A few months ago we decided to move Zach from his high-priced fancy-schmancy high chair to a cheaper, more portable booster where he could sit up at the table with us during dinner time. There were several reasons for this change, one of those being that the table was bigger than his high chair tray and the possibility of him actually throwing his plate over the table onto the floor would be reduced.
Zach took to the new chair right away. He was used to the chair as it had been used as a portable high chair for him when we traveled or were invited over for dinner at a friend’s house. For some reason, sitting up close to the table with Mom and Dad was exciting. He started eating better and the amount of food on the floor was reduced quite a bit. Since then he has found ways around the table and still manages to feed the dog half of his meal, but meal time feels more like family time now and I like that.
As he gets more and more proficient with telling us his wants and needs, he has started a few habits which I have tried to break. One of these habits is that he likes to push his chair away from the table when he is done eating (or is unhappy with the choices provided to him). This isn’t a problem except that the chair that his booster seat sits in has rubber feet on the bottom. When he tries to push himself back, the feet stick to the floor and instead of scooting back, he tips the chair. I generally watch him very closely because of this and we have been able to catch him before he pushes too far and tips the chair completely over…until this morning.
As I was getting ready to leave for work, Granny fixed Zach some breakfast. I put him in his chair to eat and then turned to get a sippy cup out for his milk. Before I even knew what had happened, I heard a crash and instantly knew what it was. He had finally managed to tip the chair over. The strap held him in the chair well and he even managed to lift his head up as he hit the floor so there was no major damage done. I think the worst of the damage was actually to my heart the instant I realized what had happened. He cried a little but I think it was more because it scared him rather than because it hurt. He’s a tough little guy.
Hopefully there won’t be any bumps and bruises on him when I get home, but I feel so bad for not being able to catch him this time. I’m not sure what to do about the chair. I certainly don’t want this to happen again. I might have to go back to the high chair that I know he can’t tip over.
