Accident-proof your baby’s meals

Nearly 9,000 children suffered injuries related to high chairs in 2007, the latest year for which figures are available, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Some high-chair accidents have been fatal.

But you can help keep your baby safe from high chair hazards. Here’s how.

--Always use a high chair’s safety restraints, even in a reclining position. Never depend on the tray alone to do the job because it doesn’t prevent your child from standing up and possibly falling out of the chair. Most high chair injuries result from falls when restraining straps aren’t used or the child manages to wiggle out of them. Yet, the restraints aren’t failsafe, and they can provide a false sense of security, which is why your child should always be in view when he’s in a high chair. A child can stand in the chair and topple it. He can also slip under the tray and strangle when his head becomes trapped between the tray and the chair seat.

--On chairs that fold, be sure the locking device is engaged each time you set up the chair.

--Don’t let older children hang onto a chair or its tray, play around it, or climb into it, especially when your baby is in it. The chair could tip over.

--Don’t raise or lower the seat height with your child in the chair, if your chair is adjustable.

--Don’t adjust the high chair seat while your child is in the chair, if your high chair reclines.

--Don’t use the seat’s recline feature for infants who weigh more than the maximum (usually 20 pounds).

--Don’t lift or move a high chair with your child in it.

--Keep the chair away from a table, counter, wall, or other surface from which your child could push off with feet or hands. That can lead to tipping.

--Inspect the chair often. After your baby has been using the chair for a while, check to make sure it’s still in good shape. You’ll want to be sure the seat belt buckles and the wheel locks are secure, the chair and its reclining mechanism still lock into place, and any small parts remain firmly attached.

See our reports on high chairs and food choking hazards and children for more information.