Homemade Child Chair

Dimensions

• Make the chair based on your child's measurements. A toddler chair can have a seat that is as low as only six inches off the ground, especially since very young toddlers still are learning about balance and cannot climb well until they're a little older. If your child is a little older, make the seat height higher. The average seat height is around a foot. A chair that is about two feet high, a foot deep, and a foot and a half wide will fit most children. Measure your child before starting your chair to get a custom fit.

Stability

• Stability is by far the biggest safety issue for your homemade child chair. You can make your chair more stable by modifying the chair legs. Instead of making chair legs that are exactly perpendicular to the ground, angle the legs out slightly (no more than 45 degrees) so that they point approximately toward 2, 4, 8, and 10 o'clock. The leg bottoms and tops will need to be angled to accommodate this so that the legs sit flush with the chair bottom and the floor. This makes the chair more stable by ensuring the weight is spread out over a larger area via the wider base. Secondly, avoid having a chair on tall legs; short, stocky designs are best because they are less likely to tip due to the difference in the center of gravity.

Comfort and Additional Safety

• If you decide to add features to the chair that might make it more comfortable (e.g., cushions), then make sure that all the features are washable. Little kids love to take their favorite marker, juice cup, or peanut butter cracker where they sit, so washable materials will keep the chair looking fresh and prevent bacteria from growing. If you must connect the cushion to the chair base, opt for things like buttons or snaps rather than ties. Children get fascinated by ties, which can end up being a strangulation hazard. Buttons and snaps have no dangling parts and are harder for little fingers to get apart. Elastic bands in covers work well to hold cushions in place, as well.

Personalization

• Make the chair features something in which your child has an interest. For instance, you could paint their name on the chair back, or have a cushion that features a familiar toy or character like Winnie the Pooh. Other ideas for personalization might include painting the chair with a nontoxic paint in a color the child likes or putting a few stickers on it. When you are all done with the chair, you also can give them a kid-sized cuddle blanket that they can wrap up in whenever they sit in their chair. The more cozy you make the chair seem, the more likely the child is to use it.