Childshape Chair

A hat tip to Ohdeedoh reader Elizabeth for tipping us off to these task chairs for young children. "Childshape" isn't just a catchy name. The manufacturer used the measurements of thousands of children to ensure that the dimensions of these chairs are truly child-shaped. The chairs are available in three sizes, and the company even provides a detailed sizing chart to ensure you pick the right size for your child and table.

Made of solid maple, these ergonomically correct chairs are designed specifically for the needs of the 2-to-4-year-old set. The optional seat belt, combined with the armrests, is intended to contain even the liveliest preschoolers.

$67-71 at Community Playthings

See the sizing chart.

Comments (3)

It looks nice, hope it is natural as well.

posted by www.linenkids.com on August 13th 2009 at 5:56am
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Uummmm, is it just me or does this chair look like the Mojo chair 2 posts above?

posted by burnttoast on August 17th 2009 at 5:38pm
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Actually, this chair is nothing like the Mojo chairs. Part of the ITERS (Infant Toddler Environment Rating System) and ECERS (Early Childhood Environment Rating System) guidelines used to grade and license childcare and preschool facilities is to have chairs that are the right height and size for the child, and fit the shape of the child.

1. Feet should rest flat on the floor when the child sits back in the chair. (My 25-month-old fits best in a 7" chair. I just measured this by making a 6.875" bench using Melissa & Doug Standard Unit Blocks.)
2. For toddlers, the chair should have sides so that the toddler does not slide off. (This happened last week to my daughter. She sat on a "toddler" chair we found at Goodwill and slipped off the side, falling on her back and knocking her head against another chair. This is very dis-empowering. As she was sitting down, I was about to comment on the ITERS guideline to mama. I felt really stupid.)
3. Back should support the child's back. (Is the seat depth right?)
4. Child should be able to rest on their elbows. (Using arm rests and/or table at the right height.)

See http://www.communityplaythings.com/products/chairs/childshape/

For information on seat and table height, see
http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/chairchart.html

I'm not affiliated with Community Playthings. I'm just looking at buying chairs for a bilingual toddler preschool coop I'm working on starting in Asheville, NC. See http://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Asheville-NC/El-Jardin-de-Ninos-The-Childrens-Garden/324365734353

There are alternative toddler chairs that do not provide arm rests, such as

http://www.kaplanco.com/store/trans/productDetailForm.asp?CatID=1|FC1021|0&PID=93714P

http://www.communityplaythings.com/products/chairs/medoit/index.html

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/ca|productSubCat~~p|2534374302100231~~f|/Assortments/Lakeshore/ShopByCategory/infantstoddlers/furniture.jsp

Note: Community Playthings includes shipping in the price, with no minimum order.