help...16mo standing up in her high chair?!

[tmarie]

We do belt her in but she twists out of it and stands up backwards, then looks like she is about to climb up on the chair back...yikes. Since she has learned to do this her eating has declined. She also loves to climb the couches, chairs, beds, etc....but I guess that is a separate problem. She knows what we mean when we say "sit," but just grins and says "nah." I have been trying to take her out of the chair when she does this, thinking that she will realize she isn't getting the rest of her meal, but it isn't working. Then she just points to her food like she wants to walk around with it--which of course I don't let her do. When we say no, she starts to cry. She is generally a really laid back, happy child, who recovers quickly from any upset. This is just getting to be a huge nuissance and its interfering with her eating. We have a Tripp Trapp for my 4yo but it doesn't seem secure enough for my little escape artist. She twists out of that belt too, and then tries to stand on that chair. :( Is this normal behavior for an active toddler???

tmarie

[ThreeofUs]

My DSs both did this as soon as they could, so it sounds normal to me.

We do three things to avert the danger (and heart attacks caused by turning around and seeing your baby peering over the back of their high chair!):
-only put them in when they're about to eat
-put o's and teething cookies, spoons and other toys on the tray to keep the little hands busy
-put up gates to both doors in the kitchen and put a pack-n-play behind the chair (we have a fairly big kitchen/b'fast room combo) and let the baby run while food is being prepared.

GL!

[wellyes]

My 19 month old does this too when she's bored or done eating. It's a PITA but we just keep an eye on her & only keep her in while she's eating.

Does your chair just have a belt, or doe it have shoulder harnesses too? If you don't have multi-point harness, that could be one thing to try - like the FP space-saver (just $50):

https://emarkcompanies.com/%7Ejohchi/images/J5933_b_1.jpg

[TwinFoxes]

I second the 5 point harness. I know our little D would be climbing out of the high chair if not for that. She's also been climbing on the furniture etc. Awesome to walk into a room to see her standing on a rocking chair. Not. And she's such a helper, she's teaching her sister to do the same thing, nice!

[tmarie]

Okay, I'm off to find a chair with five point harness. Now that I am looking at ours closely (it is 5yo!), it has the holes for the harness, but we must have lost it in between dd#1 and dd#2. We never needed it for #1! :) Hoping that works out for my climber....Thanks!

tmarie

[conniez]

DD2 just did this the other day & I HAVE the 5 point harness! I just ran to the bathroom for a minute to wash my hands & when I returned she was standing on the seat of her high chair grinning from ear to ear. Lucky for me she likes to rub it in & smirk at me for a while after she's been naughty or she probably would've fallen out of the chair!

[sarahsthreads]

Okay, I'm off to find a chair with five point harness. Now that I am looking at ours closely (it is 5yo!), it has the holes for the harness, but we must have lost it in between dd#1 and dd#2. We never needed it for #1! :) Hoping that works out for my climber....Thanks!

tmarie

What kind of chair do you have? We have a Fisher Price one and lost part of the harness (the crotch strap - the one part you actually can't use the harness without!!) and I was able to order a whole new harness for it for something ridiculously cheap like $6 including shipping.

I would imagine most major manufacturers would have parts to order rather than having to go buy a whole new high chair. :)

Sarah :)

[american_mama]

DS is 18 months and doing the exact same thing, with the exact same results (less eating, cruising the dining room, getting in trouble, interrupting dinner). We have a 5 point harness in the high chair and both of the strollers I use on a regular basis - matters not a whit. He gets out of all of them in less than a minute. I don't even buckle them much anymore.

Maybe it is a second and subsequent child phenonmenon. They want to see all the action that is going on around them. Our first child never did this, but the second one did and the third is worse.