait a minute, the baby's tray is like coming up to the neck of the high chair.

00:15:30.187 --> 00:15:32.827

<v SPEAKER_1>Ideally, with Baby-Led Weaning, we don't want the tray.

00:15:32.927 --> 00:15:38.667

<v SPEAKER_1>If you can pull your baby's chair up to the table, that's how Peter Opsvik designed both the Tripp, Trapp and the Nomi.

00:15:38.687 --> 00:15:40.867

<v SPEAKER_1>He originally designed those two high chairs without trays.

00:15:41.227 --> 00:15:49.467

<v SPEAKER_1>Parents get so mad because the company sells the trays separately, but the point of the chair is that the baby can be at the table enjoying a meal from their first bites.

00:15:49.847 --> 00:15:54.187

<v SPEAKER_1>Now, if you have a counter height or a bar height table, high chairs don't reach that high.

00:15:54.207 --> 00:15:56.127

<v SPEAKER_1>They would not be able to pass what's called the tip test.

00:15:56.447 --> 00:15:59.807

<v SPEAKER_1>So you sometimes will need the tray if you only have a counter again or bar height.

00:16:00.107 --> 00:16:08.047

<v SPEAKER_1>But if you have a regular height table, our goal is to take the tray off, get the baby secured safely with either the restraint, what I call the little baby jail, or the straps.

00:16:08.067 --> 00:16:10.287

<v SPEAKER_1>If you have a different chair, bring them up to the table.

00:16:10.367 --> 00:16:15.787

<v SPEAKER_1>But in a lot of chairs, you will need to scooch their bottom forward so that they can get that knees at the 90 degree angle.

00:16:16.107 --> 00:16:18.647

<v SPEAKER_1>So again, I'll share some of my favorite high chairs.

00:16:19.007 --> 00:16:21.547

<v SPEAKER_1>There's a link in the description if you want to check them out.

00:16:21.827 --> 00:16:32.807

<v SPEAKER_1>We do a whole module in the pre-feeding section of My Baby-Led Weaning With Katie Ferraro course, all about how to choose a safe seat for your baby to eat, along with some discount codes for some of these different high chairs.

00:16:32.807 --> 00:16:37.507

<v SPEAKER_1>If you want to check that out, it's at babyledweaning.co.

00:16:37.727 --> 00:16:43.007

<v SPEAKER_1>You can check out the show notes for this episode if you go to blwpodcast.com forward slash seven.

00:16:43.387 --> 00:16:45.907

<v SPEAKER_1>And a special thank you to our partners at Airwave Media.

00:16:46.067 --> 00:16:51.667

<v SPEAKER_1>If you like podcasts that feature food and science and using your brain, check out some of the podcasts from Airwave Media.

00:16:51.887 --> 00:16:54.367

<v SPEAKER_1>We're online at blwpodcast.com.

00:16:54.627 --> 00:17:01.147

<v SPEAKER_1>And if you get a good DIY footrest situation going on the chair at your home, will you please send me a picture?

00:17:01.167 --> 00:17:01.807

<v SPEAKER_1>You can DM me.

00:17:01.827 --> 00:17:04.287

<v SPEAKER_1>I'm on Instagram at babyledweeneteam.

00:17:04.747 --> 00:17:07.707

<v SPEAKER_1>I have seen over the years some of the most creative solutions.

00:17:08.047 --> 00:17:11.027

<v SPEAKER_1>There recently was a dad who, I guess he was really into knots.

00:17:11.127 --> 00:17:14.907

<v SPEAKER_1>So he did this piece of plywood tied with some, I don't want to call it yarn.

00:17:14.927 --> 00:17:17.707

<v SPEAKER_1>It was like string or something durable looking twine maybe.

00:17:17.967 --> 00:17:19.527

<v SPEAKER_1>And he did these different knots.

00:17:19.547 --> 00:17:20.867

<v SPEAKER_1>One was called a trucker's knot.

00:17:20.887 --> 00:17:21.907

<v SPEAKER_1>I always remember that.

00:17:22.147 --> 00:17:26.587

<v SPEAKER_1>But we see parents with boxes and tapes and yoga blocks and whatever works for you.

00:17:26.607 --> 00:17:29.567

<v SPEAKER_1>But try to get those baby's feet resting flat on that solid foot plate.

00:17:30.027 --> 00:17:35.447

<v SPEAKER_1>And then remember, even when you do start you guys to continually be checking that high chair positioning.

00:17:35.467 --> 00:17:41.207

<v SPEAKER_1>Cause as your baby gets bigger, their seat height will need to be adjusted and their foot rest height will need to be adjusted as well.

00:17:41.527 --> 00:17:43.187

<v SPEAKER_1>I hope you found this information helpful.

00:17:43.207 --> 00:17:45.007

<v SPEAKER_1>Thank you so much for listening and I'll see you next time.

00:17:45.207 --> 00:17:45.567

<v SPEAKER_1>Bye now.