What age do you put a child in a booster?
I have a new dcb 16 months starting soon and need to buy a seat for him. Should I get a booster or highchair?

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I try to transition all my little one to nap mats (from crib or PNP) and to boosters and open cups, silverware etc (from a high chair and bottle or sippy cup) at around 12 months.

Some kids are a bit later but I start around 12 months so in your case if I had a new child starting that was over 12 months, I'd go straight to booster seat.

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I don't go by age so much as ability. As soon as I think a child can eat from his/her plate without tossing it on to the floor, I try to make the transition from high chair to a booster.

I have at least one booster with a removable tray so I can use it either way - as a high chair if the child isn't quite ready to transition or as a booster that can be pushed right up to the table and used as a seat. It gives me options.

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I go by ability as well. After the high chair I go straight to toddler size chairs at a child-size table. They learn to sit while they eat. If they don't catch it and I feel like they are not ready, if they get up, stand on the chair, take food from other's plates etc then they go back to the high chair for the rest of the meal so the other kids can eat in peace and so the child can focus on eating their own food. I don't use boosters. Other than a highchair I prefer for the kids to be as self-sufficient as possible and I want them to be able to sit down and get up once they are done on their own.

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- Because I am Montessori inspired, I start all my littles out in boosters once they sit up on their own... we all eat at the table together too. I have no space to put highchairs anyway, so for me, no option; 16 months, I would do booster

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I only do boosters, a few are the space saver ones with trays (basically a high chair) and I start the littles in those. They eat off the tray and I gradually let them start eating off of bowls/plates shortly after their 1st birthday.

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I only do small tables / chairs. There are special chairs for toddlers at Community Playthings. https://www.communityplaythings.com/products/chairs

The Me Do It Chairs are great for toddlers, since my program is 2-5 I have the Woodland Chairs based on a 3 year old height.

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If I was starting one that age they would go straight into a booster. I wouldn't want to start off in the high chair just to do a transition again in a couple weeks/months. For me, even if they hadn't used one before, it would just be part of learning my environment. Same thought process for me with other transitions that might be coming soon. For example I would start on a nap mat rather than in the pack-n-play or crib even if it were a new thing for them, because I'd be looking to do that transition soon anyway.

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I have one booster made by fisher price that has a removable tray and when I started a 12mth old awhile back, I started with the tray and was also helping to feed her. She’s now 18mths old and no longer uses the tray and just uses it as a booster. She also now feeds herself everything except spaghetti which I feed her because I don’t want a massive mess to clean up. When she first came to me she couldn’t use a spoon or anything but over time she learned and is overall very good at eating now.

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I use the Me Do It chairs as soon as they can sit up unassisted. Before that, I have a Mamas and Papas Baby Snug.

I avoid spoon-feed foods unless the parents send them in; I give them soft foods they can feed to themselves. If I am feeding them applesauce or yogurt with a spoon, I give them a spoon to hold themselves so they get used to the feel of it.

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